Year Two:

A Call to Action for Philadelphia’s Arts and Culture Sector

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia has a distinctive cultural identity rooted in our history, music, cuisine, and traditions. The city's arts and culture leaders recognize the significance of preserving and promoting this cultural heritage and want to position Philadelphia as a global center for arts and culture.

The 20

In Year 2 of Vision 20/20, a diverse group of 20 arts and culture leaders have united to: (i) collaborate for a year as interdisciplinary teams; (ii) foster community engagement, and (iii) elevate Philadelphia’s position as a leading hub for arts and culture. 

Vision

To transform Philadelphia into a vibrant and internationally recognized arts and culture destination, fostering creativity, inclusivity, and economic growth.

Mission:

The initiative's mission is threefold: (i) to foster collaborations among artists, cultural institutions, and community organizations to enhance the visibility and accessibility of the arts, (ii) to support and initiate city-wide public art initiatives to engage and activate the community, including tourists, and (iii) to strengthen cultural tourism through comprehensive communication and marketing campaigns branding Philadelphia as a premier arts and culture destination.

Community, Collaboration, and Communication. 

Implementation Strategies:

  1. Unify 20 arts and culture leaders around a shared vision that elevates Philadelphia's arts and culture sector.

  2. Conduct comprehensive research and analysis to identify key areas of focus and opportunities for growth in Philadelphia's arts and culture sector.

  3. Develop partnerships and seek funding from public and private sectors, philanthropic organizations, and government agencies to support the implementation of the Vision 20/20 blueprint.

  4. Engage in extensive community outreach and collaboration to ensure inclusivity, diversity, and equitable access to arts and culture initiatives.

  5. Regularly evaluate the progress of the blueprint's implementation, making necessary adjustments and adaptations based on feedback and changing needs.

The 20

Catherine

Cahill

President & CEO, The Mann Center for the Performing Arts

Catherine M. Cahill has served as the president and CEO of the Mann Center for Performing Arts since 2008, and before joining the Mann she led the Brooklyn Philharmonic as its president and CEO.

Since starting her role at the Mann, she has drawn on her leadership experience with major arts and culture organizations in markets such as New York, Toronto and Chicago to transform the Mann’s business model and reinvent the audience experience at the Mann’s grand campus in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.

Cahill has led the Mann through a comprehensive plan to strengthen its position in the cultural marketplace and develop its audience base through capital improvements and strategic programming that engages 21st century audiences. During her tenure, Cahill has overseen two major capital campaigns; established long-term partnerships with promoters AEG and Live Nation to increase the number and quality of popular contemporary performances; worked to present innovative orchestral programming that draws new patrons; and developed cultural programming that is relative to minority and underserved audiences. She also spearheaded the creation of two new programmatic series, Movies at the Mann and DOWNSTAGE @ The Mann, and launched a new education initiative to better serve the community of West Parkside and the City of Philadelphia.

She is a trained cellist, earning her bachelor’s degree in performance at Temple. She also holds a master’s degree in arts administration/management from Drexel University. Cahill began her career as a management fellow of the American Symphony Orchestra League, working with a variety of major orchestras across the country.

Thom 

Collins

Neubauer Family Executive Director and President, The Barnes Foundation

An innovative educator and accomplished art historian, administrator, and author, Thom Collins, a Philadelphia native, has more than 20 years of experience at some of America’s top arts institutions, including the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM); the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase, New York; the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore; the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati; the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle; and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Collins earned his MA in art history from Northwestern University and his BA with honors in art history and the history of religion from Swarthmore College. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Swarthmore College and is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Association of Art Museum Curators, and the College Art Association.

Scott

Cooper, PhD

President and CEO, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Scott Cooper, PhD, is the president and CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences. An international museum professional, Cooper has spent more than two decades protecting, transforming and promoting cultural institutions around the world.

Cooper studied engineering at the University of Manchester and architectural conservation at Edinburgh College of Art. He was awarded a UNESCO scholarship to study stone conservation in Venice and later returned to Edinburgh to complete his doctorate in architecture.

Cooper joined the Academy after four years as vice president of collections, knowledge and engagement at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, Canada. There he devised and implemented innovative learning, exhibitions, and research strategies that helped transform the institution into Canada’s most popular museum, while his work in founding a First Nations department initiated a process of decolonization that continues to inform the museum’s identity and purpose today.

Previously, Cooper was director of museums at the Qatar Foundation in Doha, Qatar, where he oversaw the creation of four groundbreaking cultural attractions. Among these was the critically acclaimed Bin Jelmood House, the first museum in the Islamic world to be dedicated to the subject of slavery.

From 2003 to 2011 Cooper was CEO of the Fulham Palace Trust during which time he led the restoration of one of England’s most important historic sites, unlocking its vast potential to create a beloved and accessible refuge in the heart of London.

