“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
At ASI, we have a consistently rotating group of volunteers and staff. Get to know a selection of our large staff ranging across the different teams of our organization!
Administrators help to run the office and keep everyone on the same page. They send out information to the organization, reach out to people, and help each team with tasks where they can.
Ana Bim
Assistant Director
- Tasks IT activities: Leading the IT Team guiding them through the projects and their activities, conducting
improvements in the ASI’s Onboarding process and projects, working with the director to coordinate and supervise daily activities, planning and implementing new programs, tracking programs progress, ensuring internal policies, assisting co-ops/volunteers with technical issues and new applications, onboarding new co-ops/volunteers, creating tutorial videos, and managing Microsoft 365 users’ access. Social Media activities: creating content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, making designs in Canvas, collaborating and promoting ASI’s projects, supporting the handout’s group, supporting members of the team, and designing handouts. General activities: collaborating in surveys, and researching for ASI’s projects.
- Hobbies Watching movies and series, travelling, walking, cooking, spend time with friends and family.
- I joined ASI because… I wanted an opportunity to give back to the community using my IT skills and experience and I admire the ASI’s purposes and work. I also wanted to gain more work experience.
- Expertise Computer Science
Andrew Phillips
IT Coordinator
- Tasks Provide IT Support to staff and co-ops.
- Hobbies Tech and Sport
- I joined ASI because… To aid in
helping children learn more about Art.
- Expertise Management Information Systems
Amanda Hall
Executive Assistant
- Tasks Onboarding, offboarding, organizing, formatting working documents, recoccuring meeting coordination/scheduling
- Hobbies Photography, mixed media, writing, and video games.
Sam Park Young
Volunteer Coordinator
- Tasks I manage the onboarding of new volunteers.
- Hobbies Reading, writing, cooking, and walking with my dog
- I joined ASI because… I wanted to use my skills to help underserved youth and support art creation in the community.
- Expertise Psychology and Sociology
Fei Yuan
Coordinator
- Tasks Coordinator team
- Hobbies Travel
- I joined ASI because . . . I was a teacher, would love to volunteer in
an education related organization.
Teachers
Teachers make ASI a fun learning experience for everyone. They make lesson plans, lead live sessions,
and share their expertise.
Benjamin Ruff
Teacher
- Tasks Teach Art Classes
- Hobbies Photography
- I joined ASI because . . . I originally was looking for Grant
- Writing experience. The opportunity to teach a class was brought up to me, and I decided to contribute in that capacity instead.
Jedidah Groseclose
Art Teacher
- Tasks I write art curriculums for students ages 8-12 and instructional videos for our YouTube channel.
- Expertise Nursing, Public Health, and Health Services Administration
Kristen Rucker
Art Teacher
- Tasks teach kids in person and online while incorporating knowledge of art.
- I joined ASI because… I really love
the organization’s mission and their approach towards teaching with a focus on creativity. Art has always been a big part of my life given that I am an Interior Designer.
Shika Veera
Teacher
- Tasks Human body lessons and Health webpage assistance
- Hobbies Human body lessons and Health, webpage assistance
- I joined ASI because . . . A friend was volunteering and recommended it to me
Sophie Najjar
Teacher / Designer
- Tasks work on the handouts which allow for me to explore different subject material and find ways tomake that accessible to
a younger audience.
- Expertise Art, Design
Yen Nguyen
Teacher
- Tasks Teacher Team
- Hobbies Knitting, embroidery, baking, going for a nice walk!
- I joined ASI because . . . I loved art
class as a child, and I wanted to be able to give children today the same awesome experiences!
- Expertise Teaching
Leanne Chin
Teacher
- Tasks At ASI I create handouts that can be used and printed for free to teach children about how to make their own crafts, learn about music,
national holidays, and so much more!
- Hobbies Yoga, Dancing, Reading
- I joined ASI because . . . I joined ASI because their initiative to use the arts to help educate communities and young children within Philadelphia’s community. I’ve always wanted to help young childhood education while using my skills in design to contribute!
Anjali Karustis
Tik Tok Art Teacher
- Tasks create art content for ASI’s tiktok account
- Hobbies drawing, painting, embroidering, reading, thrifting
- I joined ASI because . . . I wanted more experience with creating content for an account other than mine, and to help them grow their audience
Video Editors and Animators
Video Editors make lessons visually appealing. Their work typically sees them editing lessons to be brief, informative, and interesting for kids. Animators help to make ASI more interactive. In addition to helping with videos, they also help to make the site more interesting with the help of animation.
