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our people

OUR PEOPLE

OUR STAFF

KK and Ray

Executive Director and Founder

KAREN KRIVIT, LSW

Karen (aka "Goat Mom") oversees all programming and is a licensed social worker with over 30 years of experience. Prior to founding PGP, she was a public health consultant for agencies in both New York City and Philadelphia. She has been a leader, innovator and teacher to policy makers and clinicians around optimizing services addressing public health issues such as poverty, trauma, disabilities, immigration, addiction and mental health in underserved populations. She is a retired triathlete and mosaic artist and loves tamarind!

Favorite goat: Ray because he loves me unconditionally and makes it easy to reciprocate. Also I love whom he is named after too!

Oliver and Raquel

PGP Neighborhood Family Garden Director

RAQUEL RAMSEUR-WEBB

Raquel is an experienced homeschool educator inspired by her family, and fueled by the natural world around us. Raquel has been actively involved with PGP since 2019, contributing as a volunteer and participating in our internship program as both a parent and grandparent. Her dedication to serving others spans a long and impressive history. In the spring of  2023, Raquel spearheaded a gardening project to involve our interns' families in farm activities, which has since flourished into the Neighborhood Family Garden, nourished by the Philly Goat Project. 

 

“Through growing together and hands-on projects, our team aims to empower others to dig deep and discover their green potential. The Neighborhood Family Garden is here for everyone in the community to enjoy and cultivate together!”  ~ Raquel

Favorite goat: Oliver’s loving nature makes him my favorite goat! He always seems to have a smile when you need it!

Leslie & Ivy

Director of Operations

LESLIE JACKSON, MBA

Leslie (aka ”Folxherder”) was born and raised in the neighborhood and is passionate about wellness, education and community building through nature, especially for people of color. She oversees the management of PGP’s people and goats and ensures that all of our guests have a wonderful time, no matter where we are! She is PGP’s leader in creating engaging community partnerships for programming and education across the city.  In her former life Leslie worked at various fortune 500 companies, including Ford Motor Company, Prudential Insurance and Target, she has a wealth of corporate experience ranging from interpreting data to customer service. Leslie can often be found attending theater and leading Girl Scouts when she’s not with the goats!

Favorite goat: Kiyoshi because he's playful, fun, sweet and loving. (And Ivy because she's a boss lady like me!)

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Business Manager

Mandi Kidd

Mandi is an educator by profession, but instead of organizing a classroom, these days she’s organizing the scheduling and finances of PGP.  Mandi joined PGP in 2018 when her whole family began to volunteer.  Her partner, Mark, helps lead the teen internship program, and her teenage children can regularly be seen volunteering at the farm. Mandi feels strongly that people feel better if they have more opportunities to connect to the natural world.  That’s why she helps to seek out grants in order to find the financial resources so that PGP can reach more people.  Prior to PGP, Mandi taught for 15 years in the Philadelphia School District and city charter schools, volunteered for 2 years in Honduras, and traveled around the U.S. and Central America.

 

Favorite goat:  Holiday.  Holiday watches carefully as people interact with the goats and each other, so it’s truly a compliment if she seeks you out for snuggles and scratches.  I always try to give her a little special attention.  I also strive everyday to be a little more like Violet who enjoys life to the fullest!

Our Board

Ameenah

Ameenah McCaan Woods, Board Chair

Health Program Manager and Public Health Program Analyst at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health; parent of a child with autism; community member

Gabrielle

Gabrielle Rodriquez, Treasurer

Community Member; Fundraiser at Germantown Friends School

Evangeline

Evangeline Wang, Assistant Chair

Public Health Coordinator, Einstein Hospital 

Samantha

Samantha Suragh, Member at Large

Community Member; Penn Medicine Healthcare Administration; Community Wellness  Educator; Teen Intern parent; Neighborhood Garden Lead

Jennifer

Jennifer Diaz, Secretary

Director of Major Gifts at Philadelphia Salvation Army; community member

Our ADVISORY BOARD

Shirley Boulay Community Member, Member of PGP’s Fundraising Team

Carly Maurer Director of Evaluation and Innovation at ACHEIVEability

Melissa Modesti Director of Social Work, Philadelphia Elwyn Early Intervention

Mark Nicolella Community Member, Science Teacher at the School District of Philadelphia

Tarsha Scovens Community Member, Programming Partner with Let’s Go Outdoors, Environmental Educator

Melissa Bollmann-Jenkins Director of Community for Breast Cancer.org

Sabra Townsend Community Member, Director of Operations at Jefferson University Center for Autism and Neurodiversity, parent of an adult with special needs

Corrine Thornton Board Certified Behavioral Analyst, MH Supervisor

Gili Ronen Community member, PGP volunteer

Lisa Jackson Community Member, Board Chair of West Chester University Black Alumni, School District of Philadelphia retired special education teacher

Tamika Hines Teen Intern Parent, leader of Latinex Sports Program, employed by the Dept of Defense

Terry M. Henry, Esq. Legal Counsel to PGP, Former Director of PGP’s Board, Blank Rome Attorney for Philadelphia’s Outward Bound

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