Missouri Folk Arts Director since September 1999, Lisa L. Higgins manages daily operations, including budgets, grants, reports, and communications. She also serves as Missouri Arts Council’s Program Specialist for Folk Arts, assisting applicants and grantees throughout grantwriting and reporting seasons. Via the Show Me Folk Initiative, Higgins organizes outreach regionally, engages with local advisers and community scholars, and coordinates Living Traditions Fellowships, recognizing merit and artistic excellence of Missouri traditional artists and community scholars. She has published essays on arts and aging; folk arts and education; and applications of reciprocal ethnography in the public sector. Higgins volunteers as Board Treasurer for Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education.