The head of the Minnesota State Arts Board has been elected to a national post. Robert Booker will serve as president of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies for the next two years. The organization serves 56 state and regional arts agencies. Booker takes the helm as many state arts organizations are adjusting to substantial funding cuts brought on by state budget crises. Minnesota's arts board budget was cut by sixty percent and overall state arts funding cut by one-third during the last legislative session. Booker will preside over a 21-member board of directors for the Washington, D.C.,-based organization. He says he didn't seek out the appointment -- he was asked to serve.