The Board of Directors of LEAF Global Arts is honoring a profound milestone: 30 years of connecting cultures and creating community through music and the arts, as Founder Jennifer Pickering and her husband, Festival Director and CFO Leigh Maher, complete their leadership journey and the organization turns over a new LEAF.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to live life like LEAF for 30 years,” said Pickering. 

Jennifer Pickering and Leigh Maher completed their LEAF leadership journey on December 31, 2025. They remain 100% committed to LEAF’s mission and to supporting LEAF International and Schools & Streets—and the artists and culture keepers they serve—as they continue to grow and thrive.

“My joy has always been being a bridge—creating platforms for artists and culture keepers who are rarely seen or heard, and curating gatherings that are truly multigenerational, multicultural, and multi-genre,” Pickering said, reflecting on the programs she and team members visioned, designed, and led across the globe, helping connect youth locally and internationally to world cultures, new skills, and creative confidence. 

“Transitions lead to transformations,” Pickering added. “The new LEAF leadership has its own dreams, and I believe a bright future awaits.”

Jennifer and Leigh’s legacy is documented in Live Life Like a Festival, an interactive, 240-page coffee table book that captures the story of how LEAF has built a global village of musicians, teachers, change-makers, and joyful creators over the last three decades. Pre-sales of the book are available now through LEAF’s website www.theLEAF.org

The book Live Life Like a Festival honors the 30 year journey and is filled with LEAF stories, inspiring people to engage in their lives reflecting on the LEAF recipe. When published in spring 2026, a portion of proceeds will benefit LEAF International and Schools & Streets and encourage LEAF membership!

Supporters are encouraged to pre-order the book, maintain their LEAF memberships, and stay connected. A book launch at Lake Eden is planned.

“I was born and raised at Lake Eden,” Pickering shared. “It has been an honor to steward this land. Over the coming months—and the rest of our lives—we will listen deeply to what Lake Eden is asking next.”

Jennifer will continue her work through TEDxAsheville March 2026, consulting & coaching to help people achieve their dreams, and creative projects, always rooted in the belief that arts and culture especially when created embracing inter-generational, multi-cultural, and multi-genre are essential to human health and happiness.

“Thank you to every person who showed up, again and again, to create and be part of extraordinary transformational experiences that have connected us to the BEST of the world, the BEST of ourselves and the BEST of each other,” Pickering said. “Thirty years. Sixty-seven festivals. So much LEAF Love. This journey has been a gift—and it continues.”

David Dowd, current LEAF Board President: “On behalf of the Board, we extend our deep gratitude to Jennifer and Leigh for the vision, creativity, and unwavering dedication that shaped LEAF into a cultural home where connection and global community could flourish for over 30 years. As LEAF enters its next chapter, we are committed to stewarding that legacy forward with care, integrity, and hope.

A New Chapter for LEAF

As we honor this legacy, LEAF Global Arts is stepping confidently into an exciting new chapter of growth and renewal. The Board is excited to support Executive Director Erinn Hartley as she leads LEAF’s mission forward with clarity, a deep commitment to staff and community, and a strong focus on long-term sustainability.

Hartley stepped into the role of Executive Director with 17 years of deep commitment to LEAF Global Arts and its mission. Beginning as a Resident Teaching Artist, Hartley went on to serve as Education Director for more than six years, shaping and expanding arts education programs in communities and schools. With a background rooted in both the arts and education, and prior experience as a Program Director at the YWCA, Hartley brings a strong foundation in community-centered leadership. Her career reflects a long-standing dedication to access and the power of the arts to build connection and opportunity. As LEAF enters a pivotal period of transition, Hartley’s institutional knowledge, trusted relationships, and vision position the organization to evolve with intention while staying grounded in its core values and expanding its impact into the future.

Hartley’s leadership reflects the core values of LEAF: creativity, equity, cultural celebration and meaningful community impact. We look forward to her guiding LEAF into its next evolution, one rooted in collaboration, transparency, and a shared vision of strengthening both local and global arts engagement.

Impact Across Generations and Continents

Over three decades, LEAF Global Arts has welcomed artists from 117 countries, engaged over 500,000 people at Lake Eden, and touched more than 120,000 more youth and families through Downtown Asheville events, LEAF International, LEAF Schools & Streets, and the LEAF Global Experience.

“Arts and culture are how we express our humanity and shape our future,” said Hedy Fischer, Pink Dog Studios founder, Asheville creative leader, and LEAF Compass Advisor. “For nearly 30 years, LEAF has broadened our understanding of world cultures and helped generations—locally and globally—keep their traditions alive. LEAF has excelled at encouraging, teaching, and sharing these practices with integrity and heart.”

Honoring the Past, Building the Future

The Board remains committed to honoring Pickering’s extensive contributions while supporting an organizational transition that ensures LEAF continues to thrive for generations to come. This moment marks both a celebration of where LEAF has been and an inspiring turning point for what comes next.

We thank our community, partners, supporters, and staff for standing with LEAF through decades of festivals, cultural exchanges, and educational programming. Your continued belief in LEAF makes our mission possible.

LEAF’s impact would not be possible without our dedicated community. Your time, partnership, and generosity in all forms helps to sustain this work for years to come. The LEAF Love Giving Campaign will remain open through February 14, culminating in a celebratory gala at LEAF’s downtown Asheville home, 19 Eagle Street. Thank you for joining us on this path as we turn over a new LEAF.

Source: LEAF Global Arts