Jen Bieter is the Director of Fiscal Operations in the Executive Vice President Office of the University of Pennsylvania.  Prior to this role, Jen served as the Deputy CFO, Budget & Planning at the School District of Philadelphia.  She earned a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance, a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.  Jen grew up in the Philadelphia area and is deeply committed to supporting children in the city.  She lives with her husband and two young children in Philadelphia, where she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Lauren is the inaugural Supervising Attorney of Duke Law School’s Criminal Defense Clinic and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law. Prior to joining the Duke faculty, she served as a Stoneleigh Visiting Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Lauren is a nationally recognized leader in youth justice reform and the Co-Founder and immediate past Co-Director of the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP), which works to keep children out of adult jails and prisons and walks alongside young people and “Juvenile Lifers” as they return to the community.  She has been a fan of Rock to the Future for years and is especially excited to be sharing the transformational programming with young people who come in contact with the justice system. Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in history and international studies from Yale University and a JD from Duke University School of Law. RTTF is one of the many things she misses about living in Philadelphia, along with the walkable neighborhoods, food and sports teams. 

Ed Rogalski is the Executive Director of General Accounting at the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), the eighth largest school district in the United States, serving over 200,000 students.  A lifelong resident of Philadelphia, Ed grew up in the Port Richmond neighborhood, where he still lives with his wife Jen and kids “Little Eddie,” Rosie and Jonathan. He graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Actuarial Science and Masters of Science in Accounting and Financial Management from Temple University. When not working or changing diapers, Ed enjoys going to the gym, watching the Phillies, and spending time with his family.

Alexandra Monteiro has been the Grants Administration Associate at National Philanthropic Trust since August 2021. In May 2021, Alexandra graduated from Cabrini University with a degree in Digital Communications & Social Media as well as a Business Management minor. During her time at Cabrini, she pursued journalism as well as videography. Alexandra worked with both Habitat for Humanity and Rock to the Future to assist in freelance videography. Throughout 2021, Alexandra worked as a senior project leader for RethinkCriminalJustice.com where she worked closely with the community to address issues in the justice system. Alexandra lives and grew up in Philadelphia. She was a part of Rock to the Future for six years along with her two other sisters.

Kushol Gupta, Ph.D. is from The University of Pennsylvania, where in addition to his role as Research Assistant Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, he also helps direct The University of Pennsylvania Band (the marching/pep band) and its ongoing outreach activities, including a high school summer camp and high school honor band days. Kushol plays the trombone and the tuba, and is an avid music arranger.

Jacob Waters is a policy, public affairs and communications professional and former Philadelphia classroom teacher who has spent his entire career  trying to promote a more equitable public education system. He currently leads external communications for TNTP,  a national education non-profit that currently partners with over 450 school systems across the country to help them meet their goals for their students. He lives in South Philadelphia with his wife, their dog, and a lot of musical instruments and recording equipment, and is fortunate to be a short bike ride from 76ers home games.

George Miller has been a journalism professor at Temple University since 2006. In addition to teaching thousands of students, he has served as the associate dean for academic affairs at Temple’s Japan campus, the assistant chair of the Journalism department and the director of Philadelphia Neighborhoods, Temple’s award-winning local news outlet. From 2010 to 2018, he published JUMP, a print magazine that documented the Philadelphia music scenes. He used to attend several concerts per week but now he spends as much time as possible at his Penn’s Landing home with his wife and newborn son.

Tessa Mellin is a nonprofit development specialist, who is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, Tessa served as a Director at Elevate, a nonprofit development consulting firm based in Washington, DC. In this role, Tessa partnered with nonprofit organizations across the country to develop creative and sustainable fundraising strategies. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Development and Sociology from Columbia University. Tessa resides in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia with her partner and their dog, Hank.

Musician-Educator Heather Fortune leads instrumental ensembles at Friends Select School in Center City, Philadelphia. Her inclusive approach centers student voice and choice, utilizes good music technology to empower learners, and builds responsive classroom spaces. In addition to conducting orchestras and coaching rock bands, Heather is a prolific arranger of symphonies, pop classics, Latin grooves, jazz standards, and modern mind-benders. She is the author of Breaking Band – Legacy Ensembles Transformed. Heather also serves on the board of the Association for Popular Music Education. Heather holds a BM and MM of Music in Flute Performance from Boston University and maintains an active freelance career. She lives in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia with her jazz musician husband and guitar-playing daughter.

Ken is a consultant and contractor in the Philadelphia area working very closely with youth young adults, and community partners all over the Delaware Valley.  Ken is a Philadelphia native, raised in Southwest Philadelphia, and attended Temple University where he earn an Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & African American Studies, a Masters in Public Health, and a Masters in Social Work.  Ken enjoys cycling around the city, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Amaris Hernandez Padgett is an Information Systems
professional, working out of the Delaware Valley for over 22 years.
She attended Central High School in Philadelphia, earned a
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Technology from
Drexel University, and completed her Master's in Business
Administration from Villanova University. A Philly native, Amaris
participated in the Nutcracker Ballet in the Academy of Music as a child for 9 years.

