Meet the Team
Patrick Sherlock
Executive Director
Patrick Sherlock is responsible for all daily operations of the Fairmount CDC and the implementation of our Strategic Plan and neighborhood plans.
Patrick is passionate about Philadelphia's evolution as a more equitable, accessible and inclusive city. Prior to Fairmount CDC, Patrick worked to support growing communities as a project and partnership manager for 15 years, with the William Penn Foundation and Campus Philly. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and enjoys local restaurant recommendations, running the city's parks and trails, coaching ultimate Frisbee and watching basketball. Patrick and his partner live in Fishtown.
Meredith Ellison
Community Business Advocate
Meredith is the Community Business Advocate at Fairmount CDC. She works to build relationships and create community with local businesses, with a specific focus on the West Girard business district.
Before joining Fairmount CDC, Meredith served as the Community Building Liaison at Feast of Justice food pantry in Northeast Philadelphia. She is a graduate of Northwestern University where she studied history. In her free time, Meredith enjoys musical theater, watching sports, and running on the Schuylkill River Trail. She is proud to call Fairmount home.
Jessie Marushak
Communications Manager
Jessie is the founder and CEO of
7C Communications, a Marketing agency located in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. Jessie assists the Fairmount CDC in all of its marketing and communications efforts.
Named one of Bucks County’s top 40 Under 40, honoring today's most dynamic individuals who shine in our communities, Jessie is a highly innovative, creative storyteller. From Wall Street to nonprofits, she has crafted engaging narratives to create opportunities for individuals, corporations and community members to generate positive change. In her free time, she loves volunteering, singing, and exploring the Art Museum District.
The Board
Heidi Siegel
Board President
Heidi has been part of the FCDC Board since early 2017 and was elected Board President in November, 2020.
Heidi is a communication professional providing guidance on brand and reputation management, digital/social media and strategic communication to a variety of public, private, non-profit and political organizations. She resides with her family and their dog in the Spring Garden section of Philadelphia, and has lived in and around the Art Museum District for nearly 30 years. She currently serves as Home & School president for Central High School, is on the advisory board for the Philadelphia Writing Project, and previously served on the board of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, as board president of Friends of Eastern State Penitentiary Park (FESPP) and as Home & School president for Bache-Martin Elementary school. Heidi has a journalism degree from Temple University and is an elected committee person in Philadelphia’s 15th Ward.
Eric Moore
Vice President
Eric is an agent with Elfant Wissahickon Realtors where, alongside his residential sales, he has worked on several interesting projects for local entrepreneurs including Ursa Bakery and CP Lighting. Before he got into real estate Eric was a founding partner and chief technology officer at TLA Entertainment Group which originally operated the Theater of the Living Arts as a repertory arthouse cinema from 1981-87 and the Roxy Screening Rooms as well, later they opened a highly successful six-store chain of video rental stores (TLA Video), sold DVDs online and founded the Philadelphia Film Society to operate the Philadelphia Film Festival and Queerfest. A life-long Philadelphian, Eric grew up in University City, spent 10 years in Bella Vista, and has lived in Fairmount since 1994.
Danny Hosein
Secretary
Danny joined the Fairmount CDC board and was elected Secretary in January 2023. He is an attorney for a children's health system and specializes in mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and commercial contracting. Danny is also an elected committee person in the 15th Ward. While earning his law degree from Penn Law, Danny served a term as the Graduate Student Representative on the WXPN Policy Board. Before his legal career, Danny worked in the federal government and the nonprofit sector on issues including conservation and outdoor recreation, government contracting, skilled volunteerism, and foreign policy. Danny lives in Fairmount with his wife, Suzi, daughter, Ellie, and dog.
Dena Epstein
Treasurer
Dena Epstein has been a Philadelphia resident since childhood and has lived and worked in the Art Museum District for most of her career. As the owner of Lather Hair Studio and a hairstylist for 18 years, she takes pride in serving this community. When she is not in the salon, she is an educator, training other stylists and salons in the area. After growing her business and eventually moving it into a larger location on Girard Avenue, she has learned what it takes to sustain a small business in this neighborhood. In joining the CDC board, Dena hopes to contribute her experience to other entrepreneurs, promote other small businesses and drive more opportunities to create a unique culture in this community.
Nyron N. Crawford, Ph.D.
Director
Nyron N. Crawford, Ph.D., is a neighborhood resident and an Assistant Professor of Political Science and a faculty fellow in the Public Policy Lab (PPL) at Temple University. He was previously a lecturer and visiting scholar at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). Crawford received his doctorate (and M.A.) in Political Science from The Ohio State University and has a B.A. in the same discipline from Howard University. Outside of his formal work, he has more than a decade of experience facilitating outdoor and adventure-based recreation programs for a variety of organizations, including the Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Hale Reservation, and the Great Hollow Wilderness School.
