The Orange County Visitors Association (OCVA) is planning to launch a hospitality industry workforce development campaign in early 2020. As part of this initiative, OCVA wishes to include the arts & culture sector, recognizing that there are visitor-serving career paths and employment opportunities at museums & galleries and organizations that produce and present the performing arts. The effort will target high school and community college students and will feature information and showcase speakers telling their stories about who they are, what they're doing and how they got there. If you or your organization are interested in participating in this initiative, please contact Courtney Wiercioch at Cornerstone Communications.

Edmund Velasco has been elected to the Boards of California Arts Advocates & Californians for the Arts, sister organizations that work to build public will for arts support statewide. Velasco has served on the Executive Board for the Orange County Musicians' Union (Local 7, American Federation of Musicians) since 2003 and was elected Vice President in 2016, where he is actively involved in advocacy activities. A native Southern Californian, he began playing saxophone at age 8 and has become recognized as one of the top saxophonists in the region.

Steve Venz, who has served as Visual & Performing Arts Coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education for the past five years, has departed to take on the new position of Chief Program Officer/Chief Academic Officer for the national nonprofit, Little Kids Rock, working throughout the U.S. to restore and expand music education.