Donna Cooper
Executive Director
Public Citizens for Children and Youth
Donna Cooper is the Executive Director of Public
Citizens for Children and Youth, the region’s leading child advocacy
organization. Before taking the helm at PCCY, Donna was a Senior Fellow
at the Center for American Progress where she focused on early
childhood education, public infrastructure and poverty research.
Cooper served as the Secretary of Policy and
Planning for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2003-2010. While in
that position, she led the development of the state’s Cover All Kids
program which expanded access to affordable health care to nearly every
child in the state. She led a seven year effort to boost funding for
K-12 public education by over $2 billion and designed the state’s
groundbreaking school funding formula which was enacted in 2008. Cooper
also helped launched the state’s model approach to investments in early
childhood education and increased funding to make college affordable
for low-income and working class students while creating one of the
nation’s best systems to ensure that community college students can
easily transfer credits to four year colleges.
Cooper was the founding Executive Director of Good
Schools PA, a grassroots organizing campaign that successfully pushed
public education to be the top issue in the 2002 race for Governor. She
also served for three years as the City of Philadelphia’s Deputy Mayor
for Policy and Planning where she designed and led Greater Philadelphia
Works, one of the nation’s largest and most successful efforts to help
single mothers on welfare achieve self-sufficiency.
Cooper has a MGA from the University of
Pennsylvania's Fels School of Government and a Master’s in Intercultural
Management from the School for International Training.
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Stacy E. Holland
Executive Director
The Lenfest Foundation
With over 22 years experience, Stacy E. Holland is a tireless
advocate who has played a vital role in ensuring that youth in the
Philadelphia region have access to the academic, career and support
services necessary to build bright futures and prepare them to be
leaders in the workforce. Currently, serving as Executive Director of
The Lenfest Foundation, Ms. Holland will continue to pursue her passion
of serving disadvantaged youth throughout Philadelphia.
Most recently, Ms. Holland serves as the Chief of Strategic Partnerships
for the School District of Philadelphia. Stacy built an office of
Strategic Partnerships which was responsible for organizing the
eco-system of partnerships which served over 200+ schools as well as
leading the district’s fundraising initiatives. Prior to her assignment
with the School District, Stacy served as the President & CEO of
the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), a non-profit she co-founded in
1999, Ms. Holland oversaw the growth of the organization since its
inception. Starting as a small non-profit organization, PYN grew into an
independent, citywide entity dedicated to integrating services and
building systems that promotes positive post-secondary and economic
outcomes for young people serving over 15,000 youth annually with an
annual budget of over $30M.
In addition to her professional work, Stacy volunteers with the
following organizations: Community College of Philadelphia, where she
serves as the Chair of the Student Outcomes Committee; Wells Fargo
Regional Foundation; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Rancocas
Valley Alumni Chapter. Stacy has received numerous awards and
recognitions for her service. She has been awarded the Educator of the
Year Award from Need in Deed (2014); White House Champion of Change
Award (2013); Smart CEO Brava Award (2012); Outstanding Service Award
from Sankofa Freedom Charter School (2012); and the Business Journal 40
Under 40 Award (2005).
Ms. Holland holds an undergraduate degree from The College of New Jersey
in Marketing with an International Certification and a graduate degree
in Student Development from Teachers College, Columbia University.