Founder of the Global Possibility Network at Penn GSE, Dr. Nakkula’s teaching and research focus on the development of resilience and the promotion of possibility development among children and youth from low-income backgrounds. He is particularly interested in the integration of counseling, mentoring, and educational processes in urban schools to create contexts that allow students to thrive in school and during their transition to higher education and career opportunities. Dr. Nakkula works with many national and international organizations to develop applied research strategies that promote the study of developmental and educational initiatives in support of enhanced mental health and optimal youth development.

Co-Founder of the Global Possibility Network at Penn GSE, Dr. Babson is a scholar of learning and development in comparative, international perspective. Currently, he serves as lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and Adjunct Professor at Temple University College of Education. Using semiotic and linguistic anthropological approaches, Babson has published and presented widely on youth self-development, meaning-making, educational achievement and class mobility in South Africa. He has contributed to or led projects at the University of Michigan School of Education and Institute for Social Research, as well as the University of Pennsylvania International Literacy Institute and the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning.

Co-Founder of the Global Possibility Network at Penn GSE, Dr. Serapiao is a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) where he teaches courses in counseling for school-to-career transitions and organizational leadership. His research interests are on Human Development, Career Counselling, Talent Management and Leadership. Previous to joining Penn GSE, Flavio served as the Chief Human Resources officer at Lojas Americanas/B2W, the largest multichannel retail group in Latin America, which is controlled by 3G capital’s partners. With more than 25 years of executive experience, including the C-suite, he worked in several different areas such as: Management for Result & Leadership, Human Resources, Supply Chain & Operations, Sales & Marketing, Strategy & Planning, M&A integration and Innovation & Technology.

Andy Danilchick is the Co-Founder and Director of Penn GSE’s Project for Mental Health and Optimal Development. He leads the Public Schools Consortium for Mental Health and Optimal Development and the Possibility Mentoring Project. Andy is also a leadership consultant, researcher, and teacher educator. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Penn GSE’s Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education Program. Andy holds a master's in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Swarthmore College. Andy's research interests include action research, possibility development, 360 assessment, and teacher development.

Katie Brennan holds a B.A. from Georgetown University, an Ed.M. in Education Policy from American University, and is currently pursuing a M.S.Ed. in Interdisciplinary Studies of Human Development at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to enrolling at UPenn, Katie spent over five years working as a corporate paralegal for a firm specializing in all aspects of real estate purchase and sales, and complex financing transactions for nationally recognized shopping centers and mixed-use property developments. Katie’s research analyzes the impact of economic inequities on child development. Her research applies an ecological framework to examine how communities are constructed and sustained by economic factors. By utilizing her background in real estate financing and complex ownership structures, education policy and applied developmental psychology, Katie’s goal is to shed light on the impact of neighborhood investments on childhood development.