Matthew is a partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Brolik, a Philadelphia based marketing agency. He is also a published author and expert in the marketing industry, having shared his knowledge in articles for Forbes, Huffington Post, Pr Daily and many other publications both online and off. Matt earned a Music Engineering and Production degree from Drexel University, which has led him to a number of scoring, mixing and engineering projects, as well as an ownership stake in a small Germantown-based recording studio called Sleepless Sound Studio.

Paul K. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Marketing and Management at Montgomery County Community College. He also teaches Entrepreneurship and helped/launched several startup businesses. A native Philadelphian, Paul grew up in West Philadelphia and earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and a Masters in Business Administration from Drexel University. Paul enjoyed a career in corporate sales and now enjoys his role in higher education. He serves as a volunteer and board member for several organizations throughout the Delaware Valley including youth baseball coach for over 30 years.

Ed Rogalski is the Assistant 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 son “Little Eddie.” 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 taking guitar lessons, watching the Phillies, and spending time with his family.

Natasha served as a Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow at Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project from 2016-2017, where she developed a toolkit to improve representation for girls in the adult criminal justice system. Previously, she worked directly with young people as a residential treatment and detention counselor, a juvenile probation officer, and a reintegration worker for adjudicated youth. 

Natasha is a life-long resident of Philadelphia and was educated in the Philadelphia School District where she was introduced to music education. She played the clarinet and was a member of the Philadelphia School District’s All City Music program.  She continued her music studies throughout her undergraduate and graduate school tenures and is classically trained in vocal performance.

Natasha is a proud graduate of University City High School and holds a Bachelor of Science from Lincoln University of PA, a Master of Science from Saint Joseph’s University and a Juris Doctor from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.

Jameel is the Director of Sales at​ Municibid,​ a Philadelphia online auctions company which helps state and local governments, and schools to monetize their surplus assets. In addition to working with RTTF, Jameel has spent the last eight years working with a foundation and hospital system to provide women and children with healthcare in East Africa. Jameel has a strong background and passion for music and education. He previously worked for an education technology company which provided video based assessment software to music and dance programs for primary and secondary educational institutions. Jameel has also spent time as a lecturer in media and marketing at Drexel’s LeBow College of Business.

Jameel has been playing music since he was a fourth grader and considers himself a beneficiary of in school and afterschool music programs. Jameel owns his own record label and continues to write and release his own original music at ​Jameel Farruk Music​. In his leisure time, Jameel enjoys being with family and friends, traveling as often as possible, supporting local music acts, and rooting for his alma mater, Indiana University, in college basketball.

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.

Jen Bieter is the Deputy CFO, Budget & Planning at the School District of Philadelphia, where she has worked for over nine years.  She earned a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance and 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.

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.

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.

Lauren is a Stoneleigh Visiting Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and, beginning in August 2023, will be a Clinical Professor of Law at Duke 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. Outside of work, you can find her with her husband and two children, exploring the amazing playgrounds and food of their South Philadelphia neighborhood.

Educator and Flutist 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 dialogue with students. In addition to 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 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.