Sunni Fass takes over as executive director of Lotus Foundation

After 20 years, it’s time for a younger generation to take over the Lotus
Foundation.

Lee Williams, who has been executive director of the foundation since its inception, will step down from the position in January.

Sunni Fass, an IU graduate involved with Lotus in the past, will fill the spot.

“I’ve been looking for opportunities to hire Sunni for years,” Williams said. “But she always had an excellent job somewhere else.”

Currently, Fass is executive director of Pentangle Arts Council in
Woodstock, Vt.

She has worked for Lotus Music Festival for two years as artist liason and on “backline,” where she was responsible for providing instruments to musicians.

“But really, she has the skill sets to perform any of the staff positions,” Williams said.

Fass, who graduated with a doctorate from the Department of Ethnomusicolgy, wrote her dissertation on the festival.

Williams said that gives her a knowledge of the foundation making her the best candidate available.

For her thesis, Williams said Sunnilearned exactly how the foundation ran.

She interviewed the board, volunteered and got to know the inner workings of it all.

“We need someone who is connected to Bloomington and knows Lotus,” Williams said. “That’s Sunni.”

When Williams steps down, he will continue his work as artistic director. His full-time job will become part-time.

But he said his workload isn’t getting smaller, as he will be working on a full-time schedule mentoring Fass.

He’ll spend a year teaching her the ropes.

Though he said he won’t be getting paid full-time, the work is necessary, and he doesn’t feel bad about it.

“I’m OK with it,” he said. “After all, it was my idea. It’s what makes this whole
transition work.”

He said he looks at it as a moral duty.

“When you’re a founder and director for 20 years, you have an emotional and historical investment,” he said. “You want to see the foundation be the best it can be.”
He said hiring Fass will make that happen.

“Having someone as brilliant as Sunni is the way to do it,” he said.

Follow reporter Ashley Jenkins on Twitter @ashmorganj.