Helen Haynes Named Philadelphia Chief Cultural Officer

Helen Haynes, director of cultural affairs at Montgomery County Community College, has been named by Mayor Nutter as the chief cultural officer in the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE.)

Her position will officially begin on June 7th, when she will, according to a press release, “oversee day-to-day operations of the OACCE (including all of the City’s arts programs,) coordinate with relevant City agencies to unify the City’s arts efforts, and serve as a liaison between the City’s cultural institutions. She will also be responsible for expanding arts education for young people and supporting the growth and development of the City’s arts, culture and creative economy sector by promoting public and private investments.”

Haynes has worked for 30 years as a teacher, and advocate for the arts. She came to Philadelphia to work with the Coalition of African American and Latino Cultural Organizations, and she has served as consultant for a variety of local arts-driven outfits, including Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.

Keep up with developments at the OACCE at creativephl.org.