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Susan J. Ellis Gabbard

Advancement Board
Advancement Board Member and Alumna
Susan is facing forward and smiling. She has blonde hair and wears a green print blouse.

1970, B.A., Art Education, 1994, M.A., Art Education
Art Education Consultant, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Instagram: SJGabbard
LinkedIn: Susan J. Ellis Gabbard

Susan Gabbard brings more than four decades of leadership in arts education, including 30 years in public and private school classrooms across Oklahoma and Texas and 10 years as Director of Visual & Performing Arts for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Her expertise spans board development, strategic planning, curriculum and assessment design, and educational policy.

Gabbard served as president of the National Art Education Association (NAEA), where she led initiatives such as hiring a new executive director and representing the organization through the Arts Education Partnership. She has spoken at numerous state art education conferences and led international delegations of art educators to China, Russia, and Vietnam through the People to People program.

She contributed to writing the National Standards for Visual Arts and has supported board development for state art education associations in New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Gabbard’s numerous accolades include the 2017 NAEA National Art Educator of the Year, the Walt Disney American Teacher Award, and honors from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and the Governor’s Arts Awards. She is a Distinguished Alumna of the University of North Texas and recipient of the Marion Quin Dix Leadership Award.

Her recent service includes board leadership at Harding Fine Arts Academy in Oklahoma City, where she helped establish the school’s foundation and secure its facility. She also serves on the board of the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design, where she founded a professional development fund for aspiring art educators. Additionally, she contributes to Six Twelve, a community education center in Oklahoma City’s Paseo Arts District, which emphasizes creativity and sustainability.

Learn more about the National Visual Arts Standards at www.nationalartsstandards.org.