Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin featured our Executive Director, Nan Young, as one of the six women chosen as 2024 Women of the Year!
“Nan Young has a life-long history of the arts and philanthropy. Nan's passion for the arts flourished in her teens and early adult years. Upon graduation from UC Santa Cruz, Nan taught high school English and Drama for ten years at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes and created new arts and humanities programs for the school’s Juniors and Seniors.
Nan moved her family to the Conejo Valley in 1990. Instead of returning to the classroom full time, she focused on her young children and volunteered in the school and community. The birth of Art Trek began there. Nan wanted her then 4-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy, to attend the same regular elementary school as her son. Due to the inaccessibility of the school, Nan struck a deal with the Ladera Elementary School principal. Nan promised to create an arts program in exchange for the school being modified for a walker. On a handshake, both events occurred almost immediately. The school received appropriate adaptations and Art Trek, a visual, literary, and performing arts program was created.
Congratulations Nan Young 🏆”
