Board named for Institute for the Creative Arts

Jeannie Cole, former Fort Smith Public Schools school board member, will be the first chair of the board of directors for the Fort Smith-based Institute for the Creative Arts (ICA), the first performing and visual arts high school in Arkansas.

ICA announced its founding board of directors May 1. They included Jeannie Cole, David Cravens, Dr. Rick Foti, JoAnna Lever and Kaylee Rainwater.

“Each comes with a wealth of experience in key areas including education, arts, finance, public school board experience, and parent engagement,” noted the ICA statement.

Cole has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Harding University. She served on the Fort Smith Public School Board for 23 years, has served as the Arkansas PTA president, was appointed to the National PTA Legislative Committee, and served as a National PTA Mentor. She received the Arkansas School Board Association President’s Award for 500 hours of continuing education. She has participated in the Arkansas Leadership Academy and Leadership Fort Smith and most served as the board chair for Community School of the
Arts, the parent organization for ICA.

“I am excited to help play a role in enhancing art education in the River Valley. This will be a game-changer in these students’ lives as they and the staff endeavor to transform the region into a beacon for the arts,” Cole said.

Cravens, who serves as vice chair of the board, is former president of Regions Bank of Fort Smith, where he worked for 31 years. He is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Graduate School of Commercial Banking and is a certified treasury professional from the Association for Financial Professionals. He attended the University of Arkansas and Glendale College in Los Angeles. Cravens has served on the board for Trinity Catholic School in Fort Smith.

Foti, secretary of the ICA Board, has 40 years of experience in education and school administration. He has a doctorate of educational administration from University of Missouri-Kansas City and bachelor’s degree in music from Hendrix College. Foti worked in elementary and special education in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri, including principal positions at Parker and Trusty elementary schools in Fort Smith. He was executive director of Community Services Clearinghouse and has served on numerous nonprofit boards including the chair of Community School of the Arts.

Lever, director of community relations for Rogers Public Schools, joins the ICA board with experience in education, specifically in K-12 charter school startups. She has a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from the University of Arkansas and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and teaching from Arkansas Tech University. Lever was the director of charter development for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, vice president of education for Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, an educational consultant and the founding principal of the Fayetteville Virtual Academy. She has also been an instructional facilitator, teacher, and literacy coach.

Rainwater has a background in finance and commercial banking. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Central Arkansas and a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University. Rainwater is vice president of commercial banking for Arvest Bank Fort Smith. She will be the parent engagement coordinator for ICA.

The Arkansas Board of Education gave final approval for the Institute for the Creative Arts at its meeting on Dec. 15, officially starting the state’s first performing and visual arts high school. With that final approval, the high school is preparing to open in August in Fort Smith.

The school will be housed in the Community School of the Arts’ (CSA) new 42,000-square-foot Center for Creative Art building at 1101 Riverfront Drive in Fort Smith, just north of the U.S. Marshals Museum along the Arkansas River. The high school will open with students entering ninth through 11th grade in year one with 12th grade added in the fall of 2025. The school day will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the day divided between academic and arts instruction. As a public charter school, it is tuition-free and open to all students.