Miguel Geniza
Video, Sound, and Animation
- Tasks I create various sounds to incorporate into animations as well as some music education videos.
- Hobbies I love to hang out with
friends, dabble in videogames, make music, and explore different hobbies!
- I joined ASI because…I chose to join ASI first as a co-op, but after finding another position, I found myself liking the message they give to the community; the idea of spreading art as a way to unify all of us and explore creativity is really great. I decided to be a volunteer and assist them in their craft.
- Expertise Computer Science
Victoria Sanua
Online Video Editing Manager
- Tasks Edit videos as well as assist/manage other video editors with editing process
- Hobbies Playing video games,
editing gameplay videos for my sister’s YouTube channel, and just doodling
- I joined ASI because . . . I chose to join ASI because I wanted to improve my editing skills as well as gain experience in a managerial position and just meet new people!
Ryan Klingensmit
Video
- Tasks My role with ASI is to caption the YouTube videos to make sure they are accessible to all who use them.
- Hobbies Gaming, hip hop dancing, manga/anime
- I joined ASI because . . . I was introduced to ASI in my Intro to Art Therapy elective at Temple, and I admired their mission to make the community a better place through arts programs. I personally have a passion for accessibility, so seeing that they had a volunteer opportunity that I am able to do virtually was right up my alley!
Kayla Emmer
Video Editor
- Tasks Edit videos for the Website
IT Support
The IT Support team helps staff members operate the systems of ASI. Aside from helping with troubleshooting, they also manage accounts for the company.
Anuradha Pawar
IT Support
- Tasks IT Support
- Hobbies Travel and Cooking
- I joined ASI because… of the opportunity to do Volunteer work.
- Expertise Computer science
Asanka Nanayakkara
IT Support
- Tasks Help make tutorial videos, assist users with O365 issues
- Hobbies Travelling, trying new foods, watching new movies,
playing video games, exercising, SCUBA diving
- I joined ASI because . . I wanted to use my skills to give back to a meaningful organization in the city and help people. Also wanted to meet likeminded people and work on a great cause!.
Dawit Belai
IT Support Technician
- Tasks Assisting users with technical issues
- Hobbies Playing Basketball, streaming the web, listening to
music
- I joined ASI because… To build up new skills in information technology
- Expertise Information Science
Deonte Wynn
IT Support
- Tasks Currently I am new, so whatever they ask me to! Up until now I have been tasked with some cybersecurity assignments.
- I joined ASI because…I love what the organization does.
Jineva Byrne
IT Support
- Tasks IT Support, Microsoft Admin
- Hobbies Hiking, kayaking, napping.
- I joined ASI because… I believe in the value of education, and ASI is
making huge strides to make it accessible to everyone. The entire team came together during the pandemic to provide educational materials to the community and that has been truly inspiring to be a part of.
- Expertise Classical Languages, History of Science
Josh West
Technologist
- Tasks Assist with IT issues the ASI team may have.
- I joined ASI because… I want to leverage my talents to benefit Art
Sphere remotely.
Michael Vranek
IT Support/ Web Designer
- Tasks Assist volunteers with technical support, creating new users, on-boarding new volunteers, creating 365 tutorial videos,
anything else I can do to help out!
- Hobbies I play guitar and keyboard and I also enjoy hiking and camping.
- I joined ASI because… I enjoy helping people and working with technology. I also think ASI is a great cause and want to give back!
- Expertise Recording Engineering
Praveen Lokanathan
IT Personnel
- Tasks IT related stuff mostly
- Hobbies Love reading technical stuff.
- I joined ASI because . . . It is a
good way to give back to society
Rupali Walunj
IT Support/ Web Designer
- Tasks Support users with Microsoft 365/Wordpress, help Web team with any issue or query, design handouts, and do
research on different ASI projects.
- Hobbies I love sketching, baking , travelling
- I joined ASI because… I want help ASI achieve its goal and spread the ASI work while learning new things. I want to help in any way I can to make a difference and I am very happy to join ASI.
- Expertise Computer Science, Engineering, and Science.
Russell Glidewell
Help Desk
- Tasks Help Desk
- Hobbies Playing video games, hiking, and spending time with my cats.
- Hobbies Sports (watching and playing), hikes, reading, travelling
- I joined ASI because . . . I wanted to help young ones who need a head start in life. I have had that in certain ways, and it has helped me tremendously. Everyone doesn’t have those advantages, and I believe that it becomes our responsibility to give back so everyone has a fair chance at an opportunity to better their life.
