Executive Director

Molly Kunkel, Centre Foundation

Molly is the Executive Director for the Centre Foundation and a Board Member of ACRES (Adults Creating Residential and Employment Solutions). The Centre Foundation is an organization devoted to inspiring and facilitating a culture of giving which creates a vibrant community. Beginning in 1981, generous donors have invested in Centre Foundation, giving them over $35 million dollars in Foundation assets today. The Centre Foundation believes that everyone can be a philanthropist; they provide excellent personal service to donors and have a team of people ready to help them achieve their personal philanthropic goals. They pride themselves on a deep understanding of the community’s needs and their ability to provide innovative and traditional giving opportunities that match the passions of their donors with the needs of the community. The Centre Foundation believes in the organizations that are working to create a better future for the Centre County community; they provide services to help those organizations build endowments, to create support through community engagement, to strengthen themselves through training and research, to fund transformative projects, and to convene effective partnerships with stakeholders around community issues. To date, the Centre Foundation has invested over $18 million back into the Centre County community.

As the Executive Director, Molly is responsible for leadership and management of the organizations, as well as working with board of directors to develop and implement strategic plans that will ensure long-term growth and success.

Rick Bryant, Arts Fest

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Rick is the Executive Director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (CPFA). He joined the paid staff of the CPFA as its Director of Visual Arts in 1999, though his involvement with the Festival dates back to 1984, when he first volunteered on the trash crew. Rick was named Executive Director of the CPFA in 2005.

Rick earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture in 1979. In 1896, he earned a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation, and in 2013, he completed the Pennsylvania Rural-Urban Leadership Program.

In addition to serving as a long-time Festival volunteer, Rick has volunteered for many community organizations. He has served on the board of the Art Alliance of Central PA, the State College Board of Health, the Board of Deacons at State College Presbyterian Church, the Community Advisory Board for Penn State’s Center for Performing Arts, the State College Historic Resources Commission, and the State College Historic and Architectural Review Board. He also runs an active blog site called The Wandering Wahoo.

Amy Wilson, Mid-State Literacy Council

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Amy is the founder and Executive Director of the Mid-State Literacy Council, a non-profit organization that provides adult education instruction in basic literacy, ESL, and family literacy in the Centre County community.