West Park Cultural And Opportunity Center
Staff
Betty P. Lindley (Founder/Executive Director) is a visual artist and former teacher who moved to Philadelphia in 1974 and started her arts management career in 1978. From 1981 to 1999 she produced over 60 plays working as Managing Director of the Germantown Theatre Guild, Founder and Executive Director of Kopia Theatre at Cornucopia on Parkside Avenue, and co-founder of Venture Theatre where she was executive director for thirteen years. At Venture Theatre she worked with teachers and administrators at 15 different Philadelphia public schools to implement Theatre for Learning, a program that used theatre to teach across the curriculum. Her other positions have included Founding President of the Business Association of West Parkside, Member of the Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Council (Goode administration), and four years on the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Board of Directors. She also served on the Program and Board Placement Committees of PVLA (Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts). Betty returned to West Parkside in 2000 where she now lives with her husband and is dedicated to community development through the West Park Cultural Center and her long-time association with Art Sanctuary as Development Officer.
215/473-7810
blindley@westparkcultural.org
Bettye Gibbons (Program Coordinator/Camp Ginkgo & Literacy) is a long-time resident of West Parkside who retired after 30 years from the Federal Government as an Assistant Engineer for HUD. Ms. Gibbons is a master gardener who co-founded an award winning community garden in Parkside and has been instrumental in outreach efforts for West Philadelphia neighborhood improvement. Her experience includes working with young people, the development and supervision of literacy programs, and building resources to support community needs. Ms. Gibbons oversees our literacy program and summer program for children (Camp Ginkgo/Ginkgo Academy).
215/473-7810
bgibbons@westparkcultural.org
Patty Bulack (Arts Program Coordinator) is a homeschooling mother of six children, the oldest of whom is in his early 20s. After receiving a bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University, she and her husband settled in West Philadelphia to raise their children. Their homeschooling, using a learner-led model of education, has allowed her children to become accomplished in the performing arts, as well as follow scholarly pursuits. They are dancers, singers, actors, and musicians. She has also had experience in afterschool program development and implementation as an Assistant Director of a Beacon Center, and in finding and creating performance opportunities for young people in her community, University City. She is a pianist and has played both piano and organ for her church, and has taught piano for 10 years to both children and adults.
215/473-7810
pbulack@westparkcultural.org
Thanimas Scott-Wallace, Ph.D. (Adult Development Manager) is a life-long West Park resident who has been actively involved with her community serving as activity coordinator for her block. Her education includes a BA in Organizational Management; a Masters in Business Administration, and last year received her Ph.D. in Business with a specialization in leadership. Thanimas has an extensive background in financial analysis and business plan development and works as a Treasury Analyst for a retail corporation in Wayne, PA. She has been the key note motivational speaker for the United States Post Office. She has one daughter and serves as a board member for the Strategic Planning Committee of Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School where she is also actively involved with the home and school association.
