The Tamaqua Community Arts Center will have new leadership, with familiar faces in charge.

Leona Rega’s tenure of eight-plus years ended in November, while newcomer Drew Bonner departed in December.

Now, two people who have been heavily involved with the arts center over recent years will pave the way for the future of the venue.

Kyle Whitley, of Tamaqua, and Emily Comensky, of Coaldale, will be spearheading operations moving forward.

Since about 2015, Whitley, now director, wore many hats during his extensive work with the arts center.

“When something would happen, I knew how to do it. That led from one thing to another, and then a marketing opportunity came up and I did that.

There’s no real transition, it’s like a family here. Everyone knows each other. There is a lot of unity.”

The Tamaqua native said it’s a collective effort and all of the community support is appreciated.

“It’s not one person that accomplishes something, it’s the team. Art is important for people whether it’s performance or visual. It’s something everyone can relate to and it’s an integral part of life. The arts center is definitely an escape for a lot of people. … Things will be heading in the right direction.”

Comensky, events coordinator, first got involved with the arts center during the Tamaqua escape room project when her husband helped build it. She is looking forward to working with Whitley.

“We’re both always on the same wavelength,” Comensky said. “He has certain strengths that I don’t have and vice versa. We work well together and feed off each other in that aspect.”

Comensky wants patrons to remember their time at the arts center.

“My goal is the experience. When they come into the Tamaqua Arts Center, I want their experience to be something that always draws them back to us,” she added.

Whitely noted that Jillian Franco, administrative assistant, was recently brought onto the team as well.

All of the upcoming arts center events are listed on both its website and Facebook page.

Visit Tamaquaarts.org for more information.