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Dear Board of County Commissioners, <br />In 2016, the Indian River County Commission designated Sean Sexton as the county's first Poet Laureate for a term of <br />four years and renewed his nomination in 2020 for another four year term. <br />The mission of the Poet Laureate is to promote poetry and other literary forms to the County's diverse population. As <br />Poet Laureate, Mr. Sexton has offered public poetry programs, taught poetry workshops to high school students, <br />judged poetry competitions, and arranged for nationally ranked poets to come to Vero Beach. It is now time to name a <br />new Poet Laureate to fill Sean Sexton's shoes. <br />After conducting the juried process described in the County Resolution dated August 16, 2016, the Laura (Riding) <br />Jackson Foundation is delighted to announce Pat Draper as the Indian River County Poet Laureate for the term <br />2024-2028. <br />In her professional non -writing career, Ms. Draper has been a nurse practitioner specializing in cardiac care in Vero <br />Beach for twenty years. As a writer, she has published two volumes of poetry and will earn her MFA from Queens <br />University in 2025. She has been an active participant in local writing groups and currently co -leads a poetry group. We <br />are confident that Ms. Draper will represent Indian River County with distinction and successfully fulfill the mission of <br />promoting the literary arts in our community. <br />Sincerely, <br />Sara Wilson <br />Executive Director <br />Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation <br />i <br />