About Us
Our Team
Kenny Holdsman – President & CEO
Kenny has devoted the past two decades of his career to the empowerment of urban young people through education, leadership, and character development, mentorship, family involvement, and high quality opportunities both in schools and in communities. He has held senior positions in a major urban school district, a global nonprofit, and a local sports-based youth development organization, most recently serving as the President of Legacy Youth Tennis and Education (formerly Arthur Ashe) from February, 2009 to June, 2015. In addition to his passion for young people and social justice, Kenny has a proven track record in nonprofit leadership including strategic planning; fund development; board development and engagement; community partnerships; program design, implementation, and evaluation; budget and finance; and operations. Kenny is a co-founder of the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative, and for eight years served as a volunteer coach and program founder/coordinator of Rise Up Basketball in Mt. Airy. He also has spent many seasons coaching young people in the Mt. Airy Baseball program and the Phillies Reviving Baseball in the Inner City program. Born in Elkins Park, P.A., Kenny is a graduate from Cheltenham High School, Lehigh University, and Temple University School of Law.
Eric Worley – Program Director
A Philadelphia resident who grew up in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Eric has served as an educator and principal in the Philadelphia School District for almost 15 years. He grew up playing basketball on the city’s playgrounds and has used the game as a vehicle to help him through life, playing on every level from recreational leagues, to Central High School, and then at West Chester University. For the past 10 years, Eric also serves as the Executive Director at Philly Triple Threat, a sports-based youth development program.
Diana Venezia – Manager of Fund Development and Operations
Diana Venezia has served as PYB’s Manager of Fund Development and Operations over the past year and a half. Prior to her time with PYB, she worked within Temple University’s Owl Club, the Athletics Development Department. Originally from Westfield, N.J., Diana attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and was a member on the Seahawk’s women’s basketball team. Raised in a family full of Villanova graduates and Wildcat fans, Diana is now finishing up her graduate degree at Temple University where she is studying Sport Business.
MaryKate O’Brien – Manager of Community Projects & Events
MaryKate O’Brien was first introduced to Philadelphia Youth Basketball as a senior at Williams College while completing research for her senior project as an Environmental Science major. Her research into environmental and community revitalization in Philadelphia led her to PYB’s President and CEO, Kenny Holdsman, to learn more about his plans to build a Youth Basketball and Education Center in North Philadelphia. A collegiate basketball player, Philadelphia native, and graduate of William Penn Charter, MaryKate moved back to Philadelphia after graduation and began working, first for the Environmental Defense Fund in Philadelphia before accepting a full time position as PYB’s Community Mobilization Coordinator in February 2017. In her position at PYB MaryKate is passionate about creating opportunities for all members of the community to engage with the organization to create an “all-in” movement that transcends traditional lines of race, gender, ethnicity, affluence, religion, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Kyle Lafferty – Program Operations Coordinator
A local Philadelphia native was born and raised in the Northwest section of Philadelphia. He grew up in the Philadelphia basketball community being apart of programs such as Hunting Park Warriors AAU program and Philadelphia Central High School boys’ varsity basketball team. His experiences with basketball has been a major contributor to his development in all areas of his life. After graduating from Central High School, he went on to study Sociology at Rosemont College as well as being a 4-year student-athlete in the Rosemont Men’s Basketball program. Kyle first became involved with PYB as a corporate and camp-based intern in the summer of 2016 and has been an integral member of PYB ever since.
Randy Butler – Development and Program Coordinator
Randy Butler started working for PYB in September 2017. Randy was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois before attending Colgate University in New York where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Education in 2016. Randy played Women’s Basketball for the Colgate Raiders and continued to play overseas in Ireland, while she simultaneously completed a masters program in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Ulster University Jordanstown in 2017.
Max Raiken – Marketing and Events Intern
Max Raiken is a native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. His teenage years circulated around basketball; an avid player and fan. Max is currently a Marketing Major in the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University. He started working at PYB in 2016, where he served as an Academic Mentor in the Middle School Partnership Program. In June 2017, Max moved to the corporate end of things by joining us as our Marketing and Events Intern. He has now continued to work with us part-time while also pursuing his Bachelors Degree at SJU.
Peter Kaffenberger – Program Impact Analyst
Pete Kaffenberger went to college at Temple University after working in construction for several years. His time away from the classroom made him value his education much more once he finally returned. As a result, he feels an increased sense of purpose when it comes to the education of vulnerable middle school students, an age group that PYB places so much emphasis upon. He wants these young people to enthusiastically seize the opportunities that they have in the classroom and on the court the first time they get the chance. Pete’s intention when going back to school was to become a licensed counselor in Pennsylvania. Through tutoring his peers in different classes throughout his college career, he felt he’d been called to explore a career as an educator. As someone who additionally has a love for the game of basketball, he felt that the game would be a great tool to relate to students while guiding them academically. His time with PYB has only strengthened this belief.
