King Crush Thursday - The Interviews

 Barry Wilkins is a STEM educator at Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion High School. Besides teaching traditional secondary math subjects such as Algebra II and Geometry, Mr. Wilkins is also the lead instructor for Personal Finance at the school. In this role Mr. Wilkins has the unique opportunity to combine his passion for community engagement with financial literacy.

Prior to becoming an educator, Mr. Wilkins was a banking professional for more than 15 years with experience across retail banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth management. Most recently, Mr.Wilkins served as a VP/Senior Relationship Strategist at PNC Bank, where he led a team of advisors in the creation and implementation of comprehensive wealth plans tailored to the unique needs of his clients.

Mr. Wilkins’ path towards a career in education was deeply influenced by his time as the  City of Philadelphia’s first-ever Director of Industry Partnerships. Being recruited away from banking to lead this poverty reduction initiative for the City of Philadelphia gave Mr. Wilkins the rare opportunity to work with executives across government, philanthropy, and the private sector. Ultimately, his work led to the formation of the City of Philadelphia’s 1st IT/Tech Industry Partnership which launched during June 2018.

While serving as Director of Industry Partnerships, Mr. Wilkins also discovered well-intentioned, but inefficient programs meant to reduce poverty. These remedies were rarely data-driven, human-centered, or impactful on a large enough scale. Mr. Wilkins also discovered that when it comes to poverty, all roads tend to lead back to education. Low educational attainment in the 21st century typically correlates to limited economic mobility.

Recognizing this, and the urgent need for black male educators, particularly in urban school districts like Philadelphia, Mr. Wilkins joined Teach For America in April of 2019, and later that year became an M.S. Ed Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.

Barry is a native of Philadelphia and attended Central High School (Class of 254). Barry holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh; Minor in Mathematics. Barry also holds an MBA in Finance from La Salle University, where he is still actively engaged. Barry is married and the father of three little girls. He, his wife Kathy, and their children currently reside in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, PA.

Keith Loftis has been described as one of the most lyrical & compelling jazz saxophonist of today. Keith was born in Dallas, TX where he began his study of jazz and classical music as a child. He is a graduate of the nationally recognized Booker T. Washington High School of the Visual and Performing Arts in Dallas, with fellow classmate and 2X Grammy Award Winner, the late Roy Hargrove.

Keith received his B.A. in music from the New School for Social Research in NYC, and his Masters in Composition/Film Scoring from New York University. Over the course of his career, Keith has performed with several jazz legends such as Benny Carter, Cedar Walton, Nancy Wilson, Frank Foster, Alvin Batiste, Clark Terry, Bobby Shew and Ray Charles to name a few.

Keith has traveled extensively around the globe performing regularly throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and parts of the Mid-East with legendary South African Jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim; Master Drummer, Michael Carvin; the Roy Hargrove Big Band and the Frank Foster Loud Minority Big Band. Keith has also performed at VH-1’s “Fashion Rocks” with Mary J. Blige and Usher, and VH-1’s “Storyteller” again with Mary J. Blige. Keith performed regularly at New York’s renowned Carlyle Hotel for 13 years with the late Pianist & Singer Chris Gillespie. In addition to performing live, Keith also works on film projects to broaden his film-scoring portfolio. He has performed music in the motion picture “Three Can Play That Game” starring Vivica A. Fox, and in the independent film, “Black Out” starring Jeff Wright and Melvin Van Peebles. Currently, Keith works with Vocalist & Educator Ruth Naomi Floyd in Ruth Naomi Floyd Presents: The Frederick Douglass Jazz Works. Keith is also a main fixture in the 2X Grammy Nominated Husband & Wife Duo, The Baylor Project featuring Jean & Marcus Baylor and touring with 4X Grammy Award Winner Bassist Christian McBride in A Christian McBride Situation & The Christian McBride Big Band. https://www.keithloftis.com/ 

Shawn Mooring is the Head of Philadelphia Programs for The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. In this role Shawn provides leadership to the Institute’s grant making, programs, and initiatives to support journalists and news organizations striving to build sustainable and equitable models of local news that meet the needs of Philadelphia communities. 

