A strategist, connector, and champion for the arts and artists, Caralyn brings decades of experience to Philly Leadership Lab at the intersection of creative sectors, public policy, and organizational leadership.

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Caralyn's career spans the highest levels of federal arts policy, philanthropic investment, and data-driven sector leadership. During the Obama Administration, she served as Deputy and Chief of Staff to the Senior Deputy Chair and Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts — shaping policy that touched arts organizations and communities across the country. As Interim President and CEO of DataArts, she led efforts to bring rigorous data infrastructure and analytics to the arts and culture sector. At the William Penn Foundation, she managed a portfolio of operating support grants for Philadelphia arts organizations as a Creative Communities Program Officer.

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Her work reflects the breadth of her expertise — she has partnered with organizations ranging from the City of Philadelphia, Disney Theatrical Productions, the Institute of Contemporary Arts at UPenn, The Free Library of Philadelphia, the U.S. Departments of Defense and Education, the National Science Foundation, Blue Star Families, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among many others.

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A proud Philadelphian, she returned to her hometown in 2017 after nearly two decades in New York City and eight years in DC. She lives 'burbs of Philly with her husband, author Al Kalman, and their two daughters.