Amaris started her professional career as a Data Manager with the School District of
Philadelphia for a family literacy program under Head Start. After serving 8 years
with the district, she began consulting for Bank of America on new business
applications and product deployments. In 2013, she joined Philadelphia Energy
Solutions as a Senior Systems Analyst, managing back-office applications and the
refinery security systems. Amaris founded her own IT consulting firm, Cybher, LLC,
in 2021, with a focus on helping small businesses create long-term IT road maps,
assess cyber security and risks, and execute technology programs and
implementations. She currently is a Vice President at JP Morgan Chase, where she
leads portfolio analytics in their Global Technology organization.

In addition to her well-rounded professional experience and accomplishments,
Amaris is currently the National President for the National Conference of Puerto
Rican Women. NACOPRW is the only national Puerto Rican organization in the
United States geared toward the leadership, development, and mentorship of
Hispanic women, with 9 chapters across the country. In 2022, NACOPRW celebrated
its 50 th anniversary as an organization.

Amaris is also very passionate about advocating for more young women to pursue
careers in the IT industry and participates in mentorship programs and panel
discussions to raise awareness.

Sabrina Boyd-Surka is a podcast producer at KYW Newsradio and previously worked at WHYY, Philadelphia’s NPR station. She is a graduate of Brown University, where she studied Music and Literary Arts. She went on to receive a Master’s degree in Music Industry Leadership from Northeastern University, where she did a co-op at Universal Music Group Nashville and was hired full-time upon finishing the program. In addition to volunteering for Rock to the Future, she participates in community theater in Delaware County and sings in the Philadelphia Voices of Pride choir. She plays flute and guitar, though her skills are far less than what many of the Rock to the Future students can do. She lives in Ridley Park with her husband and two twin black cats, Bowie and Isaac.

Josh Silverbauer has over ten years of expertise in marketing analytics and CRO, developing strategies that transform client businesses. Josh’s passion for data is paralleled by his love for music, culminating in the creation of a rock opera that reflects on the analytics industry’s evolution.

Seth Morones-Ramirez is an education policy and research professional at the School District of Philadelphia, supporting the city’s alternative schools with contract evaluations, developing school improvement plans and KPIs, and program design.
Previously, Seth was a Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow at the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice, & Research at the University of Pennsylvania, working to increase supports available to youth aging out of foster care at area colleges and universities. Prior to this role, Seth worked with youth development programs at the Urban Affairs Coalition and on early childhood education issues with Action for Early Learning at Drexel University. Seth also focused on postsecondary support systems for youth aging out of foster care as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar.

Seth holds a BA in sociology from the University of Northern Colorado and an MSEd in education policy from the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of work, they enjoy playing the saxophone and bass, and anything and everything about the Philadelphia Phillies.

Karema is the Director of Nursing at Pennsylvania Department of Corrections – SCI Chester with Wellpath. She has been in the healthcare industry for close to 20 years and worked as a Registered Nurse for over 10 years. Through her works, she has served in various medical settings, including her health care training business, with a primary focus to provide quality medical care and health education to underserved populations.

Karema is also a native resident of Philadelphia and a lover of the arts. She was introduced to music education and vocal performance as a student in the Philadelphia School District and is a proud alumnus of Philadelphia’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. In addition to singing, Karema loves to write and is the author of “Mommy Are you Ok?” and “The Love that Light Gives”.

She understands the impact of music enrichment programs especially in respect to the social development of youth and is excited to help support the vision of Rock to the Future.

Anthony has over 25 years of sales experience in the healthcare consulting and
technology industries. Throughout his professional career, he has built a solid
reputation and a significant book of business by practicing the following principles:
treating clients like family, building trust and collaborative relationships, upholding
ethics and morals, ensuring transparency, and embracing the belief that "what you
cast out, you get back."
In the healthcare industry, Anthony has expertise in strategies for cost containment,
strategic planning, contribution modelling, alternative funding, enrolment technology
solutions, captive strategies, and merger and acquisition harmonization. He is actively
involved in various speaking engagements for financial and HR executives,
addressing the question, “What Can Employers Do?” Anthony is passionate about his work, going the extra mile
to ensure his clients fully grasp the value of new ideas. Simply put, every company and every situation presents
Anthony with an opportunity to create something tailored and special that meets the unique needs of their
employees.

Recently, Anthony launched a blog covering various topics, including cost containment, networking, and diversity,
equity, and inclusion (DE&I).

In addition to his professional pursuits, Anthony has been playing the drums (self-taught) for over 40 years. He
has performed across the country in various venues and spent considerable time in the recording studio. His
musical journey is primarily focused around creating original music with his brother Lou, who resides in Chicago.

Anthony has previously served on the boards of organizations, including:
Beacon (formerly GPSEG) – Chair of NJ Subgroup
HRA SHRM (Southern New Jersey) – Diversity Chair & Board Member

He resides in Mullica Hill, NJ, and has three children: Montana, Tyler, and Nina. In his downtime, Anthony is an
avid Jeep enthusiast, driving with the doors off and the top down to Wildwood each year for the Jeep Invasion
event in July.