by Morgan Yeatts
Kelly Posenauer’s story of moving to Lynchburg for school and staying is not uncommon in a college town like this one. Originally from Pennsylvania, she came here to attend Liberty University. While she knew that her heart was in children’s education, she wasn’t sure if teaching was the route she wanted to take. Instead, she chose Interior Design, while her passion for children’s education remained, though unrequited.
Years later, the perfect opportunity came along. A neighbor of Kelly’s at the time was an employee of the Academy Center of the Arts, (then the Academy of Fine Arts), and informed her that the position of Director of Education was open. Unsure if she met all of the requirements, she decided to apply and ended up securing the position.
Now, nearly ten years later, she’s planned, overseen, and executed countless visual and performing arts classes for not only children, but people of all ages in the community. “With education, we get to serve all different ages, and especially with our outreach programs, all demographics, and it’s really cool to see how that has expanded through the years” she says.
Kelly loves the opportunity she has to play a crucial role in the Academy’s mission to serve the community through arts and culture by providing classes and other opportunities for the people of Lynchburg and the surrounding areas. For Kelly, the most rewarding aspect of her job is getting the chance to see how children from all over the community have the opportunity to come together, learn, and make new friends. “They would never have known each other if it weren’t for this place”.
