The Center’s newest employees are providing essential behind-the-scenes support, strengthening its operational relationship with the Barnes Foundation, and telling the stories of its grantees. Read on to learn more about their roles and the art that moves them.
Get to know the entire Center team on our staff page.
Maisha Elonai
she/her/they/them
Executive Coordinator
Maisha works closely with the Center’s executive director, Christina Vassallo, and comes to the Center with a broad-ranging background. They have worked as an executive assistant, a DEIA officer, a public interest attorney, a legal educator, and held various roles in newspaper journalism—including page editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Maisha says, “the goal of uplifting underrepresented voices [is] the throughline of my focus.” At the Center, Maisha supports executive functions and enhances the flow of information that keeps its work moving forward. They are partial to literature and poetry, with a strong love for performing arts, but their interests are wide-ranging. “Picking a favorite art form is like picking a favorite color," Maisha says. "How could I limit a choice to only one, when we need a mix to comprehend the world?”
Is there an artwork or cultural experience you’ve found especially moving or resonant recently?
Recently I visited Cherry Street Pier with a colleague, and a short poem called “Surface Viewer” by Wayne David Hubbard was posted there as part of the How Water Moves exhibition. It made me think of my aging father, a thoughtful man who was named after water, and the poignancy of that conflation moved me to tears.
Scarlett McCahill
she/her
Chief Administrative Officer
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 H.O.M.E., a prominent anti-poverty organization in Philadelphia. She appreciates Americana across creative disciplines—especially creative expressions sharing a political or civic message—from John Phillips Sousa marches to Jesse Welles ballads.
Is there an artwork or cultural experience you’ve found especially moving or resonant recently?
Amy Sherald’s oil painting “Trans Forming Liberty” as well as writings by John Steinbeck, especially The Pearl, The Grapes of Wrath and my most recent Steinbeck read, Travels with Charley.
John Vettese
he/him
Communications & Digital Content Specialist
Working on the communications team, John helps spread the word about the Center’s grantmaking and amplifies the work of its grantees through articles and multimedia content on web and social media. He has engaged with Philadelphia’s creative community his entire career, from working as an on-air host and music editor at WXPN to his early role as an arts and culture writer for City Paper. Music is another constant, and he spends several nights each month at one concert or another. John also appreciates photography for its versatility in creating both lifelike documentation as well as impressionistic representations; he often has one of several film cameras at his side.
Is there an artwork or cultural experience you’ve found especially moving or resonant recently?
Shabaka’s recent Solar Myth gig was a sonic journey that wove ambient atmospheres into IDM electronica, then ramped up the energy into a centerpiece inspired by Afrobeats and hard bop. He spoke of the importance of creating shared moments during turbulent times, and I could feel that in the room.