Leslie
Dignam Edwards, a real estate broker and president of Key Realty,
previously served as president of the Hermitage’s board of trustees from 2004 to
2008.

(Sarasota County, FL) Bruce Rodgers, the
executive director of the Hermitage Artist Retreat, recently announced that the
organization has appointed Leslie Dignam Edwards as the new president of its
board of trustees. It has also elected four board members to a three-year term:
Ellen Berman, Robyn Citrin, Carole Crosby, and Peggy Hunt.

Edwards was born
and raised in Englewood. She was appointed
vice president of the Hermitage’s board of trustees and moved into the position
of president upon the death of co-founder Syd Adler in 2004. Edwards is a real estate broker and president of Key
Realty, Inc., a firm her grandfather started in 1952. She serves on the board
of Kids Needs of Greater Englewood and is an honorary board member of the
Suncoast Humane Society, where she has been a key player in implementing a $10 million
capital campaign.

“Leslie led the
organization through a critical period in its nascent years as it sought to
recover from the loss of its co-founder, Syd Adler,” says Bruce Rodgers,
executive director. “She created the Artful Lobster fundraising event, which
has become one of the Hermitage’s signature events. And now she returns to the
board at yet another transitional moment, as the Hermitage undergoes a planned
change in executive directors,” says Rodgers, referring to the fact that he’s
retiring at the end of December.

Edwards
says she’s looking forward to the next chapter of the Hermitage. “Bruce has
been a dynamic leader for nearly 15 years,” she says. “We’re all sorry to see
him go—and thrilled to see him continue his artistic journey.” As to the
artistic journey of the Hermitage? “I’m looking forward to what comes next,” says
Edwards. “Bruce worked hard to make our future a bright one. He achieved great
things during his time at the Hermitage. Our next director will build on that
legacy and carry it forward. Our next chapter is about to begin—and I’ll
thrilled to be a part of it.”

The
Hermitage Artist Retreat’s board of trustees includes Leslie Edwards,
president; Steve Adler, vice president; David B. Green, vice president; Larry
Bold, treasurer; Michéle Des Verney Redwine, secretary; and Ellen Berman, Susan
Brainerd, Robyn Citrin, Carole
Crosby, Marletta Darnall, Peggy Hunt, Laura Kaminsky, R. Andrew (Andy) Maass,
Joy P. Norwood, Charlotte Perret, Karen Solem, and Nelda Thompson.

About the Hermitage Artist Retreat:

The
Hermitage is a nonprofit artist retreat located in Englewood, Sarasota County,
Florida. It invites accomplished artists in all disciplines for residencies on
its beachfront campus which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its
artists, who are asked to interact with the community, touch thousands of Gulf
Coast residents and visitors with unique and inspiring programs. Hermitage
fellows have included Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy, Grammy and MacArthur Fellowship
award winners. The Hermitage awards the $30,000 Greenfield Prize for a new work
of art, and the Aspen Music Festival awards the annual Hermitage Prize in
Composition. For more information about The Hermitage Artist Retreat, visit
www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

The Hermitage is supported by:

Hermitage
programs are supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for
the Arts; by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues; and by the
Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts
and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25 Florida Statutes).

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