Lisa S. Hoffstein, President and Founder
Lisa S. Hoffstein, a life-long athlete who has dedicated her professional career to working with disenfranchised youth, founded The Katie At The Bat Team in 2006. After writing the children’s book, Katie At The Bat, Ms. Hoffstein wanted to make a difference in the lives of inner city kids by taking the book’s core message - believe in yourself – and establishing an organization that would create new opportunities for Philadelphia youth. Since its inception, Ms. Hoffstein has been the visionary force driving The Katie At The Bat Team forward. Ms. Hoffstein began her professional life as a classroom teacher in both the Philadelphia public schools and the Quaker schools. She then designed and implemented the Wharton West Philadelphia Project, an outreach program partnering the University of Pennsylvania with surrounding urban communities. Ms. Hoffstein created one of the earliest programs implementing mentoring and youth entrepreneurship as a combined intervention for working with urban youth. Subsequently, she became national executive director of the Milken Young Entrepreneurs Program. Ms Hoffstein was the winner of the 1997 Rolex Intercollegiate Tennis Association Achievement Award in recognition of outstanding career achievements and contributions to society. She earned her Undergraduate and Masters in Education degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where she played four years of Division I Varsity Tennis. She received her MBA from The Wharton School in 1988.

Susan Thal, Vice President
Susan Thal has served as vice president of The Katie At The Bat Team board since its start in 2006. Ms. Thal received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from The University of Michigan and her MBA from George Washington University. She is extremely active in community organizations, and has been executive director of The Alan Ameche Memorial Foundation since 1992. Prior to serving in that role, Ms. Thal was the assistant director at The Philadelphia Committee for the Homeless. In addition to The Katie At The Bat Team, she serves as treasurer of the Connect Africa Foundation as well as the Lower Merion Little League.

Laura Bender Koropey, Secretary
Laura Bender Koropey has been a practicing CPA for 30 years. She spent 6 years in the tax department of Arthur Young & Company. She then moved to Joseph Roskos and Company in Radnor, Pennsylvania where she was a tax manager. For the past 10 years she has had her own tax practice in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Ms. Koropey has been involved in charitable organizations in the Philadelphia area for 25 years. She was a board member of the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and just completed her term as the treasurer of the Governing Board of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Volunteer Committees. She was also a board member of ARCH, a local organization dedicated to educating students to end drug and alcohol abuse, and was a Girl Scout troop leader.

Melinda C. Albert, Esquire
Melinda C. Albert is a Media-based Attorney who practices primarily in Complex Civil Litigation and Corporate Compliance. She is licensed to practice law in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ms. Albert formerly worked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a small boutique law firm as well as a large international law firm. Ms. Albert is a 1998 graduate of Ursinus College and a 2001 graduate of Villanova University School of Law. She earned an LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University School of Law. She is a member of the Whitians Honor Society, Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and the American Association for Justice. Ms. Albert is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. In the past she has volunteered for both MANNA and the Chester-Upland School District.

Jim Brodo
Jim Brodo is Senior Vice President of Marketing at Richardson. Mr. Brodo has over eight years of eLearning experience, and currently oversees all marketing and communications efforts for the organization including strategic planning, public relations, advertising, and brand strategy. Prior to joining Richardson, he served as Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Marketing at SMGnet, where he managed business development, strategic marketing, product development, and product branding. Mr. Brodo has been featured in several publications including Computerworld, New Media Magazine, Exhibitor Magazine, and Selling Power magazine. His eLearning products have won numerous industry awards for excellence from Human Resource Executive, New Media Magazine, Brandon-Hall, Elearning! and the New York Festivals. In addition to being a founding member of The Katie At The Bat Team, Mr. Brodo is currently president of Lower Merion Little League in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he majored in marketing and international business.

Harold DeLoach
Harold DeLoach is owner and master electrician of Safe Electrical Systems, serving a diverse range of clients in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. Mr. DeLoach is dedicated to improving the quality of life in his local community. Providing services to underserved communities is an integral part of his business philosophy. In addition to servicing these communities, Mr. DeLoach mentors local at-risk youth as well as offering internships to those interested in pursuing entrepreneurship. Mr. DeLoach is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Young Entrepreneurs program.

Janet Handleman
Janet Handleman has over 30 years of experience in the institutional fixed income industry, recently joining JVB Financial as a senior vice president. Prior to her role at JVB, she worked for TD Securities. Ms. Handleman is very active at Main Line Reform Temple in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and is also on the board of the Jewish National Fund and the board of the Lower Merion Township Scholarship fund. Ms. Handleman is a graduate from the Columbian College of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Bonnie Offit, MD
Dr. Bonnie Offit is an original board member, instrumental in the formation of The Katie At The Bat Team. Dr. Offit is a pediatrician who trained at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, has been on staff at both Bryn Mawr and Lankenau Hospitals, and is currently practicing at the CHOP Care Network in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Dr. Offit is active in the community, giving presentations to pediatricians and family physicians on immunization practices as well as promoting breastfeeding as part of a program with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Offit created and implemented a model program introducing the administration of FluMist vaccines to students while they are in school. She co-authored “Breaking the Antibiotic Habit: A parent’s guide to coughs, colds, ear infections and sore throats,” and is currently a physician consultant to The Shipley School and The Agnes Irwin School, located in suburban Philadelphia.

Chuck Silverstein, Esquire
Chuck Silverstein has been a partner at the law firm of Silverstein and Bast since 1990. Prior to opening his own firm, he was an associate at the firm of Kramer, Dillof, Tessel, Duffy and Moore as well as Rosenberg, Minc, Breyer and Armstrong. Mr. Silverstein is a former adjunct faculty member of the New York University’s School of Continuing Education and is a Visiting Faculty member at Cardozo School of Law. He is a former guest commentator for Court TV.

Mary Beth Williams
Mary Beth Williams is currently a teaching professional at Appalachian Tennis. She graduated from the University of Illinois where she was an All Big Ten tennis standout. Ms. Williams was first introduced to The Katie At The Bat Team after her match at the Germantown Cricket Club National Women’s 35 and Over Singles Final in 2009. After the match, Ms. Williams met with a group of young Katie Athletes, with whom she greatly identified. Her year end-ranking was #4 and she represented the USA in the World Championships in March 2010. A native of Harlem, New York, Ms. Williams credits her excellence in the sport with the free lessons and clinics provided to her as a youth at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and the guidance provided by Arthur Ashe, who sponsored her education at a private high school in New York City.

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