Ellen Nan Plummer

to promoting knowledge in the arts. As an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Ellen “Nan” Plummer draws on more than 20 years of experience as an administrator and fundraiser to teach graduate courses on nonprofit management. Most recently the Executive Director of the Arkansas Arts Center, Ms. Plummer established a strong foundation for her career as an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College, where she studied the history of art. A Sarah Williston Scholar and the recipient of the Robert P. Sibley Composition Prize, Ms. Plummer graduated magna cum laude in 1977 as a member of The Phi Beta Kappa Society. She was also honored twice with the Louise Fitz-Randolph Fellowship, awarded annually to Mount Holyoke alumni who pursue the study of art at the graduate level. After earning her undergraduate degree, Ellen “Nan” Plummer enrolled at the University of Michigan to get her MA and PhD in the history of art. Prior to completing her Doctor of Philosophy in 1983, Ms. Plummer received the highly competitive Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship from the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School, as well as the Mary Vance Young Fellowship from her alma mater, Mount Holyoke. In 1985, Ellen “Nan” Plummer joined Artrain, Inc., a nonprofit organization that develops mobile art programs for underserved communities. Following her five years with Artrain, Inc., including a period as Executive Director, Ms. Plummer returned to the University of Michigan as a faculty member. In addition to lecturing in the Department of the History of Art, Ms. Plummer served as Assistant Director for Programs at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, as well as Associate Director for the museum’s practice program. In 1996, Ms. Plummer left the university to join the staff of the Toledo Museum of Art. However, she remained actively involved in education; promoted from Programs Administrator to Head of Education at the museum in 1999, Ms. Plummer also continued to teach at the graduate level through an adjunct instructor appointment at the University of Toledo. In 2002, Ellen “Nan” Plummer relocated to Arkansas to head the state’s only accredited art museum, where she served as Executive Director until 2010. A Certified Fund Raising Executive, Ms. Plummer also holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.