Center Staff

Christina Vassallo she/her Executive Director
cvassallo@pewcenterarts.org

Christina became the Center’s second executive director in January 2026. In this role, she leads the development, evolution, and implementation of its grantmaking and community-building strategy, working with staff to enhance the visibility of grantees and deepen connections across the Philadelphia region’s cultural sector. She most recently served as the Alice & Harris Weston Director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Previously, she held executive and artistic director positions at Philadelphia’s Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) and Cleveland’s SPACES. During her tenure at FWM, Christina participated as a Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and as a member of National Arts Strategies’ Chief Executive Program, and she was appointed as a member of the City of Philadelphia’s Arts & Culture Task Force, which developed policy and budgetary recommendations to address the economic impact of the pandemic. Learn more about Christina's accomplished career here.

Bailey Dodds she/her Grants Administrator 267.350.4917
bdodds@pewcenterarts.org

Bailey supports the Center's grants administration, working directly with grantees to manage day-to-day reporting and contracts. Before joining the Center, she held positions at Fleisher Art Memorial and the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia. Bailey has a BS in industrial design from Drexel University, where she also studied art history and fine arts. She is currently practicing printmaking and learning about book arts.

Scarlett McCahill she/her Chief Administrative Officer 215.278.7044
smccahill@pewcenterarts.org

Scarlett leads the Center’s operating and administrative relationship with the Barnes Foundation with a focus on workforce and business systems planning and implementation. Her role at the Center builds on her previous position as the Barnes Foundation’s director of human resources.  Scarlett began her career as a Philadelphia public school teacher and an administrator at Project HOME, a prominent anti-poverty organization in Philadelphia. She holds a B.A. in Political Science (Saint Joseph’s University), M.Ed. in Urban Education (Penn) and graduate certificate in non-profit management (Bryn Mawr). 

Heidie Mojica she/her Operations Assistant 267.350.4901
hmojica@pewcenterarts.org

Heidie supports the Center’s day-to-day operations and administration. In close cooperation with the CAO and Executive Coordinator, she oversees the Center's main calendar, coordinates vendor relationships, accommodates Center constituents, and assists staff with office technology. Prior to joining the Center, Heidie served as digital studio technician at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, educating students on artwork documentation and facilitating fine-art printing. Having received her BFA in photography & digital arts from Moore College of Art & Design, Heidie continues to practice as a freelance photographer, visual artist, and community outreach organizer.

Megan Dutch she/her Chief Communications Officer 267.350.4961
mdutch@pewcenterarts.org

Megan leads the Center’s communications work, overseeing strategy, marketing, and editorial platforms. She supports Center grantees through consultations and resources on communications and audience engagement topics. Previously, she was founder and president of an award-winning communications firm that specialized in telling the stories of art, culture, philanthropy, and causes. Megan began her career as a musician and indie record label owner and still enjoys making music, along with outdoor exploration and volunteering with community and animal welfare groups.

John Vettese he/him Communications & Digital Content Specialist 267.350.4903
jvettese@pewcenterarts.org

John supports the Center’s communications team, amplifying the work of grantees and Fellows through multimedia storytelling on web and on social media channels. Prior to joining the Center in 2025, he spent over 20 years as an arts and culture journalist in Philadelphia, covering the regional music scene on-air and online at WXPN, and writing about the broader arts community in City Paper. In his spare time, John enjoys 35mm film photography, making collages, attending concerts, and cooking vegan meals.

Zach Blackwood he/him Program Officer for Community Connection & Audience Participation 267.350.4951
zblackwood@pewcenterarts.org

Zach works across multiple funding areas at the Center with a specific focus on supporting grantees’ audience experience and community-building efforts and tracking field-wide developments in social- and community-engaged practices. Previously, he worked as a contemporary performance producer at FringeArts, where he produced local premieres and large-scale international touring projects, including the creation of the Blue Heaven Comedy Festival and High Pressure Fire Service series. In his spare time, you might find Zach writing poems or trying to convince a colleague that K-Pop is concert dance.

Luis Croquer he/him Interim Director of Project Grant Programs
lcroquer@pewcenterarts.org

Luis is a highly regarded scholar, curator, educator, and former museum director who has served as a grant panelist and guest speaker at the Center. Currently visiting professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and most recently visiting faculty at the newly launched MFA at Clark University, he was the Henry and Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator of the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University and previously served as Deputy Director of Exhibitions, Collections, and Programs at the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington. Luis has also held museum positions in Detroit, New York, and his native El Salvador.

Jordan Garlic she/her Program Assistant 267.350.4920
jgarlic@pewcenterarts.org

Jordan supports the Pew Fellowships and Project grant programs in the administration and facilitation of the grants and grant cycle. Previously, she worked in fine art logistics for an art advisory firm managing shipments of fine art from auction houses and galleries to collectors worldwide. Having studied art from a young age, Jordan continues to enjoy consuming art in all forms and creating her own whenever inspiration strikes. 

Murph Henderson she/her Program Officer for Performance & Administration 267.350.4942
mhenderson@pewcenterarts.org

Murph works with applicants to strengthen their proposals and with grantees as funded projects evolve. She administers publication of the Center’s funding guidelines as well as other facets of the grantmaking cycle. Murph joined the Center staff after serving as director of new play development at Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre Company. She also worked for nearly a decade at Library of America, a nonprofit book publisher in Manhattan. Murph spent her early career as an Equity actor and as a freelance book reviewer.

Alfiatul Nurdin she/they/dia Program Assistant 267.350.4970
nurdin@pewcenterarts.org

Alfi assists program staff in facilitating the work of the Center’s grantmaking programs. She supports Center constituents through the grant application process and facilitates internal support with scheduling, database monitoring, and general administrative tasks. Most recently, she was a grants assistant at the Center and supported grantees in meeting their reporting requirements. Alfi desires to see Philadelphia’s art and culture community continue to thrive and flourish and to be a helping hand in it.

Alec Unkovic he/him Program Officer for Visual Art & Creative Practices 267.350.4926
aunkovic@pewcenterarts.org

Alec supports applicants and grantees in the Center’s Project grants program. From 2013 to 2023, Alec worked at The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, overseeing exhibition programs and managing and curating major projects of new work by renowned contemporary artists and museum publications. He has also held roles at the Dallas Museum of Art and Skidmore’s Tang Teaching Museum. Alec received his BA in Classics in 2012 from Skidmore College.