Staff

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.

Janine Wright joined PHENND as the K-16 Partnerships Manager in the summer of 2020. Prior to PHENND she spent over twenty-five years in the nonprofit sector focused primarily on college access and success, community-based education and engagement and professional development. She served as the Assistant Director for Minority Recruitment at the University of Pennsylvania and was part of the inaugural staff of the Philadelphia Education Fund’s College Access Program (later serving twice as its director). Janine also managed the E3 Centers project at the Philadelphia Youth Network and directed the agency’s professional development initiatives for network members.

Janine received both her bachelor’s degree in communications and her master’s degree in urban education from Temple University. She is a proud Philadelphian who remains eternally convinced that the Eagles can do it again.

Robin Hall joined PHENND as the NEXT STEPS Program Manager in March 2023.  Prior to PHENND she spent eleven years as the Operations Manager for the Penn Program for Mindfulness at Penn Medicine.  In addition to managing all phases of the program’s public mindfulness courses, she was also a mindfulness facilitator.

Robin received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Temple University and her Certificate in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Training from The Penn Program for Mindfulness.

Robin is passionate about increasing the implementation of innovative health and wellness protocols like mindfulness into the professional and higher education space with the hope of demystifying the practice and making it more accessible to as diverse an audience as possible.

Roslynn Blount joined PHENND in January 2022 and serves as the VISTA Operations Coordinator with the PHENND Fellows program. Prior to joining PHENND, she worked in Workforce Development, assisting professionals, new and experienced, with their journeys of personal and professional growth. Roslynn is particularly passionate about helping young professionals navigate and succeed in their workplace of choice.

Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Roslynn moved to Philadelphia to pursue her Masters of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Prior to graduate school, Roslynn attended Washington University in St. Louis. There she earned her Bachelor’s in Urban Studies and Educational Studies. Roslynn is also an AmeriCorps alum, serving with City Year, Washington, D.C. during the 2014-2015 school year. City Year was her introduction to AmeriCorps and she is very excited to be returning and supporting members during their time of service.

Lane Frazee is the PHENND Sustainability Coordinator. Prior to joining PHENND, she served two years as the Community Partnerships Coordinator for Walter B. Saul High School in Roxborough. She grew up in Oreland, Pennsylvania, and has lived in and around Montgomery and Philadelphia County for most of her life. Lane is a recent graduate with a B.A. in Peace Studies from Goucher College. Before PHENND, she has worked with an advocacy organization for incarcerated women and girls, and as a bartender at a local brewery.  She is interested in learning about relationships between communities and schools, and how she can help those connections grow stronger. She is especially excited to be working on sustainability because she enjoys gardening, food, and all things animals in her free time. In the future, Lane hopes to work towards building self-sustaining communities.

Born and raised in Prairieville, Louisiana, Joy has a B.A in  Communications from the University of North Texas and a M.A in Human Services from Liberty University. As a former English teacher, Joy is thrilled to join the Teach Plus team and learn more about writing and implementing education policy. She is passionate about using her own experience as a former teacher to help other teachers become change-makers. Joy is excited to explore Philadelphia and learn more about the education system in the city. This year Joy is serving as the PHENND VISTA Leader.

Aissi Diallo is a recent grad at Temple University College of Liberal Arts. Where she earned her B.A. in Psychology. She will be joining Philadelphia Academies Inc. as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator. Previously she volunteered as a Diversity Peer on campus hosting workshops, events, and dialogues demonstrating her leadership skills. Aissi also gained experience as a Human Resource Intern at Univest Financial Corporation. Assisting with recruiting, training, and contributing to DE&I initiatives. She hopes to expand her knowledge on DE&I and apply her previous experiences to her current role.

Growing up in Delaware, Lexi has had many opportunities to learn, grow, and apply many mechanisms to help positively impact her community. As a double major in environmental studies and political science along with minors in environmental humanities, the human dimensions of climate change, and energy and environmental policy from the University of Delaware, she has gained a plethora of skills to become a strong advocate for environmental policy and justice. She has worked with the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware and the Geography and Spatial Sciences department at the University of Delaware to address inclusive climate change adaptation in Delaware. She has also researched flood policy and managed retreat with the Disaster Research Center. Currently, she is working at Penn Farm to address food insecurity for UPenn students and the surrounding community. She is very excited to work with the organization to enhance the program’s efficiency and help develop networks to better serve their workers and community.

Amber Stokes is a PHENND Fellow for sustainable art practice at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists. She is a 2023 VCU graduate and an artist.

Ben Peter will be joining Heights Philadelphia as their Development Associate during his 2023-24 PHENND AmeriCorps VISTA fellowship.  In this role, Ben will be focusing on grant writing, donor support, and database management.  Originally from the Mount Airy neighborhood in Philadelphia, Ben earned his B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management from Temple University. His prior work experience includes serving as an administrative assistant at a high school in North East Philly.  During his free time, Ben enjoys listening to music, watching movies, and taking in his favorite television show, Altered Carbon, with his two kittens Ciabatta and Cheesy Jalapeno.

