Tina Lilly is the Executive Director of Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, where she has led the organization since 2021, bringing to the role a depth of knowledge of Georgia’s arts communities as well as a lifetime of arts advocacy. Under her leadership, GCA provides grant funding, programs, and services statewide that bolster the creative industry, which supports 149,000 jobs in Georgia. GCA actively works to support arts organizations across the state, strengthen arts education and student literary programs, promote and preserve Georgia’s cultural heritage, and encourage use of the arts in community and economic development.
Under Lilly’s leadership, GCA applied for and received an $11.4 million-dollar American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant from the state. These funds are being used to support the hard-hit arts sector following COVID through grants, training, and new programs.
Prior to her current role, Lilly served GCA for 14 years, including as the Grants Program Director, where she managed all aspects of a $2 million grant program. During her time in this position, Lilly oversaw the distribution of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds in response to COVID-19, and the creation of both the Vibrant Communities and Cultural Facilities Grant programs. While at GCA, she also served as a member of the Tourism Resource Team with Explore Georgia and advised communities across the state on utilizing the arts for community and economic development.
Lilly previously served as Executive Director of the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison, Georgia, as Administrative Director at 7 Stages Theatre in Atlanta, and as Managing Director at Live Bait Theatre in Chicago. She also worked as an Adjunct Professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago and as a Freelance Director at various theatres in Chicago, Atlanta, and New York. Lilly serves as a member of the Board of Directors for South Arts, the regional arts service organization for a nine-state region.
Lilly holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University (formerly the Goodman School of Drama) and a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Birmingham-Southern College.