Arts Admin alumna wins Governor's Award for Arts Community Development
Christina Littlejohn is the CEO of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
UC College-Conservatory of Music alumna Christina Littlejohn (MA Arts Administration, '99) won the 2023 Governor's Arts Award for Arts Community Development. The awards program recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas.
“The Governor’s Arts Awards recognize Arkansans who have made significant contributions to maintaining, growing and enhancing the arts in our state,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “These artists and art supporters are part of the cultural heritage of Arkansas and are fundamental components of our creative economy and quality of life.”
As CEO of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Littlejohn has guided a once-struggling nonprofit to become the state’s leader in music education and the top employer of professional teaching artists and musicians. In addition, the organization has balanced its budget for 13 consecutive years while expanding its music education programs. ASO launched the Sturgis Music Academy in 2016 to provide hands-on music instruction by ASO instructors. The program partners with local schools without music programs of their own.
Throughout the pandemic, the ASO continued to provide performance and learning opportunities with online offerings and instructional videos. Littlejohn’s vision and commitment also paved the way for a new dedicated performance space featuring a recording and broadcast studio to reach all corners of the state. ASO will break ground on the new Community Music Center in 2023. Littlejohn used a combination of strategic planning, restructuring, board cultivation and development, sustainable operations and fundraising to transform ASO to the successful and impactful arts organization it is now.
Littlejohn is the second CCM Arts Administration alumna to win a Governor's Arts Award this year; Kathy Wade (MA Arts Administration, '81) won a Governor's Award for the Arts in Ohio.
Additional Contacts
Curt Whitacre | Director of Marketing/Communications | UC College-Conservatory of Music
whitaccp@ucmail.uc.edu | 513-556-2683
Related Stories
Putting preschool into perspective
July 20, 2026
Preschool and childcare can be difficult to navigate for parents, as Spectrum News 1 Ohio recently reported. Waitlists are long, and factors like cost, location and transportation can limit options. According to a recent study published by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, only 41% of 3- to 4-year-olds in Ohio were enrolled in preschool between 2020 and 2024 — a 4% decrease from pre-pandemic numbers. For University of Cincinnati early childhood education faculty member Chad Nunamaker, that statistic has caveats.
UC has connection to city of legend behind 'Odyssey'
July 17, 2026
WVXU highlights a big connection between Cincinnati and director Christopher Nolan's new movie "The Odyssey." UC Classics Professor Carl Blegen led excavations at Troy in the 1930s. UC has a vast collection of photos and other records from the ambitious archaeological project.
UC experts say proper produce washing is key defense against Cyclospora
July 17, 2026
Hamilton County Public Health reports confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, as concerns persist. Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause a stomach illness lasting days — sometimes even weeks. University of Cincinnati medical experts say it is usually linked to contaminated water or food, often fresh produce.