Sarah previously worked for ten years in HR and workforce development at Drexel University before joining our staff as the Executive Director of the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative from 2018 through 2021. She departed in 2021 to take the position of Deputy Director and Chief of Staff for the City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department. From there she spent time as the Vice President, Economic Competitiveness for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia before rejoining UCD early in 2024. Sarah lives in Mt. Airy with her husband, daughter, and way too many pets.

A.J. Adams is the Director of Partnerships, leading strategic business and partner engagement across The Skills Initiative and on behalf of PIDC at the Navy Yard. He oversees the design and execution of workforce programming and helps drive regional impact through The Skills Initiative’s efforts in the life sciences sector. A.J. also advances national workforce innovation through a partnership with Accelerator for America, expanding the reach of the Skill Initiative’s employer-led training model. When not working, A.J enjoys time with his family, being outdoors, and cycling.

As UCD’s Salesforce & IT Administrator, Luke manages the organization’s digital infrastructure and data systems, ensuring technology empowers staff across programs like The Skills Initiative and Green City Works. He leads system administration, hardware and software inventory, cybersecurity, and process automation efforts while developing Salesforce Experience Cloud sites and custom integrations to streamline workflows. Before joining UCD, Luke served as Senior Grants Administrator at PIDC, where he oversaw major grant portfolios and built data solutions to support Philadelphia’s economic development. Luke holds Salesforce Administrator, Developer, and Data Architect certifications, as well as a Full-Stack Coding Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania. In his free time, Luke enjoys acrylic and watercolor painting, weight training, and volunteering at The Attic Youth Center.

Daniel Atik is the Career Specialist for The Skills Initiative. In this role, Daniel supports program alumni by connecting them with career opportunities that further their career development. Prior to joining The Skills Initiative, Daniel worked in workforce development as an Employment Specialist at The Welcoming Center where he helped connect immigrant professionals who were under/unemployed with employment that aligned with their professional backgrounds. As a workforce development professional, Daniel is committed to helping Philadelphians realize their full career potential by connecting them with high-quality employment. Daniel holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Wesleyan University. In his free time, Daniel loves to read, play strategy games, watch horror movies, and spend time with family and friends.

As our Director of Economic Mobility, Patrick oversees UCD’s research agenda and data analysis, with a focus on our West Philadelphia Skills Initiative’s Good Jobs Challenge portfolio and the start-up of UCD’s research into residential affordability. Patrick previously worked on UCD’s initial business plan for our landscaping social venture Green City Works through a role with the Mayor’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity and AmeriCorps VISTA. Before joining UCD, Patrick worked at Philadelphia Works, managing special projects and program oversight. Patrick holds a Bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University, an MBA from Marywood University, and a graduate certificate in Social Impact Strategy from The University of Pennsylvania. In his free time, he enjoys restoring his 1913 rowhome in Cobbs Creek, looking at old maps, long distance train trips, and advocating for historic preservation initiatives.

Morris Burns is the Manager for Applicant Experience at The Skills Initiative. With 10 years of experience in nonprofit management, Morris worked as a community builder, transitional manager, client conversion associate, and social services advocate prior to joining The Skills Initiative. He provides direct support to program applicants, guiding them through the application process, and identifying areas for improvement to make the process more efficient and equitable. Morris is currently pursuing a CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) certification to expand his knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies, which will further drive applicant and organizational success. Morris enjoys spending time with family, outdoor fitness, and baking cakes.

Kyle DePass-O’Kane is the Program Manager for The Skills Initiative. In this role, Kyle is responsible for implementing our cohort-based programs, managing administrative operations, and supporting program facilitation to ensure a quality participant experience. Prior to joining The Skills Initiative, Kyle served in the college access space as the Senior Program Coordinator for College Possible Philadelphia. His work included supervising AmeriCorps coaches, managing relationships with counselors and staff, planning events and campus visits, implementing orientation trainings, and recruiting future students for the program. Kyle is passionate about helping others and values relationship building, personal growth, and professional development. He holds a Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in English Literature from Arcadia University and a Master’s degree (M.Ed.) in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership from Temple University.  In his free time, Kyle loves to travel, watch reality television, play board games, and spend time with family, friends, and his dog Ivy.

Joe joined UCD in July 2024 and works as the Manager of Research & Transportation Planning. Joe provides data and research expertise and closely collabores with SEPTA and the City, supporting activities of the Transit Management Association (TMA), and translating his research findings into projects that serve communities, institutions, and the city as a whole. He has a background in Urban Studies, holding a degree in Growth and Structure of Cities from Haverford College and prior experience in city government with the city of Cincinnati. Prior to joining UCD, Joe spent 3 years working for a custom market research company in Philadelphia. He enjoys telling insightful stories with data, and is passionate about improving the quality of life, business, and transportation in West Philadelphia, enriching the work UCD does with data. In his free time, he enjoys going on walks around the neighborhood, exploring the depths of Wikipedia, gardening, and playing video games.

