You know her as Audience Unlimited’s interim executive director, former AUI board member, and co-chair of our 50th anniversary celebration committee. Many also know her as the previous and longtime executive director of Turnstone.
But did you also know that Nancy Louraine can drive a tractor, or that she played French horn in middle and high school? Or even that she’s one of eight children raised on a farm in Milan Center, near Harlan? Get to know our new interim executive director with these five fun facts:
Fun Fact #1: Nancy has been involved with AUI in one way or another for at least 30 years and even met founder Lillian Embick on several occasions.
Fun Fact #2: Nancy is a hardcore Elvis fan. (And yes, she does know that he has passed away!) “I do enjoy other music genres,” she said, “but my favorite is Elvis.”
Fun Fact #3: Nancy is an avid walker. She’s completed 15 mini marathons and one marathon—all walking. (The marathon took her 8 hours to complete.) Nancy is currently training with a friend to do the Fort4Fitness Half Marathon in September, which will be her twelfth with Fort4Fitness. Her favorite places to walk are Lakeside and Foster Park, Purdue Fort Wayne campus, local trails, and downtown Fort Wayne.
Fact #4: Nancy’s favorite season is spring, especially when it’s warm enough to plant flowers. Her second favorite season is fall, when it’s okay to rip up the flowers she planted in the spring because she’s tired of watering, feeding, and weeding the gardens!
Fact #5: Nancy has been married to her husband Carl for nearly 50 years. The couple has two children and 4 grandchildren. When she’s not volunteering as an usher for the Embassy Theatre or serving as a live reader of the Journal Gazette for Audio Reading Service (a program of the Allen County Public Library), you’ll likely find her helping to care for the 3 grandchildren in Fort Wayne when their mom is working.
As AUI’s interim director, Nancy is glad she could step in and give Anna Ross the retirement she wanted, while offering AUI’s board time to plan for the future without the pressure of hiring a new director right away.
“Serving on the board has been an honor,” she said. “AUI’s mission is undeniably one that changes lives. The artists who perform for AUI in the long-term care facilities bring joy and laughter to their audiences and brighten everyone’s day! The programs provided by AUI are one-of-a-kind in the area. AUI is truly a community treasure.”
