Two board members for DREAM Academy, the state-approved arts-integrated charter school, will receive Macon Arts Alliance’s Cultural Award. Karla Redding-Andrews (DREAM Academy Governing Board, Chair, and Otis Redding Foundation, Executive Director) and Betsy Fitzgerald (DREAM Academy Governing Board, Vice Chair) will be awarded with the accolades at the Cultural Awards and Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 25 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Historic Douglass Theatre in Downtown Macon.

Karla Redding-Andrews is committed to keeping the legacy of Otis Redding alive, while continuing his dream of “Progress Through Education. Enlightenment Through Music.” Her lasting impact can be seen in the Otis Music Camp, the Otis Redding Center for Creative Arts, and the newly formed DREAM Academy. Redding-Andrews earned a B.A. from Georgia Southern University in 1985, where she still serves on the Alumni Board of Directors. She is vice-chair of the Georgia Music Foundation board, which operates under the direction of the Governor of the State of Georgia, Nathan Deal. Redding-Andrews serves on the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Advisory Commission, appointed by Governor Deal, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings Board of Visitors, and a member of the Macon Rotary Club. Redding-Andrews and husband Timothy have been married for 29 years and have two sons Justin and Jarred.

Since moving to Macon, Betsy Fitzgerald has served as an active participant in the Central Georgia arts community as an administrator, performer, and volunteer. Fitzgerald performs regularly throughout the community as a soloist, chamber musician, and as a member of an orchestra. As an active teacher, Fitzgerald educates at Wesleyan College, through her private studio, and at the Otis Redding Singer and Songwriter Camp. Fitzgerald is a graduate of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Fitzgerald is a founding member of the Friends of Macon Symphony, and currently serves on Morning Music Club Executive Committee, and the DREAM Academy Board of Directors.

The guiding mission of DREAM Academy is to expand student access to structured, sustained, and effective education and programming paired with music, creative arts, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Founders and partners are led by the belief that this collaborative model can enhance the public education and community program opportunities in Middle Georgia by offering a unique learning environment embracing and integrating the arts, higher education, community, and industry partnerships.

For more information, visit www.dreamacademycharter.org