COLUMBUS — Chesapeake native Cindy Meyers Foley has been named the new director of education at The Columbus Museum of Art.

“I’m really thrilled to be in this position,” Foley said. “It’s exciting to move back into the region and I think it’s a great opportunity.”

The Worthington resident is a 1989 graduate of Chesapeake High School. She received a bachelor’s degree in individual studies in the arts from the University of Kentucky and received a master’s degree in art and museum education from Ohio State University.

Before moving back to Ohio recently, Foley lived in Maine, working for eight years at the Maine College of Art Institute of Contemporary Art.

She said her early exposure to the arts during her childhood in rural Lawrence County and the support and inspiration she received from CHS art teacher at Katie Hager, helped shape her career.

She hopes to inspire other youngsters to get excited about the arts.

“I really wanted to come back here and start networking with the teachers. I want to connect with them to plan workshops at their schools and trips to the museum,” Foley said.

Museum Executive Director Nannette V. Maciejunes said Foley is a welcome addition to the staff.

“We are thrilled to have Cynthia joining the Museum family,”Maciejunes said. “Her experience and fresh ideas will allow us to build on the museum’s strong education program, creating new community partnerships and enhancing our role as a lifelong learning center for our central Ohio.”

Foley and her husband Sean, a painter and teacher at OSU, have a 2-year-old son Emmett. Foley’s two younger sisters, Julie Hinten and Molly Meyers, also live in Worthington. Her parents, Richard and Linda Myers, live in Chesapeake.

The Columbus Museum of Art and its shop are open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday.

For additional information, call (614) 221-4848 or visit www.columbusmuseum.org.