Davida Osei '95 Elected to Philadelphia Orchestra Board

Davida Osei '95 has been elected to the board of directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the nation's most storied musical institutions. She will serve on the board's long-term planning committee, where she'll help guide the orchestra's strategy around endowment growth, capital projects, and community engagement initiatives.

Davida brings more than two decades of experience in arts administration and nonprofit finance to the role. She currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Barnes Foundation, a position she has held since 2019, and previously spent nine years in senior finance roles at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a bachelor's degree in music history from Oberlin College.

"Music was never just an extracurricular for me — it was core to how I understood the world," Davida said. "I still remember late nights in the GFS music room, and I think that's part of why I ended up building a career at the intersection of the arts and institutional stewardship. This board seat feels like coming full circle."

Davida lives in Center City with her husband, and their two daughters, both of whom she jokes are "being groomed for the string section, whether they like it or not."