Staff

Hillary Kane

Hillary Kane is the Director for the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND). PHENND is a consortium of over 25 institutions of higher education in the Greater Philadelphia region that seeks to help campuses connect to their communities through mutually beneficial service and service-learning partnerships. Since Ms. Kane joined PHENND in 1999, the organization has increased its membership, developed new multi-university programs and partnerships, and become a leader in the field of service-learning. Under her leadership, PHENND has developed particular expertise in K-16 Partnerships, with an emphasis on college readiness and success. PHENND has partnered with the School District of Philadelphia for over 15 years on all of its GEAR UP grants as well as the K-16 VISTA project which places 20 full-time AmeriCorps VISTAs in public schools and District offices. PHENND also manages the Next Steps AmeriCorps program, which enrolls low-income college students as part-time AmeriCorps members. Last year, PHENND acquired PHENND Fellows, another full-time VISTA project that places members at nonprofit organizations for a variety of capacity-building projects. Hillary is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies. She is also member of the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council, is active in local politics, and is a proud School District parent.

Eden Kainer is the VISTA Program Manager at PHENND. Eden began with PHENND in 2012 as part of the planning team for the VISTA Community Partnerships project, helping build the systems and processes for recruiting, training and placing VISTAs in schools to serve as Community Partnerships Coordinators as well building relationships with hosting principals. Prior to PHENND, she served three years as a Parent and Community Ombudsman with the School District of Philadelphia, and is to this day an active Philadelphia public school parent. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College with a degree in sociology, Ms. Kainer also received a PhD in Musicology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. For her dissertation, she examined the intersections of popular vocal performance with aural markers of race. Other interests include violin teaching and orchestral performance.

In her work as K-16 Partnerships Manager, Caitlin assumes the dual role of managing PHENND’s growing K-16 Partnerships Network and the 2015-2021 GEAR UP College Readiness and Collaborative Communities (CCRC) sub-grant from the School District of Philadelphia. The K-16 Partnerships Network brings together higher education faculty and staff who manage partnerships with public schools for the purpose of sharing best practices and working with the School District of Philadelphia to help improve and expand K-16 partnerships in Philadelphia. The GEAR UP CCRC project serves 53 middle/high schools in the District and works to build the capacity of schools to address the needs of students for college and career readiness preparation. A key component of the project is partnerships with local colleges and universities. Caitlin will be leading a team of six university partners who will leverage university resources (particularly college student volunteers) in support of the GEAR UP CRCC project. Caitlin joins PHENND after spending the last four-and-a-half years at Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) where she managed a science education outreach program, GeoKids LINKS, in partnership with the Wagner Free Institute of Science and three K-8 Philadelphia schools. She came to Philadelphia as an undergraduate at SJU (B.S. Environmental Science) and went on to Massachusetts where she received a M.A. in Community Development and Planning from Clark University. Besides working to improve opportunities for Philadelphia’s youth, Caitlin loves cooking, gardening, Philadelphia sports, and painting, despite being colorblind.

Sasha Best came of age in New York City and now lives in Philadelphia. She is serving as the PHENND Community Partnerships Coordinator for Alexander Adaire Elementary in the Fishtown neighborhood of lower North Philadelphia. She holds a B.S. in technology from the University of Houston. Over the last two years, she’s been actively volunteering and engaging with different communities throughout the Philly public school system.  She is passionate about supporting neighborhood education and the endeavors of future generations. Her hope in becoming an AmeriCorps VISTA is to learn about the challenges students and their families face and use the many opportunities (both existing and yet to be discovered) that the city offers to help address those challenges. Sasha is a person that commutes to most places by bike using this time to connect with Philly and it’s Brotherly Love vibe.  #FriendsofAdaire

Nakola Cameron was born and raised in Philadelphia. He completed his bachelor’s degree in African American Diasporic Studies in Massachusetts. After he completed his degree, he worked at Hyde Park, Massachusetts as a college advisor.  At the beginning of 2018, he returned to his old stomping grounds in Philadelphia and worked as part of the Therapeutic Support Staff in the School District of Philadelphia. He is driven, passionate, and dedicated to serving his community. He strongly desires to bring proactive change to his community. He dreams of dedicating his life as a public servant to the community he grew up in and eventually wants to serve as a State Representative for the First District in Philadelphia.

