Karen Schoellkopf is the Founder, CEO of Leap Fund, and a product strategist and end-to-end product lead. She’s worked on projects for Samsung, Target, Verizon, Meetup, Spotify, the American Medical Association, and more, and led Product at VoteRunLead (which trains women to run for office). She launched Hire More Women In Tech in 2014 (making the business case for women in leadership positions in tech), and realnames.online in 2016 (about the dangers of “real name” defaults in social platforms). She received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts, and her BA from Binghamton University. She is a Fellow at Sterling Network, whose mission is to enhance economic mobility across NYC, as well as a Fellow / Member of the Good Work Guild, focused on economic security and labour-market transforming technologies.
She has spoken about benefits cliffs and fintech solutions to policy failures at: Ending Hunger in America: A Conversation about Benefit Cliffs, House Committee on Rules (2021); Benefits21 Leadership Forum, The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (2022); Benefits Cliffs, ECS Forum on Justice and Opportunity (2019, 2020, 2021); Benefits Cliffs w/ a User Centered Lens, CirclesUSA Breakthrough National Conference (2021); Summit on the Economics and Policies of Cliffs in the Social Safety Net and Economic Mobility, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (2019); Fintech Fixes to Policy Problems, NYS CDFI Conference (2019); and Unlocking Underserved Markets panel, Ideas42 Behavioral Summit (2018).
As Senior Director of Housing, Neibert Richards has oversight of ECS’ Rapid Rehousing program, as well as supportive service delivery with a local housing partner.
Neibert joined ECS in 1996 as a foster care social worker. Soon after, Neibert carried the role of program manager, supervising masters-level social work staff, navigating city and government contracts, developing program procedures and manuals, and managing a 3 million dollar foster care budget.
Her range of work also includes providing leadership for ECS’ supportive housing program as Director of Permanent Housing, and facilitating training workshops for Resource parents at the annual Pennsylvania Council Children Youth and Family Services (PCCYFS) conferences in Philadelphia. Collectively, Neibert has a number of years of housing experience and more than 22 years of child welfare experience, working with children, families, and city child welfare agencies.
Neibert completed her undergraduate studies at Albright College, earning a bachelor’s degree in social work in 1995. The following year, she graduated from Temple University Advanced Standing Social Work program with a master’s degree in social work.
Additionally, she holds a number of certificates including a certificate in Trauma Informed Practice from Bryn Mawr University and a certificate in group facilitation from the Department of Human Services Parent Action Network. She is a licensed social worker for the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Mitchell Little is the executive director of the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO), overseeing an annual budget of approximately $37 million. As the Community Action Agency for Philadelphia, CEO seeks to promote economic mobility out of poverty by collectively challenging Philadelphia to pursue policies and initiatives that work to advance economic justice by confronting long-term racial inequities. The agency also acts as a convener and funder, contracting with a wide variety of grantees to advance initiatives in economic mobility, housing security, employment services, and income supports.
As part of the City of Philadelphia’s Pathways to Reform, Transformation, and Reconciliation, Mitch sits on the Executive Committee along with the mayor and managing director to inform the efforts of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, most notably supporting City offices in creating their own equity plans. He has been instrumental in the creation and coordination of new local programs such as Same-Day Work and Pay, COVID-19 relief grants for barbershops and beauty salons, and housing assistance for returning citizens. Under his leadership, CEO has coordinated Philadelphia’s outreach on the expanded Child Tax Credit, which has been nationally recognized as a model, and successfully advocated for the elimination of commissary surcharges and an increase in free communication at county prisons.
