PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia announced the launch of the formal process to appoint Philadelphia’s new Board of Education. This will begin with the call for Board of Education applicants, the convening of the Educational Nominating Panel this week, and the hosting of informational sessions over the next two weeks.

The Nominating Panel will consider applicants and nominees for the Board, and submit a final list of nominees for Mayor Kenney’s consideration in February. The tentative timeline is as follows:

• January 19: Nominating Panel convenes.
• January 31: Board of Education application closes.
• February 28: Deadline for Nominating Panel to recommend 27 candidates to Mayor.
• March: Mayor announces Board of Education appointments; date to be determined.
• April-June: Board of Education member orientation.
• July 1: The Board of Education assumes governance of the Philadelphia School District.

“We are now welcoming applicants and nominations of candidates as we establish local governance of the Philadelphia School District,” said Mayor Kenney. “I am confident that we’ll hear from a wide range of candidates representing all constituencies in our incredibly diverse city. The end result will be a Board of Education that brings a new vision for improving the educational opportunities of Philadelphia students and families.”

Individuals who are interested in applying to the Board of Education or nominating another person for the Board can do so using an online form, or by submitting a paper form at City Hall, Room 204. The deadline for applications and nominations is January 31, 2018.

For residents who would like to learn more about the Board of Education and the process of re-establishing local control of the School District, City officials will hold information sessions on the following dates:

• Wednesday, January 17 at 7:00 p.m. at Parkwood Civic Association, St. Anselm Church, 12670 Dunks Ferry Rd.
• Thursday, January 18 at 6:00 p.m. at Mantua Civic Association, Grace Lutheran Church, Haverford and N. 36th Street
• Monday, January 22 at 3:30 p.m. at T.M. Peirce Elementary School, 2300 W. Cambria St
• Monday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Max Myers Recreation Center, 1601 Hellerman Street
• Tuesday, January 23 at 6:00 p.m. at Philadelphia Home and School Association, 440 North Broad Street
• Wednesday, January 24 at 5:30 p.m. at Community College of Philadelphia, Center for Business & Industry,18th and Callowhill, C2-28
• Tuesday, January 30 at 6:00 p.m. at Southwest CDC, 6328 Paschall Avenue

Visit phila.gov/education to learn of additional informational sessions as they are scheduled.

As required by the Education Supplement to the Home Rule Charter, the 13-member Nominating Panel will recommend possible Board of Education candidates to the Mayor for appointment. The Nominating Panel includes leaders from various city-wide organizations and institutions, as well as members representing the citizenry-at-large. The full list of members and brief biographies are below.

About the Nominating Panel members:

• Kendra Brooks is an instructor for the International Institute for Restorative Practices and a parent advocate with Parents United for Public Education. She has conducted restorative practices training in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Raleigh, North Carolina and presented at regional and national conferences. Brooks worked for 15 years as director of camping and recreation programs for Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania. She is a parent of two children who attend District schools.
• Bonnie Camarda is the director of partnerships for The Salvation Army of Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. She has previously served as the executive director of Esperanza Health Services, and is also a pastor and the president of the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia. Camarda is on several boards including Nueva Esperanza Community Development Corporation, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the Philadelphia Leadership Foundation, the Philadelphia School Partnership, and Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center.
• Patrick Eiding is the president of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, representing over 100 local unions in the region. He currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the Philadelphia Building Trades Council; as a member of the Executive Council of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; and on the General Board of the National AFL-CIO representing Central Labor Councils in the Northeast. Eiding is also a member of several local boards and commissions, including the Philadelphia Area Labor Management Committee, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Urban Affairs Coalition, and Philadelphia Works.
• Dan Fitzpatrick is the president of Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. He is a former chairman of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and serves on its executive committee and its CEO Council for Growth. As chairman of the CEO Council’s Human Capital Working Group, he has supported programs and initiatives aimed at workforce development. Fitzpatrick serves on the boards of La Salle University, the Urban Affairs Coalition, Philadelphia Works, Wistar Institute, and Drexel University’s College of Engineering.
• Jamie Gauthier the Executive Director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that works closely with the City of Philadelphia and residents to advance public parks across the city. She previously served as executive director at the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, and as a program officer with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Gauthier is on the boards of PennFuture, University City District, Philadelphia Crosstown Coalition, and Garden Court Community Association. She is a mother of two Philadelphia public school students.
• Peter Gonzales is the president and chief executive officer of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, a private nonprofit organization whose mission is accelerating immigrant integration and economic advancement through education, training, employment and entrepreneurship. Gonzales’ professional career has included working on community economic development projects in North Philadelphia, serving as chief of staff to the City Solicitor, and running an immigration law firm. Gonzales serves on several boards including the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Global Philadelphia Association, and Philadelphia Works.
• Derren Mangum is the president of the PTA at C.W. Henry School, where one of his sons is enrolled. His three other sons also attend District schools. Mangum is the associate director of institutional giving at Opera Philadelphia.
• Barbara Moore Williams attended Philadelphia public schools throughout her K-12 education, and went on to serve in the Philadelphia School District for over thirty-five years as a teacher, coach/trainer, and director of teacher development. She helped to establish the District’s Teaching and Learning Network supporting professional development for teachers and principals. Dr. Williams teaches at Temple University and is currently an educational consultant with expertise in teacher development, school leadership, and anti-racism and diversity training.
• Stephanie Naidoff was Philadelphia’s Commerce Director and City Representative from 2004-2008, guiding economic development strategy and serving as a liaison to the business, arts, and hospitality and tourism communities. Naidoff has served on the board of many local organizations, such as the Free Library of Philadelphia, Penn Medicine, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation and, most recently, the Philadelphia Schools Partnership and the Fund for the School District. Naidoff is a graduate of Philadelphia’s public schools.
• Ivy Olesh is the executive director of Playworks, a nonprofit that promotes students’ health, development, and success through play. She is the founding member and past president of the Friends of Chester Arthur, which supports the neighborhood school her son currently attends. Olesh also serves on the Board of Directors for Smith Memorial Playground and the Advisory Council for Mural Arts Philadelphia, and has over a decade of work experience in economic development.
• Kimberly Pham is a community activist and member of the National Council of Young Leaders, which advises elected officials and decision makers on issues and solutions affecting opportunity youth. Pham is also a member of the Project U-Turn collaborative, a city-wide coalition to address school dropout rates and promote reengagement and services for opportunity youth. Pham is a Temple University student majoring in social work, focusing her studies on public policy and social transformation.
• Wendell Pritchett is provost of the University of Pennsylvania. He served on the School Reform Commission from 2011 to 2014. Dr. Pritchett’s previous civic leadership roles include deputy chief of staff and policy director for former Mayor Nutter, chair of the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia, chancellor of Rutgers-Camden, and trustee or director for several organizations including Community Legal Services, Pennsylvania Health Management Corporation, and Cooper University Hospital. Dr. Pritchett’s extensive body of academic research focuses on urban policy, in particular urban renewal, housing finance and housing discrimination.
• Sean Vereen is the president of Steppingstone Scholars, a nonprofit dedicated to creating college and workforce pathways for systemically underserved students. Dr. Vereen previously served as the associate dean of opportunity and access in the Undergraduate Admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania, during which time he managed external partnerships and campus initiatives to promote cultural and socioeconomic diversity in the student body. Prior to his role in admissions, Dr. Vereen was the Associate Director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.