Supporting the arts as a Board Member is a labor of love. The board members of the non-profit performing arts organization Portland Ovations know this first hand. Soon, newest board members Ted Walworth and Amy Regan Gallant will know as well. This fall, Ovations welcomed these arts enthusiasts to our team of dedicated Board and staff members who are committed to connecting artists and Maine audiences through diverse arts experiences while maintaining the integrity of the 88 year old organization.
Ovations and Amy Regan Gallant first worked together when Amy was the advocacy coordinator with Preble Street and a Community Organizer of Homeless Voices for Justice at Preble Street Resource Center. Through her work as the Advocacy Coordinator with Preble Street and a Community Organizer of Homeless Voices for Justice Amy coordinated many community programs for people who are homeless. During that time Ovations and Preble Street collaborated on the puppet-theater work, “Who’s Hungry?” which explores issues of food insecurity. Amy is currently the Associate State Director of Advocacy and Outreach at AARP. Her past Board experience includes work with Portland’s Community Development Block Grant Allocation Committee, Maine Council on Aging, and Maine Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. Amy received her Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Saint Anslem College. She brings a unique point of view and set of skills to Ovations’ Board.
Ovations first met Ted Walworth during our 2012-13 centennial celebration of Stravinsky’s iconic work, “The Rite of Spring.” A retired surgeon, Ted plays the bassoon and contrabasson. He has played with the Bates College Orchestra, the Androscoggin Valley Community Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra and as a guest musician at the Monteux School and Music Festival. He has served as board member and chairman for numerous prestigeous organizations including L/A Arts, Maine Music Society and Princeton Alumni Association of Maine. After graduating from Princeton University and receiving his MD from Columbia University, Ted did a stint on active duty (LC MC USNR), as a Staff Surgeon at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Charleston, SC then moved to Lewsiton, Maine where he worked as Staff President of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. After retiring from his clinical practice, Walworth spent time as a surgeon with Doctors Without Borders. He brings his experience in the arts community and his love of health, people, music and nature to Portland Ovations’ Board of Directors.
“We are thrilled for Amy and Ted to join the Ovations board. Both already have a strong connection to the Ovations’ mission. They each bring a great deal of knowledge and experience that will benefit Ovations and our work with our community.”
– Aimée Petrin, Portland Ovations’ Executive Director
