Anita Scism
Anita Scism, 60, joined the Endeavor Foundation of Springdale in 2008 after 17 years with the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, including 10 as the center’s CEO. She had been WAC’s senior vice president of operations before her promotion. Scism served two terms as director of the board of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in Washington. She was a United States delegate to the USA-China Cultural Exchange in China. Scism attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Endeavor has made 3,000 grants for more than $90 million in the past 16 years. What are your proudest success stories?
While there are many, one of my proudest stories is that Endeavor provided funding for an additional 440 slots of school-based pre-K for the kids in northwest Arkansas who need it most. There are simply not enough pre-K seats as the state’s funding continues to fall short.
Endeavor is about making “systemic change.” What does that mean to you and how do you achieve it?
Endeavor believes that addressing the root causes of the most pressing issues in our community is a more effective route to take to affect sustainable, multigenerational change rather than just trying to mitigate symptoms. We work with partners and high-performing nonprofit service providers who know exactly what their role is among their peers, who they serve, what they want to achieve and how they measure their success.
Why did you make the move from the Walton Arts Center to Endeavor?
It was while I served as a board member and treasurer of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the national service organization for presenters of the performing arts, that I decided to leave the center and move to arts consulting. However, around that same time, Endeavor asked me to assist it with strategy and operations. Initially, the foundation was one of my clients, but I was so inspired by the opportunity to make a difference in so many people’s lives that I decided I wanted to serve as its CEO, and I was provided that opportunity.
What was the best advice you’ve received?
I have worked since I was 16 years old so, for me, hands-on, on-the-job experience has been my best teacher. I worked five years with a bank, nine years as the administrator of a law firm, 17 years at Walton Arts Center and now almost eight years with Endeavor. One of the many board chairs I’ve worked with through my 25-plus years of nonprofit work told me that being concise is important, so I learned early on to incorporate her advice into my working style. Personally, listening has served me well and is one of the most important principles to have as a professional.
What is northwest Arkansas’ biggest need?
Many of our neighbors are struggling with basic needs such as food, shelter, health care and education and have limited access to many of the resources they need to prosper. I believe we must join with northwest Arkansas civic and business leaders, community organizers and human service providers and build upon each of our strengths to develop a compassionate, efficient, cost-effective long-term solution that better meets our neighbors’ needs.
Income inequality is a big topic now. Do you have any concerns about how that might affect the nonprofit world?
Social equity is one of the foundation’s priorities, and income inequality is certainly a major factor. But it is only one piece of the puzzle. Everyone in northwest Arkansas needs to be mentally and physically healthy, safe and both economically and socially stable. Nonprofits certainly have a large role to play in reaching this ideal, but true change will not occur until everyone is around the table, including the business community, local governments and community leaders working with service providers and the philanthropic sector to determine common goals, methods and means to make the ideal a reality.
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