PHILADELPHIA – Mayor Kenney today announced his nine appointees to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. After confirmation by City Council, these appointees will begin a new, four-year term on May 1.
The appointees are:
- Ameen Akbar
- Julia Danzy
- Leticia Egea-Hinton
- Mallory Fix Lopez
- Lee Huang
- Maria McColgan
- Chris McGinley
- Angela McIver
- Joyce Wilkerson
Mayor Kenney selected the appointees from a list of twenty-seven nominees recommended by the Educational Nominating Panel in February. Eight of the appointees are returning Board members. Ameen Akbar applied this year and was recommended by the Educational Nominating Panel.
“I am grateful for our Board members’ leadership during the transition to local control,” said Mayor Kenney. “Through their hard work and dedication to young people, we have reshaped school governance in Philadelphia and fostered new levels of collaboration in service of over 200,000 children and youth in public schools. At the same time, we all know there is work to be done to build on our schools’ progress and address the District’s facilities and financial challenges. I am thankful that Julia, Leticia, Mallory, Lee, Maria, Chris, Angela, and Joyce have agreed to stay on to continue this work. Our children and our city’s future will benefit from their diverse expertise as well as the experience and knowledge they gained in their previous term.
“I am also proud to appoint Ameen Akbar to the Board,” Mayor Kenney added. “Ameen has dedicated his career to listening to young people and supporting them to pursue their full potential. His extensive experience working with former out-of-school youth has granted him valuable insight into the systems and lived experiences that directly impact the well-being and success of our city’s young people. I am glad that Ameen has joined our city’s educational leadership as we continue to deepen the partnerships between the City, School District, and partners to provide all students with the supports and opportunities that they need and deserve in order to succeed.”
“I am honored to be the Mayor’s new appointee to the Board of Education,” said Ameen Akbar. “My experience as a student in Philadelphia’s public schools has been the single greatest driving force in my life, and both my career and my decision to apply for the Board of Education are guided by a belief in the transformative power of education. Over the years, I’ve been privileged to work with thousands of young people and to witness how students and communities thrive when the right resources and opportunities are present. I look forward to bringing this knowledge to the Board in service of all children and youth in Philadelphia.”
About the nine Board of Education appointees:
Ameen Akbar
Ameen Akbar is a native Philadelphian and graduate of District schools and has dedicated his career to youth and talent development and fostering positive school experiences for students. Ameen worked for 14 years at YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School in various capacities providing case management, mentoring, and service-learning opportunities to returning out-of-school youth. While at YouthBuild, Ameen led the program’s redesign to successfully introduce a restorative approach to school climate and student behavior. He is now a senior associate at Grovider, supporting organizations to develop learning and development strategies. He continues to support youth development as the lead facilitator of Universal Companies’ BoysToMen program and as an assistant basketball coach at Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. Ameen earned his B.S. from Pennsylvania State University.
Julia Danzy
Julia Danzy currently serves on the Board of Education and has deep knowledge and a strong commitment to the welfare of Philadelphia’s children. Julia has attended Howard University and earned a Master in Social Work from Columbia University and a Master in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare, Philadelphia City Council, and has served as Deputy Commissioner for Children Services in the Philadelphia Health Department.
Leticia Egea-Hinton
Leticia Egea-Hinton currently serves on the Board of Education. As a bilingual speaker of both English and Spanish, Leticia Egea-Hinton has attended Chestnut Hill College, Alvernia University, and has a Master in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. She also currently teaches classes on social welfare at Alvernia. In her career, she has worked in Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services/Adult Services, Office of Emergency Shelter and Services, and most recently served as the Assistant Managing Director for the Office of Supportive Housing. She has served as an advisory board member at PHMC/Care Clinic and is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and a board member of Trinity Health/Nazareth Hospital.
Mallory Fix Lopez
Mallory Fix Lopez currently serves on the Board of Education. Mallory has lived in Philadelphia for 17 years, having moved here to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. During her graduate work, she studied Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and concentrated in Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology in Education. She has both taught and volunteered in Philadelphia public schools in social studies and English-as-a-second-language (ESL). More recently, she has served as the ESL Director and Program Founder at the Garces Foundation and taught at Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and currently the Community College of Philadelphia.
Lee Huang
Lee Huang currently serves on the Board of Education and has lived in Philadelphia for more than 28 years. He earned a Bachelor of Science in economics at the Wharton Business School and a Master in Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government, both at the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked at The Enterprise Center and currently served as the Senior Vice President and Principal at Econsult Solutions. He has served on the Philadelphia Water Rate Board, the board of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia Advisory Board, and the Urban Affairs Coalition Impact Development Roundtable Committee Leadership. He has three children, all of whom attend or will attend Philadelphia public schools.
Dr. Maria McColgan
Maria McColgan currently serves on the Board of Education. A mother of two children, Maria has taught at three different Philadelphia public schools. She has a Bachelor of Arts, a Master in Education, and a medical degree from the Temple University School of Medicine. She has worked at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children while pursuing training in child abuse pediatrics. She has served on the boards of the PA Children’s Trust Fund, Philadelphia Academy Charter School, and Prevent Child Abuse (of which she was the founding chairperson). She currently serves as Fellowship Director at the CARES Institute and Cooper Hospital.
Dr. Chris McGinley
Chris McGinley currently serves on the Board of Education and previously served as a Mayoral appointee to the School Reform Commission. Chris earned a bachelor’s degree from Temple University in elementary education and a Master in Special Education from Antioch University. He earned his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as coordinator for the Educational Leadership Program at Temple University where he is an associate professor. Formerly, he has been a Philadelphia public school teacher, principal, and district-level administrator. He has also served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Lower Merion School District, Executive Director of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, and Superintendent for the District of Cheltenham Township. He has served on the boards of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, Research for Action, and the National Adoption Center.
Dr. Angela McIver
Angela McIver currently serves on the Board of Education, has lived in Philadelphia for 27 years, and has three children who attend Philadelphia public schools. She holds a history degree from Hampton University, a Master in Education from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has served on the board of the University City Arts League and currently serves on the board of the nonprofit How I Decide. She has taught in the Norristown Area School District, directed the Upward Bound Program at both Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania, directed the Mastery Charter Thomas School transition, and founded the Trapezium Math Club. This research-based company focuses on helping children build strong foundational math skills through engaging after-school programming.
Joyce Wilkerson
Joyce Wilkerson currently serves as the President of the Board of Education and previously served as a Mayoral appointee to the School Reform Commission. A Cleveland native, Joyce started off in Philadelphia as an attorney with Community Legal Services. Wilkerson served as Chief of Staff to Mayor Street. She helped to stabilize the Philadelphia Gas Works and chaired the board of the Philadelphia Housing Authority. She then went on to be the Executive Director of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority. She is currently a member of the board at the Merchant Fund, Scribe Video Center, Project HOME, and Committee of Seventy. Joyce earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.