The Springfield Area Arts Council has hired Jay Shanle as its new program director, effective May 27.
His position will primarily focus on organizing the 2026 Levitt AMP concert series under the direction of SAAC’s board of directors and with the guidance of former Levitt AMP organizers. SAAC has assumed direction of the 2025 Levitt AMP season.
“Prior to this, it was a lot of volunteer work to keep things going,” said Shanle. “We finally have a full-time position to support Levitt AMP now that the SAAC is taking on the program, so most of my responsibilities will be geared toward that.”
Shanlee most recently spent seven years as a corporate administer for Conn’s Hospitality Group, where he was involved in organizing a number of events.
“The Conn’s had a myriad of events that I helped organize: Springfield Oyster and Beer Festival, Moonlight Market, Yappy Days, Firkin Festival. I also did a lot of programming and organizing events during the six years I was on the board with Downtown Springfield, Inc., like the DSI annual dinner and the street brunch,” he said.
“I felt that a lot of my experience made me a good candidate for this position,” Shanle said.