Sunil Gopi
IT Support
- Tasks IT Support/Training
- Hobbies Soccer, Business, Community Service
- I joined ASI because . . . A love
for giving back to the community.
Thaddeus Pitney
IT Support
- Tasks General support and advice related to technology, security and privacy.
- Hobbies Electronics and
computers, coding, information security and data privacy, photography, skiing/sailing/mountain biking, building things
- I joined ASI because . . . Contribute to a good cause
Timo Stander
IT Support
- Tasks Implementation and management of Microsoft 365 Non-Profit plan. Conducting and controlling process, security,
information, IT capabilities, resources and activities. End-user support and technical advice.
- Hobbies Computers, Golf, spending time in nature.
- I joined ASI because . . . Art Sphere is such a diverse organization with people from all cultures and backgrounds. It is a privilege to use my skills to contribute towards Art Sphere’s vision to inspire and transform young lives through art.
Web Designers
Designers help to shape the image of Art Sphere. This includes making handouts, creating graphics for videos, and designing the website so everything looks just right.
Ardit Hoxha
Web Designer/Developer
- Tasks Develop web pages
- Hobbies I like to juggle.
- I joined ASI because… To give back to the community while I
build up some experience.
- Expertise Finance
Elisabeth Maselli
Web Design Team
- Tasks Volunteer on Web Design Team
- Hobbies Running, music
- I joined ASI because . . .
Interested in working on SEO in a way that makes a difference
Nyemike Atoh
Web Develpoer
- TasksI help maintain the website, fix webpages and maximize their SEO scores
- Hobbies I like going on walks,
writing code, cycling
- I joined ASI because . . . I worked at Art Sphere last year and really enjoyed my coop so I wanted to work here again
Guy Guckenberger
Web Maintenance
- Tasks I maintain and update webpages as requested using Elementor, HTML, and CSS
- Expertise HTML/CSS
Iain Shand
Web Designer
- Tasks I turned research into informational and interactive pages for kids to learn about things.
- Hobbies I love sailing and
anything water related.
- I joined ASI because… I agreed with ASI’s goals and though it would be great work experience.
- Expertise Computer Science
Kenny Kim
UI/UX Designer
- Tasks Design applications
- Hobbies Running
- I joined ASI because . . . I love to contribute to the cause ASI stands
for
Lam Lo
Web Design Team
- Tasks Maintain the website front end and develop app
- Hobbies Gaming, hip hop dancing, manga/anime
- I joined ASI because . . . I want to gain experience and ASI is extremely similar to my past favorite volunteer project
Stephanie Yu
Web Development Team
- Tasks Assist with marketing/SEO
- Hobbies Baking, reading, video games, hiking/biking when the weather is nice
- I joined ASI because . . .
I was interested in getting back into marketing after a hiatus, but wanted to volunteer with a company that has a mission that I believe in. That happened to be ASI!
Titiama Sanon
Web Design
- Tasks As a member of the web design team, work with the researchers and other designers to conduct user surveys, present
insights and work on the redesigning the organization’s website
- Hobbies Listening to music, Watch soccer games, Documentaries, Video games
- I joined ASI because . . . I joined the team because I could not land any work offer. ASI welcomed me regardless, and gave me the opportunity to be able to gain professional experience and learn from my peers. Working in a team environment and for a good cause helped me grow as a person. I will be forever grateful for that experience with ASI.
Shubham Kamat
Web Design Team
- Tasks Maintain the website and work on SEO
- Hobbies Arts and Crafts, Singing, Listening to music
- I joined ASI because . . . Because I like volunteering and the Web Developer position matched my profile and the Art domain suited my interests.
Mansi Jadhav
Web Design Team
- Tasks I am primarily involved with SEO currently, and hope to get more involved with Web design as I become more adept with
WordPress.
- Hobbies I enjoy reading reading suspenseful and thrilling mystery novels. I’ve also loved drawing and painting ever since I was a child.
- I joined ASI because . . . Since I am quite interested in art myself, ASI seemed like the perfect opportunity to give back to the community by doing what I love so much – web designing. Knowing some of my work might contribute in making art more accessible to others brings me so much joy!
Designers
Designers help to shape the image of Art Sphere. This includes making handouts, creating graphics for videos and designing the website so everything looks just right.
Abigail Petlyarsky
Graphic Designer
- Tasks Make handouts
- HobbiesI like to exercise outside. I also love to cook and try new recipes
- Expertise Pharmacy
Blair
Nakamoto
Graphic Designer
- Tasks Create lesson books with Dayna and Sophie.
- I joined ASI because… I have been able to help others unlock joys
and strengths in themselves through creativity and ongoing motivation.
