Philadelphia Research and Policy

Rafael Álvarez Febo leads Esperanza’s community development and organizing efforts, including corridor management for neighborhood businesses, environmental justice initiatives, voter outreach and education, and neighborhood planning. Previously, Álvarez Febo served as executive director for Pennsylvania’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs and as the community and economic development director for the office of City Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez, where he focused on zoning, planning, greening initiatives, and public investments.

In his role as senior coordinator of social impact programs for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, James Campbell is responsible for managing programs and initiatives that promote inclusive economic growth in the region. Before joining the chamber, Campbell championed economic and neighborhood development in outward-facing roles in multiple Business Improvement Districts in New York City, working with hundreds of commercial corridor businesses to increase sales. Campbell is a graduate of Haverford College, where he majored in the growth and structure of cities.

In her role with the city of Philadelphia, Mehra den Braven coordinates efforts to better support Philadelphians returning home from incarceration and is particularly interested in partnering to create sustainable futures that prioritize relationships and community. Before working for the city, she conducted behavioral economics research and served with AmeriCorps.

Mike Gerrity joined the city of Philadelphia in April 2021, first serving as assistant director of legislation for Mayor Jim Kenney before becoming director in October 2022. He previously served as a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 2018 to 2020, as trial counsel and military justice adviser for U.S. Army Africa, stationed in Vicenza, Italy. Before that, Gerrity served as an administrative law attorney for the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, stationed in South Korea, and as a law clerk for Pennsylvania’s 45th Judicial District.

Ashley Gilmore is passionate about crafting equitable policy solutions for the challenges facing Philadelphians. Before assuming her role as special projects liaison for City Council President Darrell Clarke, she served as a policy fellow in Philadelphia’s municipal government while attending the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduating in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, Gilmore worked as a legislative director, learning the ins and outs of policymaking before accepting her current role on Clarke’s team.

In 2016, Ashley Glasgow-Crockett joined the School District of Philadelphia’s grants compliance and fiscal services division. Since then, she has held several positions in the office of federal programs, leading successful program evaluations and redesign projects, managing the district’s various applications for federal funds, and eventually becoming the office’s director. To date, Glasgow-Crockett has led three successful redesign initiatives focused on improving operational efficiency, reimagining service delivery models, and leveraging existing technology to improve outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.

Jesse Herrmann is a lifelong Greater Philadelphian, having grown up in South Jersey and lived in the city of Philadelphia since 2008. Through his professional work in service and product design for nonprofit and government clients, Herrmann has developed a passion for creating effective, equitable government and opportunities that meaningfully improve communities. Herrmann is a long-distance runner and backcountry camper who loves learning Spanish, playing guitar, and cooking, and has traveled to 44 states and more than 25 national parks. He received his master’s degree in public policy from Temple University.

Angelique Hinton is a political and community organizer and advocate for a new generation of voters. She co-founded PA Youth Vote to educate young people ages 18-24 on the vital issues affecting their everyday lives to ensure that they show up to the polls and choose their elected leaders wisely. Before transitioning into full-time advocacy, Hinton managed client relationships at the financial services company Vanguard, where she monitored the quality of its ultra-high-net-worth clients’ customer experiences. Additionally, Hinton is president of Norristown NAACP; council leader of the Racial Equity Learning Community, Montgomery and Bucks counties’ collaborative advisory council; and a board member of the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library, Expressive Path, and Community Hero.

Rashon Howard is recognized among the top 10 emerging financial advisers in the country and finds constant inspiration in helping his clients build generational wealth. After eight successful years with Citizens Financial Group, he joined 1847Financial in 2018 as a financial adviser. 1847Financial offers expertise in estate, retirement, business, risk management, and business succession planning. Howard is the founder of the Reach Up Foundation: The Shon Experience, a nonprofit organization offering workshops, speaking engagements, and seminars to clients, with a mission of establishing community growth.

Born in Jerusalem and raised in North Philadelphia, Jude Husein is a passionate public servant and strategist. She serves on multiple boards, including the Mayor’s Millennial Advisory Committee and She Can Win. Husein consults with youth-serving organizations to empower young people and ensure that they have a seat at the table. As a former United Nations youth delegate, she has organized and implemented various events throughout Philadelphia to empower and uplift underserved communities. Husein currently serves as director of state advocacy for the Pennsylvania state Senate.

Sergio Hyland is a writer, speaker, and executive assistant at Abolitionist Law Center. He spent nearly 21 years in state prison—more than five of those years in solitary confinement. While in prison, he was mentored by former Philadelphia Black Panther Russell Maroon Shoatz, whose guidance politicized Hyland. As a result, Hyland began to write and speak publicly. Since he was released from prison in February 2022, Hyland has continued to work in communities throughout Philadelphia, with a focus on political education, voter engagement, and inclusion. He believes that any legal system that creates more harm than benefit should be replaced with a system that truly works for all people.

Rachel Kurlander is an associate director in the Office of Government and Community Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania. In that role, she works to foster meaningful relationships with Penn’s partners in government and in the community, and to promote civic engagement on campus. Kurlander enjoys running, hiking, camping, and just about any activity where she can spend time outdoors with her partner and their dog, Cora.

Télyse Masaoay leads the city of Philadelphia’s racial equity strategy in the Mayor’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As the daughter of hardworking people who often struggled to make ends meet, Masaoay knows that government services and policies—from bus routes to trash collection to after-school programs—can have a lasting impact on people’s lives. In her current role, she facilitates a citywide strategic planning process for all departments to develop racial equity action plans. She also has launched a racial equity community practice for city employees, develops tools to embed racial equity into the city’s budget process, and advises departments on community engagement initiatives.

Somaly Osteen started her career as a community advocate in Cambodia, involved in community engagement and other efforts to bring positive change to the community. Today, Osteen works as program director for the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, overseeing programs that support local businesses and entrepreneurs. In her previous role at the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition (SEAMAAC), Osteen and her team brought in over $1 million in loan and grant money to small businesses in South Philadelphia that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Danita Reese is a service design strategist at the city of Philadelphia’s service design studio who brings nearly 20 years of communications, operations, and design experience to her work. Her curiosity and desire to understand how people and complex organizations function has led her to work in the consulting, engineering, financial services, government, health care, nonprofit, and retail industries.

Ed Rogalski is the executive director of general accounting at the School District of Philadelphia, the United States’ eighth-largest school district, serving over 200,000 students. Rogalski oversees all day-to-day activity in the accounting department, preparing the district’s annual comprehensive financial report and administering its enterprise resource planning software, Oracle Cloud. Rogalski also serves as treasurer on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Rock to the Future, which supports young Philadelphians’ positive development through free, student-driven music programs.

Cydnea Shearlds is the director of policy and legislation for Philadelphia 3rd District City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier. Although Shearlds’ experience is varied, she has always focused on zealously advocating for the needs and rights of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents of color. A lifelong Philadelphian, Shearlds joined the council’s ranks in the spring of 2021. Before that, she worked as a legal clerk, then as a staff attorney at Mincey Fitzpatrick Ross LLC, concentrating on civil rights and plaintiffs’ litigation. Her community involvement centers on her commitment to racial equity, specifically by decreasing barriers to homeownership and wealth building. Shearlds also previously handled tangled title and probate cases as a volunteer attorney for Philadelphia VIP.