Rebecca Fulgham officially becomes the executive director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri April 1. But she already is introducing herself to her new duties while finishing up her job at the Southeast Music Academy, which she has directed for the past 11 years.

She takes over a position that has been open since late last December, when former executive director Tom Howard announced he was returning to teaching.

Fulgham was one of 19 applicants for the job, all from the region. Dr. Robert Gifford, chairman of the Arts Council's board of directors, says the council was looking for someone who would continue the strides Howard made to improve the council's fiscal situation and someone with leadership abilities and a broad interest in the arts.

"We felt Becky was the strongest candidate we had," Gifford said. "Certainly after her interview we felt she was the person who would take the council and lead us forward."

One of the council's priorities is to reinstate some of the programs that were dropped when finances were shakier. "Now that we're on better ground we want to expand again," Gifford said.

Stability is another asset Fulgham offers. She is the fourth executive director to guide the arts council since Beverly Strohmeyer resigned in 1997 to take a job with the Missouri Arts Council.

Howard's assistant, Laura Brothers, has been running the council's day-to-day operations for the past three months. Brothers plans to retire and is training her replacement, Chelsea Bowerman, a former intern at the council.

Brothers single-handedly kept the Arts Council running in the absence of a director, Gifford said.

Fulgham said she was ready for a change in her career and welcomed the chance to work in more areas of the arts than just music. She endorses collaborations between the region's different arts organizations, such as the Arts Council's partial sponsorship of the upcoming performance at Southeast by the Miami City Ballet.

"I think this area needs to be exposed to as many cultural opportunities as possible without overwhelming the patrons," she said.

She has no specific plans to make changes at this point. "I want to emphasize that I think the programs the arts council currently offers are great. Under no circumstances will we reduce any of that," she said.

"But I think there is room for a little more diversity, especially in the areas of theater and music."

Some renovations in the Arts Council's two galleries, Gallery 100 and the Lorimier Gallery, are planned.

She said the galleries, which recently have been open only four days a week, will resume five-day-a-week operations.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182