As Executive Director of the Texas Cultural Trust, Ms. Barbee oversees the operations of the Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and highlight the importance of the arts in educating our children and sustaining a vibrant Texas economy. Programs of the Texas Cultural Trust include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Create Texas - Put Your ART Into It, Texas Women for the Arts, Founders for the Arts, strataTX, and the Young Masters program.

Ms. Barbees background encompasses theatre, fundraising, advocacy, and politics. She was the first Executive Director of The Real Estate Council of Austin, Inc. and held that position for nine years. She has served as Director of Development for the Paramount Theatre in Austin, freelance Production Coordinator for Warner Bros. and Universal Studios on original hit films including The Blues Brothers, Ghost Story, and National Lampoons Vacation, and Fundraising Coordinator for two successful Congressional campaigns: Senator Lloyd Bentsens 1988 campaign and US Representative J.J. Jake Pickles 1986 campaign.

Ms. Barbee holds a BS in speech from Northwestern University, where she concentrated in theatre and film. She currently serves on the board of Texans for the Arts, the advisory committee for Mexic-Arte Museum and is a member of the State Arts Action Network for Americans for the Arts. She has served on the board of directors of the Paramount Theatre and Zachary Scott Theatre, and on advisory boards for the Nature Conservancy and the Charles W. Moore Foundation. She has also acted in leadership roles for the Junior League of Austin and the Urban Land Institute.

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