Nick Edelman joined UCD in 2014 and was promoted to Vice President of Finance and Operations in 2022. In this role, Nick oversees the finance department, which handles all the accounting, budgeting, banking, and financial needs for University City District. He is also responsible for ensuring smooth day-to-day operations for all UCD employees across its three locations.

Prior to joining UCD, Nick worked as the General Manager at Pig Iron Theatre Company and the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training for six years. He graduated from Susquehanna University with a B.S. in Economics and dual minors in Theatre and Music-Vocal Performance. Nick lives in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia with his family and pets. He enjoys cooking, trying out new recipes, craft beer, playing fantasy sports, going to concerts, throwing darts, and seeing live theatre. As a diehard Philadelphia sports fan who grew up in the Lehigh Valley, Nick dreams of one day attending every Phillies home game in a season.

Brian English joined UCD in 2016 as the General Manager of Green City Works. Brian has worked in the landscaping industry for over 20 years. His experiences range from managing start-up and established design-build landscape firms to serving as Director of Property Management for a land trust. At the land trust, Brian was responsible for enacting environmentally focused initiatives on sites owned by the land trust, in addition to assisting regional land owners with productive and sustainable land management strategies. Brian has long been active in the promotion of native horticulture and urban greening and sees Philadelphia as the ideal place to express these interests. After spending time managing a company serving the New York City region, Brian recently returned home to the Philadelphia area, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Salimah Fields serves as UCD’s Finance and Administrative Coordinator. In this role, Salimah helps UCD’s finance department with various capacities including AP, AR, payroll, banking, IT, and purchasing. She also works closely with UCD’s leadership team to provide scheduling support for meetings and is UCD’s primary administrative liaison to the board of directors. Prior to joining UCD, Salimah spent time with the Police and Fire Federal Credit as a bank representative and with TruMark Financial Credit Union as a member service representative supervisor. Salimah grew up in University City and currently lives in West Philadelphia, where she enjoys reading, spending time with her children and family, and finding ways to help others.

Cait Garozzo has been a part of Philadelphia workforce development since 2010, serving as a case manager, curriculum developer, trainer, and program director for several organizations. Her experience and passion are in designing holistic and responsive programs aimed at preparing people for the modern workforce and building sustainable partnerships across organizations and individuals. Prior to joining UCD in 2017, Cait was the program director for Career Wardrobe where she oversaw the organization’s regional expansion. Cait holds a Bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey and a graduate certificate in Social Impact Strategy from The University of Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Cait most enjoys spending time in nature with her husband, two beautiful sons, and their family dog. She is always up for a good book recommendation and is slowly becoming a decent Times crossword solver.

Alan Garry heads University City’s Public Safety Ambassador and Public Space Maintenance program. He oversees the day-to-day deployments of safety ambassadors, acts as a liaison to the other major law enforcement agencies in the city, assists in the execution and safety of major events in University City, and leads our efforts around homelessness by partnering with Project Home and the Office of Homeless Services. In addition, he leads the Public Space Maintenance team that cleans and enhances more than 160 University City commercial and residential blocks and oversees our Small Business Services team, supporting business recruitment, retention, and growth in our commercial corridors. Alan attended Montgomery County Community College for Criminal Justice, and completed Notre Dame’s  Mendoza College of Business Executive Leadership program.

Nate joined UCD in 2012, and has served as the Director of Planning and Design since Summer 2015. Nate uses his urban design expertise and dedicated enthusiasm to further enhance urban quality of life issues throughout University City. Nate was instrumental in launching Green City Works, UCD’s new landscaping social venture, and serves as a quality and design consultant for all landscaping projects that the venture executes. Before UCD, Nate worked as a landscape architect/urban designer for two firms in Philadelphia, and from 2010-2015, he served as an adjunct professor of landscape architecture at Philadelphia University, heading the urban design and community design studios. Nate is also one of the founding members of Open Streets PHL and has served as the External Communications Director for the organization. Nate holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY.

Mimi is the Data Quality & Relationship Manager for The Skills Initiative, responsible for supporting the Good Jobs Challenge EDA Grant Team and the Recruitment Team, serving as the primary data manager, and providing Salesforce support. Mimi has over 20 years of recruitment and outreach experience throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. Prior to WPSI, Mimi was recruitment manager with Year Up and Girl Scouts of Eastern PA. She also was part of the launch of the Community Resource Corps, an AmeriCorps Program, with the Mayor’s Office. When not working, Mimi is an avid runner, and spends her free time participating in local races. She also enjoys exploring local hiking trails and traveling with her family.

