Please join us in welcoming three new staff members to our UCD and Skills Initiative teams. Whitney Jones joins as our new Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, and Armstead Dickerson and Julian Evans are both serving as Program Managers for The Skills Initiative. Read more about Whitney, Julian, and Armstead below, and visit our staff page to meet our complete teams at University City District and The Skills Initiative.
Whitney Jones brings nearly two decades of leadership experience spanning nonprofit management, K–12 education, behavioral health, public policy, and public finance to his position as our new Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, where he’ll be tasked with serving as UCD’s principal financial leader, playing a central role in shaping strategy, translating mission priorities into clear financial plans, and leading day-to-day operations. Whitney joined UCD after serving as Chief Financial Officer of Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (CCTC) where he oversaw the financial and facilities management of a $35 million behavioral health organization with operations in Philadelphia County and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania as well as Camden County, New Jersey. He also serves on the Board of Education for the School District of Philadelphia, where he chairs the Audit Committee and provides expertise on charter school governance and authorizing.
Prior to his work at CCTC, Whitney spent four years as Managing Director of Finance & Administration for KIPP Philadelphia, where he led financial strategy for a $60+ million charter school network, secured more than $2 million in grants, managed major facilities financings, modernized financial systems, and improved teacher retention through compensation redesign. Earlier roles include finance leadership at KIPP San Antonio, financial oversight at the DC Public Charter School Board, and public finance and business planning positions at Moody’s Corporation.
Whitney holds an MBA from New York University, a Master of Educational Leadership from The Broad Center, and a B.B.A. in Finance from Howard University.
As a Program Manager with The Skills Initiative, Julian Evans works with participants, employer partners and resources to bring opportunities to the citizens of Philadelphia. Through The Skills Initiative workforce development model he is able to ensure success and job placement. Motivated to be the change in everyone’s life, Julian is able to take an individualized approach to create a sense of trust, compassion and familial feel to The Skills Initiatives participants.
Before joining The Skills Initiative, Julian gained experience across multiple workforce development companies with specialties working with participants on state benefits such as SNAP and EBT and also working with Child Support court. Julian was a program manager where he was able to offer free certifications to participants in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and IT. Outside of work, Julian is passionate about working out, eating healthy and coaching soccer to kids. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University and earned his M.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Walden University.
As another Program Manager with The Skills Initiative, Armstead Dickerson will also work with participants, employer partners, and training providers to provide a seamless program experience and excellent service delivery. Motivated by The Skills Initiative’s mission to advance economic mobility, he manages program operations, facilitates programming and participant engagement, and coordinates externships and job placements.
Before joining The Skills Initiative, Armstead worked across education, education technology, marketing, and the nonprofit sector, with a focus on using his skills to empower individuals, communities, and organizations. Outside of work, Armstead is passionate about developing his artistic practice and building systems and tools that reshape communities. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy from Loyola Maryland University.