Elected Officers for Friends of Adaire, 2020-21
President: Erica Edwards
Vice President/Secretary: Kate Hughes
Treasurer: Sarah Schindler-Williams
Member-at-Large: Joe McAteer
Member-at-Large: Denis Devine
Member-at-Large: Einav Keet
Member-at-Large: Janneken Smucker
Member-at-Large: Jessica O'Neill
Member-at-Large: Morgan Obidowski
Member-at-Large: Philip Crosby
Member-at-Large: Liz Naylor
Member-at-Large: Christina Rovner
Vice President/Secretary: Kate Hughes
Treasurer: Sarah Schindler-Williams
Member-at-Large: Joe McAteer
Member-at-Large: Denis Devine
Member-at-Large: Einav Keet
Member-at-Large: Janneken Smucker
Member-at-Large: Jessica O'Neill
Member-at-Large: Morgan Obidowski
Member-at-Large: Philip Crosby
Member-at-Large: Liz Naylor
Member-at-Large: Christina Rovner
Erica Edwards, President
My husband Joel and I have lived in Fishtown since 2008 and have three kids, Alexander, Julian, and Anya. Over the years, we have met so many amazing parents, community members, and teachers who have contributed their time and energy into building the Adaire school system. As a result, we decided to grow our roots in Fishtown and become a part of this effort. A great education requires family and community involvement. I work at Vanguard, love Penn State, and have a passion for my family and friends. As the president of FoA, I’m excited to continue the efforts of my predecessors and ensure Adaire continues to thrive with the support of this group.
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Sarah Schindler-Williams, Treasurer
I am an attorney who's lived in Philadelphia since 2011. We didn't really consider public school as an option for our children until our first child was already enrolled in private preschool. We started hearing about Adaire and other local catchment schools when many of our friends and neighbors started enrolling their children in local public schools and we realized we hadn't actually learned much about our local school options or even stepped inside. Our first son enrolled at Adaire in first grade in fall 2017 and our second son enrolled in Kindergarten in fall 2019.
I've been serving as FoA's treasurer since 2018. I love getting to know other parents and community members through my work on the board. In addition to serving as treasurer, I have also helped co-chair the annual online auction since 2019. I am proud to help FoA realize its mission of helping Adaire grow from a good to great school and am amazed at the progress we've seen in just the last few years! |
Kate Hughes, Vice President/Secretary
I’ve always been involved in some form of education, including my graduate studies, working on advocacy and policy issues, teaching refugees how to navigate the U.S. food system, and now working in higher education with college students. Education, community and social justice have been consistent themes in my life, and FoA enables me to combine all three, especially in a neighborhood I love.
It wasn’t until I first toured Adaire that I realized the media’s black and white portrayal of Philly public schools was too simplistic; instead, I walked through colorful halls and met a vibrant principal. My two boys (Finn and Bennett) started at Adaire in 2017 and 2018, but I valued contributing to the school I wanted well before that. I’ve always believed that folks can create meaningful change when working together, and FoA provides that space. I am thankful to be part of a movement that values public education, our community, and organizing for a more equitable school system. |
Joe McAteer, Member-at-Large
My wife is Annie & my daughters are Melaney, now at GAMP, and Brigid, currently in third grade at Adaire.
I served as president of the Friends of Adaire for three years. I'm the CEO of the Philly BEARD Corp., running events, mostly homebrew & food competition events. I believe that a school should be part of a community and the members of that community should support their local schools. As a former teacher, I wholeheartedly believe a good education is the key to success. |
Denis Devine, Member-at-Large
I follow the lead of my wife Kate Hughes, in working to support the great around-the-corner K-8 public school where our boys, Finn and Bennett, started as Kindergarteners at Adaire in 2017 and 2018 -- 4 and 5 years after we and some other friends helped found Friends of Adaire.
I figured that all this new development and money coming into Fishtown would automatically benefit Adaire, the local public school around the corner. It was when I realized that it wouldn't come unless someone started asking, and that that someone might have to be me, that I really started getting involved in Friends of Adaire. I was a journalist for 15 years, including newspaper, public radio and social media (here in Philly, I produced Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane for WHYY), and I served 3+ years as our Communications Chair. These days my primary involvement is as Schoolyard Team Leader; I've been leading our schoolyard efforts since 2014 and led the school's participation in the partnership that led to a $1.2 million schoolyard transformation project. |
Einav Keet, Member-at-Large
I first moved to Fishtown in 2009 and have since called the Riverwards home. My husband Mike and I have Luka, a 2nd grader at Adaire, and Talya, a toddler and future Adaire kid.