Erica serves as UCD’s Director of Human Resources. She has extensive experience in HR Program Management & Implementation, People Leading, Performance Management, Payroll, Benefits, Absence Management, Change Management, Training Facilitation & Curriculum Creation, and Employee Relations. Erica holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education, and an Undergraduate Degree in Business Management, Human Resources Management. Erica was the 2019 recipient of the ESGR/Army National Guard Patriot Award for her dedicated service to Military Employees. She is also a published author, proud mother of her daughter Kendall, and a life-long Philadelphian.

Kayla brings their data-driven approach and human-centered perspective to assist the recruitment team in providing a high-quality applicant experience.

Margaret joined the UCD team in April of 2014. She has been instrumental in organizing signature UCD events including the Dollar Stroll and Dining Days, serving as a direct liaison to local businesses and partner organizations, and overseeing programs including food trucks at The Porch at 30th, our University City MIX networking series, and much more. Prior to joining UCD, Margaret worked at Tyler Arboretum as the Special Events Manager. She loves to deploy her event-planning skills in a vibrant city-landscape.  A graduate from Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Management, Margaret enjoys cooking, running, and color-coding everything possible.

James Mantell serves as UCD’s Controller. In this role, James oversees financial reporting, compliance, budgeting, and internal controls across the organization. He works closely with UCD’s leadership team to strengthen financial systems and ensure transparency and accountability in support of UCD’s mission. James brings over two decades of experience in public accounting and nonprofit finance, including senior roles at organizations focused on healthcare, housing, and community services. A licensed CPA with a Master of Science in Accounting, he has a deep background in fund accounting, government grants, and audit coordination. Outside of work, James is passionate about community, the great outdoors, and volunteering.

Chris Richman leads the marketing and communications efforts for University City District and The Skills Initiative. As the Vice President of Marketing & Communications, he oversees print and online publications, social media accounts, email communications, and video production, and writes or edits content for the UCD and Skills Initiative websites. Prior to joining UCD in 2014, Chris spent time writing jokes, acting in a dinner theater, working in children’s publishing, and at Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum. Chris holds a BA in English from Elizabethtown College and an MA in Writing from Rowan University. Chris is an avid reader, loves to travel and enjoy live music and theater, is a big supporter of Philadelphia’s sports teams and Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League, and serves on the board for the Olde English Dart League of Philadelphia. He lives in Passyunk Square with his wife and two cats.

Alvin Rios is the Landscape Operations Manager at UCD/Green City Works. He joined UCD in 2022 with over twenty years of experience. Alvin considers himself a team player with a wide range of supervisorial experience, and he understands the importance of effective communication while exemplifying great leadership for his team. His experience ranges from landscape design to irrigation startups to building relationships with reputable brands including Urban Outfitters, and he has a vast knowledge in hardscaping and construction management. Alvin is responsible for continuing to develop and oversee the GCW field team in the landscape division. Alvin enjoys golf, swimming, salsa dancing, and discovering new restaurants. He lives in the Burholme section of the city with his family.

Rennia Rodney serves as the Manager of Partnerships for the Skills Initiative. Prior to joining the Skills Initiative, she managed employer relationships as the Coordinator of Talent Strategies at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. Her work included supporting employers in adopting inclusive talent practices and engaging in system-wide workforce development initiatives. In addition to her experience building employer-centered programming around apprenticeships, fair chance hiring, and youth employment, she designed and operationalized the Greater Philadelphia Talent Network, a deep referral system created to connect employers with talent providers throughout the region. She previously worked in unemployment services in her hometown of Tampa, Florida before moving to Philadelphia in 2021. Outside of work, Rennia can be found attending live shows, birdwatching at John Heinz, and baking ugly (albeit delicious) baked goods.

As University City District’s Vice President of Advancement, Morgan Rogers Burns crafts narratives to foster funder and stakeholder investments into the tremendous work her colleagues undertake in support of this neighborhood. In this capacity, she develops and maintains relationships with funders, local businesses, and individuals dedicated to ensuring University City’s ongoing vitality. She joined UCD in October 2017 as a Development Associate. Prior to that, she worked at the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC), first as Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator and then as External Relations Manager. It was there that her passion for fundraising and development emerged. In those roles, Morgan took on the mission-critical tasks of growing volunteer infrastructure, developing relationships with partner organizations, expanding individual giving, and redesigning the donor database for the literacy nonprofit.

Morgan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and double minors in English and Jazz Studies. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her husband, Morris, and their young daughter, driving to new places without GPS, and painting with light through photography.

Shawn lives on a steady diet of design, finding inspiration everywhere from the streets of Philadelphia to the aisles of the grocery store. He joined University City District as the Senior Designer in January 2015. Prior to working at UCD, he was Graphic Designer for World Cafe Live in University City. Shawn graduated from Millersville University with a BA in Design.

