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.

Kerry began her career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank, gaining valuable experience and training in corporate finance, M&A, and capital market transactions. She then moved to the Philadelphia region and worked as the Director of Investment Analysis at Preferred Unlimited.

After spending two years volunteering with students at KIPP Philadelphia and Girard College, Kerry pivoted to full-time work in the Education sector by joining the Philadelphia School Partnership in 2012. Kerry served as Portfolio Manager for the $100 million philanthropic fund and was privileged to develop strong and lasting relationships with school leaders across the city.

Next, Kerry served as the Chief Operating Officer at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia, where she began an afterschool program teaching financial literacy before working as the first faculty liaison with the Philadelphia Financial Scholars program beginning in 2016. Prior to joining Philadelphia Financial Scholars, Kerry worked as the Deputy Chief of Institutional Advancement at Mastery Schools where she was responsible for development, communications, and other special projects for the 24-school and 14,000 student network.

Ms. Woodward earned her B.A. from Wellesley College and a Certificate of Business Excellence from Columbia Business School.

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.  Danielle believes in a strong home-school connection and leads parent empowerment workshops that complement the classroom curriculums to ensure that students and families can develop important life skills together.

Danielle started her career as a Staff Accountant and quickly realized her true passion was to provide financial education to high school students. After her first 3 years of teaching, she found her home at The Preparatory Charter High School in 2008.  During her 15 years at Prep, she created curriculums for courses such as, College Career Readiness, Personal Finance, and Introduction to Business.  During the 2022-2023 school year, Ms. Hernandez collaborated with Philadelphia Financial Scholars as a Teacher Partner, working to expand access to financial and entrepreneurship education for students in Philadelphia.

Ms. Hernandez earned her B.S. in Business Management-Accounting from East Stroudsburg University and a Business, Computer, and Information Technology (BCIT) from Gwynedd Mercy University.