Cooper has served as treasurer of the International Council of Museums (UK) and is the author of several scholarly papers on Scottish heritage. He currently serves as chair of Philadelphia’s Parkway Council Foundation, and as a board member of the International Council of Museums (US), the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, and The Wistar Institute.

Larry

Dubinski

President & CEO, The Franklin Institute

Larry Dubinski is the President & CEO of The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, one of the nation's premier and celebrated science centers, founded in 1824. Today, it holds the distinction of being the most visited museum in Pennsylvania.

Since assuming the role in 2014, Dubinski has introduced experiences designed to engage diverse new audiences, increase attendance, bring science into the community, and significantly raise the profile of the Institute while upholding its educational mission. 

Dubinski is a recognized national and international leader in the museum industry. In October 2021, he completed a two-year term as Chair of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), a global organization representing science centers and museums with over 600 members in over 40 countries dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. He continues to serve on the Executive Committee at ASTC.

At the Franklin Institute, Dubinski led two major capital campaigns totaling $120 million: Turning the Key and Inspire Science, which resulted in the construction and completion of the 53,000 square-foot, $41 million transformative expansion—the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion in 2014. In preparation for TFI’s bicentennial in 2024, Dubinski is leading the planning, development, and activation of a comprehensive master plan and strategic vision that will transform and redefine the science center.

Under his leadership, The Franklin Institute has grown as a national leader in informal science education through its direction of grant-funded programs, including Leap into Science, GSK Science in the Summer™, and Mission2Mars that garner national acclaim for combining impactful programming, professional training, and broad participant reach.

The development of strategic partnerships and a string of curatorial and exhibit exchanges have led to the procurement of artifact loans and subsequent world-class traveling exhibitions, including Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor, Vatican Splendors, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes, the 2022 world premiere of Harry Potter™: The Exhibition, and the 2023 world debut of Disney100: The Exhibition.

Over the years, TFI has significantly enriched its digital landscape, recently unveiling a digital content platform to debut its first-ever podcast and video series and launching a Franklin Institute Roblox game in 2022. In early 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, TFI developed Franklin@Home, a comprehensive digital suite of science programming. In 2015 organization experienced a substantial upsurge in millennial interest as a result of Dubinski’s push for engaging experiences like escape rooms, virtual and augmented reality, after-hours adult 21+ programming, and speaker events that, together with the internationally-celebrated Franklin Institute Awards program, have delivered notables such as Jane Goodall, Bill Nye, Indra Nooyi, Alan Mulally, Frances Arnold, and Jennifer Doudna to the Institute’s expanded audience. 

These initiatives, which focus on a new strategic business model approach while maintaining support for the Institute’s mission to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology, have earned Dubinski global recognition. In 2021 he was elevated to the “Power 10” of the international Blooloop 50 Museum influencer list. In 2022 and 2023, he was named to the Philadelphia Business Journal's “Power 100” list for superior leadership of the organization through the global pandemic, consecutive successes with world premiere exhibitions, and reimagining TFI in advance of its bicentennial. Previous honors include “Fundraising Executive of the Year” by the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, “Circle of Excellence Award” from SmartCEO, “Most Admired CEO” from the Philadelphia Business Journal, and a three-time Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy Award winner.  

Dubinski serves on the board of Vanguard Charitable, a leading nonprofit that sponsors donor-advised funds, the Deutsches Museum in Germany, and the Executive Committee of ASTC. He is newly elected to the board of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community. In Philadelphia, he is on the board of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, where he is a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and the CEO Access program; the board of the Satell Institute, where he is also Vice-Chair. He is also a Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) member.

Previous board affiliations include the Parkway Council of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Conventions and Visitors Bureau, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and Rodeph Shalom.

He holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from the Temple University Beasley School of Law. Dubinski spent four years (2000-2004) at Morgan Lewis, one of the largest law firms in the world, and returned to The Franklin Institute in 2004.

Before beginning his role as President & CEO in July 2014, Dubinski served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs and General Counsel, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer of The Franklin Institute. 

David

Devan

General Director & President, Opera Philadelphia

David B. Devan joined Opera Philadelphia in January 2006 and was appointed General Director of the company in 2011. Since his arrival, David has worked closely with board and administration on strategic planning initiatives and building partnerships within the community and the opera world.

David guided the company through a transformative period of innovation that led Opera News to describe it as “one of the leading instigators of new work in the country” and the New York Times to describe Opera Philadelphia as "a hotbed of operatic innovation." Under his leadership and artistic vision, Opera Philadelphia has grown to become a company of international stature and a favorite co-producing partner with companies all over the globe, developing fresh productions of classic works as well as premieres written by today’s leading composers. The company has engaged and energized both established and emerging artists, providing opportunities for important role debuts for singers like Lawrence Brownlee, Eric Owens, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Christine Goerke, Leah Crocetto, and Lisette Oropesa. As The Daily Beast recently commented, “Opera Philadelphia has been at the forefront of commissioning new operas with contemporary subject matter and an innovative, genre-blending sensibility to snare a younger audience and revitalize opera for the 21st century.”

