Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Announce New Senior Leadership as Part of Redesign

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Leslie Patterson-Tyler, Catherine Marie Charlton, and Andrea Garcia take on new VP roles.

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The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts revealed three key leadership appointments as part of a broader organizational redesign that positions the institution for its next phase of growth and civic impact. Leslie Patterson-Tyler has been promoted to senior vice president of the newly formed Community Impact and Community Engagement division, Catherine Marie Charlton has been named vice president of education, and Andrea Garcia has been named vice president of communications.

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“This reimagined structure reflects where we are headed as an institution,” said President and CEO Ryan Fleur. “We are not only a world-class arts organization; we are a civic partner bringing people together through shared cultural experiences. By standing up this new division, and welcoming these exceptional leaders, we can deepen our community impact, strengthen connections across Philadelphia, and position the organization for continued excellence and growth.”

The redesign, informed by a year-long planning process, clarifies decision-making, brings related work into shared divisions, and is intended to support sustained audience growth, audience experience, community partnerships, and long-term financial health.

In her new role as vice president of education, Charlton will advance the institution's education initiatives, drawing on her experience as an arts education executive, Steinway Artist, and award-winning recording artist. Most recently president and CEO of Musicopia, she led transformational growth including a landmark merger, the organization's first endowment, and an expansion reaching more than 25,000 students annually across three states.

A GRAMMY voting member and former leader within the Recording Academy's Philadelphia Chapter, Charlton is a nationally recognized voice in arts education and creative innovation. She will lead a multidisciplinary team dedicated to expanding access and deepening engagement, building on programs that already serve more than 40,000 students annually and helping shape a forward-looking vision for arts education impact and engagement.

As vice president of communications, Andrea Garcia brings more than a decade of experience leading communications across corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors. Earlier in her career, she served as press secretary to the Mayor of Los Angeles, where she helped lead communications for one of the nation's largest Covid-19 vaccination sites at Dodger Stadium and directed a youth-driven gun violence awareness campaign. Most recently, as executive director of corporate communications for Comcast, she led the launch of the industry's first American Sign Language video remote interpreting service in retail and multicultural campaigns featuring U.S. Olympic athletes.

Fluent in Spanish, she specializes in policy and impact communications, stakeholder engagement, and inclusive storytelling. Garcia will lead the communications team into its next phase of growth, extending the institution's reach and impact across communities locally and globally.

These appointments are part of a broader leadership realignment designed to create a more focused and effective executive structure. Over the past year, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts has elevated Crystal Brewe to executive vice president and chief operating officer and created a new division that brings together partnerships, education, and government relations under a unified strategy. Within that framework, Patterson-Tyler has now been promoted to senior vice president of Community Impact and Civic Engagement and will lead the division's work across the region.

A former broadcast news executive with more than 30 years of experience, Patterson-Tyler joined the Kimmel Center in 2015 as senior director of media relations and communications and later advanced to vice president of program communications and partnerships. In her new role, she brings extensive relationships across the Philadelphia region, built through more than two decades of civic, media, and community engagement. To further strengthen this work, the organization is currently seeking to fill a newly created director of government relations position.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/philadelphia/article/Philadelphia-Orchestra-and-Ensemble-Arts-Names-New-Senior-Leadership-in-Redesign-20260508)._