Dianne Semingson, board chair of Avenue of the Arts, Inc., the organization that champions investment in Philadelphia’s theater and cultural arts district on South Broad Street, has announced the addition of five new members to the organization’s Board of Directors, effective this month. The new board members were approved at the group’s December board meeting. They include: EEO attorney and consultant Michael A. Bowman, Esquire; sleep specialist Dr. Thanuja Hamilton, developer Brook J. Lenfest, former Cigna CFO Thomas McCarthy and David Yager, president of University of the Arts.
“We’re honored these five outstanding individuals, exemplary in their own fields as well as proven community leaders, have volunteered their time to join AAI in its mission,” Semingson says. “As we look ahead to our 30th anniversary in 2023, AAI is poised to lead a renaissance on South Broad Street as the City begins to recover from the pandemic. These leaders, along with our entire board, the Friends of the Avenue and our many stakeholders are dedicated to preserving the Avenue of the Arts as one of America’s great streets in one of America’s great cities.”
New AAI Executive Director Laura Burkhardt, who joined the organization in May, 2021, adds “the Avenue is the centerpiece of our beautiful City. I’m excited to have additional expertise on our board to ensure that South Broad Street gets the resources it deserves and that AAI has every ability to promote this important corridor.”
The Avenue of the Arts draws 2.8 million visitors a year, generating more than $1 billion in economic impact. AAI and its associated organization, Friends of the Avenue of the Arts, work to promote investment, beautification and marketing of the Avenue of the Arts to make the Avenue a great place to live, work, shop and play.
