LEADERSHIP 

Linda Salley is a founding member and the President and Executive Director of the African American Museum of Bucks County. Linda retired from the New York City Board of Education after a long career as an educator and administrator in the New York City schools. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, a member of First Baptist Church of Langhorne, church financial Secretary, and a member of the church choir as well as an expert quilter whose work was recently displayed at the Mercer Museum. Anyone who speaks with Linda for more than 5 minutes knows she has a deep trust in God and that she loves people. You can see her energy ignite with new projects to educate people about history, working together in community, or the expanding possibilities within everyone. As Linda has said, “Every person I meet, every effort undertaken, every joy, frustration, hope, and sorrow — all are the material of the human experience. We each are the beautifully contrasting piece that our Master Designer keeps lovingly crafting into one exquisite quilt.” Linda’s commitment to educating children about their value, their history, their possibilities and their country is evident in the AAMBC’s recent programs. She speaks frequently at schools and within the community educating people about African American history and local stars—Bucks County’s own “Hidden Figures”. Under her leadership, the AAMBC has taken on impactful projects like the 2 trips for young people to Washington DC. On the most recent trip in Fall 2017, Linda worked with US Representative Brian Fitzpatrick to bring 32 local children and 22 adults to Washington DC. These young people not only visited our nation’s capital and got a view of US government in action, but they also were given a platform in the US House of Representatives to share their experiences of discrimination with their US Representative. Their testimony is now in the Congressional Record. The trip was followed up with a local community conversation called “What’s Next?” attended by students and local leaders. Linda has also led the museum into partnerships with other Bucks County organizations with similar values, including the Henry Mercer Museum, The Peace Center, Pearl S. Buck International, Visit Bucks County, and the local Chambers of Commerce. She sets a powerful example of collaboration, leadership, truth, and empowerment.