ABOUT US

Executive Committee

Wanda Best, MA, MPA - Founder

Ms. Best believes art is a way to interpret the world. Through art she communicates social injustices that plague communities of color. Art is a non-threatening way to express the traumatizing pain of poverty, hyper-incarceration, environmental racism and other social ills that are present in urban areas. Growing up in Harlem during the 1960’s she experienced poverty first hand and felt its traumatic impact. She also saw the beauty of people who made something out of nothing and the innocent happiness of families who were bond together simply by love. Her paintings are from imagination or memory. Each of her paintings are inspired by an event or an emotional experience. She not only captures the images with her brushes and colorful strokes, she educates the viewer with her conceptualized paintings.

She is Founder of “Art Transforms, Inc.” Her mission is to offer art appreciation to youth to distract from the crime generative factors that can lead to criminal justice involvement, while building character and self-esteem and to give new artist a platform for their artwork. She teaches visual art at Rochdale Village Community Center and facilitates The Circle of Transformation using art to heal from trauma. Participants are exposed to art education, technique development and a workshop on the profitable artist/entrepreneur. She organizes Social Justice Art exhibits as a way of educating the community.

Sharon Banks, MLIS
Retired from 17 years of service at Queens Public Library. During her tenure, she served as manager of the Pomonok and Cambria Heights Community Libraries. Prior to her carrer as a librarian, she was the administrative assistant at both Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and its Community School. Early career endeavors include employment at Ebony and Newsweek magazines as an analyst in their advertising departments.
She received her Master of Library and Information Science from Queens College and Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii.
Kenneth Hart, MBA

Bachelor of Science from CUNY , 1977.  Majors Economic & Accounting

MBA from Long Island University, 1979. Major Taxation; graduate studies in Economics

Employment

  • Self Employment – Servicing the business community with accounting, income taxes & sales taxes, applying for non-profit statist status, income tax auditing, estate taxes
  • Youth Stream Media Networks – Tax & Compliance Specialist – maintained the operating budget; assisted community businesses with their accounting and tax needs.
  • NAACP Economic Development Program – maintained the operating budget; assisted small community businesses with their accounting and tax situations
  • Newsweek Magazine – Assistant Controller – constructed & maintained annual operating budgets for the Advertising Division; Special Projections Financial Manager

Board Members:

Slyvia Springer

Naaeem Veerapen

Kathereen Deveaux

Helen Dluzewski

Denise Mondesir