Today we are speaking with Dr. Laura Freid, the President of Maine College of Art and Design and a leader in arts advocacy. Applications to MECA&D’s BFA program increased by 53% from 2016 to 2019, accompanied by a 24% increase in selectivity and a 7% increase in the diversity of the incoming class. The MFA program more than doubled from 17 to 38 students in the same timeframe.Previously, Dr. Fried served as CEO and Executive Director of Silkroad for more than a decade. She also served as executive producer of the internationally acclaimed feature documentary “The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.”Prior to joining Silkroad, Dr. Freid was executive vice president for public affairs and university relations at Brown University. A magazine journalist and editor, she previously served as publisher of Harvard Magazine and executive director of the Ivy League Publishing group. Before working at Harvard, she was the publisher and editor of Bostonia magazine for ten years.Our interview today is sponsored by Maine Home+Design. Don’t miss Laura's Design Theory article in the September 2023 issue of MH+D. More from Laura Freid:Website: https://www.meca.edu/about/office-of-the-president/about-laura-freid/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lfreid/?hl=enMore from us:Website: http://www.trentbell.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/trentbellphotography/Podcast: www.adppodcast.com