Millie Ryan, Terrace Drive, is on the teaching staff at the Frick Art Museum. Also a super volunteer, she has served on the boards of The Junior League, the Twentieth Century Club, The Arc of Pittsburgh, St. Paul’s Nursery School, St. Paul’s Church and the Pittsburgh Symphony and Symphony Association. Ryan founded the Symphony Splendor Holiday House Tour, which took place last November in Mt. Lebanon.  

PERSONAL ADVICE: Take the time to acquaint yourself with community assets and to determine the best possible scenarios for your skills, experience and passions. Leading and serving meaningfully and effectively require a good fit.

WHY FOCUS ON CULTURAL ARTS? The cultural arts, in their transformational way, enhance and enrich my life by providing an escape into worlds I might not otherwise experience. In essence, they get me in touch with a myriad of feelings deep inside me and pique my imaginative and creative energies.

HOW are the arts CHANGING? There is an increasing emphasis on programming for millennials such as the “Killer Heels” exhibit at The Frick, the genre-bending Fuse Concerts at the PSO and the more family-oriented productions at the CLO. I think this shift is critical for the healthy future of the arts.

PROUD ACCOMPLISHMENTS?  Cofounding a hospital-based parenting center in Louisiana and chairing a fundraiser at St. Paul’s church to help finance the rebuilding of an after-school and summer program in New Orleans after Katrina. And, of course, Symphony Splendor ranks among the top, as well, raising more than $200,000 during the past three seasons to support and sustain one of PIttsburgh’s beloved icons.

BEST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED? Miracles happen all the time. Seize the moment to serve others with the ultimate goal of doing the best you can to make a small part of the world a better place.