Key achievements include the establishment of the Aurora Series for Chamber Opera at the Perelman Theater, an extremely popular and highly-subscribed opera series at the Kimmel Center's intimate 550-seat Perelman Theater; the establishment of the nation's first ever collaborative Composer in Residence Program with New York partner Music-Theatre Group, a comprehensive program supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, designed to foster the growth of tomorrow's great operatic composers; the creation of the American Repertoire Program in 2011, solidifying Opera Philadelphia’s role as a national leader in the creation of new works; and the creation of the site-specific Opera in the City series. Under David's leadership, the company established the annual Festival O in 2017, launching each season with an immersive, 12-day festival featuring multiple operatic happenings in venues throughout the city. Opera Philadelphia also presents additional productions each spring, making it the first U.S. opera company to open a year-round season with a dynamic festival.

Under David’s leadership, Opera Philadelphia has commissioned or co-commissioned eight new operas, including Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD by Daniel Schnyder and Bridgette Wimberly, and starring Lawrence Brownlee, which has since been staged at The Apollo Theater in New York and Hackney Empire in London; Cold Mountain, based on the best-selling novel by Charles Frazier and written by Jennifer Higdon and Gene Scheer, and co-commissioned with The Santa Fe Opera; and Breaking the Waves by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, based on the film by Lars von Trier, which has since been staged at Beth Morrison Projects' PROTOTYPE Festival and was named Best New Opera of 2016 by the Music Critics Association of North America.

As immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and a member of the Opera America board, David is privileged to serve in a city with rich and diverse cultural roots. He continues to work tirelessly to make opera as an important part of our community.

Jane

Golden

Executive Director, Mural Arts Philadelphia

Jane Golden has been the driving force of Mural Arts Philadelphia since its inception, overseeing its growth from a small city agency into the nation’s largest public art program and a global model for transforming public space and community through art. Under Golden’s direction, Mural Arts has created over 4,000 works of public art through innovative collaborations with community-based organizations, city agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, the private sector, and philanthropies.

Initially hired as a young artist by former Mayor Wilson Goode to address Philadelphia’s widespread graffiti issue through the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network in 1984, Golden worked with graffiti writers to channel their creative energy and talent toward mural collaborations, transforming neighborhoods where buildings and communities had long suffered from years of neglect. The process gave graffiti writers an opportunity to rethink their work and contributions to the city as artists. In 1997, the Anti-Graffiti Network was restructured by then Mayor Ed Rendell, who would eventually support the creation of the Mural Arts Program under Golden’s leadership. In 1998, Golden established the Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates, a nonprofit organization to work in tandem with the City and raise funds to support the program.

In the decades since, Mural Arts has connected the process of muralism to a multitude of community and public outcomes. Through innovative collaborations with community-based organizations, city agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, the private sector, and philanthropies, the program has created over 4,000 works of public art that reimagine the intersection of art and public space and address societal challenges. Under Golden’s direction, Mural Arts has developed groundbreaking programs that transform practice and policies related to youth education, restorative justice, environmental issues and behavioral health. Golden has overseen a series of increasingly complex, ambitious, and award-winning public art projects, and launched the knowledge-sharing Mural Arts Institute in 2017 to help guide best-practices across the globe.

Sought after nationally and internationally as an expert on urban transformation through art, Golden has received numerous awards for her work, including the Philadelphia Award, the Hepburn Medal from the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center at Bryn Mawr College, the Visionary Woman Award from Moore College of Art, the 2012 Governor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts, a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania Award from former Governor Edward G. Rendell, the Adela Dwyer/St. Thomas Peace Award from Villanova University, LaSalle University’s Alumni Association’s Signum Fidei Medal, an Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship Award, Philadelphia Magazine’s Trailblazer Award, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association’s 2016 Gold Medal Award, the 2016 Paul Philippe Cret Award from the American Institute of Architects, the 2016 Woman of Influence Award from Pearl S. Buck International, a Woman of Distinction Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal, and the 2017 ACE (Mentor Program) Person of the Year Award. In 2018, she received the Anne d’Harnoncourt Award for Artistic Excellence from the Arts + Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, and the Dare to Understand Award from the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia.

She has co-authored two books about the murals in Philadelphia and co-edited a third, Mural Arts @ 30 (Temple University Press, 2014), published on the occasion of Mural Arts’ 30th anniversary. Golden is referenced in publications around the world, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Golden serves on the Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council, the Penn Museum Advisory Committee, and the board of directors of The Heliotrope Foundation. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and degrees in Fine Arts and Political Science from Stanford University. In addition, Golden has received honorary PhDs from Swarthmore College, Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, Widener University, Arcadia University, LaSalle College, Haverford College, Rosemont College, Villanova University, St. Joseph’s University, and Drexel University.

