Craig Getting

Posted: Monday, September 22

Director of Development

Craig has spent his entire career working as an artist, educator, and fundraiser in the Philadelphia region. He spent over a decade with Lantern Theater Company, where he taught in and later ran education programs that empowered youth to tell their own stories, equipped educators with tools to support classroom learning, and fostered community among budding healthcare professionals. Most recently, he served as the Executive Leader of Advancement at Appel Farm Arts & Music Center, leading fundraising efforts for innovative programs such as Appel Farm Arts Camp. As a kid, he played the trumpet in every band program his school offered, which instilled in him  a lifelong love of music and collaboration. He looks to forward to supporting POP’s efforts to help Philly youth embark on their own musical journeys!

Reil Abashera

Posted: Monday, September 22

Program Coordinator, Impact Charter School West

Reil is a West Philly native, first-generation Sudanese-American and lifelong musician committed to expanding access to music education. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she studied Political Science with minors in Music and Africana Studies.
Reil has played cello for over 13 years, performing with ensembles like Musicopia and the All City High School Orchestra. In college, she provided free private lessons and supported arts programs in West Philadelphia schools through the Netter Center. She also interned with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, supporting collective impact initiatives in housing and education.
Now, as Program Coordinator at ICS West, Reil is excited to combine her passion for music, youth programming, and community engagement to help create a joyful, inclusive environment for students and families at Play On Philly.

Jonathan Savage

Posted: Tuesday, September 2

Director

Jonathan C. Savage serves as a Vice President for Pennoni Associates where he is responsible for the oversight and management of the Business Development Team, development of new business accounts and opportunities, as well as for overseeing the development and implementation of the firm’s international business opportunities. 

Jonathan is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University (BS in Geography), with expertise in land use planning, strategic growth, landscape architecture, grant writing, financial analysis, and economic development.  Mr. Savage has significant financial experience in the development of regional, national, and international business projects throughout his career, including public leadership positions for the State of New Jersey, Cumberland County NJ, and Delaware County PA, as well as the private sector. Mr. Savage is a former elected official and has served in a variety of community leadership positions, including President of the Ewing Township (NJ) School Board (2002-2011), and the Ewing Township Public Education Foundation (1997-2002). Mr. Savage has previously served as the President of the Ewing Presbyterian Church and was also an elected member of the Penn State Alumni Association Council and is currently serving his 2nd term (2022-2025).

Mr. Savage is a singer-songwriter, and acoustic/electric guitar player who regularly performs as a solo artist in his own rock band, typically for community fundraisers and regional music festivals. He has published four albums of original songs, and is currently completing his fifth album. 

Kennedy Chizek

Posted: Thursday, March 6

Program Coordinator, St. Francis de Sales

Kennedy Chizek is a dedicated professional from Omaha, Nebraska with over a decade of experience working for public schools and nonprofit organizations. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to empowering youth voices and fostering community development. Kennedy’s work with organizations such as Omaha Girls Rock has shown her passion for helping young people build confidence, leadership skills, musicality, and create positive social change. She has been teaching music since 2015, with a background in guitar, bass, and drums. In September of 2024, Kennedy joined POP as an Exploratory Teacher, helping our youngest students build the foundations of music. She looks forward to growing with Play on Philly and continuing to advocate for her new community in Philadelphia, driven by a vision of inclusive and equitable opportunities for all youth in music!

Oliver Ryder

Posted: Thursday, February 6

Development Manager

Originally from New South Wales, Australia, Oliver has been working in a combination of cooperate and non-profit project management roles since moving to Philadelphia. He has a passion for fundraising and has supported events around the city for organizations such as The Welcoming Center, the Associated Services for the Blind, Visit Philadelphia, and more. Oliver also served on the leadership team for TEDxPhiladelphia 2019, where he researched, recruited, and provided presentation coaching for speakers at the 2019 conference. Before joining Play On Philly, Oliver worked as a Project Manager at Vanguard where he produced national marketing campaigns that focused on highlighting the stories of Vanguard’s clients. Now that he is with POP, Oliver is excited to bring his love for serving local communities to the table.

