Andrea G. Kolb, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President & Chief Education Officer

Dr. Andrea G. Kolb has been an educator for over 15 years. She has taught middle school English and grades 4-8 ESL in addition to her work as an instructional coach for teachers supporting English learners in ELA, Science, and Social Studies. Dr. Kolb also spent more than a decade as a teacher education faculty member at Penn State and Arcadia Universities.

At Pennon Education, Dr. Kolb serves as the Multilingual Education Professional Learning Consultant to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and as a Teaching with Primary Sources Instructional Coach with the Library of Congress. Dr. Kolb completed a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on the education of multilingual learners at The Pennsylvania State University, along with an M.Ed. and TESOL certification. She earned a master’s degree in Cultural Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, and bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish at Albright College.

As a bilingual educator, she has led educational programs in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and Kenya. Her most recent publication focuses on teaching history and civics within a culturally and linguistically responsive framework to middle and high school emergent multilingual learners.

Contact Andrea: andrea_kolb@pennon.org | 717.910.2806

Jennifer Eley, M.Ed.

Director of Education

Jennifer Eley has over 16 years of experience as a former kindergarten, 3rd and 5th grade teacher, and an elementary and middle school administrator. Jennifer has had the privilege of serving students in urban, rural, and suburban districts and is passionate about providing all students with high-quality educational experiences. In her most recent role as an Elementary Principal, Jennifer was selected as a member of the National AASA Social Emotional Learning Cohort.

Jennifer’s passion for working collaboratively to best support students has been highlighted through presentations at professional learning conferences such as the Pennsylvania Leadership Summit and most recently the PA Department of Education English Language Development Conference.

One of Jennifer’s most rewarding professional achievements was leading a collaborative effort to secure funding and design a playground for her elementary students. She engaged 3rd and 4th graders in every step of the process, from selecting inclusive equipment that met the needs of all learners to managing budgeting and exploring related career opportunities, fostering a hands-on and impactful educational experience.

Contact Jennifer: jennifer_eley@pennon.org | 717.910.2641

Julia A. Lennox, Ed.D.

Director of Digital Inquiry & Youth Voice

Dr. Julia Lennox has over a decade of experience as a social studies educator and is deeply committed to empowering students through source analysis, digital inquiry, and information literacy.

Dr. Lennox previously taught at Kennett High School, where she developed and implemented a media literacy course designed to help students understand media and critically evaluate online sources. Dr. Lennox completed her Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. As part of her doctoral work, she conducted a case study examining the impact of the media literacy course on students’ abilities to evaluate online sources.

Dr. Lennox is passionate about helping teachers and students navigate the shifting media landscape and integrating information literacy into curricula across all educational levels and disciplines.

Contact Julia: julia_lennox@pennon.org | 717.910.2659

Caitlin Karetas

Elementary Education Program Coordinator

Caitlin Karetas is a graduate of Penn State Harrisburg, where she received her degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Human Development. Since graduating, Caitlin has been working at Pennon Education as the Elementary Education Program Coordinator, creating STEM & inquiry lesson plans.

Caitlin partners with classroom teachers to support student learning through Pennon’s Explore in the Classroom program in addition to designing and leading family and community engagement events, with a particular focus on supporting multilingual learners and their families.

Caitlin is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in language and literacy, and an ESL certification at Millersville University. She has also presented at professional development conferences, including the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s ELD Conference and the Capital Area Intermediate Unit’s creativity conference.

Contact Caitlin: caitlin_karetas@pennon.org | 717.910.2636

Desireé Vaughn, M.Ed.

Elementary Education Program Coordinator

Desireé Vaughn is a passionate lifelong learner, dedicated educator, and music enthusiast. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from UMass Boston.

As an Elementary Education Program Coordinator, she eagerly combines her love for teaching and educational development, collaborating with colleagues to create spark-based lessons and engage in literacy and STEM-focused community events. Desireé has taught both 2nd and 4th grades, and her commitment to supporting children in discovering and developing their unique gifts is at the heart of her “why” as an educator.

Outside of the classroom and her work on new educational initiatives, she enjoys running, reading, and spending quality time with family and friends. She’s also a published music game designer that brings fun, joy, and excitement to music lovers everywhere.

Contact Desireé: desiree_vaughn@pennon.org | 717.910.2632

Jennifer Balda, M.A.

Administrative Coordinator

Jen Balda has been an educator with WITF and Pennon since 2018. She teaches in the Explore in the Classroom program in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades and designs rigorous and fun hands-on learning experiences for our youngest learners! She also designs afterschool and family learning experiences as part of our Kids Night Out and Ready, Set, Explore programs!

Jen is our go-to team member for connecting PBS KIDS to our little explorers, ages 2-5. Before joining WITF and Pennon Education, Jen spent 6 years as a Kindergarten Instructional Aide in a large suburban school district in PA.

Before entering the education field, Jen worked in postsecondary continuing education as well as in research and public policy in Washington, D.C. Did we mention she’s proficient in French? C’est pas cool ça?

Contact Jen: jennifer_balda@pennon.org | 717.910.2610

Ruth J. Keim

Education Project Coordinator

Ruth has been with WITF and Pennon Education for 14 years and is an Education Project Coordinator.

Ruth is famous for coordinating the Central PA Spelling Bee for 26 years, and in 2024 she was honored with the Regional Partner of the Year Award from Scripps National Spelling Bee! Her favorite word is logophile – a person who loves words. And Ruth LOVES words! She champions the spelling bee as an engaging way to grow students’ phonics skills and academic vocabulary, two key components of successful reading instruction.

Ruth is also the co-star of our new bilingual children’s series, Tia’s Travels | Los Viajes de Tiara Flora, as Tia’s favorite neighbor. When Ruth is not in her educator role, she channels her creativity into nurturing plants and running her own floral design business.

Contact Ruth: ruth_keim@pennon.org | 717.910.2975

Kiara Camacho

Bilingual Education Project Coordinator

From Puerto Rico, Kiara is bilingual in Spanish and English and leverages her rich experiences as a bilingual learner to support educators, families, and students who are navigating new and expanding linguistic and cultural landscapes.

Kiara’s passion for social studies, high-quality multilingual education, and content creation led her to become an “accidental” TikTok phenomenon, and her show gave way to the creation of Pennon Education’s first original character – Tiara “Tia” Flora! The first series of Tia’s fully animated show, Tia’s Travels | Los Viajes de Tiara Flora, will release this school year! And you can find Tia visiting some of her favorite places around the neighborhood and appearing at community events all year long.

Kiara is a passionate educator and advocate for all learners, and works tirelessly to ensure all learners have access to high-quality educational experiences.

Contact Kiara: kiara_camacho@pennon.org | 717.910.2630