Jessica Blum

Jessica F. Blum is the Government and Foundation Relations Manager for Devereux of Southeast Pennsylvania. Devereux is the largest nonprofit behavioral health organization in the country.

After completing her undergraduate degree in Political Science from SUNY Geneseo, Jessica worked for New York City Councilmember Tony Avella, learning the ins and outs of city government, and specialized in entitlements for senior citizens and zoning concerns. In 2004 she took that knowledge on to the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, where she was the Senior Citizen and Disability Liaison. Here she expanded her awareness of disability rights and ran the Brooklyn Borough President's Advisory Council on Disability Issues. She worked closely with disability advocates and organizations to create information guides such as, "What's Your Disability IQ."

Jessica, who was born and raised in Brooklyn decided to venture off to a new city in 2007, when she enrolled into the University of Pennsylvania's Nonprofit Leadership Program and earned her Master's of Science degree in May 2008.

She then worked for several months in Philadelphia as a Deputy Scheduler for the Obama for America Campaign, coordinating Rides to the Polls for Election Day, managed surrogate requests of local, state and national officials and celebrities who were campaigning on behalf of then Senator Barack Obama's behalf, and worked with political, field and media departments to ensure all trip details were confirmed and matched campaign messaging.

After a week of catching up on sleep and celebrating Barack Obama's victory, Jessica began at her current position in Devereux.

Denise Flynn Buczko

Denise Flynn Buczko has extensive experience in development and event management for arts and culture organizations. In January 2007, she joined Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation as the first Development Officer of its Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT) program, a program that increases opportunities for Pennsylvania's finest performing artists to obtain successful touring engagements. Prior to joining Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Buczko was Director of Development for Please Touch Museum, the children's museum of Philadelphia, where she directed fundraising efforts to support general operations, community programs and special events at the museum. During her eight-year tenure with Please Touch, Buczko also served as Special Events Manager, External Affairs Manager, and Development Coordinator. Before joining Please Touch, Buczko was Development Associate for Moore College of Art and Design, the first and only women's art and design college in the nation.

Buczko holds a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in communications from Rutgers University. In addition to serving on the board of PYNL, Buczko is a board member of Friends of Please Touch Museum. In December 2006, Buczko completed PYNL's board training program (now Board Prep).

Karyntha Cadogan

Karyntha Cadogan sits on the board of Philadephia's Young Nonprofit Leaders because she is very passionate about helping young professionals find the tools to define their careers. From 2006-2008, Karyntha served as Chair of the Leadership Development Committee and led her team of dedicated fellow board members and volunteers to plan and implement Board Prep and Board Speed Dating - two programs committed to providing nonprofit board education and networking.

Karyntha joined the Women's Community Revitalization Project's real estate development team in May 2007. As Project Associate for this CDC in Northern Liberties, Karyntha develops community facilities projects and assists the organization in developing affordable housing in North Philadelphia. She supports WCRP's efforts to provide technical assistance and training to partners and clients by creating new training curricula and serving as facilitator for workshops. Her past work included providing research on the development and financing of affordable housing in the U.S. to the Fannie Mae Foundation.

Karyntha has a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Psychology from Georgetown University and a master's degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University. In her spare time, Karyntha loves to travel, loves to meet friends old and new, and always has room for dessert.

Darien Covelens

Darien joined the PYNL Board in 2009. Darien earned his BS in Economics/Business Administration at Eastern Mennonite University and his JD at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Darien moved to Philadelphia in 2005 and clerked for the Honorable Lawrence F. Stengel in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He currently works as an attorney for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in the Business & Finance (corporate transactions) practice group. Darien is passionate about community involvement and in his spare time he enjoys motorcycling, exercising and traveling.

Sarah Friedman

Sarah Friedman became WOMEN'S WAY's Director of Development and Marketing in August of 2006. Sarah is responsible for raising contributed revenue from individuals, corporations, foundations and via special events. She also raises visibility for WOMEN'S WAY, the nation's oldest and largest women's funding federation. WOMEN'S WAY raises money and public awareness to fight for and achieve women's equality, safety, self-sufficiency and reproductive freedom through women-centered funding, advocacy and education. Sarah supervises a staff of four and serves as a member of WOMEN'S WAY's senior management team.

