Alumni Spotlight: Wesley Gentle, Class of 2018

Wesley serves as interim managing director and president for Arts Fort Worth, leading the organization's arts grants program, public art services, management of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, and visual and performing arts advocacy efforts. Along with the arts, Wesley is passionate about high-quality public education and believes the two coincide in important ways. “Study after study shows that engaging with and creating art is strongly tied to positive educational outcomes at all levels,” Wesley explained. As a result, he and his team are working to find new ways to bridge access gaps in and with arts education. 

“Civic Voices not only gave me a rich context for our educational and civic landscape in Fort Worth (with nods to the parallels across our nation)...but I [also] gained advocacy tools that play a significant role in my current work with Arts Fort Worth and Texans for the Arts. Because of my time with the cohort, and the strong relationships that came of it, educational equity is top of mind in every volunteer role I take on and civic task I undertake.”

Wesley is very active in his community, volunteering his time and expertise for a number of organizations. A proud Rotarian, he previously served on the board of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth. Currently, he serves as president of the Fort Worth Metro Chapter of the Associations of Fundraising Professionals, is a board member with Texans for the Arts, and is a founding trustee of the Friends of I.M. Terrell Foundation as well as being active on other committees across Fort Worth. Prior to joining Arts Fort Worth as director of advancement, Wesley held fundraising positions at the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Worth Opera. He also works throughout the DFW Metroplex as a classically-trained singer.

In his free time, you can find Wesley singing, playing piano, taking in local art, and learning what inspires people to create new things.