Andrea Specht discovered her passion for the visual arts in childhood and earned a BA in Studio Art from Macalester College. Since then, she has focused her career in the nonprofit sector, advancing causes that range from youth development and gender equity to the arts and higher education. Andrea took the helm at ACC in 2022 after serving as the vice president of advancement and foundation executive director at Normandale Community College, and before that, as the executive director of Artistry, a multidisciplinary arts organization reaching more than 85,000 people annually through professional theater productions, visual arts exhibitions, community-based arts education, and creative placemaking projects. Andrea has served as a board member for Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, the College of Visual Arts, and numerous other nonprofit organizations, and she holds a JD from the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Her interests include cooking and baking, plants and gardens, and spending time in the woods of northwest Wisconsin.