Sarah has a strong background in fundraising and communications with previous professional roles at diverse nonprofits including Rowan University, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Drexel University and The Delaware Symphony Orchestra. She is a graduate of Rowan University with a degree in Communications. Sarah is a member of the Rowan University Alumni Association Board and the Board of the Philadelphia Young Nonprofit Leaders. She is an active volunteer with an adoption group that places retired racing greyhounds into permanent homes. Sarah resides in Philadelphia with her husband and two greyhounds.

Patrice Green

As Director of Grantmaking & Capacity Building at Bread & Roses Community Fund, Patrice R. Green oversees the grants and scholarship program and the administration of technical assistance and capacity building through the Barbara Smith Community School. Prior to working at Bread & Roses, Patrice worked with local grassroots organizations doing community outreach for a Philadelphia community development corporation.

Patrice is originally, from Alexandria, Virginia where she was a youth advocate and a founding member of the Alexandria Youth Council. Since coming to Philadelphia in 2001 she has volunteered her time with organizations promoting positive youth development including Girls Inc., UWSEPA Center for Youth Development and Operation Hope. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Patrice has chaired both components of the sorority's mentoring program for young women. She holds a BA in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Governmental Administration from the Fels Institute for Government also at the University of Pennsylvania. During her time at Fels, Patrice was honored with the John K. Parker award in recognition of her outstanding commitment to public and community service. Patrice is continually striving to use her commitment to public service to create equal access to resources and opportunities for all.

Danie Greenwell

Danie Greenwell is the Administrative Director of A Chance to Heal - a non-profit which seeks to prevent the incidence and reduce the impact of eating disorders. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and lives in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. Danie serves on the founding board of the Philadelphia Orchard Project, an organization dedicated to planting orchards in low-wealth communities in Philadelphia. She is passionate about children's education, women's issues, environmental causes and the slow food movement. She serves on PYNL's Leadership Development Committee.

Simone Jeffers

Originally from the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in the Southern Caribbean, Simone first came to the US to pursue a degree in Music and Business Management at Dillard University in New Orleans. The Big Easy afforded her the opportunity to study under a few 'Nawlin jazz greats, focusing her attention on both the violin and organ, with emphasis on both classical and jazz music. Being one who wanted to get into delve into all aspects of the industry, after graduating she arrived in Philadelphia and studied in Drexel University's Graduate Arts Administration program. At Drexel, Simone first became involved in the non-profit world with an internship at International House Philadelphia. 7 years later, she still works at IHP, in the Office of Institutional Advancement as a Development officer.

In addition to her work with PYNL, in her spare time she is involved in various Caribbean social and civic organizations, as well as church activities in the Philadelphia Episcopal Diocese. She is also a member of the board of the Christian Association @ Penn. She enjoys collecting stamps and visas in her passport with travel to visits to friends and family in the US and around the world.

Phil Jodz

Phil Jodz is an Associate Director at Wells Fargo Family Wealth where he manages client relationships with an emphasis on fiduciary management, credit solutions, and estate, tax, and generational wealth planning for individuals and families. Phil has seven years of experience in banking, as well as a background in politics, having served both in an official capacity on Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer and in a campaign capacity as a fundraising assistant. Phil serves with a number of other organizations, including as Co-Chair of Friends of Please Touch Museum.

Phil earned his MBA from the Villanova School of Business, Villanova University and BSBA from the Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus. He is a proud husband and father and enjoys sailing, swimming, running, hiking, traveling, and reading.

Ariel Kraten

Ariel Kraten joined the PYNL Board in the summer of 2008. Ariel earned her BA in Classics/Religion and her BS in Photojournalism from Boston University, and then spent 2 years in Suriname, South America serving as a Peace Corps volunteer. Ariel came to Philadelphia in 2006 and earned her MS at the University of Pennsylvania's Nonprofit/NGO Leadership program. She currently works for Big Brothers Big Sisters International, where she is the Fund Raising and Operations Manager. Ariel is also involved with Adventurers in Action and the Philadelphia chapter of Back on my Feet. Ariel is passionate about working with the "social profit" sector locally, nationally, and internationally. In her spare time, she enjoys running, salsa dancing, and traveling.

