History

Summer Search Philadelphia is the latest addition to the Summer Search family of offices. In November 2006, we opened downtown at 1616 Walnut Street, where we have been generously hosted through a partnership with the Children’s Scholarship Fund.

We are currently conducting our first round of student interviews for the inaugural class of sophomores. This pioneering group of students will then begin their personal oddessey of positive change through weekly mentoring sessions and then their first summer trips. We’d like to thank all of our partners and supporters who are helping Summer Search to take root in the Philadelphia area.

Staff

Wendy Epstein, Executive Director
Audrey Flattes, Program Director
Mary Miceli, Program Associate
Joni Roberson, Program Associate

Wendy Epstein , Executive Director
Prior to joining Summer Search, Wendy Epstein worked as an independent consultant providing fundraising, marketing and management services to nonprofit organizations in the fields of arts, education, youth development, social justice, health and human services.  Before establishing her consulting practice in 1991, Wendy was Senior Executive for the Philadelphia based consulting firm of McPherson, Schultz & Associates (now Schultz & Williams), Chief Fundraiser for Allyson Schwartz for State Senate in 1990 (now Congresswomen Schwartz), and Director of Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). Wendy started her career in nonprofit administration at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.  Wendy currently serves on the board of directors of Philadelphia Young Playwrights and is co-chair of the Public Education Advocacy Group at Congregation Mishkan Shalom.  She holds a Bachelors  Degree jointly from Rutgers University and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and a Certificate in Executive Leadership from the Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute at the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

Audrey Flattes, Program Director
As a Summer Search Boston alumna, Audrey participated in Concordia Language Village Spanish Immersion program in 2001 and the following summer participated in Northfield Mount Hermon's study abroad program in Spain. She attended New Mission High School in Boston, and went on to graduate from Bryn Mawr College with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science in 2005. After training for six months in the Boston office, Audrey was thrilled to move to Philadelphia to open the office and launch Summer Search Philadelphia.

Mary Miceli, Program Associate
Mary graduated from Hope College in 2005 with a degree in business management.  After graduation, Mary joined Teach For America and moved to Philadelphia to begin teaching high school English.  While teaching, Mary coached and served as the English Department Chair at her high school. Also, Mary earned her teaching certificate from the University of Pennsylvania. While in Philadelphia, Mary has been active with Team in Training and serves on the Local Advisory Board for National Student Partnerships.

Joni Roberson, Program Associate
Joni graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in Politics and Government and Pre-Law (2005). She then joined Teach For America: Philadelphia. She taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade English and Social Studies at the Chester A. Arthur school. During this time, Joni attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned her Masters of Science in Urban Education (2007). She traveled to Chicago as a teacher researcher to present her findings on Critical Literacy, at the 2007 American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference. As an alum, Joni is currently representing Teach For America as a Corps Area Representative (CAR) for the Philadelphia region. Joni joined Summer Search as a Program Associate in 2007.