Staff

Hillary Kane

Hillary Kane is the Director for the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND). PHENND is a consortium of over 30 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 Community Partnerships 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 70 college students who are low-income Philadelphia residents as part-time AmeriCorps members. The students do service, mentor first-year students, and receive support and leadership development as part of a cohesive program aimed at college retention and completion.

Ms. Kane is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies. Ms. Kane serves as Chair of the Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance and is the President of the Executive Board of the Penn State Cooperative Extension for Philadelphia County. She is also a member of the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council.

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.

Daisy Villa is the Next Steps AmeriCorps Project Coordinator. The Next Steps AmeriCorps program engages 70 college students, Philadelphia high school graduates, across five college institutions. The program is designed to support first- generation and economically disadvantage college students through community service, mentorship, supportive workshops, and leadership development.

Daisy strives to narrow the achievement gap found in economically disadvantaged communities and is committed to empowering students with the educational foundation they need to succeed in their future endeavors. Previously, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Philadelphia University overseeing a mentoring program called P.U.M.P.-up, which partnered PhilaU students with at-risk elementary, middle and high schools students in East Falls, Roxborough, Germantown, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Daisy received her B.A. in Human Development and Social Relations with a minor in Classical Civilization from Kalamazoo College. Currently, she is a master student pursuing her M.S.Ed. in Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Daisy is originally from Los Angeles and is also a Posse alum.

Rona Whitehead has joined the PHENND team as an intern. She is enrolled in the Master of Social Work program at Stockton University. Rona joined Stockton in 2014 as the Activist in Residence after leaving a national non-profit based on youth leadership. Rona is currently teaching Tools for Social Change and is active in the MSW Alliance.  She and her husband, Tom, live in Waterford Township New Jersey where they raised their three children and continue to be active members of the community. Rona received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania through Bread Upon the Waters, a scholarship unique to Penn for non-traditional women who did not have access to a degree earlier in their lives.

Natalie Agoos is a recent graduate from Boston University with a Bachelors in communications concentrated towards advertising and anthropology. Now, returning to her original stomping grounds, she aims to sustainably benefit the students of Warren G. Harding middle school as their Community Partnership coordinator, and in the process to gain a better personal knowledge of the issues surrounding education in Philadelphia in order to more effectively participate in bringing about solutions. In addition to this she also nurtures a passion for nature and its critters. This has resulted in her volunteer work with groups like the Philadelphia Orchard Project and the Fairmount Park Conservancy. Though, her appreciation for beauty extends beyond the outdoors to include any stimulating artistic or creative endeavor that can captivate the mind. In short she is a nature loving creative equipped and ready to help the world!

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

Christina Boateng is originally from Brookyln, NY. She earned her B.S. at Mercy College, where she studied Biology After graduating, Christina served as a City Year member in North Philadelphia before transitioning into her VISTA position with PHENND. Christina is hoping to “pay it forward” by continuing the cycle of support and giving back she experienced in her childhood. Eventually, she hopes to complete medical school to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a pediatrician.

Jennifer Straus is the Community Partnerships Coordinator at 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 education. In the future, Jennifer aspires to attend graduate school and perhaps focus her career on working in libraries. Aside from her work, she likes to read, take long walks, and look at plants.

Dan Wallsten is originally from central New Jersey, and recently graduated from Rutgers University. During his time there, he earned a Bachelors in Urban Studies. Dan recently moved to Philadelphia to begin his term serving at PHENND as an AmeriCorp VISTA. As a Community Partnership Coordinator at Edison High School, Dan hopes to not only contribute to the community he is serving, but to also improve on the various skills it takes to contribute in the most effective way possible. Before starting his service this year, Dan has participated in research at Rutgers and has interned at the Jersey Shore Dream Center. Dan’s goals, in the long run, involve research and academics. Outside of his professional career, Dan enjoys backpacking and just recently hiked across the entire state of Vermont.

Alanna serves as a PHENND Fellow at the nonprofit Springboard Collaborative.

Edna serves as a PHENND Fellow at the Free Library Foundation

Emily serves as a PHENND Fellow at the Center for Hunger Free Communities

Greta serves as a PHENND Fellow at Philadelphia Legal Assistance

Mattie serves as a PHENND Fellow at the Philadelphia Parks Alliance

Misha serves as a PHENND Fellow at Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha

Rabiyah serves as a PHENND Fellow at Education Law Center

Regina serves as a PHENND Fellow at Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts

Victoria serves as a PHENND Fellow at Year Up Philadelphia