Chicago mayor names new events and culture commissioner

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago has a new cultural commissioner, subject to City Council approval.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Wednesday the appointment of Mark Kelly as the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Kelly is now vice president for student success at Columbia College. He is founder and chair of Columbia's Wabash Arts Corridor initiative, which promoted the South Loop as a hub for street art, installations and spectacle. He is the artistic director of the Halloween Gathering, an annual parade and festival celebrating Chicago's cultural communities.

If approved by the City Council, Kelly will succeed Michelle Boone, who held the position five years. The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/29oe0yi) that Boone is taking an arts programming job at Navy Pier.

___

Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com