by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Robert Arleigh “Bob” White has been managing local arts organizations and initiatives ranging from community theaters to major cultural events for the past 20 years.
He currently serves as the executive director for the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, the 15th-largest organization of its kind in the country. The Cultural Council provides advocacy, technical assistance and funding to a wide variety of programs including emerging arts organizations, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, museums, public broadcasting and arts education.
While he was executive and artistic director at Theatre Jacksonville, White directed 50 plays and produced many more. He also ensured the company’s future by developing a new community-based program and creating partnerships with corporations, businesses, artists and schools. White said he is particularly proud of his work as producing director and artistic director for Theatre Jacksonville’s “Shakespeare at the Met” series.
He also worked as a Duval County teacher at Wolfson and Fletcher high schools, where he taught English, speech, drama and creative writing.
Over the years, White has amassed quite a collection of souvenirs and memorabilia from his career. Much of it is displayed in his office at the T-U Center.