Aside from pushing pixels and crafting compositions, Shawn also enjoys traveling, bicycling, exploring Philadelphia, endlessly searching for rare records and black coffee.

Caitlyn Shauger is UCD’s Homeless Outreach Services Manager. She works within UCD’s District Services team to build personal relationships and provide innovative and compassionate solutions that address each individual’s needs. Her responsibilities as outreach program manager are to incorporate a compassionate, individualized, and research-driven approach to outreach and case management, in an effort to work against cyclical and situational constraints. Caitlyn graduated from Jefferson University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. For her senior thesis project, she spent a year researching and developing a restorative outreach facility called PHASEUP. This project ignited her passion for outreach, and she recognized her social responsibility to use her design knowledge to help under-supported communities. Caitlyn lives in Fishtown with her 2 roommates, 3 fish, and 2 cats. She likes to go out for breakfast and take care of her plants in her free time.

Maurie leads the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative’s ongoing efforts to coordinate with industry leaders and public and community partners to address ongoing shared business priorities and enhance regional competitiveness in the life sciences industry.

Born in Philadelphia, Ryan has a passion for its neighborhoods, its history and its real estate. Prior to joining UCD in 2010, Ryan was active in construction management. He used that experienced in 2007 to help start and now operate a real estate investment group known as the Spak Group. The Spak Group specializes in rehabilitating and maximizing the value of distressed and under-utilized properties. Ryan has a firm belief that no distressed property should ever remain in an inhabitable condition.

Ryan graduated from Temple University with a degree in Political Science and American Studies. Prior to his construction experience, Ryan worked as a Disc Jockey, a Clerk in Philadelphia Municipal Court, a Paralegal, and a Janitor. Ryan is known in the Janitorial world for his ability to stripping and waxing a floor!

Ryan loves being a resident of University City and loves even more being married to his wife, Jessica. When not engrossed in matters of brick, Ryan is a fanatical basketball enthusiast, bleeds “Flyers” orange, loves saving animals from a cold Philly night and is quite nuts over anything that is related to the decade of the 1980’s – especially movies and television shows!

Lauren Talley is the Director of Operations for The Skills Initiative. Prior to joining The Skills Initiative team, Lauren worked to bolster Workforce Development initiatives for over 12 years in roles ranging from Team Lead, and Program Management to Director of Site-Based Programs. She has experience with strategic partnerships, grant management, site-based programming, social services, and employment services. Lauren holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from Penn State University. She is responsible for maintaining and growing our employer relationships, supporting targeted recruitment efforts, and lending her expertise to grow our impact within our employer partners’ organizations. Lauren enjoys good coffee, spending time with family, strength training, and watching her son play volleyball.

West Philadelphia native Romaine Thrower is the Senior Director of Programs for The Skills Initiative. Prior to joining the Skills Initiative team, Romaine served as a Senior Learning and Development Specialist at a Veteran-based organization. With over seven years of experience within major healthcare organizations, Romaine understands the importance of making connections and building strong relationships between employees and employers. Romaine holds a B.A degree in English and Philosophy from Millersville University, a Masters degree in Adult Education and Leadership (M.Ed.) from Strayer University, and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Management from Capella University.

Romaine is a lifelong learner and is passionate about finding new ways of learning to improve work performances and outcomes. Outside of work she loves to read, educate youth on the power of excellent credit, socialize with friends, and create memories with her husband and three children.

Elaina is the Manager of Industry Partnerships for the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative. Elaina’s work sits at the intersection of industry and talent to unlock opportunity across Southeastern Pennsylvania’s life science and healthcare sectors. She is passionate about building and growing partnerships across the region with industry leaders to help shape the future of the sector in S.E. PA. She has previously worked as a Major Gift Officer garnering philanthropy for Cancer Research in Philly as well as a program coordinator in workforce development in Boston, MA for young adults experiencing homelessness. Elaina earned her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in Public Health and Psychology, offering her a strong understanding of people and systems that she translates to the industry partnership work.

Hanchao Zhang serves as the resident Landscape Designer and Sales Representative for Green City Works (GCW). In this role, he uses his experience in landscape and urban design to create design schemes and connect with clients and GCW crew to ensure high quality and satisfactory outcomes for projects. He joined UCD in the summer of 2023 after spending six years in urban planning in design, most recently with Groundswell Design Group in Philadelphia. Hanchao was born in Shanghai, China, earned a 3-year degree in landscape architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design, and now lives in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, where he enjoys ball games, movies, outdoor sports, and exploring local culture. He is passionate about landscape architecture and believes it bears the opportunity to solve many social and environmental issues.