STARKVILLE — A new chapter has begun for the Starkville Area Arts Council, with a new face at the helm.

Former Interim Executive Director Juliette Reid announced in March that she would be leaving to move to North Carolina. She moved last week, though she is still temporarily helping the organization remotely during the transition.

But on Wednesday, the nonprofit announced it had tapped Saltillo native Charla Laney for the role of executive director. Her first day was Monday.

“I’m thrilled to step into the role of executive director for the Starkville Area Arts Council,” Laney said in a press release. “I’m excited to work alongside our talented artists, dedicated volunteers and incredible supporters. Together, we can continue building a strong, creative and connected community through the arts.”

Laney is a Saltillo native, who grew up attending gifted art classes in school. She came to Starkville to attend Mississippi State University, where she graduated with her undergraduate degree in anthropology in 2020. After graduation, she briefly worked as an archivist for a museum in New Albany, before returning to Starkville.

Before accepting the position at the arts council, she previously served as an AmeriCorps VISTA and Public Relations Coordinator with Starkville Habitat for Humanity. Laney is also currently pursuing an MBA at MSU and she also serves as coordinator for the Starkville Community Market.

“I’m really excited to be able to join the arts council. I’m a local, so I’m familiar with their work… and all the people that they work with,” Laney said. “It feels like getting started, it just kind of fits like a glove.”

In her own personal artistic pursuits, Laney said she typically works with acrylic paints, clay, sewing and more. She hopes during her time as executive director to bring together artists working with all kinds of mediums, as well as bringing together the community as a whole.

“I do want to have more collaboration and more partnerships, stronger relationships, especially with our local businesses,” Laney said. “That’s what I think is most important, to stick together as a community and to grow together.”

Laney said she is particularly passionate about uplifting southern artists, allowing them to share their voices and experiences.

When it comes to the Cotton District Arts Festival, which the arts council organizes with help from volunteers, Laney said she is a “little nervous” but ready for the challenge.

“With the nature of nonprofits and museums, you kind of wear a lot of hats,” Laney said. “I kind of did a little bit of everything in both sectors, and I feel like it’s prepared me for right now.”

Jim “Nubbin” Herring, treasurer for the Starkville Area Arts Council, said the group went through an “extensive” search process that started soon after Reid told them she was moving away. Candidates submitted presentations and were vetted through a thorough question and answer process. Through it all, he said, Laney always rose to the top, particularly due to her Starkville background and personality.

“As far as excitement, we think she is just the perfect choice to lead us over the next five or six years into what we’re trying to get in building the arts council,” Herring said. “She’s just been a delight since out of the gate.”