Aviva Kapust

Aviva Kapust is a nationally respected nonprofit executive, designer, and cultural strategist with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of arts, equity, and community development. As Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Chief Advancement and Impact Officer, she leads the strategic integration of fundraising, earned revenue, and institutional communications to support the organization’s long-term vision, sustainability, and community impact.

Prior to joining Mural Arts, Aviva served as Co-Executive Director of the Culture & Community Power Fund, a $13.2 million national funders’ collaborative advancing cultural strategies for structural change. She led trust-based grantmaking, translocal learning initiatives, and cross-sector partnerships designed to strengthen community-rooted cultural ecosystems.

Earlier, she served for over a decade as Executive Director of The Village of Arts and Humanities, transforming it into a nationally recognized hub for equitable development, creative youth leadership, and social justice through the arts. Her tenure included a multi-year revitalization of The Village’s physical campus, the launch of award-winning programs, and a deep commitment to honoring the legacy of the organization’s founders.

Aviva’s early career includes roles as a Creative Director at major advertising firms in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She has taught as an adjunct professor at Temple University and is a sought-after public speaker on the role of arts in systems change. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she was a Civic Scholar, and a BFA in Graphic Design and Photography from the University of Hartford.

Rooted in Philadelphia’s cultural and social justice landscape, Aviva brings to Mural Arts a passionate belief in the power of creativity as a tool for equity, belonging, and public imagination.