ADVISORY COUNCIL
Our Advisory Council is a group dedicated to the mission of Open Connections and serve as resources for the Board of Directors, Facilitators, and Administration.
AMY JOHNSON
Amy is the Director of Agriculture for Greener Partners, a non-profit farming organization offering educational programming with the goal of inspiring community members of all ages to experience fresh, local food, igniting healthy eating habits for life. She founded Red Hill Farm, a 120 member Community Supported Agriculture farm in Aston, PA where she worked as Farm Director growing food and community for nearly 8 years. Since 2013, she has sat on Media Borough Council where she serves as liaison for the Environmental Advisory, Fair Trade, Shade Tree and Farmers Market committees. Amy is mom to two life-long learners, one currently at OC and one OC graduate.
DYLAN ATKINS
Dylan is a Certified Financial Planner® and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®. He first started his professional career at Merrill Lynch in 1998. Five years into his career he earned a Finance & Accounting Certificate from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. A strong believer in the value of lifelong learning, Dylan continues to expand his knowledge base, earning certifications to sharpen his skills with his clients’ needs in mind. As a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, Dylan works with people who are inclined to give back on how to leverage and get the most out of their gifts, both for themselves and for the 501(c)3 nonprofit charities for which they are passionate. Dylan is involved in many organizations in his community, serving on Boards (including Delaware County Community College) and various Advisory Councils, helping to strengthen community connections. Dylan’s passions include food, travel, trying to leave the world a better place than he found it, and spending time with his family: wife Patti and daughters, Kailey and Samantha.
Lee Wisdom
Lee is the mother of 2 boys, a homeschooler, and a former preschool teacher and child care provider. She serves as the president of the Downingtown Area School District board of directors and is a member of the Cultural Equity Task Force. She also heads the Uwchlan Township Historical Commission as their chairperson.
Lee feels passionate about ensuring that young people get what they need to thrive in an environment that is conducive to their individual learning. Equity and diversity and a focus on mental health and life/work balance are important aspects of this plan.
Lee loves traveling, reading, yoga, spending time outdoors, and adventures of every kind. It is her philosophy that education, connection, and community are gifts we offer each other and choose to accept for ourselves every day. Lee and her family have been part of the OC Community since 2014.
Lee feels passionate about ensuring that young people get what they need to thrive in an environment that is conducive to their individual learning. Equity and diversity and a focus on mental health and life/work balance are important aspects of this plan.
Lee loves traveling, reading, yoga, spending time outdoors, and adventures of every kind. It is her philosophy that education, connection, and community are gifts we offer each other and choose to accept for ourselves every day. Lee and her family have been part of the OC Community since 2014.
Madeleine Kunda
Madeleine is an old-time OCer along with her younger sister, Olivia. She attended programming from age 12 through graduation in 2010. Madeleine lives with her sister and fiancé in Telluride, CO, where she runs a marketing & technology company specializing in digital advertising, web & graphic design, app development and software integration. Before entering the marketing sphere Madeleine dabbled in illustration and publishing at which point she launched the children’s book, The Wish of Wishes with childhood friend and long-time co-OCer, Liam Snead. Every weekend in the winter Madeleine still works on ski patrol at the Telluride Ski Resort where she satiates her eternal love of adventure, adrenaline, physicality and the great outdoors.
MEG GERRITY
Meg is an experienced journalist and lawyer as well as a parent of two OC graduates. Meg’s undergraduate degree is in journalism with an emphasis in advertising and public relations. Among other applications, she has put her journalism degree to use with marketing and publicity for a variety of non-profit organizations over the years including Facetime Theatre and Open Connections.
Meg practiced law in the San Francisco Bay area for 17 years working in just about every area of the law, making her a rare “generalist” lawyer. That pattern has continued in her legal editing jobs, where she must work across a wide variety of topics. Most recently Meg has worked with Thomson Reuters and with the AccessLex Institute, editing legal publications and curriculum.
After moving to PA in 2000, Meg’s main focus was devoted to homeschooling her youth, nurturing their creativity and supporting them on their non-traditional learning paths after which they both went to college and beyond.
Meg practiced law in the San Francisco Bay area for 17 years working in just about every area of the law, making her a rare “generalist” lawyer. That pattern has continued in her legal editing jobs, where she must work across a wide variety of topics. Most recently Meg has worked with Thomson Reuters and with the AccessLex Institute, editing legal publications and curriculum.
After moving to PA in 2000, Meg’s main focus was devoted to homeschooling her youth, nurturing their creativity and supporting them on their non-traditional learning paths after which they both went to college and beyond.
Natalie Pedersen
Natalie is a tenured member of the faculty at Drexel’s LeBow College of Business, where she is the Head of the Legal Studies Department and teaches business law, entrepreneurial law and employment law. She focuses her scholarship on employment law, employment discrimination and implicit bias. Prior to teaching at Drexel, she was an associate at Ballard Spahr. Natalie and her family have been a part of the OC Community since 2014; her three young people have attended or are currently attending OC.
NICK (PIE) FALTEICH
Pie is a life-long OCer, (he started at OC at age 4 and graduated from OC in 2017). Having never stepped foot in a traditional school setting, he is a perfect example of how the liberty afforded by open education helps people discover their true passion and use that to to create opportunities. He got his first job as a caddy at a private country club at the age of 13 and progressed to management by age 20. He has held jobs (many simultaneously) in multiple different industries without ever having completed an application or submitting a resume. He embodies OC’s belief in Natural Learning, and exhibits his commitment to collaboration, real work, and pro-social interactions on a daily basis.
NORA GILLERN
Nora first joined the OC Community as a young person in 2004 and spent eight happy years at OC before graduating in 2012. Nora currently lives in Manhattan where she is an Account Manager for 24 Seven Talent, a job which allows her to pursue her passion for the beauty industry and knowledge of the creative and retail fields by partnering with companies around the world and matching them to their ideal employees. This venture was preceded by years of working in retail stores within the beauty industry, most recently as the General Training Manager of Bluemercury in New York.
Tommy Neilson
Tommy spent seven years attending Open Connections before graduating in 2013. After graduating, Tommy attended Eastern University in St. David's Pennsylvania where he received degrees in Youth Ministry and Psychology, graduating in 2017. Tommy spent two years in Wilmington, DE completing service years with AmeriCorps. During this time he was a tutor, teacher's aide, and supervisor at an inner city middle school. Tommy was the co-director for a summer camp for several years before taking his current job as a Training Programs Assistant at Beck Institute. Tommy lives in Philadelphia and among other activities enjoys spending time with his many nieces and nephews, some of whom currently attend OC.