 Madeline Dahlin is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She loves to swing dance, play frisbee, read, and try new foods. This year, she is serving as the AmeriCorps VISTA in the Office of Strategic Partnerships at the School District of Philadelphia. Madeline is passionate about social justice, particularly immigrant rights and racial justice. She hopes to bring together partners and District offices working in these areas to foster greater attention and supports for these issues in the District schools. She is excited about a year of reflection and thoughtful action. She plans to live intentionally, to listen carefully, and to uplift the voices of those around her to share their stories and experiences.

David Furioni is the Community Partnerships Coordinator for Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School. David was born and raised in western Massachusetts, and obtained a B.A. in both Psychology and Ethnic & Gender Studies at Westfield State University in his hometown of Westfield. He believes that all students should be able to count on their school and teachers to provide the best possible education, and on their community to help foster their personal growth. He now lives in lower North Philly, where he enjoys trying new foods and exploring the surrounding neighborhoods. He hopes to get involved with and learn more about the communities of Philadelphia while also expanding his network and resources within the career fields of non-profit work, education, and youth and community development.

Markenzie is a recent Political Science and Africana Studies graduate of Rutgers-Camden. Originally from Philly, she comes to us from Sicklerville, New Jersey. Her hobbies include cooking, music (especially Beyoncé), and being around dogs of all shapes and sizes. Markenzie’s VISTA role is a College Access Coordinator position at the School District of Philadelphia. She chose this position because education reform is of interest to her for long term career goals.

Olive Kuhn is a recent graduate from Bard College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish Studies and Writing. She is excited to be working as a VISTA with the staff, parents, and students of Alexander K. McClure Elementary School. Olive believes that access to education is our human right. She is eager to support the McClure community in going even further above and beyond to provide students and families with the enrichment, resources, and opportunities that they deserve. In her personal life, Olive is an avid poet, songwriter, cook, and friend.

Andrew Moreau is the PHENND AmeriCorps VISTA placed in the Office of the Arts and Academic Enrichment (OAAE) within the School District of Philadelphia. He is a multicultural, multidisciplinary firestorm of enthusiasm and empathy. Andrew is new to both PHENND and Philadelphia, though he has spent his life on the east coast. Originally from New York, he spent college and many formative years within the state of Maine. At Bates College, he studied neuroscience in conjunction with art, and garnered a passion for the use of creativity and expression for academic enrichment. After college, Andrew worked as a butcher, and spent his time exploring the city of Portland, ME. His interests include surfing, cooking, and videography, the last of which he hopes to use to expand the capacity of the OAAE and teaching Philadelphia students the art of filmmaking through the available resources. Andrew believes that the arts are “just as important as the sciences,” and that both “often seek answers to the same questions.” These questions Andrew hopes to explore alongside his co-workers in the OAAE and the people of the School District of Philadelphia community.

Katie recently graduated from Eastern University with a dual degree in Social Work and Spanish. This year she will be serving as the PHENND VISTA Community Partnership Coordinator at Bayard Taylor Elementary School located in northern Philadelphia.  While in college she was able to study abroad in Spain to explore more about the culture and language. Katie has dedicated most of her time interning at Bethany Christian Services working in foster care adoption and the Salvation Army homeless shelter for families. In addition she worked with the homeless ministry helping those in need throughout Philadelphia. Alongside fighting poverty and homelessness, Katie bestowed her athletic abilities by playing field hockey and running on the track team in college.

Emily Noyes is an AmeriCorps PHENND VISTA in the Office of Grant Development (OGD) for the School District of Philadelphia. She comes to Philadelphia from the great state of Maine for a service year on her road to a PhD one day. She graduated from Macalester College as a history major and self-identifies as a passionate researcher. She is really looking forward to bringing that mindset and skill group to grant writing. Combined with her tutoring experience, Emily’s mission while teaching grant development skills is empowerment by giving people the tools to self-advocate. A student of the world, she has studied 20th century Brazilian history, spent time working in Ireland, and speaks at least a little bit of 4 languages other than English. This position as Fundraising Information Specialist in the OGD is an important step on her journey to a doctorate and hopefully one day a private publishing company.