Nasheli

J. Ortiz Gonzalez

Executive Director, Taller Puertorriqueño

As a native of Puerto Rico, a respected academic leader, and a creative entrepreneur committed to social justice, Ortiz González brings a unique set of skills to the Executive Director role at Taller. In her roles as Associate Professor and Chair of Fashion Design at Moore, Ortiz González developed a department that pairs a humanistic approach with a cutting-edge global vision. Students in this department enjoy a 98% employment rate upon graduation. Furthermore, Ortiz González has been successful in securing competitive grants for Moore including a 2020 grant from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Ortiz González is a highly sought-after fashion designer who serves as the principal owner of Nasheli Juliana (NJ), an apparel company focused on social justice, as well as co-founder and principal of 22 studio, a women-led transdisciplinary design practice that operates between the United States and Puerto Rico. She is also a founding Board Member of the Philadelphia Fashion Garment and Industry Task Force, a group for professional and business development, education, trade events, supply chain and local manufacturing, social impact and sustainability in the city. Her fashion designs have been shown at Paris, London, New York, and Miami Fashion Weeks, to name just a few. Ortiz González’s work has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, and Forbes, among other prestigious publications. In 2020, she was featured in the Netflix series “Next in Fashion,” and was named as one of Al DÍA News’ 40 Under 40.

Māori

Holmes

Chief Executive & Artistic Officer, BlackStar Film Festival

Maori is a curator, filmmaker and writer. She founded BlackStar in 2012 and serves as its Chief Executive & Artistic Officer. She has organized programs in film at a myriad of organizations including Anthology Film Archives, ICA, Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), The Underground Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. As a director, her works have screened internationally including her feature documentary Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip-Hop. She has directed and produced works for Colorlines.com, Visit Philadelphia, as well as the musicians India.Arie, Mike Africa, Jr., and Wayna. Her writing has most recently appeared in Seen, Documentary Magazine, The Believer, Film Quarterly, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance, and the forthcoming Collective Wisdom: Co-Creating Media Within Communities Across Disciplines and Algorithms.

 

Maori received her MFA in Film & Media Arts from Temple University and her BA in History from American University. She is a founding member of Lalibela Baltimore and is a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, The Community Board, and Programmers of Colour Collective. Maori was a 2019-2020 Soros Equality Fellow, a 2021 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader Honoree, and named as one of the Kennedy Center’s #Next50 List. In 2019, she was included in Essence Magazine’s Woke 100 List and in 2022 she was included among Philadelphia Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Philadelphians as well as the “Best Film Mogul”. She additionally serves as Mediamaker-in-Residence at the Annenberg School for Communication at University of Pennsylvania and Curator-at-Large at Penn Live Arts at Annenberg Center.

Rebecca E.

Johnson

AIA Philadelphia | Center / Architecture + Design

Rebecca Johnson is a highly skilled nonprofit executive, with considerable experience in nonprofit management, real estate development, and community and economic development under her belt. With a deep-seated passion for community engagement, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, and innovative design thinking, she has continually demonstrated her commitment to solving some of the most pressing issues facing our cities today.

As the Executive Director of AIA Philadelphia and the Center for Architecture and Design, Rebecca brings a contagious enthusiasm to representing and advocating for the interests of the design community in Philadelphia. She also creates dynamic programming to engage both the public and the next generation of designers from kindergarten through to career. Working closely with the Board of Directors, Rebecca has developed a vision for design in Philadelphia that is inclusive, accessible, and equitable for all.

Rebecca has also been a steadfast champion for young women and women in leadership, serving on the Board of the Pennsylvania Women's Campaign Fund for four years. She co-founded the REPRESENT! Political Action Committee to aid in electing strong and capable women across Pennsylvania. Rebecca earned her bachelor's degree in Sociology from Lehigh University, followed by a master’s in Sociology-Urban Studies from Georgia State University, and a JD from Temple University Beasley School of Law. Her unwavering dedication to fostering inclusivity and collaboration within the design industry makes her an invaluable asset to any organization.

