Leadership
The Philadelphia Writing Project is sustained through the collaboration of educators and members of the community at large who recognize the value of learning opportunities for students. While the work of the site is carried out by a diverse network of teachers, three groups have emerged over time to provide leadership and direction.
Executive Leadership Team
Amy Stornaiuolo , Ph.D., Faculty Director
Jen McLaughlin Cahill, Ph.D., Director
Diane Waff, Ed.D, Director Emerita
Nadia Mykysey, Ed.D., ELL Professional Development
Amanda Schear, PhilWP Scholar
Barrett Rosser, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
Kemba Howard, Administrative Assistant
Leadership Team
Trey Smith - Invitational Summer Institute
Erica Darken - Poetry Inside Out Fellow
Lisa Yau - Poetry Inside Out Fellow
Ron Houston - School District of Philadelphia - IT Leadership Team
Javaha Ross - Penn Alexander - TPS Leadership Team
Lisa Lapina - Penn Alexander- TPS Leadership Team
Christina Puntel - Saul HS, Digital Discourse Leadership Team
Sam Reed - U School - Leadership Team
Advisory Board
Co-Chairs
Trey Smith, Teacher, Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy and Tamara Anderson, Educational Consultant
Vice-Chair
Susan Lytle, Ph.D., Founder, Philadelphia Writing Project, Professor Emerita, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
PhilWP Directors
Amy Stornaiuolo , Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education (Faculty Director)
Jen McLaughlin Cahill, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education (Director)
Diane Waff, Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education (Director Emerita)
Advisory Board Members
- Trey Smith, Co-chair, Teacher, Marian Anderson School
- Tamara Anderson, Co-chair, Educator
- Dina Portnoy, Ed.D., Educational Consultant
- Claudia Gentile, Ph.D., Evaluation Consultant, NORC at the University of Chicago
- Susan Lytl, Ph.D., Founder, Philadelphia Writing Project, Professor Emerita, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
- Miriam Harris, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
- Sam Reed, III, Teacher, U School
- Ron Houston, Educator, School District of Philadelphia
- Awilda Balbuena, Principle, School District of Philadelphia Sheridan
- Lisa Yau, Teacher, Center for the Art of Translation
- Rebecca Freeman-Field, Caslon Publishing and Consulting
- Diane Santori, Academic Faculty, West Chester University
- Njemele Anderson, Teacher, Strawberry Mansion High School
- Angela Crawford, Asst. Principal, Wagner Middle School
- Awilda Balbuena, Principle, Sheridan Elementary
- Ansharaye Hines, Assistant Director of Young Programs, Center for Black Male Educator Development
- Dr. Jessica Thomas, Assistant Principle, Abraham Lincoln
- Dr. Noah Tennant, Assistant Superintendent School District of Philadelphia
- Tasha Russell, Technology Teacher, Overbrook High School
- Nicole Mirra - Associate Professor of Education at Rutgers University
- Ed Brockenbrough, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
About the Directors
Amy Stornaiuolo, Ph.D., Faculty Director
Dr. Stornaiuolo is the Faculty Director of the Philadelphia Writing Project and an associate professor in the Literacy Studies Program at Penn GSE. With an explicit focus on designing equitable and humanizing conditions for learning, Dr. Stornaiuolo centers her work around building sustainable, long-term partnerships, collaborating with communities and partners to enact meaningful change for educational justice, and designing and engaging in participatory and innovative digital methodologies. A former writing teacher in four-year and community colleges in California and member of the Bay Area Writing Project, her research has focused on how people use digital technologies to write, communicate, and participate in the world. Some of her projects have explored the integration of digital technologies in schools, school makerspaces, the development of online composing tools and student-facing analytics, adolescents’ digital and data practices, and teachers’ facilitation of literature discussions online. Read more about Dr. Stornaiuolo on her Penn GSE faculty page.
Jen McLaughlin Cahill, Ph.D., Director
Dr. McLaughlin Cahill (she/her/hers) is the Director of the Philadelphia Writing Project and Lecturer of Educational Practice in the Literacy Studies Program at Penn GSE. She is committed to reimagining schools as ethical spaces of creativity, inquiry, and growth for all students inclusive of race, ethnicity, culture, ability, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, and beyond. Her research interests include sociocultural approaches to literacy development, critical literacy, and queer-inclusive pedagogies. As a long-time middle and high school teacher in NYC, Dr. McLaughlin Cahill authored literacy curricula at every grade level. She was devoted to a collaborative community of practice and professional development, spending several summers learning at the Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, and gathering colleagues to present their innovative, research-based literacy practices at local and national education conferences. Read more about Dr. McLaughlin Cahill on her Penn GSE faculty page.
Diane Waff, Ed.D., Director Emerita
Dr. Waff is the Director Emerita of the Philadelphia Writing Project and a recently retired Professor of Practice at Penn GSE. Dr. Waff, a literacy educator, specializes in working closely with secondary and community college teachers in all subject areas to establish professional learning communities and habits of reflective practice, leading to innovations in curriculum and instruction that increase students’ access to higher levels of literacy learning. Through curriculum and professional development initiatives, she facilitates positive change in school cultures, transforming schools into communities of learners, creating teaching and learning opportunities to empower administrators, teachers, and students to realize school reform goals. Read more about Dr. Waff on her Penn GSE faculty page.
