On Tuesday, January 13, the board of the Stanwood-Camano Art Advocacy Commission (SCAAC) named Jason Dorsey the interim Executive Director of SCAAC.
Letter from Jason sharing the news
Jason wrote the following letter to stakeholders, partner organizations, and sharing this exciting news:
I’m writing to let you know that I’m serving as the interim Executive Director of the Stanwood-Camano Arts Advocacy Commission (SCAAC). I’m thankful and honored that I get to serve this organization I love and that I’ve been a part from its beginning in this new way. In 2016, as chair of the board of the Camano Art Association (CAA), I led the strategic planning that included an initiative to bring the art organizations in our region together with civic and educational institutions and local businesses to partner to promote Stanwood-Camano as a center and destination for art. I led a grassroots group that began to meet at City Hall monthly to plan and dream. In those days it seemed an impossible dream: an art center in Stanwood, paid staff to run it as the hub for this partnership.
We also dreamed about west Stanwood being an art and cultural district if our building could be there. This grassroots group named ourselves the Stanwood-Camano Art Advocacy Commission: Stanwood-Camano because we love our region and want it to flourish; art advocacy because we believe in the strategic importance of art as an economic and community-building engine; commission because we value art groups, civic and educational institutions and local businesses sitting at the same table to partner together.
Then the impossible happened. A generous family gifted SCAAC the old furniture store in west-Stanwood, three million dollars to kick-start a capital campaign for an art center, and a two million dollar endowment for operations. We quickly organized into a 501c3, which I have served as the chair of since June 2020. Our first Executive Director, Cat Olson, catalyzed art programming to build community, built a staff team, and helped us launch a capital campaign to build the Meyer Art Center. We have raised almost seven million of the thirteen million required to build the Meyer Art Center that will be the hub of our community of artists, the crown jewel and catalyst for the west-stanwood cultural district, and most important, a place where community is woven by art.
After Cat resigned, SCAAC’s board hired Joanna Sikes as Executive Director to help complete the capital campaign and build the Meyer Art Center. When Joanna resigned as Executive Director in earlyJanuary, 2026, I didn’t want SCAAC to lose the momentum we had. So I offered to serve as interim Executive Director. On Tuesday, January 13, the board offered me that role and I accepted. The next day I began serving this organization that I love in this new capacity, under a board that I deeply admire and enjoy partnering with, and for the good of an island and small town where I grew up and am thankful I can give back to.
Here’s the formal statement issued by SCAAC’s board:
The board of the Stanwood Camano Art Advocacy Commission (SCAAC) looks forward to 2026 with anticipation as the year we will break ground for the new Meyer Art Center. Even as we do, we have the hard work of transition before us. At the end of 2025 we received the resignation of Elizabeth Abrahamson, who oversaw operations for SCAAC. And on Monday, January 5, Joanna Sikes, SCAAC’s Executive Director, resigned. We are thankful for both Elizabeth and Joanna’s contribution to our vision to build community through art and we wish them the best in their next chapter. The SCAAC board has named Jason Dorsey interim Executive Director to keep up our momentum. We look forward to finding an Executive Director who will help us build the Meyer Art Center and community by art.
Would you partner with us in 2026?
I’m hopeful that in spring of 2026 we will hit our goal of the capital campaign being 75% funded so that we can pull permits and break ground on the Meyer Art Center. The Meyer Art Center is only a part of what we dream, and I would very much love to talk with you about how we can go forward in our united strength for the flourishing of Stanwood-Camano.
Sincerely, Jason Dorsey
WE NEED YOUR HELP
We can’t accomplish the dream of The Meyer Art Center alone. We need a host of volunteers, friends, patrons, philanthropists, artists, businesses, institutions, neighbors, cheerleaders, to join us in seeing this dream happen. You can learn more about SCAAC, give, volunteer, at our website here: https://www.scaacwa.org/.
If you are interested to meet me, talk more about the Meyer Art Center, volunteer please reach out to me at: director@scaacwa.org or 317.208.6768
Let’s Go Forward Together in our United Strength!