Dr. Ashley

Jordan

President & CEO, African American Museum in Philadelphia

Marla J. Gold, MD, is an inspiring physician leader who makes a tangible difference in the lives of countless others through work with philanthropy, government, educational institutions, business leaders, non-profits and individuals to leverage opportunities and achieve optimal outcomes. Passionate about the values of diversity and equity in all she does, Marla is currently Senior Vice Provost, Community Health and Chief Wellness Officer at Drexel University. In this role she oversees University population health and wellness including COVID-19 operations and campus wellness. She also serves as a connector to academic, public and private partnerships regarding campus and community wellness. Dr. Gold is Dean Emerita of the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health and a tenured Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management. In the early 1990s, she served as Philadelphia’s Assistant Health Commissioner for Infectious Disease Control in the Public Health Department, where she was responsible for all reportable and communicable diseases and conditions in Philadelphia. In that role she served as director for the City immunization program and as the regional grantee for the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. She oversaw all grant making related to CARE act funding in the region. During her tenure in the Philadelphia Health Department, she worked to establish a comprehensive system of HIV care for under and uninsured Philadelphians at the City’s Ambulatory Health Centers and addressed challenging programs and issues including the availability needle exchange programs in the City and comprehensive sexual health education in Philadelphia High Schools. 

In 1996, she created and led an innovative, interdisciplinary integrated clinical practice for persons with HIV/AIDS containing a full complement of linked services. Today the Partnership Comprehensive Care Practice is one of the largest regional comprehensive HIV programs and recently celebrated its 26th anniversary. She served as Chief of the Division of HIV/AIDS Medicine and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the former MCP Hahnemann Medical School. 

Dr. Gold assumed the Deanship of the Drexel University School of Public Health in 2002. Under her leadership, the School became established as the first highly ranked, fully accredited School of Public Health in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The School has a longstanding commitment to issues of health equity and an education, research and practice focus on the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities. Dr. Gold has published in the area of health policy, treatment and prevention, and lectured extensively on an array of related health and welfare topics to diverse audiences. She has served as Chair of the Diversity Committee in the national Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) and on the ASPPH Board. Dr. Gold has served as a member of the Philadelphia Board of Health over three Mayoral administrations and continues that work today. She also serves as an advisor to CityHealth, an innovative program that explores key policies yielding the greatest population health outcomes for America’s biggest cities, and on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) and is a former member of the stakeholder engagement committee of the Philadelphia Zoo. Among her honors are the US Public Service Assistant Secretary of Health Award for outstanding service to persons with HIV/AIDS, the Sisterhood award from the National Commission of Christians and Jews, and Health Care Provider of the Year in Pennsylvania from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. She has been listed as a "top doctor" for women with HIV/AIDS, in Philadelphia Magazine. In November 2007, she was among the recipients of the "Women of Distinction" awards from the Philadelphia Business Journal for her life work and leadership in medicine, public health and higher education. In 2016 she received the National Partnership Award from the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief Coalition in Washington DC for her career-long work in HIV/AIDS care and service delivery. 

Marla believes deeply in the importance that academic enterprises serve the region in which “they live.” She continues her commitment to improving the lives of Philadelphians directly and through collaborative work with faculty, students, staff, administration and residents of Drexels surrounding neighborhoods. The School established an Autism Research Institutethe only such place in the nation where autism is studied through the lens of public health. A Center for Hunger Free Communities addresses the connectedness of poverty and hunger and works toward policy solutions and a Center for Violence Prevention and Social Justice addresses the need for trauma-informed approaches to victims of violence. Marla worked to establish the first public health blog connected to a major newspaper (The Philadelphia Inquirer). In 2013, Drexel University honored her accomplishments with the title of Dean Emerita and the establishment of the Marla J Gold endowed scholarship fund which supports young leaders who seek to become physicians with public health expertise. Over the years, her leadership has given rise to clinical services, sound policies and strategic vision for the health and welfare of the region. Because of robust fund raising and wide support, the School of Public Health moved to a newly refurbished building in the center of Drexel University and notably, was named the Dornsife School of Public Health with a 45M gift in 2015. Through her leadership, Marla has trained, advised and graduated hundreds of social service, public health and medical professionals, many of whom have kept their roots in the region. More recently she co-chaired the health and human services committee as part of the transition team of Mayor Jim Kenney. She has taught public health leadership, service delivery and advocacy to public health graduate and doctoral students and devotes time to numerous community organizations and issues in the region. She received her BS from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, and an MD from University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey. She completed her internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, now part of the Drexel College of Medicine. 

Jennifer
D. Martin

Executive Director of The Clay Studio

Jennifer D. Martin was named Executive Director of The Clay Studio by its Board and Executive Committee in March 2018.

Martin brings years of strategic know-how, comprehensive industry knowledge, and invaluable perspective to this role, having served as the Studio’s Vice President for six years, and the Director of Education and Operations prior to that. Since first joining The Clay Studio in 2007 as its Senior Studio Technician, Martin has worked closely with the organization’s leadership and its staff to strategically manage operations, direct projects and programs, and inspire internal and external teams.

"The Board and senior staff were enthusiastically in support of appointing Jennifer as our new Executive Director,” said Michael Lukasek, President of The Clay Studio Board at that time. “She has been intimately involved in every aspect of The Clay Studio for more than ten years and is the ideal person to advance our mission and lead us through this exciting new chapter as we build a state-of-the-art facility."

