BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Committee

Board Members

Board On Board (Observation)

The Reverend Michael Giansiracusa
Development Officer for Volunteer and Parish Relations
Episcopal Community Services

Advisory Board

Tamala Edwards
Morning Anchor, WPVI-TV

Larry Farmbry
CFP, CHFC, Farmbry & Associates

Carolyn Langfitt
Community Volunteer

Syreeta Scott
Owner/Founder
Duafe Natural Hair Care Salon

Rebecca Pepper Sinkler
Writer; Critic; Former Editor
New York Times Book Review

Ahmeenah Young
President and CEO
Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority

STAFF

Lorene Cary
http://www.lorenecary.org
Founder and Executive Director
lcary@artsanctuary.org
Lorene’s new novel, ‘If Sons, Then Heirs’, is published by Atria Books.  Her other books include ‘Pride’ (1998), ‘The Price of A Child’, the 2003 One Book, One Philadelphia choice, ‘Black Ice’, a memoir, and ‘Free! Great Escapes on the Underground Railroad’ (YA).  Lorene is a senior lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Pennsylvania. For her writing and arts activism, she received The Philadelphia Award. Lorene has been distinguished with several honorary doctorates, and lectures nationally.  Her essays have appeared in Newsweek, Time, Essence, O Magazine, and other publications.

Tarana Burke
Managing Director
tburke@artsanctuary.org
Tarana has traveled around the world representing the causes of young people of color in the U.S. including: The World Youth Festival & Conference in Havana, Cuba, Educating the Afrikan Child – Global Education Conference in Dakar, Senegal, and the World Summit on Information Systems (WSIS) conference in Tunis, Tunisia.  In Selma, AL, Tarana worked with rural schools and at the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute.  She also served as executive director of Black Belt Arts and Cultural Center and co-founder of Just Be, Inc. (http://www.justbeinc.org/), an organization geared towards young women of color.  Before coming to Art Sanctuary, Tarana served as site director with Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, which provides academic enrichment for low-income middle-school students.

Danielle Ayers
Business Manager
dayers@artsanctuary.org
Born and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Danielle was graduated with a B.A. in Public Relations and a Masters in African American Studies from Temple University.  She was introduced to community outreach and institutional advancement as a graduate student. For the past six years, she has focused her energy on fundraising and development, dedicating her time to working with both community arts and human service non-profit organizations.  She joins Art Sanctuary in her newest role as Business Manager.

Biany Pérez
Arts and Education Administrator
bperez@artsanctuary.org
Biany has several years of experience as a community educator, volunteer and administrator in non-profits. Prior to joining Art Sanctuary, she served as the High School Services Director for Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, formerly known as Summerbridge. Ms. Pérez is a proud New Yorker, holding her B.S. in Human Development from State University of New York-Binghamton University and a Master’s Degree in Urban Education from Temple University. In 2009 she joined the board of Pink Isn’t Always Pretty, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides support to individuals and families of color affected by breast cancer.

Betty Lindley
Development Officer
bplindley@artsanctuary.org
Betty has 33 years of arts management, fundraising, and organizational development experience.  She is a visual artist and former teacher who moved to Philadelphia in 1974 after living and working as an artist in Rome, Italy, for three years.  She started her arts management career in 1978 and from 1981 to 1999 produced more than 60 plays as Managing Director of the Germantown Theatre Guild, Founder and Executive Director of Kopia Theatre, and co-founder of Venture Theatre. In 2001 she founded West Park Cultural Center.

Timothy Shepherd
Production Manager
tshepherd@artsanctuary.org
Timothy Shepherd has been working in music and theater productions since high school.  He started out playing harmonica in elementary school and by high school was sitting in on sets with his older brother, a jazz piano player, in nightclubs around Philadelphia.  After obtaining his B.A. from Temple University in Business Administration, with a focus in management and marketing, he worked for Avis, Strother Food Service, St. Luke’s Church, Grace Baptist Church and Drexel University.  In addition to his full time work, his free time was filled with music productions, four completed CD projects, more than 15 theater productions, hundreds of hours of video productions and video editing, thousands of pictures (taken for clients), and now digital photography, digital editing, and slide shows.

Barbara Berkowitz
Bookkeeper
bberkowitz@artsanctuary.org
Barbara Berkowitz, a native Pennsylvanian, has lived in Philadelphia since graduating from Lebanon Valley College in 1968 with a degree in Music Education.  Drawn to the city’s diversity and culture, she enjoyed many seasons of choral singing with Pennsylvania Pro Musica and Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, where she served for four years as general manager.  Barbara has held a number of staff positions with local religious and arts organizations, including Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church, The Victorian Society in America, and The Bach Festival of Philadelphia. After twenty years as accounts manager for a furniture showroom, she now divides her working life between Art Sanctuary and The Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd, where she is parish secretary.