Metro Arts Commission candidate list narrowed to four

Update: Pamela Johnson has withdrawn her name from consideration for the position.

The Metro Nashville Arts Commission will have to wait a little longer until it has a new full-time executive director.

Though commission chair Jane Alvis said she hoped to recommend a new director at today’s regularly scheduled meeting, she informed commissioners that the search committee hasn’t decided among the four final candidates.

“We’re just not finished,” Alvis said. “We haven’t made a final decision yet. We’ll be ready to make a recommendation very soon.”

The committee has narrowed the list of director choices to four Nashvillians: Jennifer Cole, who is the wife of Metro Councilman Erik Cole, Pamela Johnson, Celeste Wilson and Elaine Wood.

Alvis said a new director wouldn’t be able to start until January, adding that, if necessary, the commission would consider holding a special meeting to recommend the selection.

Sandra Duncan has held the position on an interim basis since last year when then-Executive Director Norree Boyd was fired after a job review revealed she had poor communications skills, failed to take responsibility for certain actions and developed a spotty record of attending Metro Council meetings on behalf of the commission. A previous search process resulted in a short list of three candidates, but ultimately the commission decided none of the three was right for the job.