Dylaya (Dee) Butler-Simms
Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement and Events
- Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Dylaya (Dee) Butler-Simms is a professional artist, musician, entrepreneur, and arts administrator with a passion for education, social justice and impact. Dee believes that “arts education is the seed to the manifestation of personal growth and community change.” As a community partner, she has led the development of several cultural arts programs across the city of Philadelphia and collaborated with many educational institutions and arts organizations to implement new strategies and initiatives that provide equitable access to the arts for inner city youth, those suffering from homelessness, and adults with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities.
After attending the Art Institute of Philadelphia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, she discovered the joy of teaching youth as an after-school arts volunteer. Most recently, she served as the Education Program Manager for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, developing youth programs for Title One schools in the School District of Philadelphia and the Tristate area; previously, she held positions as Site Director for Play on Philly (POP) and Assistant Director of Cultural Arts at SpArc Philadelphia.
Dee has received many awards and recognition for her work, including a Citation from the City of Philadelphia for exceptional work providing positive alternatives to inner city youth in fashion and designing clothing for people with Challenging Special Needs for IDS and the Recovery Center. She was also the PAR (We are worth It) Southeastern Regional Pennsylvania Professional of Year, honored by the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives, and a nominee for the Americorps Philadelphia Distinguished Alumni Mayoral Awards for her continued service and impact to artists in the city. However, her greatest accomplishment is the daily ability to utilize, music, art and fashion to connect people with the knowledge that their humanity is tied to another person’s humanity. She believes that the most beautiful way to perpetuate that message is through art.
Dee is excited to continue her work at Moore as the new Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement and Events. In her words, “Art is the non-verbal language of communication. It speaks before we even open our mouths to say one word. I am dedicated to providing Moore alumni with opportunity, tools and a canvas to demonstrate what it is that they want to say to future artists, and to the world.”
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