Leadership: The Play Posse
"Play is essential to development as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children."
(American Academy of Pediatrics, Clinical Report on Play, October 9, 2006)
Since 1976, Please Touch Museum has embraced this belief. We encourage children to play and grow through the myriad of experiences we offer. We know that play provides the foundation for basic life skills such as building relationships, cooperation, negotiation and compromise as well as providing opportunities for children to find out who they are and what they enjoy doing. Our leaders are experts in the value of play.
Laura H. Foster
President and CEO
Laura Foster was promoted to President and CEO in late November 2009. Ms. Foster has been with the Museum since 1991 and has previously held the positions of Executive Director, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff, Vice President of Development, and Director of Development and Marketing. She also served as President of the Association of Children's Museums from 2006-2008. As Executive Director, Ms. Foster worked closely with the Executive Vice-President on all aspects of the management of the museum and its staff. Ms. Foster coordinates and serves as a resource for the senior management team of vice presidents and department directors. She was also part of the lead management team for planning the expansion and relocation of Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall.
Ms. Foster works closely with the museum's Board of Directors, which is currently comprised of over forty individuals from Philadelphia's corporate and philanthropic community. Ms. Foster holds a BA in anthropology from Barnard College and a JD from University of Baltimore School of Law, and she is a graduate of the Getty Museum Management Institute. She has over 30 years of management experience in nonprofits, government, and museums. Ms. Foster is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Museum Studies Department at the University of the Arts where she teaches Museum Governance: Legal Issues, Ethics and Museums.
Concetta Anne Bencivenga
Executive Vice-President
Ms. Bencivenga is Please Touch Museum's Executive Vice-President and has previously served as the museum's Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration since November 2003, overseeing finance, human resources, information technology, visitor services and retail operations. She managed the museum's financial plan for the Memorial Hall expansion and relocation project, for which she oversaw a $60 million tax exempt bond issue to finance the renovation of the National Historic Landmark. Prior to joining the museum, Ms. Bencivenga was a strategic management consultant with Public Financial Management and Deputy Director for the New York Regional Office of the Peace Corps of the United States. She also served two years as a Peace Corps member in Thailand. Ms. Bencivenga holds a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs with a concentration in public financial management from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in history from Loyola College, MD.
Michael Armento
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Armento has been with Please Touch Museum since 2008 and has previously served as Director of Finance. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics, Mr. Armento is a candidate for the Certified Management Accountant examination and has over 10 years of experience in accounting. In his position as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Armento is responsible for the financial and accounting functions of the museum including financial reporting and record keeping, budgeting and forecasting. In addition to his fiscal responsibilities, he also oversees the museum’s Information Technology department. He previously served as Business Manager at Food Export USA-Northeast from 2006-2008, and prior to that as Controller at Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School. Mr. Armento is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Lesly L. Attarian
Vice-President of External Affairs
Ms. Attarian has been with Please Touch Museum since 1990 and has served in a variety of functions. She began as the Special Event and Development Coordinator and was promoted to Director of Development and Membership. Ms. Attarian has served as the Vice-President of External Affairs at the museum since 2005. She is responsible for developing the annual marketing and public relations plan for the Museum and managing advertising and marketing budgets. She is actively involved in developing membership, press and marketing plans for the museum at Memorial Hall. Ms. Attarian also was Community Support Manager at WHYY, Inc. in Philadelphia. She has a BA in radio, television and film from Temple University. Ms. Attarian is a member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and has been a presenter and member of the programming committee for the Association of Children's Museums conferences as well as a committee member for the 2009 American Association of Museum's Conference. She is also a “Leadership Philadelphia” 2008 graduate and board member of Northern Home for Children.
Jennifer R. Bush
Vice-President of Education
Jennifer Bush has been with Please Touch Museum since 2001 and has worked in the field of education for over 10 years. She had previously served as the museum's Education Director where she was responsible for creating and executing gallery programs for visitors and organizing special and monthly themed events. Ms. Bush served as Education Coordinator for the Valley Forge Historical Society where she designed and implemented Elderhostel programs. She has also served as Education Director at The Insectarium in northeast Philadelphia, and worked in the Education Departments at both The Mariners Museum and The Peninsula Fine Art Center both in Newport News, Virginia. Ms. Bush attended The College of William and Mary and received an American Montessori Society (AMS) Teacher Certification from Hampton University.
Stephanie Lim Capello
Vice-President of Development
Ms. Capello has been with Please Touch Museum since 2007 and in the development field for more than 12 years. She is responsible for managing all of the museum's fundraising efforts as well as completing the museum’s capital campaign by establishing and building strong programs to raise general operating support. Previously, she served for seven years as the Director of Development of Events and Corporate Giving for the Philadelphia Zoo. Prior to that, she served for three years as the Coordinator of Events and Special Projects for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, overseeing projects such as the Design Rollout, Groundbreaking, Kids Day, the Naming of the Center, 2000 Republican National Convention and the Grand Opening. Ms. Capello attended Villanova University and has been a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals since 2002. She frequently conducts development career workshops at West Chester University, University of the Arts, Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition and Villanova University. In 2002, she was named one of the Top 40 professionals to watch under the age of 40 in the Philadelphia region by Main Line Today Magazine.
Andrea Hoffman Jelin
Vice-President of Community Programs, Outreach and Partnerships
Ms. Jelin joined Please Touch Museum in March 2008 and has 35 years of experience working with Pennsylvania's children. Since joining Please Touch, Ms. Jelin has built upon the museum's excellent community programs by ensuring the efficacy of the program content and creativity in the delivery. She is also the founder of the Please Touch Museum Community Advisory Board. Ms. Jelin has previously served as Director of Children and Youth Services and Chief of the Adoption Branch of Philadelphia Family Court. Most recently, she was the Administrator of the Office of Children and Families in the Courts of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Ms. Jelin collaborated with Please Touch staff and consultants for many years in developing community programs. Ms. Jelin has a BS in Elementary Education from Temple University and a MS in Administration of Justice from Shippensburg University. She also formerly chaired the Adoption Committee for the Philadelphia Bar Association Family Law Section and taught Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Ms. Jelin currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Business Association of West Parkside, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and Best Nest Adoption Agency.
John T. McDevitt
Vice-President of Operations
Mr. McDevitt is responsible for overseeing the Operations Division of Please Touch Museum which includes the Building & Grounds, Exhibits, Visitor Services, Admissions & Hospitality and Security. Mr. McDevitt started at Please Touch Museum in July 1999 and was an important member of the design and planning team in the transition to the museum's new home in Fairmount Park. In 2005, Mr. McDevitt took on an added roll as on-site project manager for the renovation of Memorial Hall, which was completed in October 2008. Prior to joining the museum, Mr. McDevitt was the project manager at PCNY Construction, a General Contractor in the commercial and light industrial construction fields, in Staten Island, New York, and East Coast Regional Director of Facilities for United Artists Theaters. From 1988-1993, Mr. McDevitt was VP, Operations and Construction at the Franklin Institute. Mr. McDevitt served as the Chairman of the Facility Committee and Construction Committee for Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse in Fairmount Park. He is a graduate of The Getty Museum Management Institute.