2025 Karr Barth Equitable Force for Good Award Honorees
Jim Degnan
Jason Duckworth
Nanie Flaherty
Susan Fleming
Peggy Greenawalt
Jim Degnan
Jim has dedicated his career to improving educational outcomes for all students. He has focused on understanding and addressing complex educational challenges, drawing on his expertise in research and statistical analysis. His work has spanned national and local reform initiatives, always aiming to ensure that educational opportunities are robust and accessible.
Jim’s work extends beyond the classroom. He has served as a trusted advisor to numerous organizations and initiatives focused on improving educational outcomes. He has played a pivotal role in developing and implementing innovative programs that leverage data to inform policy decisions and ensure accountability for student progress. His work has been instrumental in evaluating the effectiveness of school reform initiatives, ensuring that they are grounded in evidence and designed to meet the needs of diverse learners.
As Senior Director for Measurement and Institutional Research at Temple University, Jim played a key role in shaping the university's approach to data-driven decision-making. He was deeply involved in the university's efforts to improve student retention and graduation rates, and was instrumental in developing and implementing a comprehensive assessment system to track student progress and identify areas for improvement.
Since his retirement from Temple University, Jim continues his dedication to education, serving as an advisor to Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that provides educational opportunities and support to low-income students, and FAIMER, an international organization that helps medical educators insure excellence in health care.
Jason Duckworth
Jason is a real estate developer and civic leader committed to building better communities and expanding opportunities for young people. He is the owner and President of Arcadia Land Company, a Philadelphia-based developer of “walkable communities in harmony with nature.”
For 12 years, Jason has been an active member of the Board of Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia. While serving as chair of the board, Jason guided the organization through its re-combination with Germantown Friends School, recruited several new board members and was involved with individual and foundation fundraising. Jason is particularly inspired by Breakthrough’s innovative model, where older students teach younger students. "The secret to Breakthrough," he says, "is that middle schoolers see that learning is cool through the eyes of energetic near-peer Teaching Fellows."
Jason firmly believes Breakthrough offers the most leveraged educational investment in Philadelphia. “Every dollar yields two returns—middle schoolers are set on a path to college success, and college Teaching Fellows are set on a path to classroom teaching,” he explains. Jason admires Breakthrough’s nimble, low-overhead model that keeps the focus on the Scholars and Teaching Fellows.
Jason’s work at Breakthrough Philadelphia was inspired by his mother, Sharon Parker, a lifelong public school educator and his wife, Angela Duckworth, who co-founded Breakthrough Boston. In his next life, Jason is going to be a teacher.
Nanie Flaherty
Nanie has a Ph.D. in psychology from the New School for Social Research. She first worked in the management consulting field on federal, state and local public health projects; Nanie was a founding editor of the professional journal Evaluation and Program Planning. For the past three decades Nanie worked with children (and their families) from Kindergarten through college age, doing comprehensive assessments in order to understand and support the developmental, cognitive and emotional issues impeding progress. She found great satisfaction in helping young people overcome obstacles and succeed in life. Nanie was Director of Assessment at the Bryn Mawr College Child Study Institute, and is a past President of the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (PBIDA). This professional work with children and families inspired her interest in Breakthrough.
Nanie became involved with Breakthrough more than a decade ago, serving on the Board for most of this period. One of her major efforts has been co-chairing the annual Breakthrough Breakfast of Champions, a warm and joyous celebration of the Breakthrough students and Teaching Fellows.
Why Breakthrough? Because children and young people are our country’s greatest resource, and we ignore that at our peril. Because an adult who is truly interested in a student, who listens to them carefully, who asks them questions, who shows interest in their answers, who looks them in the eye while conversing, and who consistently supports their efforts, makes a positive difference in that student’s life---and what could be more important?
Susan Fleming
Susan feels lucky to have attended excellent public schools: elementary school in New York City, junior high in Mt. Lebanon, PA, and high school in Rocky River, OH, near Cleveland. She graduated from Beaver College (now Arcadia University) and after several years also received her M.Ed there.
Susan was a middle school English teacher in North Philadelphia for five years before having children. During much of that time she felt ill-equipped to handle classes of 30-35 kids who were not much younger than she was. Fortunately she was mentored by Mary Smith, a master teacher, but thinks that her first full year of teaching wouldn't have been so fraught had she been trained in a program like Breakthrough in advance of that experience. Training teachers in classroom management, lesson planning, and getting the lay of the land before the beginning of classes, helps make the BT summer experience so valuable.
Susan became aware of Summerbridge (now Breakthrough) through her connection with Peggy Greenawalt when they co-chaired the GFS Craft Show in 1990. For nine years, mostly under Dick Wade's tenure, Susan simultaneously served on the Breakthrough Board and the GFS School Committee. During that time, she helped establish the Breakthrough Breakfast of Champions, now one of Breakthrough's major fundraisers. She truly appreciates her many like-minded friends who help to financially support the program.
Susan and her husband Rob have three college-age grandchildren and five younger grandchildren.
Peggy Greenawalt
Peggy grew up in a small hotel in Saratoga, NY. She graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Columbia University Graduate School of Business. She was hired by Citibank where, over 20 years, her responsibilities included streamlining and automating various back-office departments, product management, new product development, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a subsidiary. Peggy joined the financial software consulting firm, Monchick-Weber, as CFO and Division Head and managed the sale of this company to McGraw Hill.
Peggy has lived in four cities: New York City, Los Angeles, St. Louis and, finally, Philadelphia. Each has offered the opportunity to meet new friends and explore the city. In Philadelphia, Peggy was an active board member of the Wilma Theater, Center for Bioethics, U. Penn, Philadelphia International Theater Festival for Children, and Germantown Friends School.
Peggy’s primary interest has always been educational. She believes teachers are the key to raising the educational aspirations of students. From Julie Frieberg and Dick Wade, she learned about Breakthrough (i.e., Summerbridge), a program that produces teachers who stay in teaching and mitigates summer learning loss in students. Peggy joined the team 30 years ago to bring Breakthrough to Philadelphia. It is with enormous pride that she acknowledges her son, Matt, was a Breakthrough Teaching Fellow, became a teacher and, since moving to Philly, has joined the Breakthrough summer team as a Dean of Faculty.
Personally, Peggy’s education is travel. She’s been to 60+ countries – hiking, scuba diving, and
exploring. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness” (Mark Twain).