10/08/2025
A New Chapter at Starworks ⭐️ Special Announcement from Executive Director Nancy Gottovi
"As autumn reminds us of the beauty of change, I’ve been reflecting on one of the most meaningful chapters of my life. After 21 extraordinary years at Starworks—a place that has been my passion and my community—I will be retiring at the end of this year. This decision has been carefully planned for the past two years, in partnership with our Board leadership with funding from the Windgate Foundation. Together, we’ve built a transition plan designed to keep Starworks strong, stable, and ready for its future.
Looking back fills me with immense pride and gratitude. With your help, we’ve grown from a small organization into an organization with a nearly $3 million annual budget and $7.3 million in assets. But more than numbers, we have built a vibrant place where each year, more than 50 artists from around the world come to create, to learn, and to find community. We have taken a vacant 100-year-old former school-turned-factory building and transformed it into nearly 200,000 feet of creative space where art fosters not just culture, but commerce. Where creativity becomes industry. And resilience takes root. And none of it would have been possible without you—your generosity, your encouragement, and your belief in our mission.
As we look forward, I am overjoyed to share that the Board has chosen Joe Grant III as Starworks’ next Executive Director. Many of you already know Joe through his outstanding leadership of the Starworks Glass program over the past decade. Since his arrival 11 years ago, he has built one of the best-known glass programs in the country. He has been a tireless ambassador for our work, a creative force, and someone who knows the heart and history of Starworks. I cannot imagine a better person to carry this vision forward.
I have no doubt that Starworks’ mission, vision, and values will continue into the next decades with Joe’s leadership and surrounded by his extraordinarily gifted, capable, and experienced staff. But it is your support and continued engagement that will ensure Starworks continues to grow into a world class center for creative work and a special place in North Carolina.
To mark this important moment, I warmly invite you to join us at Starworks on Saturday, October 25 for our Annual Benefit & Auction - Transformation: A Celebration to Benefit Starworks. It will be an event to honor more than two decades of achievements, and to celebrate the passing of the torch to Joe. I truly hope you will be with us for this special celebration.
Learn more about this event and RSVP at StarworksNC.org/Transformation
Thank you for walking alongside me on this journey. Serving Starworks and this community has been the honor of my life, and I know that with your continued support, the best is yet to come.
With gratitude,
Nancy"
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A Statement from Joe Grant:
When I first walked into Starworks more than a decade ago, I was struck by a feeling of awe and inspiration that has never left me. I could not have imagined then that I would one day have the honor of carrying that light forward for every person who walks through our doors after me.
Starworks is a place where imagination becomes reality. Nancy has given this building—and the extraordinary team within it—the power to create big magic.
She has done so by forging lasting relationships with donors and supporters, and by entrusting staff and leaders with the space and confidence to help Starworks grow, evolve, and thrive. I have been fortunate to experience that leadership firsthand as I built the glass program over the past decade.
As Nancy’s tenure comes to a close, I step into this new role with deep gratitude for the foundation she has created and with great excitement for what lies ahead. As the incoming Executive Director, I invite you—our friends, supporters, and community—to continue growing alongside us as we build on this remarkable legacy and shape the next chapter of Starworks.
With deep appreciation,
Joe Grant
