Valerie V Gay
“Any position of leadership within the queer community must be influenced by innovation because our community – and each of the rights pertaining to us – evolves at such a rapid pace.”
If you do a web search for “renaissance woman,” you should be directed immediately to Valerie Gay’s web page. Val is the rare artist who combines multiple performing passions with financial chops and entrepreneurial expertise. The common thread for Val is the desire to bring the arts to underserved communities in Philadelphia and well beyond. Although she is an accomplished musician in her own right, as far back as 2006 Val was looking for ways to expand opportunities in the arts, beginning with founding the Fortress Arts Academy to provide arts and skill building lessons to children and adults. With the EVER Ensemble, her creative and organizational visions coalesced into a women’s musical collective focused on musical genres as far-reaching as classical and hip-hop. Meanwhile, her role a deputy director and chief experience officer for the Barnes Foundation gives her a platform to further pursue her vision of making the arts available to all.
What big ideas have propelled your career?
“I think there were actually small ideas that combined and snowballed into big ideas that propelled my career. The first one was discovering a solution to a problem that I was having as a legal secretary: monotony. I figured out how to use text replacement in Word so I could use 1 - 3 keystrokes to "type" an entire paragraph, or even 85% of a document. I became super productive which allowed me to finish my work early and work on other things that interested me. That little idea/discovery led to other ideas which led to bigger projects and even to me creating a customer relationship management system for a division in a bank, which propelled my career to wealth management. This is just example of how one small idea can snowball into big ideas that have opened career doors to me. Ultimately I learned how to think differently, and not necessarily accept the status quo. I firmly believe that just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it can't be done.”
Biography:
Valerie V. Gay is a Certified Financial Planner, non-profit administrator, performing artist and thought leader. She possesses a unique blend of executive leadership and financial expertise, paired with extensive program development. Val is an active performer across several genres.
A serial entrepreneur since, 2006 Val founded Fortress Arts Academy which provides arts and skill building lessons to children and adults, especially those in underserved communities, co-founded Davis Gay + Associates a firm which provides targeted support for nonprofit and social venture organizations that seek to solve societal problems, and the EVER Ensemble, a collective of women musicians who perform diverse musical genres, from classical to hip hop.
Val is deputy director and chief experience officer for the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. She has previously held senior and executive positions, including executive director of Art Sanctuary in Philadelphia, assistant dean for Institutional Advancement for the College of Education at Temple University and vice president and portfolio manager with PNC Advisors where she managed investment portfolios of high net worth individuals and family trusts.
In 2019, Val received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from St. Joseph’s University, and has earned a Professional Studies Certificate and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of the Arts.