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financial knowledge
At Philadelphia Financial Scholars, we believe access to financial and entrepreneurship education is critical to overcoming systemic economic barriers.
Our Mission
We provide high school students, teachers, and families with the tools needed to develop financial skills, build greater wealth, and achieve financial empowerment.
Our Story
Philadelphia Financial Scholars is an evolution of a program that launched in 2016, when Mike Gerber, president of the FS Foundation, partnered with the University of Pennsylvania to create a financial literacy program for historically overlooked and under-served high school students and school communities.
In 2020, building on this proven model, members of the Philadelphia financial services community, as well as several law firms, accounting firms and community organizations, joined to expand the program and reach more teachers, families and students with critical financial empowerment programs. Philadelphia Financial Scholars expanded to include curriculum and professional development for daily in-school financial literacy education, entrepreneurship and investing enrichment powered by corporate and university volunteers, paid summer career exploration programming for teens, and evening financial empowerment workshops for adults in our school communities.
We currently partner with 48 high school teachers to serve 3,500 students. We're focused on student impact and outcomes: we train teachers and prioritize curricular resources and activities that reflect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the students we serve. We aim to incorporate culturally relevant materials and examples into our financial literacy curriculum, enabling students to see themselves and their access to bright futures reflected in their learning materials.
Through a commitment to equity and a focus on accessibility, we aim to bridge the opportunity gap and ensure that historically under-served students have equal access to the knowledge and skills necessary for financial empowerment.
What Board Members
Are Saying
“It was amazing to see how engaged and informed the students were. Impressively, not only did they demonstrate that they understood the concepts and terminology, but they also articulated their preferences for managing their finances responsibly. Such an amazing program that I wish I had in high school.”
(PFS Board Member)
Core Team
Kerry Wagner Woodward
Executive Director
Kerry Wagner Woodward is the first Executive Director of Philadelphia Financial Scholars. She oversees curriculum and professional development, school partnerships, corporate sponsorships, program expansion, mission advocacy, and collaborates with the Board of Directors on the strategic vision of the organization.
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Danielle Hernandez
Program Director (formerly Financial Empowerment Specialist)
Danielle Hernandez is the Financial Empowerment Specialist at Philadelphia Financial Scholars. She supports high school educators by offering guidance on instructional strategies, enhancing curriculum, and creating professional development programs that enhance content knowledge and allow for collaboration among educators.
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Alexandra Wheatley
Program Coordinator
Alex is the Program Coordinator at Philadelphia Financial Scholars. She helps ensure programs are delivered effectively and exceed expectations of those we serve. She manages communications with key partners and coordinates events to celebrate and showcase student achievements.
Read Full Bio
Partner Schools
- Belmont Charter School
- Bodine
- Boys' Latin
- Building 21
- Carver High School Engineering & Science
- Community Academy
- Cristo Rey
- Dobbins
- Fels
- First Philadelphia CS
- Franklin High School
- Franklin Towne High School
- Freire
- Freire Wilmington
- Furness
- Hill-Freedman World Academy
- Kensington Health Sciences Academy
- KIPP DuBois
- Lincoln High School
- MaST
- MaST II
- Mastery Gratz
- Mastery Hardy Williams
- Mastery HS of Camden
- Mastery Pickett
- Mastery Shoemaker
- Mastery Thomas
- Mercy Vocational
- Martin Luther King High School
- Northeast High School
- Academy at Palumbo
- Parkway Center City
- Preparatory Charter
- Roxborough High School
- Science Leadership Academy
- String Theory
- TECH Freire
- U School
Partner Teachers
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Board of Directors
- Marc Bryant | FS Investments, Chief Legal Officer
- John Coyne | Ategenos Capital, Chairman
- Brendan Clark | Clark Capital, CEO
- Toni Damon | Cherry Hill High School, Principal
- Kelly Davenport | Freire School Network, CEO & Founder
- Steve DeAngelis | Villanova University School of Business, Executive in Residence
- Josh Deringer | Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Partner
- Mia Fioravanti | Hilco Capital, Vice President, Corporate Affairs
- Mike Gerber | FS Investments, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
- Brian Gildea | Hamilton Lane, Mananging Director
- Iola Harper | The Enterprise Center, Senior Executive Vice President
- Zane Hamid | TIFF, Head of Strategic Client Initiatives
- Keith Leaphart | Philanthropi, Founder
- Shawn Lytle | Macquarie, Head of Public Investments, President Delaware Funds
- Nicodemus Madehdou | CEO & Co-Founder, JumpButton Studio
- Tiffany Spraggins-Payne | Director of Power Up Your Business, Community College of Philadelphia
- Sulaiman Rahman | DiverseForce , CEO & Founder
- Sarah Roth | Argosy Capital, CEO
- William Sasso | Stradley Ronon, Chairman Emeritus
- Ryan Oswald | EY, Partner
- Chiwuike Owunwanne | KeyBank, Corporate Responsibility Officer
- Jeff Wicklund | The Enterprise Center, Executive Vice President
Our Sponsors