Ben is excited to delve more deeply into Philly’s nonprofit sector during his yearlong fellowship, and to make a positive contribution to the city that he knows and loves.

Brooke Gest is an Americorps VISTA serving the Philadelphia Zoo as its Neighborhood Conservation Coordinator. She is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and received her Bachelor’s degree in 2021 from Vanderbilt University with majors in Environmental Sociology and Earth & Environmental Sciences. Brooke will be supporting the Zoo’s efforts to bolster environmental justice and local conservation efforts in West Philadelphia. She is currently finishing up her Master’s degree in environmental studies, concentrating in environmental policy, at the University of Pennsylvania. After her service year, Brooke would like to work for the federal government to implement environmentally and socially sustainable policies in the United States. In her free time, she likes to surf, swim, crochet, and read. She also loves animals and is looking forward to getting her own cat or dog in the future!

Born and raised in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Carissa is looking forward to spending her service year at Mitzvah Circle in Norristown as their Youth Engagement Program Coordinator. In her role, she is excited to combine her previous experience in the education field and learn more about how non-profits operate. Concurrently pursuing her Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology through Bloomsburg University, Carissa hopes that her new skills in technology and training design will be able to add value to her organization.

Born and raised in Maine, Claire is thrilled to join the Philadelphia Education Fund as a Persistence Fellow. Claire graduated from Haverford College in 2022 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Fine Arts. This past year, she taught preschool at a nature-based learning center. She hopes to build on her interest in education, gain experience in the nonprofit realm, and learn how to make changes on a broader scale at PEF. Her goals for the year include expanding college access and persistence, learning about the Philadelphia school system, and developing new skills for serving her community now and in the future. 

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Dañiela Wright is a dynamic individual working at Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, bringing her passion for social justice, public policy and the law to her site. She was recruited to be a part of Arizona State University’s inaugural NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse team and graduated summa cum laude from the Barrett honors college with a B.S. degree in Communication and Justice Studies and a certificate in Economic Justice. As a member of the honors college, she completed a 30-page senior thesis exploring the creation and perception of black female athletic identity. She was also selected to lead a community-based research project in conjunction with ASU’s School of Social Transformation and the City of Peoria’s Department of Neighborhood Human Services which assessed the effectiveness of COVID-19 programs and services in four critical areas: food insecurity, healthcare, housing, and employment. Her group’s work culminated in a final report highlighting successes and areas of improvement for future programming.

Dañiela also has extensive experience with living, studying and working abroad. She taught English class and participated in cultural exchange with students in Tanzania and has also studied Spanish in Mexico and Cuba. In addition, Dañiela has worked in Philadelphia family and criminal courtrooms as a digital recording technician, a role in which she recorded and transcribed court proceedings. As a result of her interests and experiences, Dañiela plans to attend law school in the near future to pursue a career in the public sector. In her free time Dañiela enjoys working out, reading, trying new restaurants with friends, and playing with her dogs Mocha and Cicero. 

Dara Epison will be joining Friends of the Rail Park as a Community Development Coordinator during her 2023-24 PHENND AmeriCorps VISTA fellowship. Much of her work will involve recruiting and managing the organization’s volunteer corps and expanding their reach into neighboring communities. Born and raised in Chicago, Dara moved to Philadelphia in 2019. She has a B.A. from the University of Michigan in the History of Art and is currently pursuing a dual master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design in City Planning and Historic Preservation. Dara is excited to support this growing urban rehabilitation project in the heart of Philly – the city she has grown to love.

Faith is an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND). She will spend her PHENND Fellowship year serving the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders in the role of communications coordinator. Her work will focus on building capacity for social media engagement and strengthening the program community through shared resources and highlighted successes.

Faith has always been passionate about education and service, starting her career working directly with students at Widener Memorial School before transitioning to consulting and facilitation. She founded Vetting Values LLC in 2018, where she worked alongside nonprofit arts and education leaders to create synergy between organizations’ value statements, discernable culture, and community equity. She also has experience in higher education, working on a variety of special projects as a member of the Student Affairs team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, François Chargois studied Global Studies and Economics at the New School in Manhattan, NY. He will be working as a Community Development Specialist at the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC). He is very passionate about socio-economic development that begins at a grassroots level and is excited to learn about the challenges facing the development field in Philadelphia. He is eager to put into practice all that he has learned in school. In his free time, Francois enjoys organizing on music events, reading, starting up companies, and keeping up with international news. He is also learning French currently.

