Paul Sacaridiz has been widely recognized for his work as an artist, educator, administrator, and leader in higher education and the nonprofit sector. Most recently he was the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and previously held the position of Executive Director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Earlier in his career, he served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Associate Director of the Wonsook Kim School of Art at Illinois State University. As a speaker, he has lectured nationally on art, education and leadership through the Artists Communities Alliance, American Craft Council, College Art Association, International Academy of Ceramics, and the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to organizational leadership, Sacaridiz is an accomplished sculptor, having shown his work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, and the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, among others. He is also the recipient of numerous artist residencies including the Archie Bray Foundation, the Arts/Industry Program at Kohler Company, the Ragdale Foundation, and the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts.