Geraldine Plato
Executive Director, HandMade in America
Geraldine Plato brings 20 years of non-profit arts administration experience to her position as executive director of HandMade in America. A resident of Penland, North Carolina, Plato first moved to western North Carolina in 1984. Her career includes two periods of administrative leadership at Penland School of Crafts. The first, in the 1980’s when she was responsible for oversight of the scholarship program, the coordination of all services, and the management of special events; the second, in the 1990’s, when she returned to Penland to oversee operational phases of the School’s management as Assistant Director. Prior to that, Plato was Public Information Director for the Mississippi Arts Commission, developing and implementing communications for the statewide arts organization. Most recently, Plato served as Head of the Spruce Pine Montessori School where she developed programs and curriculum, donor relationships and fundraising strategies, while managing faculty, staff and hundreds of volunteers in the four-county service area. Geraldine serves on the boards of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, The EnergyXchange and is a cabinet member of the Asheville Hub Project. She holds a BSJ in magazine journalism from Ohio University.
