Winston-Salem, NC (March 11, 2019) -- Rebecca Bender has been named Vice President of Finance/Chief Financial Officer of The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. She came to the Arts Council last November in an interim capacity and took permanent status in February. Prior to joining The Arts Council staff, she was at Hanesbrands for almost 20 years in shared services, general accounting, and financial planning.
Arts Council President and CEO, Randy Eaddy, welcomed Bender to the staff, saying, “It was our good fortune that Rebecca was making a professional transition just as we were seeking an experienced person with a strong financial background here at The Arts Council. We are delighted that she will continue with us, enabling us to identify additional effective ways to strengthen our operations and assist our partner organizations with financial and other back-office services. Rebecca’s background and experience lend themselves well to our achieving these Arts Council goals.”
Bender is a graduate of Salem College and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting. Upon graduation, she joined the Deloitte &Touche accounting firm, where she was a member of their audit practice until taking a position with Hanesbrands, then the Sara Lee Corporation.
She is active in the nonprofit community, serving on a number of boards and committees, including the Health Impact Committee of United Way and the Finance Committee of the nonprofit Olio glass blowing studio. She currently is Vice Chair of the Board of Experiment in Self Reliance.
Winston-Salem, known as a City of Arts and Innovation, and Forsyth County have a robust arts community that enriches the lives of area residents every day and accounts in large part for the recognition they continue to receive as a great place to live, learn, work and play. Forsyth County’s nonprofit arts industry supports 5,559 full time equivalent jobs; accounts for more than $129 million in resident household income, and generates more than $14.8 million in local and state tax revenues.