The new Clay Studio, completed in spring 2022 with a groundbreaking in January 2020, is located in Philadelphia’s vibrant South Kensington neighborhood. As the first of its kind ceramic arts facility built in the United States, it is designed from the ground up as a welcoming center that will strengthen the cultural community of Philadelphia and propel the field of ceramics nationally and globally.

Martin, who originally hails from Atlanta, Georgia, is also an accomplished artist. Her ceramic work is nationally recognized in numerous exhibitions and publications, and she has held a number of residencies, including Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. Martin received her MFA from Georgia State University, and served as faculty there soon after. Since 2005 she has held a number of instructor positions and continues to present workshops and lectures locally and regionally, along with serving as juror for exhibitions and as panelist for cultural conferences. Martin’s current professional associations include Artaxis, The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, NCECA.

Eric

Pryor

President & CEO, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Eric Pryor becomes President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in January, 2022. A strategic, creative, and collaborative leader, he brings over 25 years of experience in education, museum administration and community-building initiatives to PAFA, America’s first school and museum of fine arts.

Pryor joins PAFA from the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA), where he has served as President since 2015. An interdisciplinary cultural arts center that cultivates a strong sense of community and creative expression inspired by the rich history of Harlem, HSA serves over 2000 students each year, on and off-site, who study music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. During his tenure he secured funding that enabled the school to undertake its first major renovation in 40 years.

Previously Pryor served as Executive Director of The Center for Arts Education (CAE) in New York, providing direction and oversight for all of CAE’s teaching and learning programs, professional development activities, advocacy and public engagement initiatives, and fundraising efforts.

He was Executive Director of the New Jersey State Museum (NJSM), known as “New Jersey’s Smithsonian.” As Executive Director, Pryor successfully revitalized this historic institution, which boasts a collection of over two million objects and specimens, the state’s largest Planetarium, and 38,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, including a cultural history collection and a fine art collection.

Earlier in his career, Pryor served as president of the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VAC) in Summit, New Jersey. During his tenure at VAC he developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan built around a $5.4 million capital campaign that expanded the VAC facility from 13,000 square feet to 24,000 square feet with three new exhibition spaces and nine state-of-the-art studios for art classes.

Pryor began his arts career as Executive Director of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Center for Arts and Culture (CAC) in Brooklyn, New York. CAC, the country’s first and largest community development organization to use arts programming as a community-development tool. At CAC, he served as head curator and developed and managed several CAC programs including the Skylight Gallery and the Performing Arts/Presenting Program. He and the leadership team were also responsible for launching the Playwrights Den, a scriptwriter’s workshop for young playwrights and the Restoration Youth Arts Academy, a multidisciplinary arts training program serving 500 students on-site and 1,000 in New York City schools.

Pryor is an active community volunteer and uses his educational and professional arts background to advance the goals of organizations that he serves. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of New Yorkers for Culture and Arts and City College of New York President’s Advisory Board. Formerly, he served as a board member of Art Pride New Jersey and Paper Mill Playhouse and as an advisor for public arts projects for the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Pryor is a graduate of Tyler School of Art, Temple University (Master of Fine Arts, 1992) and Wayne State University (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting, 1990). He completed Columbia University’s Executive Leadership Program for Nonprofits in 1997.

Zoe

Ryan

Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania

Zoë Ryan is Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania. She joined the ICA in November 2020. Prior to this, she was the John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Her research explores the socio-political impact of the arts on society. Recent exhibitions include, In a Cloud, in a Wall, in a Chair: Six Modernists in Mexico at Midcentury (2019), and Past Forward: Architecture and Design at the Art Institute (2017–ongoing). In 2015, she co-curated Making Place: The Architecture of David Adjaye. In 2014, Ryan was the curator of the second Istanbul Design Biennial, The Future Is Not What It Used To Be.

Ryan has taught graduate seminars on curatorial studies and design history and theory at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a member of the Design Trust International Advisory Council, Hong Kong and on the Executive Committee of the International Confederation of Architecture Museums.

Jason

Schupbach

Dean, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University

Jason Schupbach is the Dean of the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design at Drexel University. He was formerly the Director of the Design School at Arizona State University, the largest and most comprehensive design school in the United States. In this position, he started the ambitious ReDesign.School project to reinvent design education for the 21st century, and is a key advisor to ASU on diverse projects such as the Center for Creativity and place, Roden Crater, the Creative Futures Lab, and ASU's Los Angeles downtown home. Previous to this position he was Director of Design and Creative Placemaking Programs for the National Endowment for the Arts, where he oversaw all design and creative placemaking grantmaking and partnerships, including Our Town and Design Art Works grants, the Mayor’s Institute on City Design, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, and the NEA's Federal agency collaborations. Previously, Jason served Governor Patrick of Massachusetts as the Creative Economy Director, tasked with growing creative and tech businesses in the state. He formerly was the Director of ArtistLink, a Ford Foundation funded initiative to stabilize and revitalize communities through the creation of affordable space and innovative environments for creatives. He has also worked for the Mayor of Chicago and New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. He has written extensively on the role of arts and design in making better communities, and his writing has been featured as a Best Idea of the Day by the Aspen Institute.

