Artist and arts advocate David London has been named Director of the Baker Fund Grants Program, effective immediately.The announcement was made this week by the Board of Governors of The William G. Baker Jr. Memorial Fund, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Every year the Baker Fund commits more than $1 million to support both individual artists and arts organizations and to help provide cultural and artistic experiences to a wide range of audiences. That makes it the largest private dedicated arts funder in the region. The Baker Fund Grants Program has been housed at the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) since 1989.London replaces Melissa Warlow, who will retire at the end of January after 35 years with the foundation. Her tenure includes more than 30 years of working with the Baker Fund, including serving 18 years as its Director. “Melissa has been a fixture in the Baltimore community for more than a generation. And we are so grateful,” said BCF president & CEO Shanaysha Sauls, in a statement. “Melissa’s devotion to supporting our cultural institutions and the artists who enrich our local community can be found in every corner of Baltimore. Charming yet discerning, funny yet compassionate, Melissa brought all of this to her role as a grantmaker, colleague, partner, and friend. Her retirement is so well-deserved, and she leaves a strong foundation for the legacy of the Baker Fund. She has prepared well for this transition and we are excited about the future.”“Melissa’s commitment to Baltimore and the arts community has been such a gift,” said David Kanter, Donor Services Officer at the foundation, in a statement. “How fortunate we all are to have benefitted from Melissa’s leadership, and to have David London to lead the Baker Fund Grants Program into the next 60 years!”The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund was established in late 1964 by Mary Sawyers Baker in memory of her husband to benefit the citizens of Baltimore. During its first 40 years, the fund supported a wide range of causes and organizations. In 2007, the Baker Fund shifted its focus entirely to arts and culture. Two of its signature projects are the Baker Artist Portfolios and the annual Baker Artist Awards programs.Connie Imboden, the great-niece of Mary Sawyers Baker and a well-known photographer, has served on the fund’s Board of Governors since 1996 and as President of the Board since 2006. Her photographs can be found in museum collections around the world. She recently closed her 50-year retrospective, “Endless Transformations: The Alchemy of Connie Imboden,” at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C., and continues to work in her studio in Baltimore. London brings more than 25 years of experience in the arts and culture sector, including 15 years in Baltimore. Before joining the Baker Fund, he spent 12 years at the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA), where he served in a variety of roles, including Deputy Director and Director of Innovation. His accomplishments include expanding the Baker Artist Portfolios and Baker Artist Awards, two programs managed by the GBCA and supported by the Baker Fund.As an artist and curator, London has worked closely with many Baltimore-based cultural organizations, including Baltimore Theatre Project; the Jewish Museum of Maryland; Maryland Center for History and Culture; and The Peale, Baltimore’s Community Museum, where he served as both Director of Operations and Chief Experience Officer. He has also created and presented programs at Creative Alliance; Port Discovery; The Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others.“I’m so excited for David London to join the Baker Fund,” Kanter said in the organization’s announcement. “As a Baltimore artist himself, he is keenly aware of the needs of this community and has shown time and again how invested he is in ensuring Baltimore’s cultural sector will grow and thrive.”“David’s innovative ideas over the past decade have transformed the Baker Artist Portfolios and Awards program into a robust and dynamic offering to artists in the region,” Imboden said. “We are excited to see what new ideas he brings to the Baker Fund’s overall approach to investing in the arts in Baltimore.”“This is a critical moment for arts and culture in Baltimore,” London said. “I could not be more honored to step into this role to continue the important work of the Baker Fund in supporting the incredible creativity and artistry of our region.”