Wayne Lawson, professor, art education, and former director, Ohio Arts Council, was selected for a 2011 Governor’s Awards for the Arts.

Lawson received a BA in Romance languages, an MA in European literature and earned his doctorate in theatre and comparative literature from Ohio State. He holds a certificate in Spanish literature from the University of Madrid and an honorary doctorate from Rio Grande College in Ohio.

Lawson became executive director of the Ohio Arts Council in May 1978. Under his direction the OAC has become one of the foremost state arts agencies in the nation in terms of funding, both public and private, long-range planning and evaluation, support for individual artists and innovative services to constituents in all arts disciplines.