Kathryn Rhoads is renowned as the former commissioner of the San Antonio Film Commission as well as a pioneer for women in the Texas film and motion picture industry.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, May 20, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Kathryn Rhoads with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Ms. Rhoads celebrates many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Rhoads is renowned as the former commissioner of the San Antonio Film Commission as well as a pioneer for women in the Texas film and motion picture industry. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, she relocated to Texas to pursue a Bachelor of Arts at Texas Tech University, graduating in 1970. Ms. Rhoads subsequently began a career in public relations with R.Z. Estes Inc, with which she would serve from 1971 until 1972.
From 1972 to 1977, Ms. Rhoads continued to hone her public relations and communications skills while working for the American Automobile Association. She was introduced to the film industry in the late 1970s upon attending a Texas Tourism Board meeting featuring a presentation by the Texas Tourism Council, which proposed outreach and participation programs with city and regional visitor bureaus to highlight the natural beauty, culture and economic opportunities that Texas held for film, commercial, motion picture and television producers. Ms. Rhoads was appointed as San Antonio's film commissioner in 1978, becoming the first woman in Texas history to hold this position in the city.
Notably, Ms. Rhoads brought to the Film Commission not only her fresh eye for Texas arts and culture, but her decade of expertise in public relations, setting an example of dynamic and creative leadership for other local film commissions. During her tenure, she spearheaded numerous advertising and outreach campaigns for the San Antonio film industry, including promotional films, public access media partnerships and documentary television programs, which have been catalogued in the Kathryn L. Rhoads Collection of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image. In addition to her work in promoting the San Antonio area to the larger motion picture industry, Ms. Rhoads utilized her position as a film commissioner to create opportunities to develop local talent and cultural institutions.
Moreover, Ms. Rhoads served on the board of the San Antonio Library Foundation and the president of the Las Casas Foundation, a nonprofit supporting performing arts education and on the board of the San Antonio Library Foundation. She is proud to have been instrumental in the creation of the Las Casas Foundation's signature outreach program, the Las Casas Foundation for the Performing Arts Scholarship Competition, which awards $100,000 annually to graduating high school seniors planning to major in performing arts disciplines. Ms. Rhoads retired from her position as the San Antonio film commissioner in 2001 after nearly 25 years of service to the Texas arts community.
Ms. Rhoads remains an active advocate for history and regional culture as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Conservation Society of San Antonio, where she is a former vice president and current board member. In her retirement, she enjoys dedicating more time to reading and music appreciation. In light of her exceptional undertakings, Ms. Rhoads was selected for inclusion in multiple editions of Who's Who in Entertainment.
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