Governor Abbott Appoints Turner To Texas Commission On The Arts

TEXAS, May 28 - May 28, 2026 | Austin, Texas | Appointment

Governor Greg Abbott appointed Janine Turner to the Texas Commission on the Arts for a term set to expire on August 31, 2029. The Commission fosters the development of a receptive climate for the arts that will culturally enrich and benefit state citizens in their daily lives and attract outstanding artists to become state residents.

Janine Turner of North Texas is an Emmy and three-time Golden Globe nominated actress. She is best known for portraying Maggie O’Connell in the hit, CBS television series, Northern Exposure, starring in the blockbuster movie, Cliffhanger, with Sylvester Stallone, Universal’s Leave it to Beaver, and for her additional series work on CBS’s Dallas, ABC’s, General Hospital, Lifetime’s, Strong Medicine, and NBC’s Friday Night Lights (filmed in Texas). Turner grew up in Euless and Fort Worth, starting her career at the age of three as a model with The Kim Dawson Agency, apprentice to the Fort Worth Ballet, and actress at Fort Worth’s classic theater, Casa Mañana. She created and hosted the talk radio show, The Janine Turner Show, in Dallas and Houston for over two years, and in 2010 founded and co-chaired Constituting America, an organization, now in in its sixteenth year, with the mission to spread non-partisan awareness about the relevance of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Turner has given over 600 speeches as a visiting scholar nationwide both to students and adults, spanning a broad range of topics including women’s issues, motivation, civic duty, and faith.