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Jeanine H. Dankoff
Director
Jeanine Dankoff has been a resident of Philadelphia since arriving here in 2002. An enthusiastic member of each Philadelphia neighborhood where she has lived, Jeanine has served on the boards of the Friends of Eastern State Penitentiary Park and the Overbrook Farms Club. As a partner at Berman Indictor LLP, Jeanine represents developers and public housing authorities in the context of affordable housing and community development. Jeanine raises her son, Theo, and daughter, Noa, alongside their dad in the Francisville neighborhood. In her spare time, Jeanine trains in powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting, and nurtures an amateurish photography hobby.
Shawn Duff
Director
Shawn is a project manager and estimator for Carr & Duff, an electrical and utility contractor in the tri-state area based out of Huntingdon Valley and Philadelphia, PA. Shawn manages various types of electrical construction projects, including medium voltage distribution systems; commercial, institutional and industrial projects; wireless communication systems; transportation projects; and exterior and roadway lighting projects. Shawn also serves on several committees for the Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Shawn has been a resident of Fairmount since 2011, and he and his wife, Cortney, have two sons Jack and Joe.
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Patrick Griffin
Director - Fairmount Civic Association Rep
Patrick is the proud husband and father of three who aspires to work with his neighbors to make Philadelphia a great place to raise a family. Patrick is on the boards of the Fairmount Civic Association (Secretary) and the St. Francis Xavier School Board (Chair), along with the CDC, as well as being an enthusiastic Philadelphia sports fan.
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Aaron Kelley
Director
Aaron Kelley is the Director of Government Affairs at the Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). In this role, Aaron interacts closely with local, state, and federal elected officials to advance the organization’s legislative goals. Aaron first moved to Philadelphia in 2014 to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a BA in Political Science and an MPA from Penn’s Fels Institute of Government. Aaron moved to Fairmount in 2018 and quickly fell in love with all that the neighborhood has to offer. Aaron is excited to help the CDC foster continued improvement and economic development in the neighborhood.
Geni Klein
Director - Fairmount Civic Association Rep
Having begun her career as a retail stock broker at Merrill Lynch in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Geni then managed fixed income portfolios in the banking industry. Geni moved to Philadelphia in early 1980s as an institutional salesperson specializing in municipal bonds and short term securities until 2012. She later became a Business Engagement Specialist. Her duties included seeking employers who would hire unemployed Philadelphia residents and provide them with on-the-job training. Geni is also on the board of The English Speaking Union. ESU is a non-profit educational charity that employs the English language to foster global understanding and good will through educational opportunities and cultural exchange programs.
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Erin Roark
Director
Erin is an architect whose practice spans over two decades with building types including educational, cultural, housing, and residential projects in which she has had integral roles on numerous award-winning projects. She is a Senior Associate at WRT and an active member of the AIA Philadelphia Urban Design Committee and the AIA Philadelphia EDI Committee. She is on the Steering Committee for the AIA + GBCA and JADE-PHL, the Justice Alliance for Design Education in Philadelphia.
Erin holds a BA in Architecture and a minor in American Literature from Lehigh University and a M.Arch. from the University of Pennsylvania.
She and her husband moved to Fairmount in 2016 and enjoy the local museums, restaurants, runs along the Schuylkill, and spending time with new neighbors.
Brooke Rothman
Director - Fairmount Civic Association Rep
Brooke Rothman is the Patient Advocacy Experience Lead at Spark Therapeutics, where she leads programming that connects employees to experiences of individuals and patients living with rare or genetic diseases. Brooke was previously the Manager of the Patient & Family Experience team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) where she leveraged family feedback to develop and implement strategies and initiatives to improve the patient and family experience across CHOP. In prior roles, Brooke was a Research Associate at Branch Associates, where she conducted qualitative research and evaluation for social programs and she worked on studies that investigated barriers to healthcare access for Philadelphia families while at PolicyLab at CHOP.
Outside of work, in addition to serving as a representative of the Fairmount Civic Association on the Fairmount Community Development Corporation Board, she is also a Board Member of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. She enjoys biking around the city and nearby trails, her bowling team, and navigating new parenthood. She has lived in Philly since 2008, and in the Fairmount neighborhood since 2016 with her husband and son. She earned her Master’s degree in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.
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Koko Williamson
Director
Koko Williamson is a native Philadelphia who resides in Brewerytown and loves her neighborhood. Koko attended Temple Fox School of Business and received her certification in Construction Management and Real Estate. She owns an affordable home improvement business called Jeenie Concierge, LLC and previously owned and operated the award-winning coffee shop and teahouse Crimson Moon in Rittenhouse Square. Koko is the Block Captain for 3000 W Stiles Street and her goal is to bridge long term and new residents to help develop a better community. Koko is very passionate about outdoor activities, plants/flowers, animals, world traveling, and learning about new people, places, and cultures!