Shawn also leads the Institute’s learning and impact efforts. Shawn has both led and supported numerous initiatives focused on social innovation as a funder and practitioner. Shawn’s philanthropic experience includes positions with the Ford Foundation, The Philadelphia Foundation, and The Twenty-First Century Foundation. Shawn also has extensive experience in capacity building, program design, strategy planning and organizational development honed though positions held at national consulting firms such as Public/Private Ventures; the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning (now Equal Measure), and Frontline Solutions, Inc. 

Shawn earned a BA in Political Science from Hampton University, and earned a MPA from the University of Delaware.

Lyonzo Vargas is a Social Entrepreneur, Community Architect , Urban Wellness Advocate and Urban Maestro, on an unstoppable mission. Lyonzo currently resides in Philadelphia, however entered the world in the melting pot of the Bronx, NY. Living in a culture filled with people suffering from stress and anxiety due to poor mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional diet, motivated Lyonzo and his two co-founders created an entertainment and wellness company called GLBL VLLG (Global Village). Lyonzo dedicated his life to people from all walks of life, focusing primarily on millennials, encouraging the incorporation of wellness through interactive entertainment and wellness events into daily lifestyles. He is creating this new social form of community connection through the rapidly growing Vllg Jam. Lyonzo is on his way to building/manifesting/ a mainstream platform encouraging holistic healing for marginalized communities, inevitably changing the world.  Check out a Vllg Jam https://youtu.be/Lz0xqARJqaU

Allen L. Irvin, III is a loving husband, father, business owner, actor and lover of music. In addition to being a barber for over 25 years, Al has worked with local and national heavy hitters in the music industry. He sang background and/or vocally arranged for Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, Glen Lewis, Faith Evans and more. He was also the co-host of a popular blog radio show for 2 years. Al looks forward to continuing to leave a positive lasting impression in the entertainment industry and on all of humanity. 

John Barber III is an accomplished professional who brings over 20 years of financial and grants experience. Prior to this assignment, Barber was the Chief Financial Officer for the Urban League of Philadelphia.  

Barber’s diverse background includes financial services for the Office of Nonpublic programs for the School District of Philadelphia, where he was responsible for coordinating and overseeing budgeting activities, and evaluating the cost of provided services and programs with a focus on decreasing program costs without negatively impacting the quality of delivered educational programs and services.   His past assignments for the School District of Philadelphia include: Deputy Executive Director of Grants Compliance, System Sustainability Manager of Compliance, Financial Coordinator for GEAR UP GRANT and Member of the Grants Governance Committee, responsible for securing available resources for enriching educational opportunities for students. John is also an entrepreneur and style maker, having produced popular events and concerts for some of Philly’s hottest acts.

Edward Gay is a husband, father, brother, entrepreneur and pastor. Originally hailing from Suffolk, Virginia, he has lived in Philadelphia for nearly 65 years, where he met his wife of over 60 years, Viola. Edward shows his Love for others through his actions, not just his words, and strives to make his community better, one person at a time.

Gregory Simpson, Washington, DC native who now calls Philly home. After graduating from Cheyney University, Gregory began his music career in the Philadelphia area. Currently the Pastor of Music and Arts at the Bible Way Baptist Church in West Philadelphia. He is also the Director of Education at The Fortress Arts Academy. Gregory also has been a music educator and administrator in the Philadelphia area for the past 10 years. 

Carvin Haggins is a Grammy Award Winning and Multi-Platinum Selling Song Writer, Producer, Engineer, Co-Founder of Karma Productions, Co-Creator of Forever Music Inc., Creator of Ethical Music Entertainment and Co-Founder of the Ring Music Group.

Wallace Peeples, better known as Wallo267 is on a mission to impact the world. Early in his 20-year prison sentence, he developed a philosophical approach to life that embraced accountability and rejected excuses. Driven to inspire others to discover their purpose and achieve greatness, Wallo267 packaged this mindset into authentic and relevant messaging tied to a narrative of never giving up. Wallo leveraged the power of the internet to spread his message of hope, gaining over 60,000 loyal followers by his release date. At this time, he returned to the streets of North Philadelphia to sell t-shirts, telling stories of hardships and triumphs to inspire and motivate others facing difficulties around him. Over the past five years, Wallo267 has skyrocketed his modest social media presence, backed by a "who's who" network of pro athletes, music industry giants, actors, entertainers, and business leaders. Today, he has over 21 million social media impressions weekly. As a mega influencer, market disruptor, and global inspiration, he has partnered with household names.