Friends of Adaire leaders

Jessica O'Neill, President

Jessica O'Neill

I have lived in the Riverwards with my husband Alec since 2007. We have two Adaire students in our family, our son Arden who is finishing up first grade and our daughter Rosie who will begin kindergarten in the fall. 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. I'm excited for all the ways that we can support Adaire through the coming years.

Kate Hughes, Vice President

Kate Hughes

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.

Kate

Phillip M Crosby, Secretary

Phillip M Crosby

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.

Phillip

Denis Devine, Member-at-Large

Denis Devine

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 attending 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.

Denis 1979

Morgan Obidowski, Communications Co-Chair

Morgan Obidowski

I moved into Adaire's catchment when my now fourth-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.

Young. Morgan

Einav Keet, Communications Co-Chair

Einav Keet

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.

Young Einav

Elizabeth Naylor, Member-at-Large

Liz Naylor

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 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.

Young Liz