Allison Tratner was voted in as executive director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in 2018, having served on the Council staff since 2005 in positions including deputy director and director of communications. During her time at the Council, Tratner has played a pivotal role in elevating the national profile of New Jersey’s arts industry and positioning the agency as an innovative partner and responsive provider of grants and services statewide.

Under Tratner’s leadership, the Council launched customized support programs for the hundreds of arts organizations and thousands of artists and arts workers that make up New Jersey’s creative industries. The strategic investment of the agency’s largest budget in its history allows the Council to focus on economic sustainability for the field, building equitable practices that increase access to state resources, and capitalizing on cross-sector partnerships that position the arts as essential to New Jersey communities, families and individuals.

Prior to joining the Council, Tratner worked in the nonprofit sector as both an educator and a research and evaluation consultant with firms and museums in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. She earned her M.A. in museum education at the University of the Arts and holds degrees in arts education and fine arts from Alfred University. (Board term 2027-2029)