Meri Jenkins is the program manager of the Cultural Economic Development program, an initiative of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the state arts agency, and oversees the John and Abigail Adams Arts Program. The program fosters the use of cultural assets in economic development efforts throughout the Commonwealth. She was formerly the principal manager of Business in the Arts South in the U.K. BiAS develops relationships between the commercial and cultural sectors through programs designed to affect mutual benefit and to strengthen understanding between the two sectors. With over 25 years of experience in the cultural sector, she has a thorough acquaintance with the challenges of the nonprofit cultural sector, both in the United States and in the United Kingdom. A through line in all her work has been to reach under-served populations. She believes that government support, be it federal, state or local, for cultural organizations is an investment that enables access for all, improves quality of life, allows for economic growth, and has far reaching consequences for the well-being of a community.