Brand new to Philadelphia, Caroline Hollowell Robinson graduated in the spring from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington with a degree in sociology. There she busied herself with a rigorous academic and work schedule. Now she is eager to return to her passion of community service, which she enjoyed throughout her high school career, by committing to an entire year as the Community Partnerships Coordinator VISTA for Overbrook Education Center. She looks forward to building lasting relationships between the school and community, and hopes this immersive experience will guide her in choosing to pursue a Masters degree in either sociology or education. Caroline will spend her time exploring her new home, finding a new favorite coffee shop, and staying fit by running and playing soccer.

Roman Rodriguez is the Community Partnerships Coordinator VISTA at Sheppard Elementary. Roman loves to be active, run, workout, and hike. As a Chicago native Roman is also getting acclimated and introduced to Philadelphia and enjoys the city of brotherly love! Roman also has experience from working with nonprofits and helping underserved communities as former LULAC National Youth President from 2013-2015. Roman hopes to help the school in their music, arts, and STEM programs while also addressing pressing issues in the community.

Maya Stallings was born in New Jersey and raise in Delaware County, PA. After transferring from Howard University, Maya attended Delaware County Community College and during that time started an internship with Philadelphia-based nonprofit, Pamoza International. That internship allowed her to go to Malawi during the summer of 2016, assisting with strategic planning and volunteering in their community health center. She graduated with honors from George Mason University in December of 2017. Maya dreams of using her experience and knowledge to earn her Master’s in Public Health to become an epidemiologist to fulfill her passion for intersecting healthcare and education as a way to promote social justice nationally and internationally.

Jennifer Straus is in her third year as a Community Partnerships Coordinator for Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice. She grew up in Chicago, IL and Richmond, VA. Jennifer attended Haverford College, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. At Haverford, she wrote a thesis on teacher-student relationships in prison GED classes, which sparked her interest in educational equity.  Aside from work, she enjoys reading, crafting, and looking at plants. In the future, Jennifer plans to attend graduate school and perhaps focus her career on working in libraries.

 Cody Swan is from Wilkes-Barre, PA. He recently graduated from La Salle University where he studied public relations. This AmeriCorps position caught his attention because of his passion for education reform and his extensive background in community development. Cody is excited for his new role and looks forward to making a positive impact on others the way so many educators have impacted him. When he’s not serving with AmeriCorps, he enjoys playing the piano, hiking, cooking, and reading non-fiction.

Mikhi Woods was born & raised in South Philadelphia. He is working as the Community Partnership Coordinator VISTA for Morton McMichael Elementary, where he hopes to share his love for creative arts with the school & student body! Mikhi intends to blend his love for art with his passion for youth empowerment and overall student achievement academically and socially. Mikhi attends West Chester University, aspiring to attain his B.S in Professional Studies with concentrations in Youth Empowerment/Urban Studies & Psychology. During his time at Morton McMichael, Mikhi wishes to engage with both the school and the community, in hopes to ascertain a brighter future for students this year and beyond.

Joe Doan serves as the Community Partnerships Coordinator at Eliza B. Kirkbride, the first elementary school he attended. As a lifelong resident of Passyunk Square, he is no stranger to the community, and his familiarity with Philadelphia’s landscape and resources has been a valuable asset from the start. Joe is driven by humanitarian ambitions and is a strong advocate of self-cultivation through the cultivation of others (“everybody eats!”). He views his capacity-building role as a great opportunity to build his own capacity. Despite this natural inclination towards symbiosis, he recognizes the potential value of adversity and suffering when it comes to character development. He admires the resiliency, creativity, grit, and the courage to be that emerges in those who face their challenges in an edifying way. When Joe isn’t going on tangents peppered with obscure allusions or planning strategic partnerships, he enjoys being outdoors, riding his bike, and picking the brains of others. He is passionate about Muay Thai and has been an instructor for nearly 5 years. He studies cognitive science and philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and is eager to finish his senior year. His big sister served in the Peace Corps and has been a Grant Writer/Manager for various non-profits. He considers her one of his biggest role models and would also like to work in the nonprofit sector. He would like to start a nonprofit one day that incorporates his passion for cognitive science or Muay Thai.