Minnesota Department of Education Assistant Commissioner Visits Perpich Center

February 15, 2024

Left to Right: Pasha Khosravi, Board Chair; Dr. Charles Rick, Executive Director; Dr. Wendy Barden, Director of PDR; Bobbie Burnham, MDE Assistant Commissioner; Maggie Loxtercamp (Musical Theater 2024); Rebekah Doyle, Board Member; Rebecca Bullen, Arts High School Principal; Nichole Laven, MDE Standards Implementation Manager.

Perpich Center for Arts Education was pleased to welcome staff from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to campus on February 15, 2024. Bobbie Burnham, Assistant Commissioner, and Nichole Laven, Standards Implementation Manager, were in attendance. Burnham has served as an ex officio member of the Perpich Board of Directors since 2021. Laven will soon be taking over the Perpich Board role on behalf of MDE.

Perpich’s leadership team provided a brief overview of the agency’s three components: Professional Development and Resources (PDR), Arts High School, and Arts Library. Then the group enjoyed a guided tour by student Maggie Loxtercamp (Musical Theater 2024).

Dr. Charles Rick, Executive Director, said, “We appreciated Assistant Commissioner Bobbie Burnham and Nichole Laven coming to Perpich to learn more about Perpich Center for Arts Education, and how, as a fellow state agency, we provide a statewide benefit for all people in Minnesota.”

Dr. Wendy Barden, Director of PDR, said, “I appreciated that Assistant Commissioner Bobbie Burnham and Nichole Laven were interested in learning more about the work that happens everyday at Perpich Center–by both students and adults–and look forward to deepening our relationship with MDE.”

Rebecca Bullen, Arts High School Principal, said, “It was wonderful to meet and share our work and space with Assistant Commissioner Bobbie Burnham and Nichole Laven. I appreciated the time, inquiry, and support felt in their visit. I am hopeful for continued conversations and partnerships that were sparked in our time together.”