Mr. Ben F. Martin
Board Member
Missouri Citizens for the Arts
Ben Martin taught and directed educational theatre in Missouri for 34 years before retiring in the spring of 2010. He has been the recipient of the annual Outstanding Teacher Award from Missouri State Thespians, the Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri and the Lee’s Summit School District. He is a former member of the National Board of the Educational Theatre Association and a member of both the Missouri Thespians and EdTA Hall of Fame. He was one of the charter members of the Culver-Stockton College Fine Arts Hall of Fame. Martin continues to be an active advocate for arts education programs by serving as Executive Director for the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education where he enjoys the challenge of working with the various education organizations in the state to give every student a valuable arts experience in school. He is a familiar sight in the halls of the state capitol and at state board of education meetings. Once a year he makes the trek to Washington, DC to participate in Arts Advocacy Day. His favorite two words in the English language are “What if?”