- Expertise Art
Digna Patel
Handout Designer
- Tasks Design handouts for any holidays and help out wherever I’m needed.
- Hobbies I like painting and
watching a lot of Netflix. I also run for fun.
- I joined ASI because… it seemed fun to work at a company that focused on art because I don’t get enough of that at college.
- Expertise Health Sciences
McKenna Mason
Designer
- Tasks I am a sophomore at Drexel University majoring in Biomedical Engineering. At Art Sphere I design fun and educational handouts, I love
that I am able to still explore creative design work which is unlike many of my classes.
Natalie Perez
Designer
- Tasks I help out with making handouts
- Hobbies I love to sing, play guitar and ukulele, draw, embroider, thrift
and make videos.
- I joined ASI because . . . To gain experience working with art and children!
Simone Shemshedini
Graphic Designer
- Tasks assist with all things graphic design and layout designs for things like hand
- Expertise Graphic Design,
Working with kids.
Tanya Isaacson
Graphic Design
- Tasks Graphic Design TBD
- Hobbies Fine Art Painting, Digital Graphics, Design, Interior Home Painting
- I joined ASI because . . . To give back, to use my skills to help others.
William Driver
Graphic Designer
- Tasls Handout Creation
- Hobbies Golf, Cycling, Snowboarding, Chess, and Wikipedia
- I joined ASI because . . . I’ve found myself with spare time and would like to do good.
Social Media
Our social media team focuses on the public persona of Art Sphere, Inc., which includes platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Jade Hingtgen
Social Media Manager
- Tasks I run ASI’s social media accounts, collaborate with other teams to promote material and set up fundraisers, and collect analytics
data from ASI’s website and social media accounts.
- Hobbies I love to read gothic novels, make candles, research cultures around the world, and work on a travel blog I have
- I joined ASI because . . . I joined ASI originally to gain work experience at a local Philadelphia non-profit and I wanted to keep my creativity and love for art alive while going to a predominantly science based school.
Kristene Macatantan Social Media
- Tasks Research for Web pages
- Hobbies Crochet, knitting
- I joined ASI because . . . I wanted to have some creative outlet that is
also beneficial in my future career path such as doing research.
Marcela Betancourth
Marketing Volunteer
- Tasks Social Media
- Hobbies Read, exercise, movies
- I joined ASI because . . . To make a difference in kids’ life. Free time for
some months
Saskia Frowijn
Content Marketing Specialist
- Tasks Social Media / Writing / Research / SEO
- Hobbies Poetry, politics, traveling, dogs, cooking, and reality tv
- I joined ASI because . . . The after school programs I participated in as a child helped me find my passions and hobbies. Every child should be able to experience that.
Writers make much of the content on the site and help other departments with wordings. Taking care of the social media accounts, researching topics, and making words make sense to everyone we work with.
Courtney Lancaster
Writing Team
- Tasks Grants, Curriculum
- Hobbies Traveling, Reading, Outdoor activities, Thrifting, Mosaics, when I have time.
- I joined ASI because… Art makes learning even more fun!
- Expertise BS Business Administration, MA Social Change, Grad Cert. in Grantsmanship
Geri Yost
Grant Writer
- Tasks Write grants
- Hobbies Kayaking, travel, photography, and crocheting
- I joined ASI because… I wanted to
be a part of an organization that provides rewarding opportunities to children
- Expertise Education and English
Mallika Kodavatiganti
Writer
- Tasks I’ve been helping with various writing needs throughout the team! I was working on lesson plans to teach kids about underrepresented
artists, and lately I have gotten more involved with helping write grants and web pages for ASI!
- HobbiesI play the violin. I love to read, and I really enjoy spending time outside with my dogs!
- I joined ASI because… The arts were very central to my upbringing, and taking painting and music classes has shaped me into who I am today. I want to have this impact on Philadelphia’s youth, and I love that this is ASI’s mission!
- Expertise Biology
Sophia Diaz
Grant Writing
- Tasks Write grants for ASI
- Hobbies Reading, yoga, hiking
- I joined ASI because . . . I love their passion to better various
communities through art, music, STEM, and so much more! After seeing how many programs and opportunities ASI has to offer I just knew this is the team I wanted to be a part of.
Julia Sturgis
Grant Writing
- Tasks Research and write grant proposals
- Hobbies Hiking, yoga, learning about the French language and
culture, playing the violin
- I joined ASI because . . . I want to gain experience as a grant writer, and I want to help enrich children’s lives through art.
Our Staff From 2020-21