Tim Roe

Posted: Friday, January 3

Director

Tim’s passion lies in helping early-stage companies navigate growth from 0-1 and tackle significant challenges. With 15 years of experience in finance, venture capital, and company building, he brings operational know-how and empathy for acting on big ideas. Tim graduated with a degree in finance from Temple University and is a proud owl. He started playing the drums in 5th grade in a rock band and then joined the school marching band and orchestra in the percussion section. He enjoys outdoor adventures, traveling, and learning guitar during his downtime. One of his favorite quotes is “No one was ever wise by chance,” from Stoic philosopher Seneca.

Diego Villamil Gómez

Posted: Friday, October 11

Director of Education

Diego Villamil Gómez is a violinist who is devoted to teaching, especially young artists. He believes in the transformative role of music in the improvement of social justice. He is currently the Director of Education at Play On Philly. Before that, Diego was the Orchestra Teacher at New Brunswick Middle School and adjunct faculty at Rowan University. In addition to his teaching activities within the United States, Diego was violin lecturer at the Escuela Superior de Música of UJED (México) and chamber music coordinator at the Austria Music Festival. He also has been invited to collaborate with Colombian organizations that strive for social impact through music such as Batuta and Alla Corda. Diego is also an active performer who has served as concertmaster in several ensembles including The Center City Chamber Orchestra (Philadelphia), the Vienna Summer Music Festival Orchestra, UNT Concert Orchestra, USM Symphony Orchestra, and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of Colombia. As a baroque violinist, Diego was principal violin and soloist for the UNT Baroque Orchestra and Fantasmi Baroque Ensemble and played with the baroque ensembles of the Dallas area, including American Baroque Opera Co. and the Orchestra of New Spain. Diego holds a B.A in violin performance from the National University of Colombia and M.M in violin performance from the University of Southern Mississippi and Rowan University, and DMA from the University of North Texas. 

Lauren J. Walker

Posted: Monday, March 25

Director

Lauren J. Walker is a Business Affairs Executive at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in New York. In this role, Lauren negotiates commercial endorsement deals for social media offers, client appearances and brand partnerships. Prior to working at CAA, Lauren worked in local government in a number of roles ranging from Special Assistant to the Mayor to Deputy Chief of Staff. In these roles, Lauren worked to increase community coordination efforts between government entities and the communities they served. Prior to working in local government, Lauren served as an Americorps Vista in the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service. Lauren is originally from Philadelphia and attended the Baldwin School and Howard University for both her undergraduate and law school degrees. Lauren is a graduate of Leadership Philadelphia and has an interest in using her skills to enhance the city that she calls home. 

Adam Robinson

Posted: Monday, March 25

Director

Adam Robinson is the Senior Corporate and Government Partnerships Officer for the Museum of the American Revolution. He is a Philadelphian with two decades of local, state, and national experiences building partnerships and engaging diverse stakeholders to drive civic progress. Adam earned an MPA from the University of Pennsylvania, and both a BA in Political Science and a Certificate in Business from the University of Wisconsin. A member of Leadership Philadelphia’s Core Class of 2024, Adam has also served as a Buchholz Fellow with Committee of Seventy. From fourth grade through college, Adam performed as a percussionist in a variety of ensembles, including the University of Wisconsin Jazz Big Band. He also led the Wisconsin Union’s Student Performance Committee and created the University’s first Arts Opportunities Fair.

Dr. Jason Karlawish

Posted: Wednesday, November 15

Director

Jason Karlawish is a professor of medicine, medical ethics and health policy, and neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He was educated at Northwestern University, the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the University of Chicago. He is co-associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and co-director of the Penn Memory Center, where he cares for patients and their families. Dr. Karlawish also directs the Penn Program on Precision Medicine for the Brain (P3MB). A writer, Dr. Karlawish is committed to translating science into society. He’s the author of The Problem of Alzheimer’s: How Science, Culture and Politics Turned a Rare Disease Into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It and the novel Open Wound: The Tragic Obsession of Dr. William Beaumont. His essays on ethics and aging have appeared in publications such as The Hill, The New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, StatNews and The Washington Post. In addition to POP, he serves on the Board of Directors for The Greenwall Foundation, a grant making foundation dedicated to expanding bioethics knowledge to improve clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy and practice.