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.

Shirley Carroll serves as the Community Partnerships Coordinator at the Office of Student Support Services at the School District of Philadelphia. Her professional life interweaves her love of people with her love of education. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Sociology from Carlow University and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Carin University, she went on to pursue her doctorate at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Washington, D.C. Her studies have taken her around the world, from South Africa to Brazil to countless other countries near, far, and in between. Her resume reflects this variety as well; Shirley has worked in consulting, social work, city government, non-profit management, and teaching. She chose to serve a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA with PHENND to better understand the many nuances and challenges of the School District of Philadelphia. She hopes to complete her doctoral thesis soon, and in the spare time that she does have, she admits to being both an avid reader and a serious Netflix binger, particularly when it comes to House of Cards.

Tierra Holmes is serving as the Community Partnerships Coordinator at Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus for the 2016-17 school year. Her job is to develop and manage partnerships with community organizations while building capacity for the school to sustain these relationships. Her goal is to identify available resources to address students’ needs, promote a healthy school environment, and positively impact educational outcomes. She hopes to use her skills to bring these visions to life through listening to community members and partnering with stakeholders. She hopes to help put Cassidy on track to graduate from the VISTA program on a strong note!

Jasmine Johnson, originally of Friendship, Maryland, joins PHENND as the Community Partnerships Coordinator for The U School in North Philadelphia. She is a recent graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor’s degree in Adult Education and Early Childhood Education. She will be continuing her studies during her year with AmeriCorps as she works on a dual Master’s and Doctoral degree in Educational Psychology. Jasmine is a red grape-lover who believes that everyone deserves a chance. She hopes her experience this year with PHENND will help her to help others.

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.

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