Our Team

Isabel Algrant is the Assistant Director of Training and Technical Assistance at AISP. She works with public sector partners across the country through our cohort-based TA and site consulting to help them create sustainable data governance and center community voice in their data sharing efforts. Before joining AISP, Isabel taught 8th grade Math and Science at the Dwight-Englewood School. She has served as an intern at the Philadelphia City Council and hosts the “Why Are My Students Acting Like Children?” podcast. Isabel earned her Master’s in Social Policy and Data Analytics the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2) and has a BA in Government and Theater from Wesleyan University. She is a lover of theater and all things art.

Liv Barry is the Macro Social Work Intern at AISP, assisting with the initiative’s communications and monthly newsletter. Prior to joining AISP, Liv worked as a qualitative research assistant, most recently with Penn’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research, and as a social work intern with the School District of Philadelphia’s STEP initiative. Liv earned her MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and her BA in Political Science and Media and Communication from Muhlenberg College. She lives in West Philadelphia and is always in search of a good book.

eberko@upenn.edu

Emily Berkowitz is the Assistant Director of Communications & Network Engagement at AISP. She coordinates with sites across the AISP Network and manages communications for the initiative, including the monthly newsletter. In addition, she contributes to the development of tools and frameworks to advance the field of cross-sector data sharing for social policy. Previously, Emily assisted with communication strategy at AISP as both a project manager and MSW intern, and has worked as a community organizer and advocate for people experiencing domestic violence. Emily earned her MSW and MS in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and her BA in Human Rights from Bard College. She lives in West Philadelphia with her partner, Greg, and their darling cats – Ellie, Boots, and Fig.

burnettt@upenn.edu

TC Burnett, MSW, is the Associate Director of AISP. In this role, she manages AISP’s business and financial operations, contributes to the monthly newsletter, and works closely with Dr. Culhane to support his research. TC joined the AISP team in 2009 as an Administrative Coordinator after spending a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at a Philadelphia social services agency. She earned her MSW from The University of Pennsylvania, and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College. She lives in north central Arkansas with her partner, Stan, their son, LJ, and a variety of animals.

krsm@upenn.edu

Kristen Egoville, MSW, is the Senior Coordinator at AISP, supporting communications and managing operations and event logistics across a number of grants and initiatives. She brings with her 5+ years of experience coordinating major research studies. Prior to joining AISP, Kristen worked at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where she supported collaboration with The Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP) Institute. Kristen earned her MSW from The University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Human Development & Family Studies from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her wife and four kids.

johnf@gse.upenn.edu
Selected Work

John Fantuzzo, PhD, is the Albert M. Greenfield Emeritus Professor of Human Relations at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and Co-founder and Faculty Director Emeritus of AISP. His research has focused on early childhood risk, early childhood education, child maltreatment, and family violence. Fantuzzo serves on the editorial boards of several major research journals in education and early childhood (e.g., Journal of Educational Psychology, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, and School Psychology Review) and is a recent recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Involvement and the National Head Start Research Mentor awards. His work with the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to create the Kids Integrated Data System (KIDS) led him to become a strong supporter of integrated data as a vehicle to more effective early childhood policy and programs. John retired from teaching in 2020 after more than three decades at Penn during which time he served as a mentor and advisor to countless students, many of whom are now leading their own integrated data systems. He now serves as a consultant and advisor to the Faculty Director and AISP team.

ahnelson@upenn.edu

Amy Hawn Nelson, PhD, is Research Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for AISP. Her primary role is to support IDS field building, which includes working with sites across the US to develop shared, purpose-driven data infrastructure that centers strong data governance. Prior to joining AISP in 2017, Amy was the Director of Social Research for the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and Director of the Institute for Social Capital, an IDS serving the Charlotte region. Hawn Nelson served as a teacher and school leader for 11 years before entering the world of IDS’ in 2012. Dr. Hawn Nelson has a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from UNC Charlotte; a Masters in School Administration from UNC Charlotte; a Masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University; a BA in Women’s & Gender Studies and Africana Studies and a BA in Sociology from NC State University, and a Certificate of Law from The University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, two daughters, and a naughty but loveable doodle.

Click here to access Amy’s CV.

adeliaj@upenn.edu

Della Jenkins, MS, is the Executive Director of AISP. In this role, she oversees the initiative’s daily operations and strategic partnerships and works to promote the development and use of integrated data systems across the country. Prior to joining AISP in 2017, Della’s professional experience included child advocacy, policy analysis, and mixed-methods research and program evaluation spanning the birth to post-secondary education spectrum. She earned her BA in Political Science from Georgetown University and her MS in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Southern Vermont with her talented husband, energetic toddler, and two sweet cats.

dejak@upenn.edu

Deja Kemp, Esq, is Research Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and the Director of Legal Policy for AISP. In this role, she supports agencies in designing and implementing legal frameworks to facilitate cross-sector data sharing, and crafts guidance for the field. Prior to joining AISP, Deja negotiated lots of data sharing agreements herself. Most recently she served as Senior Associate General Counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, providing counsel on contracts, litigation, policy, partnerships, and administrative practice. She has also worked in private practice assisting local governments and nonprofits in complex regulatory compliance matters and civil litigation.  She earned her B.A. in Women & Gender Studies from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, and holds law licenses in North Carolina and South Carolina.  Prior to practicing law, Deja was a middle school science teacher. She lives in Charlotte, N.C. with her husband, Anthony and her twin toddlers, Nia and Zuri.

jessierb@upenn.edu

Jessie Rios Benitez is an Administrative Coordinator at AISP. In this role, she handles logistics related to AISP’s Equity in Practice Learning Community and provides administrative support to the Director of Training and Technical Assistance and others, as needed. Prior to joining AISP, Jessie worked as an intern with Comunidad Colectiva, a grassroots immigrant rights organization based in Charlotte, NC. Jessie earned a BS in Criminal Justice and Political Science from Appalachian State University. During her time at Appalachian, she worked as a Research Assistant contributing to studies on law enforcement policies regarding U visas and COVID-19. She recently moved from Charlotte, NC to Philadelphia.

sharon.zanti@gmail.com

Sharon Zanti is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Iowa State University and Iowa’s Integrated Data System for Decision-Making (I2D2). Sharon’s scholarship aims to advance social policies and human services through the ethical sharing, integration, and use of administrative data. She recently earned her PhD in Social Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania while serving as a Doctoral Fellow at AISP. Prior to joining the AISP team, Sharon held multiple research and analytic roles at the Colorado Department of Human Services and earned her MSW from the University of Denver. She also spent several years working in the software industry after earning a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia.