Joyce has a remarkable track record of accomplishment in the arts, education and community engagement, including a14-year tenure as Executive Director of First Night Worcester, a nonprofit organization that produces the largest, most diverse visual and performing arts festival in Central Massachusetts attracting audiences in the tens of thousands annually.
In addition to its economic boost to the city, under Joyce’s leadership First Night Worcester developed K-12 arts education and professional development programs in the Worcester Public Schools in partnership with local colleges and cultural institutions. Benefiting thousands of students and their teachers, collaborations ranged from innovative art/science programming to initiating the only deaf youth theater residency in the region.
In recognition of her “central role in fostering the creative economy in Worcester,” Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick appointed her to the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She is a founding member and former Vice Chair of the Worcester Cultural Coalition, a 2009 Commonwealth Award winner for its success in building a vibrant cultural sector in Massachusetts’ second-largest city. A Worcester resident, Joyce has also served as president of Forum Theatre, on the board of Mechanics Hall, as corporator of the Worcester Art Museum, and is the recipient of the Katharine Erskine Award for Arts & Culture. She holds a BFA from Boston University.
