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 – Director of Development
Diana Venezia has served as PYB’s Director of Development, formerly 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 finished up her graduate degree at Temple University where she studied Sport Business.
Patrick McGuire – Marketing & Special Events Coordinator
Pat McGuire joins PYB bringing 8+ years of marketing experience to our ever-expanding development efforts. Pat currently leads up all of PYB’s marketing and special events efforts. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pat earned his BA in Communications from Villanova University in the spring of 2011. He started his career with an engagement marketing agency, Engine Shop, in NYC and later Atlanta, creating, producing, and executing consumer engagement strategies throughout the country for numerous global brands. After six years at Engine Shop, he followed his passion for sports and education into youth sports performance coaching in pursuit of a more meaningful career. He offers his valuable work experience coupled with a passion for social justice and to the PYB team and feels humbled by the opportunity to change lives every day.
Kyle Lafferty – Program & Human Resources Manager
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.
Max Raiken – Marketing & Development Coordinator
Max Raiken is a marketing and public relations professional who works for PYB in the capacity of Marketing & Development Coordinator. Heiling from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Max attended Bishop Eustace Preparatory School followed by Saint Joseph’s University where he received a degree in marketing from their Haub School of Business. He has executed the planning and execution of a number of high-profile events and dynamic fundraising campaigns, including both the 1st and 2nd Annual Game Time Gala. In his free time he enjoys hanging out with his friends, taking trips to the shore, and cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Randy Butler – Manager of Programming
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.
Courtney Stewart – Fund Development Coordinator
Born in Burlington, NJ, Courtney Stewart earned a B.A. in American Studies from Ursinus College and her M.A. in American Studies from Stockton University. She grew up playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse and played women’s lacrosse at Ursinus. Her experience as a student-athlete has driven her to work as a substitute teacher and peer mentor, and have influenced her desire to give back through coaching youth lacrosse and basketball. Courtney brings with a strong background in grant writing and grant making, having previously served as a gift officer at Philadelphia Foundation.
Nahijee Cross – Marketing & Fund Development Associate
Fresh off of a break from college, Nahijee Cross joined the professional world to develop work skills only built through extensive experience. Raised in the Monmouth County area of New Jersey, Nahijee graduated from Monmouth Regional High School in 2016 as a three-sport Varsity athlete. Nahijee briefly attended Norfolk State University upon graduation as a DNIMAS Scholar, majoring in Mathematics. He transferred to Chestnut Hill College the fall semester of 2017, and is currently a student at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). Nahijee hopes to develop a career in multimedia and eventually start his own production company, centered around raising money for nonprofit organizations. In his time with PYB, he has grown from Intern to Associate, writing many winning grants, handling social media, and ultimately helping form PYB’s image through his creative creations.
Glyn Braun – Community Mobilization Coordinator
Glynis Braun is thrilled to serve the PYB team as their Community Mobilization Coordinator. Born and raised in the Northwood section of Northeast Philadelphia, Glynis attended Quaker schools from grades K-12 before becoming a proud Tar Heel. Upon graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2018 with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Social and Economic Justice, she worked for over two years at Girls on the Run of Southeastern Suburban PA as their Community Outreach Coordinator. Glynis finds that working for a physical activity-based, positive youth development program is always rewarding and never boring, especially in her beloved hometown. Go Heels and Go PYB!
Adia Wilson – Finance & Operations Coordinator
Adia Wilson is PYB’s Finance & Operations Coordinator. A graduate of Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management with a B.S of Sport and Recreation Management concentrating on Governance and Policy, Adia has always loved sports despite never participating as an athlete. Before joining PYB, Adia worked with the Philadelphia Union and Temple Owl Club. A Montclair native and lifelong Jersey girl, Adia loves Philadelphia and decided to stay in the city after graduation. In her free time, Adia is an avid reader and loves to cook and try new foods
Partheev Shah – Chief Operating Officer
Partheev has been a loyal supporter for PYB’s for over 5 years and stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer in January 2021. He is a versatile leader with nearly 15 years of experience scaling data-driven solutions in the areas of education, economic mobility, and community empowerment. He specializes in supporting growth-focused ventures with strategic planning, redesigning business models, new product launches, and talent management. Formerly, Partheev also served as a member of the grantmaking team at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and as a management consultant in Huron Consulting Group’s higher education and healthcare practice. Partheev earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
Zoe Braccia – Fund Development Associate
Raised in Philadelphia, Zoe earned her B.A. in English Honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. A Central High School graduate (275!), she has experience writing, editing, and conducting research for a variety of organizations, including her high school and college newspapers, an academic publishing house, a rare book and special collections museum, and a literary-based nonprofit. She loves storytelling, and is most passionate about bringing forward the stories, lives, and individuals that have so far remained at the margins of history — for example, she wrote her senior thesis at UPenn on the invisible labor of women in the publishing industry at the turn of the 19th century in Philadelphia. At PYB, Zoe applies her love for the written word and her commitment to social justice to grant writing, content curation, and research.
Happy 4th Birthday, PYB! A word from our President & CEO
Dear Friends of PYB, June 1, 2019, marks the beginning of the 5th year of operations for Philadelphia Youth Basketball, and we are proud to report that the start-up phase of building a robust and relevant organization has been achieved. This foundational work, which...