Hailey is a data scientist looking to serve the Philadelphia community by using her extensive Physics research background in her work with the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia. Her work will center around developing their data collection system to help produce reports to aid public policy around violent crimes in Philadelphia. Hailey graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a B.S. degree in Physics and German Studies, with a minor in Mathematics. She is no stranger to the sort of work she will be doing with the Anti-Violence Partnership due to her extensive research experience. Hailey has been a part of many research collaborations, including one at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Lab where she did data analysis, ran experimental simulations, and helped assemble a particle detector. In addition, for the past year she has been working on an international particle physics research collaboration with CERN, or the European organization for Nuclear Research, which involved data analysis using machine learning in an effort to determine the existence of a new elementary particle. Hailey is not just a one-dimensional scientist, however. Her passion for culture studies and experience abroad both showcase her willingness to immerse herself in new environments, a skill she will bring to her position with the Anti-Violence Partnership. She has studied German language and literary culture abroad in Berlin, and was also a Ruhr Fellow, a fellowship in the Ruhr region of Germany. In this program she was part of an urban sustainable design project and designed a community oriented plan to remodel an old heating plant. She was also a Medical Physics research intern with the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany and measured energy deposition by a radioactive source used to treat cancer. Her life experience and education has made Hailey passionate about science and policy work. She plans to attend law school soon to work in science policy and regulation. In her free time, she loves to read, hike and learn new languages.

Jalen is from Accokeek, Maryland and grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. He got his B.A. in Legal Studies with minors in communication, data analytics, and economics from Elizabethtown College. While in college, Jalen founded the Elizabethtown College Chapter of the NAACP along with the Social and Civic Leadership Academy, which helped motivate at risk high school students to pursue a college education. He was also part of the student government and successfully led reform restructure student government to amplify the voices of students of color on campus. Jalen is currently a Masters candidate in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. During his free time he likes to go to the gym.

Jalen’s VISTA position is with PhillyBOLT where he is going to work with grassroots leaders and nonprofit organizations to gather resources in order to excel their work and connect them with government resources to help maximize their growth within the community.

Jalen is interested in education, advocacy, employment, and youth development. He is planning on using his past experiences and interests to further the work being done at PhillyBOLT.

Jennifer holds a B.S. in Nutrition: Sustainable Food Systems Management from West Chester University. She is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Chef Training Program, as well as the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Career highlights include working as Director of Operations of a busy real estate company, being self-employed as a Nutritional Counselor and Health Supportive Personal Chef, and learning about the many ways that food and agriculture affect health and wellness. She is currently the Food Sustainability Fellow at the Hospitality Institute at Montgomery County Community College. In this role, she focuses on creating a more circular, sustainable food system as well as reducing food waste and food insecurity. After her VISTA service year, she intends to draw upon all of her experiences and passions to continue to fight food waste and transform our food system to be sustainable for all.

Jill Kelekolio is a PHENND fellow serving with the Office of Sustainability for the School District of Philadelphia working towards promoting sustainable practices and embracing opportunities for the district to assist city goals toward sustainability. Jill is a recent graduate from Franklin and Marshall College majoring in Environmental Studies and Government. At Franklin and Marshall Jill was the captain of her Women’s Rugby team and a costume stitcher for the theatre department. She has worked as a policy intern with a local Politian and as an advocate for Clean Water Action. She is very passionate about environmental issues, particularly environmental justice. Jill is very excited to be back in the Philadelphia area and give back through her time with PHENND.

After graduating from Arcadia University with a degree in Education, Jessica will be working alongside the Office of Strategic Partnerships at the School District of Philadelphia as a partnership coordinator. During her time at Arcadia, she worked as a resident assistant and peer mentor supporting students with disabilities. As a Philly native who has attended Philadelphia district schools, Jessica is excited to join OSP and is passionate about supporting students and helping schools receive access to resources. Outside of work, she loves drawing, journaling, and playing video games with her friends.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Lucy Resar received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Thought & Gender Studies from the University of Virginia. For her VISTA year, she will be an Education Program Coordinator at Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts (PMC). She is passionate about ensuring that the legal system is impartial and accessible for all individuals. At PMC, she aims to empower Pennsylvanians with knowledge of their legal rights. Outside of her work, Lucy enjoys reading, trail running, and spending time with her dog Percy.

Siani Anderson serves as an AmeriCorps Vista for The Why Project managing procurement and sustainability efforts. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in addition to Africana Studies from the University of Miami, Siani received her Master of Public Health (MPH) from Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health concentrating in Community Health and Prevention. Siani has worked previously with The Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health as well as the Philly Can, where she helped to address maternal health outcomes. Additionally, she continues to serve as the Volunteer-Coordinator for The Shop Docs – a non-profit specializing in health screenings for predominantly Black men across the nation. Through her experience in research and non-profit initiatives focused on health and underserved communities, she continues to apply her knowledge to directly aid and work collaboratively with communities in improving equitable health, educational, and socio-economic outcomes.