Governor Abbott Names Heller To Texas Poet Laureate, State Musician And State Artists Committee
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Mary Ann Apap Heller to the Texas Poet Laurate, State Musician and State Artists Committee for a term set to expire October 1, 2017. The committee selects the state poet laureate, the state musician, the state artist representing 2-dimensional media and the state artist representing 3-dimensional media from candidates submitted by the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Mary Ann Apap Heller of Austin is president of Heller Records/DiamonDisc and chief financial officer of Heller Associates and Hell'er Highwater Ranch. Previously, she served as product manager for IBM in Austin. She currently serves on the Austin Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors and the Seton Development Board and is vice chair of the Seton League House. Additionally, she serves on the University Of Texas College Of Natural Sciences Board of Visitors, Butler School of Music Directors Council and the Austin History Center. She was recently inducted as a Dame of the Order of Malta (Knights of Malta) at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and is a Dame of the Knights of the Vine.