Brett Shiel

Brett Shiel is excited to be a first-year board member with PYNL. He is the Director of Community Relations at Freire Charter School. Brett is currently a fellow with the Center for the Reform of School Systems and TFA, placed to work with the School Board in Chester-Upland. He is also a 2009 fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program. Brett is an active alum of Teach For America, serving on the Alumni Steering Committee for Greater Philadelphia-Camden. He has masters degrees in policy research and education, from Univ of Pennsylvania and Univ of St. Thomas. His undergrad major was in saxophone, at Ithaca. After college, Brett joined TFA in Houston, TX. He's lived in seven different states, and has traveled extensively to some very cool places.

Naomi Leapheart

Naomi has over 6 successful years of experience in fundraising, business model development, communications, and strategic planning for nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She has facilitated workshops on varied topics, including youth leadership development, innovative fundraising techniques, and personal brand management.

In 2006, Naomi launched The MATCHSTICK Group, a Philadelphia-based agency that empowers young African Americans to be purposeful, entrepreneurial, and benevolent civic leaders. Naomi is the founder of InkWell Consulting, a firm that helps individuals, groups, and organizations write to connect to their audiences.

Naomi provides research, prospecting, and grantwriting expertise in her role as Development Manager of The Enterprise Center. She also manages the organization's communications and public relations initiatives.

A musician and vocalist, Naomi expresses her love for the arts in board service to the Picasso Project and the West Philadelphia Children's Choir. She is guided by the motto "with gifting comes responsibility" (adapted from Luke 12:48).

Erin Trent

Erin Trent is the Community Director for VILLA, a Philadelphia, PA based specialty retailer of urban-inspired apparel, footwear, and accessory products with 26 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Ohio. Erin leads VILLA's Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, Join the Movement. Join the Movement is focused on revitalizing urban communities by supporting economic investment through job creation and training, college preparation and career planning programs, and philanthropic investments in local community organizations.

Prior to her role at VILLA, Erin managed the Commercial Corridor Revitalization Program for the People's Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC). While working with PECCDC, Erin attracted several new businesses, created new jobs, managed the renovation of blighted historic buildings, and organized small business owners to start a new merchants/civic association. During her tenure, Erin raised and leveraged over $3 million for the revitalization of the Lancaster Avenue corridor.

Erin is an alumna of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, a national graduate level fellowship program in public affairs. Erin is committed to the rebuilding vibrant communities in urban cities. She currently serves on the boards of Philadelphia Young Non Profit Leaders and We are Seeds, Inc. a mentorship program for young girls. Erin was selected as one of Leadership Philadelphia's Top Emerging Connectors, and is a member of Net Impact. Erin is a native of the Philadelphia area and received her BA in Political Science from Hampton University.

Christopher Waters

Chris is a graduate of Penn State University were he earned a BA in Psychology in 2001, while attending he served as President of the NAACP, Committee Member of three University-wide United Student Government programs, which earned him the United Student Government Appreciation Award and the AT&T Award for Leadership. After graduation he joined Public Allies Americorps program, where he served Kuumba Academy Charter School as an Intervention Specialist. He returned to Public Allies as an advocate speaking and lobbying in Washington D.C. in support of Americorps program during the first Voices of Americorps in 2003. He completed his Masters of Public Administration, during which he interned at Office of the Governor for Delaware working on the Governor School of Excellence.

Chris continues to work in the area of non-profits. He is a graduate of the inaugural Social Change Leaders Class of 2003 for Greater Philadelphia Cares, where he returned as a trainer, speaker and project coach.

He is a co-founder of the Motivote Voter Empowerment Group. He served as the Deputy Political Director for the Jack Markell for Governor Campaign during the 2008 election.

Chris serves with several organizations including the Philadelphia Young Nonprofit Leaders, the Penn State Cooperative Extension Philadelphia Board, Public Allies National Allies Alumni Board as well as Independent Sector N-Gen Advisory Board.

Chris is currently Constituent Relations Officer with the Office of Governor Jack Markell.