Danny

Simons

Founder and Vice Chairman, Philanthropic Arts Foundation and Rush Arts Gallery

Daniel “Danny” Simmons, Jr. is an abstract-expressionist painter. Older brother of hip-hop impressario Russell Simmons and rapper Joseph Simmons (“Rev. Run” of Run DMC), he is the founder and Vice Chairman of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and Rush Arts Gallery. In addition, Simmons converted part of his loft in Brooklyn into the Corridor Gallery. Along with his brother Russell, Simmons established Def Poetry Jam, which has enjoyed long- running success on HBO. In 2004, Simmons published Three Days As The Crow Flies, a fictional account of the 1980’s New York art scene. He has also written a book of artwork and poetry called I Dreamed My People Were Calling But I Couldn’t Find My Way Home.

Simmons is the son of Daniel Simmons, Sr., a truant officer and black history professor who also wrote poetry, and Evelyn Simmons, a teacher who painted as a hobby. He earned a degree in social work from New York University and a master’s in public finance from Long Island University. He began painting after he realized how much he hated his job with the Bureau of Child Support.

Simmons, an abstract-expressionist painter, has had his work shown nationally. Chase Manhattan Bank, the United Nations, and the Schomburg Center for Black Culture all show his work as part of their collections. He is also an avid collector of African art and comic books.

Nick

Stuccio


George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Nick is a visionary nonprofit leader who has been instrumental in reshaping Philadelphia’s performing arts landscape through his foundational role at FringeArts. As its co-founder and President, he led the transformation of FringeArts from a small neighborhood arts festival to a powerhouse in the American arts festival landscape. FringeArts has become an integral component of the local, national and international culture sectors and an important presenter of contemporary performing arts presenting hundreds of performances and serving thousands of patrons each year. Nick has been the curator and producer of many seminal presentations during his tenure by internationally renowned artists including Romeo Castelucci, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Kyle Abraham, The Wooster Group, as well as large scale site works including Sun & Sea by Lina Lapelytė.

In 2013, Nick led a $10,000,000 fund raising effort to open a new arts center on the Delaware River waterfront in a former municipal pumping station featuring a 250 seat theater, the Haas iergarten and Fringe Bar, a 100 seat bar and restaurant. Nick has crafted a transformative space where audiences immerse themselves in cutting-edge performances. Under his leadership, FringeArts has become a beacon for artists, giving them a platform to shine and push boundaries. Nick adeptly manages the multi-faceted challenges of nonprofit operations, from strategic fundraising to effective development.

Nick retired as a dancer from Philadelphia Ballet in 1995 having performed roles in a broad array of classical and contemporary ballets. In 2005, Nick was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts by the University of the Arts.

Sasha

Suda

George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Born in Toronto to Czech parents, she studied at Princeton University before completing her Master’s degree in art history at Williams College and her PhD at New York University. Her professional career began at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where she worked in various roles in the Medieval Department between 2003 and 2011. She returned to her native Toronto to work at the Art Gallery of Ontario, first as an assistant curator, and eventually as Curator of European Art and the Elliott Chair of Prints & Drawings. In these roles, she led major international exhibition projects and spearheaded innovative digital initiatives that presented historical art to audiences in a new light. From 2019 until 2022, she served as director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada where she led the revitalization of its purpose, vision, and mission and first-ever strategic planning process, leading to advances in digital rebranding, exhibition planning, and external stakeholder engagement, with a focus on justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Matías

Tarnopolsky

President & CEO, The Philadelphia Orchestra & Kimmel Center, Inc.

In December 2021, Matías Tarnopolsky was appointed president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center, Inc., a visionary partnership that brings the greatest performances and most impactful education and community programs to audiences in Philadelphia and beyond. The groundbreaking new organization reimagines the power of the arts to bring joy, create community, and effect change—to uplift all Philadelphians.

Tarnopolsky served as president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, beginning in August 2018. Described in the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “quiet revolutionary,” he has—in partnership with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra—accelerated change toward a more equitable, inclusive, and engaged organization. By enriching programming with works of BIPOC musicians, composers, and artists; launching the Digital Stage; offering free virtual content; and encouraging a change to the formal dress code for Orchestra musicians, Tarnopolsky dismantles barriers to access to reach broader and more diverse audiences. He is a passionate believer in the arts as a unifying force, helping to form connections, spark conversations, and offer strength and solace.

