Staff
chief financial officer
Chuck Adkins
Human Resources Associate
Kathy Caballero
Kathy is responsible for payroll and benefits and provides support for other HR projects. She came to the Fund after a transition into non-profit Human Resources nearly 6 years ago. Prior to that, she was a 4th grade teacher in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kathy holds a BA from the
University of Colorado, Boulder in Psychology. She lives with her husband in Baltimore and has two grown-up daughters, two dogs and two grand-kitties.
program director, student athlete development
Peter DeCandia
Pete came to Baltimore as a 2013 Teach For America Baltimore corps member. Prior to working at the Fund, he taught and coached for three years at Woodlawn High School and one year at St. Paul’s School. He also founded and operates Teacher Props, an organization that helps Baltimore teachers find great housing. He earned his B.S. from Mount St. Mary’s University and M.S Ed. from Johns Hopkins School of Education.
Senior Program Director, Fiscal Sponsorship Services
Sharon Drevitch Dondes
Sharon has over 30 years of client service, strategic planning, and business development experience. Prior to joining the Fund, she served as Vice President, Network Development for MedStar Physician Partners. Sharon holds an M.B.A. from Loyola College in Baltimore, a B.A. from Wellesley College, and is a former Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in the Humanities. Sharon lives with her husband and twin daughters in the Pikesville area.
program associate, special projects
Ruth Farfel
Ruth’s primary focus is providing programmatic and administrative support to ensure the successful implementation of Grade Level Reading initiatives with an emphasis on communications and social media.
Ruth is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s School of Social Work. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Washington College. Prior to getting her masters, Ruth completed two years of service as an Americorps VISTA managing community engagement projects throughout the City. She grew up in Baltimore and is a Baltimore City Public Schools Alumna (Go Western!). Ruth and her partner live in Northeast Baltimore with her cat Olive.
Program Manager, Fiscal Sponsorship Services
Shantelle Jackson
Shantelle helps coordinate the Fund’s Fiscal Sponsorship work, assisting with client, grants and contracts management. She works in close collaboration with the finance and human resources teams helping to ensure that private and public grant dollars are put to work quickly, efficiently, and appropriately to meet clients’ missions and needs, and ultimately benefit Baltimore City youth.
Prior to taking this role, she worked in the nonprofit community throughout the state of Maryland. She has extensive knowledge and experience in the mental health field and prides herself on being an advocate for disadvantaged communities. Her passion for helping others ignited her to continue her education at the University of Baltimore, earning her MS in Human Service Administration. Outside of the office, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Program director
Angelique Jessup
Prior to joining the Fund, Angelique worked for Baltimore City Public Schools in both the Office of College and Career Readiness and the Student Support Office. In her roles at City Schools she worked on an array of areas, including career technology education, attendance, and school climate. She received her B.A. from the College of New Jersey and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She lives in North Baltimore with her husband and three children.
Senior program director, district development
Kevin Leary
Prior to joining the Fund, Kevin was an English teacher at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, PA, (three years) and at Serra High School in Los Angeles, CA (two years). Kevin earned his B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, completed his Certification in Secondary Education at the University of Pennsylvania, and earned an M.P.P. at the University of Maryland, College Park. Kevin is originally from Willimantic, CT, and now lives in Baltimore with his wife and two kids.
Director of finance
Patrick Locklin
Patrick manages the day-to-day
aspects of the organization’s finances, including financial reporting, budget
development, and general accounting services. Patrick brings six years in
nonprofit financial management with a focus on building systems, policies, and
procedures to ensure the integrity of financial information while improving the
efficiency and ease of use for users. He is a CPA, licensed in the State of
Maryland, and holds a Master’s Degree from Boston University. Outside of his
work at the Fund, Patrick spends his time reading, running, cooking, and
spending time with his friends and family.
Finance Associate
Cearia Pitts
Cearia manages the day-to-day aspects of AR and AP processing of the organization’s finances, including financial reporting and general accounting services. Cearia brings in over 10 years in nonprofit financial management focusing on maintaining finance department procedures. She is a certificate Payroll Clerk licensed in the State of Maryland, and holds a B.A., in Business Administration and Management and a A.A.S., in accounting. Outside of her work at the Fund, Cearia spends her time reading, crafting, cooking, and spending time with his friends and family.
Senior Program Director, Analysis and Engagement
Corrie Schoenberg
Before joining the Fund in 2010, Corrie served in a number of roles over seven years with TNTP, working with school districts in New York City, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Indianapolis, St. Paul, Providence, and Baltimore. She holds a B.A. from Northwestern University. Any free time she can scrape together after family is devoted to books.
president and chief executive officer
Roger Schulman
Having started his career as a teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools, Roger has worked in education in Baltimore City and other large districts across the country for nearly 30 years.
communications and development manager
Sydney Short
Most recently, Sydney served as the Fund’s Program Support Associate assisting in various aspects of the Fund’s work. Sydney is a Baltimore native, a proud Baltimore City College alumna, and a former Baltimore Scholar. She holds a B.A. in International Studies and Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University.
Program Director, analysis and engagement
Kwane Wyatt
Most recently, Kwane served as a Career Placement Manager with NPower, a workforce development organization, where he built and cultivated partnerships with the business community and worked directly with young adults on job preparation. His work experience also includes community banking and business development. Kwane holds a B.A. from Morgan State University. Kwane was featured as a background vocalist on a song from Beyoncé’s 2013 self-titled album.