HOUSTON, TX.- Houston Center for Contemporary Craft announced six new members have joined its board of directors: Dale Cover, John Guess, Duane Kelley, Maggie McKay, José Solís, and Sandie Zilker.

An Operation Babylift orphan from Vietnam, Dale Cover studied dance at the Philadelphia Ballet as a child and later explored origami and the culinary arts as he pursued a career in corporate finance. Now retired and living in Houston, Cover serves on the board of the Harris County Historical Society and HCCC’s development committee, where he hopes to advance the organization’s corporate relations.

The CEO of the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC), John Guess, brings a wealth of professional and nonprofit arts experience to HCCC. He has served on the Smithsonian Regional Council and on numerous boards, including the MFAH Glassell School and CORE Committee, the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.

After beginning his career with Deloitte, CPA Duane Kelley has run family offices for two decades and currently runs the Morgan Family Office. He has volunteered in the nonprofit world for many years, and his financial expertise is a welcome addition to HCCC.

A longtime volunteer for HCCC, Maggie McKay is a retired attorney with more than three decades of litigation and management experience with major corporations such as Gulf Oil, Chevron, and Toshiba International. To her role at HCCC, she brings a passion for craft and helping the organization clarify its goals and build its governance committee.

An eighth-generation Texan and native Houstonian, José Solís is an independent project management and planning consultant who focuses on greenspace, arts, and cultural projects in Houston. Solís has helped develop master plans and expansions for organizations like Buffalo Bayou Partnership and has served on numerous arts boards, including DiverseWorks, Glasstire, and Blaffer Museum of Art.

Metalsmith, educator, and administrator, Sandie Zilker, is excited to rejoin HCCC’s board. Zilker is the Department Head of Jewelry/Enamel at the Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and exhibits her colorful, patterned work worldwide in museums and galleries. She was named a “Texas Master” craft artist by HCCC in 2014.

All six incoming members are already advocates for the Center and have been participating directly in HCCC's programming and community—in some cases, for years. They are joining the board after a year of measurable growth and have immediately gotten to work in support of HCCC's recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl. Their recruitment also coincides with the start of the organization’s engagement with the consulting firm Trepwise to design a strategic plan by year’s end and build on the reputation for excellence HCCC has developed in contemporary craft. HCCC Executive Director Leila Cartier commented, “When reading the resumes and looking around the room at the rest of the HCCC Board, there is absolutely no doubt that together we will realize our ambitions for the future.”