NEA Chairman Says He Will Step Down in 2009

Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, announced Friday that he will step down in January 2009, reports the Associated Press.

Upon his departure, Mr. Gioia, whose resignation comes well before his second four-year term was to end, will work part-time at the Aspen Institute, as well as resume his literary life as a poet.

“I have traveled nearly every week for six years, and I usually work six to seven days a week,” said Mr. Gioia. “I feel I’ve earned the right to return to my private life as an artist.”