When Luka was a baby we heard rumblings of a friends of group for our local school and soon found ourselves at FoA happy hours, where our sense of school community started taking shape. Flash forward a few years and there we were, Adaire parents in a sea of light blue polo shirts, and proud members of this incredible and involved school community. Today I try to bring my background in journalism, environmental studies, and environmental education to my role as an FoA board member, regularly contributing to our stellar weekly e-newsletter and co-organizing our annual silent auction. |
Janneken Smucker, Member-at-Large
I have lived in Fishtown since 2005. My daughter Calla is a third grader at Adaire. When not frequenting neighborhood parks and restaurants, I teach history at West Chester University, specializing in digital and public history and material culture. I also serve as the digital editor of the Oral History Review. In the classroom, I integrate technology and the humanities, working with students to create digital projects, including Goin’ North: Stories from the First Great Migration to Philadelphia. I also consult on digital projects for non-profits and museums and lead workshops on digital tools and strategies. I also know a few things about quilts, including their history and how to make them.
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Jessica O'Neill, Member-at-Large
I have lived in the Riverwards with my husband Alec since 2007. We have two Adaire students in our family, our son Arden who started Kindergarten in 2018 and our daughter Rosie who will begin kindergarten in fall 2020. We are trying to teach our kids to care about their community through public service - in ways both big and small, whether it's picking up trash in the schoolyard or planting a garden or looking out for your neighbors.
In my day job, I work as a lawyer for the government. I am also on the board of NL Arts, an arts education program that inspires children to be creative thinkers and value community. Last year with Friends of Adaire I helped run the Fall Festival/Trunk or Treat, and I'm excited for all the ways that we can support Adaire through the coming years. |
Morgan Obidowski, Member-at-Large
I moved into Adaire's catchment when my now second-grader was nearly two years old completely unaware of the charms of this neighborhood school. It didn't take long for my neighbors and fellow board members to convince my husband and me that Adaire was the school and community for us.
My experience in public relations made me a natural fit for the communications and winter social committees. I'm also a big supporter of several local charities and love getting the kids involved in giving back and opening their eyes to their opportunities and privileges |
Phillip M. Crosby, Member-at-Large
I moved to Philadelphia with my wife, Susan, in 2008, living first in Northern Liberties before settling in Fishtown in 2015. Our oldest daughter, Emmeline, is currently a first-grader at Adaire and our youngest daughter, Millicent, will soon be starting kindergarten. I am a professor of architecture and urban design at Temple University—where my teaching, research, and writing focuses on trying to understand what makes good cities.
My wife and I began attending Friends of Adaire events several years before our oldest daughter was ready to start school, both because we wanted to support our neighborhood public school and because we wanted to become part of Adaire’s vibrant community. I have taken an active role in the planning and implementation of some of the recent schoolyard improvements and look forward to increasing my involvement as an at-large board member. |
Elizabeth Naylor, Member-at-Large
I moved into a house a block away from Adaire in 2013, years before realizing what a goldmine I'd tripped into! My daughter started Kindergarten at Adaire in 2017 and we've both made incredible friendships and memories over the past three years. My love of all things Broadway and spontaneous karaoke made the drama club a natural fit and I love watching the kids gain confidence as they build to their spring performance. I'm also on the Winter Social and Fall Fest committees and take great pleasure in finding ways for our community to nurture each other and grow.
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Christina Rovner, Member-at-Large
When determining where to send our son to school 5 years ago, we were fortunate to be able to consider many options. After touring Adaire, meeting the administration and staff, and getting to know many of the parents who had already chosen to support public school education, our choice was clear. Adaire has an amazing community of caring, energetic and engaged parents, teachers and students.
I have come to understand just how important it is to support public schools because I believe children need a strong supportive school to grow and thrive in, and I believe that school should be available to all. In addition to Adaire’s thoughtful and forward-thinking leadership, teachers and staff, the strong community that has built itself around the school is critical to its success. As a new parent joining that school community, I quickly recognized how important clear communication from the school is. I have worked with Friends of Adaire since the beginning of 2018 to improve our communications through the weekly school eNews letter, as well as supporting the school through assisting with the library renovation and volunteering at various school events. I am proud to officially join those who have worked so hard to make Adaire the school that it is today. I’m thrilled that both of our children will be part of the Adaire family (our daughter will start kindergarten in Fall 2020) and I’m honored and look forward to contributing to Adaire’s continued growth now and in the future. |