Kadida Kenner is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the New Pennsylvania Project. Kadida is a tireless advocate for social and economic justice issues and is motivated to empower and excite the electorate to enthusiastically vote in every election — all the way down the entire ballot. Kadida has led efforts to stop the passage of a judicial gerrymandering constitutional amendment, raise the minimum wage, fairly fund public education, protect federal courts from problematic judicial nominees, and protect the state courts from extremist attempts to undermine their independence.  

Kadida also serves as co-chair of Why Courts Matter – Pennsylvania, a non-partisan advocacy campaign of the New PA Project Education Fund, seeking to protect the independence of our state and federal courts and educate the electorate about their importance. 

Prior to working in issue advocacy, Kadida was a director, producer, and writer for HBCU sports television programming – both live and scripted television in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia. The Temple University graduate resides in the Philly suburbs and counts civil rights organizing icon, and West Chester, Pennsylvania native Bayard Rustin as one of her civil rights heroes.

Stephanie Frank is the Chief Operating Officer for the New Pennsylvania Project. Stephanie is pleased to bring over 20 years of administrative experience to the NPP team, most recently serving as office manager for the Keystone Research Center and Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. Her dedication to democracy in the commonwealth comes from a combination of deep generational PA roots and over a decade of fighting for systemic policy change at the state government level with KRC: forming the belief that positive change comes from the ground up when all communities, especially those historically disenfranchised, have a voice in their government. Stephanie received an MFA in illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and a BA in studio art with a concentration in biology from Washington and Lee University in Virginia. She resides in Harrisburg with her husband and two dogs.

Katy Personette

Katy Personette is the Chief Development and Grants Officer with the New Pennsylvania Project.

Katy is passionate about advocating for social justice issues and bringing that spark of activism and engagement on policies to folks in Pennsylvania and beyond. Previously, she was the Deputy Director of Campaigns with the PA Budget and Policy Center, focusing on the We The People-PA campaign where she advocated for progressive policies including a fair share tax, adequate and equitable funding for K-12 education, fair housing, and a fair return for work among others by calling for bold action from state lawmakers.

Katy worked with partners and community leaders to organize and build power across the state to win economic justice and build a stronger, healthier, and more just future for all Pennsylvanians.

Katy graduated from Kutztown University where she studied Anthropology and Sociology. After realizing her passion for political activism, she transitioned out of the corporate world and started as a statewide community health organizer for PA Health Access Network. Katy loves baseball, her favorite team being the New York Yankees, Coldplay, and cuddling with her dog Nova.