Emilee Taylor

Emilee J. Taylor (she/her), artist and art educator, is a 1974 art education graduate of Pennsylvania State University (PSU). She served as an art teacher for  the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) for 39 years, teaching elementary and middle school art and mentally gifted fine arts at the Lowell and Greenberg  Schools. Taylor also taught advanced high school art students as part of the Saturday Enrichment Program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  

Taylor has the distinction of being the first art educator to achieve National Board  Certification in the School District of Philadelphia in 2005. She also served as teacher support specialist for art education in the Office of Academic Enrichment and Support, supporting the district art teachers throughout the city. As a proud PSU Alum, Taylor served on the College of Arts and Architecture's alumni  society board for 22 years, in the position of secretary, art education liaison, vice president and president from 1989–2002 and from 2002–2011.

As a Pennsylvania Art Educators Association (PAEA) member for over 20 years, Taylor served on the PAEA board as representative of supervision and administration, and received the following awards: PAEA 2000 Outstanding Elementary Art Educator; NAEA 2001 Eastern Region Elementary Art Educator; and the PAEA Certificate of Recognition for achieving National Board Certification in Art Education in 2006. 
As a professional artist, Taylor's specialty is drawing and painting. She was  commissioned by the SDP history department to create a painted banner in  celebration of Black History Month in 2012, which continues to hang every year at  the SDP administration building. 

As a retiree, Taylor remains involved with teachers supporting candidates pursuing  National Board Certification and is an adjunct professor at Moore College of Art & Design, working with Art Education student teachers. Taylor is a dedicated member of the Philadelphia Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., serving as the co-chair for the Arts and Letters committee. Her  community involvement also includes member of the Woodmere Art Museum  education committee; member of the National Advisory Committee for the  Brandywine Workshop Artura.org database; member of the Penn State College of Arts & Architecture School of Visual Arts alumni board; and member of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, which supports Philadelphia arts community programs.