Friends Select’s Distinguished Guests During the 2021-22 School Year

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, numerous distinguished guests visited Friends Select or spoke at school-sponsored events, either in person or virtually, to share their expertise and experiences with our community. Here are just some of them:

JUNE

Commencement Speaker
Fumnanya Ekhator '09, Lawyer, TikTok star

Civil Discourse Panel Discussion
Chloé Bakalar, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Temple University
Almaz Crowe, Senior Strategic Communications Strategist
Samantha Harris, Partner, Allen Harris Law 

MAY

4th Grade Discussion of Civil Rights Movement
George Lakey P'89, GP'27, Activist, Sociologist, Author

Opening Reception for Sights on Site at the Rail Park
Rebecca Cordes Chan, Executive Director, Friends of the Rail Park

APRIL 

Select Talk: Post-Pandemic: How Do We “Walk Cheerfully over the World?”
Dr. Joe Carcillo ’72, Pediatrician, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Allie Hauptman ’05, Co-owner, Rowhouse Grocery
Emmett Orts ’15, Police Officer, Southeast Washington, D.C.
Gaby Jordan ’76, President and Co-founder of Human Better EDU, Executive VP at Handel Group

Benefactors Society Reception
STEAM Powered: Philadelphia and Friends Select School as Centers of Innovation
Misa Chen P’33, Landscape Architect, Founder & Director of STUDIO EDITION
Sheena Howard P’35, Writer, Creative Entrepreneur, and Scholar, Rider University Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Media
Dave Martorana P’32, Software Engineer, Co-founder of Flyclops
Ellen Neises P’23, ’25, Executive Director, Penn Praxis and Laurie Olin Professor of Practice, Penn Weitzman School of Design
Tiffany Wilson P’24, President & CEO, University City Science Center

Upper School Artist-in-Residence
Yolanda Wisher, Author

Capoeira Assembly for 8th through 12th Graders
Project Capoeira

MARCH

Dedicating an Historical Marker for Anna Elizabeth Dickinson
Amy Cohen ’82, Director of Education, History Making Productions
Paul Steinke, Executive Director, Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
Nancy Moses, Chair, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Holocaust Remembrance
Juda Samet, Survivor

11th and 12th Grade Guest Lecturer
Mike Useem, Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management and McNulty Leadership Program, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Social Justice Week
Adoption
Zhao Gu Gammage, Student, Haverford College
Barbara Hall-King, Advising Dean, Haverford College
Susan Lewis, Assistant to the Dean of the College and Coordinator of Administrative Support, Haverford College
Mary Menszack, Director of Permanency Services, Juvenile Justice Center of Philadelphia
Kim Park Nelson, Author
Rachel Thiessen, Legal Services Training Specialist, Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN)

Combating White Supremacy
Jeff Goodwin, Professor of Sociology, New York University

Democracy and Oppression 
Craig Borowiak, Professor of Political Science, Haverford College
Lisa Jo Epstein, Founder, Executive, and Artistic Director, Just Act 
Rep. Chris Rabb, PA House of Representatives
Justin Villere, Chief of Staff, Draw the Lines PA

Domestic Terrorism
Robin Bernstein, Anti-Defamation League
Farzan Karimi, Engineering Manager, Android Red Team at Google
Talia LaSane, Student, Temple University

Education Reform
Matty Steiner, Senior Director, Outreach, Compass Education Group

Environmental Discrimination
Councilmember Derek Green, Philadelphia Councilmember-at-Large
Shari Hersh, Director, Mural Arts Environmental Justice Program
Kermit O, Co-director, Wild Seeds Education Program
Justina Thompson, Food Education and Volunteer Manager, Urban Creators

Gentrification
Rebecca Cordes Chan, Executive Director, Friends of the Rail Park
Kai James, Coalition for Racial Justice
Angela Steele, Senior Development Project Manager, Stone Sherick Consulting Group
Kimberly Washington, Executive Director, Frankford Community Development Corporation

Gun Violence
Scott Charles, Gun Violence Educator/Trauma Outreach Manager, Temple University Hospital 
Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, Philadelphia Police Department
André Robert Lee, Film Producer
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, Philadelphia Councilmember-at-Large

Healthcare Reform
Dr. Lisa Di Cicco Maslankowski P’23, ’25, Internal Medicine and HIV Physician, Philadelphia Department of Public Health Ambulatory Health Services
Dr. Hussein Safa, Immunodeficiency Center and Medical Director of the Pride Program, Einstein Medical Center

Indigenous Peoples Experiences
Tailinh Agoyo, Director, We Are the Seeds of Culture Trust Greater Philadelphia
Trinity Norwood, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation in South Jersey

Media’s Role in Social Justice
Lucy Bustamante, Morning News Anchor, NBC10, Breaking News Anchor, Telemundo62

Women in Power
Jeanelle Bavwidinsi, Director, City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office for Youth Engagement 
Jovinda Hill, Executive Director, City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office for Engagement for Women 
Brennan Tomasetti, Co-owner, Guild House Hotel

FEBRUARY

Training Lifeguards in the FSS Swimming Pool
Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation 

Fertile Ground: Art, Community, and the Urban Oasis
Conrad Benner, Streets Dept. Blogger
Chenlin Cai, Artist
Mikel Elam, Artist
Lori Waselchuk, Artist
R.L. Washington, Visiting Artist

JANUARY

MLK Day Family Experience
Councilmember Helen Gym, Philadelphia Councilmember-at-large 
Sen. Nikil Saval, PA State Senator
Stephanie Sena, Anti-Poverty Fellow, Charles Widger School of Law, Villanova University

NOVEMBER

Upper School Ensemble
Stewart Goodyear ’96, Pianist and Composer

Wellness Program
Kids and the COVID-19 Vaccine: Addressing Your Questions and Concerns
Dr. Susan Coffin, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Physician, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Paul Planet, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Tina Scott, Psychotherapist, Best-selling Author
Kathryn Snyder, Ph.D. Candidate, Drexel University

OCTOBER

Crossover: A New Pop Musical
Ang Bey ’15, Co-producer
Chelsea Cylinder ’13, Actress, Co-producer

SEPTEMBER

Parkway Building Ribbon-Cutting Celebration
Councilmember Helen Gym, Philadelphia Councilmember-at-large 
Sheila Hess, Philadelphia City Representative 
Ingrid Lakey ’89, P’27, Board Clerk, Friends Select School