Di’anna Thomas-Palmer – HoopHers Program Lead
Di’anna joined Philadelphia Youth Basketball in the spring of 2018 and currently serves as the Program Lead for PYB’s HoopHers (girls empowerment) Program. Di’anna, “Dee” as her PYB colleagues call her, was born and raised in Philadelphia. She attended William Penn Charter and Hofstra University where she played for their Women’s Basketball Team. She has a long family history of education and community service and is devoted to continuing this legacy through her work at PYB.
Middle School Partnership Program 18/19 Staff Team
Atland Williams
PYB School Site: Edward Gideon Elementary School Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: ITT Technical Institute Major: Computer Networking Systems B-ball Position: Small Forward “I am most excited to make a change with our young people.”
Vanessa Neal
PYB School Site: Jay Cooke Elementary Hometown: Pennsauken, NJ College/ Profession: Coppin State University Major: Psychology and Human Services Administration B-ball Position: Guard “I am most excited to see improvement in our young people’s behavior and thought processes throughout the program.”
Ke’yen Moore
PYB School Site: Edward Gideon Elementary School Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: Cheyney University Major: Sports and Media Communication B-ball Position: Point Guard and Shooting Guard “I am most excited about teaching and mentoring our youth and growing as a basketball coach.”
Darren White-Green
PYB School Site: Hamilton Elementary Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession:Teacher Major: M. Ed B-ball Position:Point Guard and Forward “I am most excited to see the youth develop both off and on the court.”
William D Stukes
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: Philadelphia University Major: Behavioral Health B-ball Position: Guard “I am most excited to make a difference with our youth and am looking to find more creative ways to assist the youth.”
Dave Bass
PYB School Site: Edward T. Steel School Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: Teacher and Coach B-ball Position: Defensive Stopper “I am most excited to re-engage with some of the students from Steele. I am excited to see their growth since last year and moving forward.”
Jordan Lindsey
PYB School Site: Andrew Hamilton Elementary School Hometown: Alexandria, VA College/ Profession: Drexel University Major: Psychology B-ball Position: Point Guard “I am most excited to get to learn about my players and students.”
Lindsay Green
PYB School Site: Kenderton School Hometown: Cochranville, PA College/ Profession: Temple University Major: Therapeutic Recreation B-ball Position: The Bench “I am most excited to meet the young people and have a great season.”
Amar Stukes
PYB School Site: Andrew Hamilton Elementary School Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: Accountant B-ball Position: Point Guard “I am most excited to work with our kids and have a positive impact on them.”
Kasie Green
PYB School Site: Jay Cooke Elementary School Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: Temple University Major: Recreation Therapy B-ball Position: Shooter “I am most excited to see our young people develop.”
Al Stokes
PYB School Site: Universal Thomas Creighton School Hometown: Sicklerville, NJ College/ Profession: North Carolina at Central University Major: Criminal Justice B-ball Position: Forward “I am most excited to make a positive impact on our youth.”
Safiya Martin
PYB School Site: Edward T. Steel School Hometown: Georgia College/ Profession: Temple University and Drexel University Major: Post Bacc Pre-Med B-ball Position: Center “I am most excited to reconnect with the kids and continuously push them to grow.”
James Dodderidge
PYB School Site: Edward T. Steel School Hometown: Havertown, PA College/ Profession: Temple University Major: Sport and Recreation Management B-ball Position: Power Forward “I am most excited to be involved in the sport industry and helping youth become more involved in basketball and their communities.”
Joseph Daniels
PYB School Site: Kenderton School Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: CEO and President at Destined 4 Greatness Inc. B-ball Position: Center and Forward “I am most excited about the opportunity to work with our youth and future leaders, to help them become successful women and men.”
Amir Sheffield
PYB School Site: Kenderton School Hometown: Philadelphia, PA College/ Profession: Temple University Major: Sport Management B-ball Position: Combo Guard “I am most excited to build relationships with our young people.”
Kate Schaefer
PYB School Site: Mary McLeod Bethune Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA College/ Profession: Temple University Major: Recreational Therapy B-ball Position: Captain of the cheering section “I am most excited to meet all the kids and make new friends in a fun, educational environment.”
An Interview with PYB Co-Founder and Program Director: Eric Worley
Eric Worley is a staple in the Philadelphia Basketball Community and a vital member of the PYB Team. As a co-founder of the organization and the Director of Programming, Eric has an intense passion for the game and an innate awareness of the need in PYB programming...
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