Annual Kickoff
Join Impact100 Philadelphia to celebrate the start of our 15th anniversary of high-impact, collective giving
SEPTEMBER 20, 6-8pm
Center for Architecture and Design, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Nearby parking (Philadelphia Convention Center) and public transportation (13th St. subway station and Jefferson Station)
Light fare and a cash bar available (cash preferred).
Attire is smart casual.
At the event:
- Connect with other women who are committed to making a difference in the Philadelphia region;
- Learn how to get involved with Impact100, from committees to events to grantmaking;
- Reflect on our astounding collective giving over the past 15 years, with a focus on educational causes;
- And listen to an esteemed panel of past grant recipients, led by award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak.
Register now
To help grow our membership and increase our giving potential, members are encouraged to invite friends and guests to attend this exciting and informative event!
Make your 2024 membership gift now!
Our guests:
Moderator Tracey Matisak is an award-winning journalist, a dynamic speaker and trainer, and a seasoned program host. With many years of major market television and radio experience, Tracey has anchored numerous special projects for WHYY-TV/PBS in Philadelphia; she also served as a regular guest host on WHYY-FM/NPR’s Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane, an hourlong current events talk show. In addition, Tracey serves as moderator for the Philadelphia Speakers Series, where she has shared the stage with the likes of NBC’s Tom Brokaw, former British Prime Minister Theresa May, former FBI director James Comey, acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns and historian Jon Meacham.
Tracey is the host of WVIA-TV’s Mind Over Matter television series and podcast on mental health in the age of COVID, which features firsthand accounts from people who have struggled with mental health challenges as well as conversations with clinicians about treatment options.
Tracey is a frequent interviewer for the Author Events series at the Free Library of Philadelphia, where she has facilitated conversations with Congressman Adam Schiff, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, among others.
In addition, Tracey has traveled worldwide in her capacity as host of Skillsoft’s Live Events – interactive executive leadership webcasts featuring some of the most widely respected authors and speakers in the business world, including Daniel Pink, Adam Grant, Seth Godin, John Maxwell and Angela Duckworth.
Throughout her career, Tracey has also done voiceover work, script writing and media training.
Tracey began her career in radio and television news, having worked for 12 years at FOX 29, Philadelphia. There, she anchored the live morning show Good Day Philadelphia and served as an anchor and reporter for FOX 29’s Ten O’Clock News. She was also a contributor to the HGTV show Design Basics, and has served as a news anchor for a number of Philadelphia radio stations, including KYW Newsradio.
A graduate of Temple University, Tracey taught for several years there as an adjunct instructor in the Klein College of Media and Communication. A winner of several local Emmy awards, Tracey was among the first to be inducted into Temple University’s Klein College Alumni Hall of Fame. She has also won the Sarah Award for Excellence in Broadcasting from the Association for Women in Communications and was named Communicator of the Year by the National Black MBA Association.
Panelist Dr. Robbin Smart is an accomplished educator with over 30 years of experience in educational leadership. Dr. Smart became the Head of School at C. B. Community Schools in the summer of 2021. In addition to being Head of School at C.B. Community Schools, she currently is an adjunct professor in the School of Education at Drexel University in the Doctoral Program and has been an adjunct Professor at Temple University Graduate School of Education and Cooperating Teacher at the University
of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.
Dr. Smart began her career teaching in the lower school at Friends Select School in Philadelphia. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director and Consultant to the Board of Directors at Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia and College Is Possible Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Dr. Smart has also held positions as Interim Director of Enrollment Management at Girard College, Consultant for Strategic Enrollment Management and Financial Assistance at Princeton Friends School, and for 15 years she was the Principal and Deputy CEO of New Foundations Charter School.
Dr. Smart serves the community as a board member to several organizations, including :Drexel University School Education, Dean’s Advisory Board, Bryan Alan Stevenson School of Excellence Advisory Board, Bright Horizon Foundation, and the Support Sight Foundation.
Dr. Smart was awarded a Doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Multicultural Education from Eastern University, and Bachelor of Arts, with a major in Political Science, from Swarthmore College.
C.B. Community Schools is a 2021 Education Grantee.
Panelist Kate Henson is Director of Development of The Garage Community & Youth Center. She has a longstanding passion for the unique community of Southern Chester County. Her love for the community blossomed over ten years ago when she took a position as a special education aide at Kennett High School where she learned about the deep LatinX roots of the community and the particular barriers LatinX youth face.
Kate joined The Garage team as the Director of Development in 2018 and has been honored to be part of the support and services provided to marginalized youth and community members. During her tenure at The Garage, the organization has developed outcomes-driven programs and strategic initiatives to reach industry-recognized youth development impacts. Partnerships and collaborations have been strengthened and enhanced, and The Garage has been able to deepen services to impact youth.
Kate also strengthens her community impact through service with multiple organizations including the Chester County Women’s Commission, Director of Youth Initiatives for The Longwood Rotary Board of Directors, and the programs committee of Impact 100 Philadelphia.
She holds her Masters in K-12 Special Education and her Bachelor’s in Secondary English Education both from West Chester University.
The Garage Community & Youth Center is a 2022 Education Grantee.
Panelist Tim Whitaker is Executive Director of Mighty Writers. Whitaker began his career teaching fifth and sixth grade in Philadelphia before becoming a writer and editor. He was the editor of Philadelphia Weekly (1994—2008), and previously the editor of PhillySport and Pittsburgh magazines. Whitaker was a head writer at NBC Radio and has written for PBS, The New York Times, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer. He was the executive producer of an award-winning audio documentary on the history of soul radio in Philadelphia and the author of the book “Crash: The Life and Times of Dick Allen.”
Mighty Writers is a 2020 Education Grantee.