During Tarnopolsky’s tenure, The Philadelphia Orchestra received the largest gift in its history, launched an innovative free ticket program for the School District of Philadelphia, strengthened history-making partnerships with international collaborators, and in 2019 negotiated an early contract with the musicians of the Orchestra designed to provide a stable and secure financial future. Tarnopolsky has brought a fresh approach to programming, working with Nézet-Séguin to create unique concert experiences and further The Philadelphia Orchestra’s place in the communities it serves locally, nationally, and internationally. In April 2022, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Nézet-Séguin won their first GRAMMY Award for Best Orchestra Performance for their Deutsche Grammophon recording of Florence Price’s First and Third symphonies.

The Philadelphia Business Journal recognized Tarnopolsky and the Orchestra with the 2021 Faces of Philanthropy award. It also named Tarnopolsky to its list of 2021 Most Admired CEOs. He was selected as one of the 100 most powerful people in Philadelphia for City & State Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia Power 100 list in December 2021. Under his leadership, The Philadelphia Orchestra was named Gramophone magazine’s 2020 Orchestra of the Year.

Driven by a lifelong passion for and innate knowledge of the arts, Tarnopolsky has deep experience molding the artistic profiles of orchestras and cultural centers, including key leadership roles at the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He previously served as executive and artistic director of Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, the largest multi-disciplinary university-based arts presenter and producer in the United States.

Tarnopolsky received degrees in music and musicology from the University of London’s King’s College. In 2013, he was named one of Musical America’s international “Movers & Shakers: 30 Key Influencers in the Performing Arts” and was selected as Classical Music “MVP” by the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2015 he was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. He serves on the boards of New Music USA, the Executive Committee of the Avery Fisher Artist Program, the Advisory Council of the Tianjin Juilliard School, the Pacific Harmony Foundation, and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.

Chris

Woods

Williams Director, PENN Museum

Christopher Woods, who recently joined Penn as Williams Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, is the Avalon Professor in the Humanities. Formerly the John A. Wilson Professor of Sumerology at the University of Chicago, Woods has published widely on Sumerian language and writing, the origin and development of writing and writing systems, and early Mesopotamian history, literature, religion, and state formation. At Chicago, he served as Director of the Oriental Institute, one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary research on Near East civilizations. Woods’ research has received support from the U.S. Department of State, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among many others. He has served as the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Near Eastern Religions and the Journal of Near Eastern Studies and on the editorial boards of Languages of the Ancient Near East (Eisenbrauns) and Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East Publications, among others.

Cathy

Young

President, Moore College of Art & Design

Cathy Young is the eleventh president of Moore College of Art & Design. She brings more than 35 years of experience as a choreographer, arts educator, academic leader, and entrepreneurial artist to her role at the nation's first and only historically all-women's college for art and design.

Young grew up on a farm in a central Pennsylvania coal mining town. She earned her BA in sociology and women’s studies magna cum laude from Harvard University, where she was first exposed to dance as an art form. Having fallen in love with dance for its physicality, communicative power, and ability to create community, she made the decision to pursue it professionally, leaving former dreams of law school behind and embracing the joys and challenges of a life as a performing artist.

Young spent the next 20 years building a national and international career as a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and dance educator. She returned to academia to earn her MFA in dance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and became a tenured associate professor of dance at Ursinus College, where she cofounded the dance program, and chaired the Theater and Dance Department.

From 2011–2017, Young led the dance division at Boston Conservatory as dean. Her emphasis on diversity, innovation, collaboration and community as core values attracted the top students, faculty, and guest artists in the field. She revamped the program, implementing a comprehensive and forward-thinking curriculum designed to prepare students for 21st-century entrepreneurial dance careers. Under her leadership, the dance division at Boston Conservatory became recognized as the top contemporary dance program in the United States. 

In 2017, Young was named to the dual role of senior vice president of Berklee and executive director of Boston Conservatory at Berklee, following a national search to replace the former president, and charged with leading the Conservatory through the highly complex merger with Berklee College of Music. Young developed a strategic plan for the Conservatory which aimed to reinvent conservatory education through large-scale innovation of curriculum, pedagogy and delivery of degree programs, with diversity as the central driver of curricular, artistic and cultural change. Under her leadership, the Conservatory made significant progress toward these goals including enrollment growth; strong philanthropic momentum resulting in increased scholarship support for students; an increasingly diverse student, faculty, and staff population; and academic innovation, including the launch of technology curriculum for all first-year students, development of online courses, and the launch of an innovative three-year, six-semester BFA program.

In February 2022, Young was unanimously confirmed as president by Moore College of Art & Design's Board of Trustees, following a comprehensive national search led by a 13-member, Board-appointed search committee. She officially joined the Moore community on June 30, 2022.