John Pierce, Lawrence, a board member of the Kansas Humanities Council, attended the national meeting of state humanities councils Nov. 5-8 in Omaha, Neb. More than 300 council board and staff members from nearly all states and U.S. territories attended.

The annual event featured a presentation by James Leach, the newly appointed chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Leach previously served 30 years representing southeastern Iowa in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the Banking and Financial Services Committee and founded and co-chaired the Congressional Humanities Caucus, among other duties.

In his address, Leach discussed priorities for NEH, including “bridging cultural divides” and developing “an ethic of thoughtfulness.”