Lucy Kerman, PhD

Lucy Kerman, PhD, is senior advisor to Drexel President John Fry, and has worked to support education, community development and anchor partnerships in West Philadelphia for 25 years.

From 2010-2022, Kerman was the senior vice provost for University and Community Partnerships at Drexel, responsible for providing strategic direction for the University’s civic engagement initiatives. Among many projects, Kerman created the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, Drexel’s “urban extension center” in the Mantua neighborhood; was the Principal Investigator for a 5-year, $30 million U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods grant for schools and communities in the West Philadelphia Promise Zone; and helped establish a K-8 “innovation campus” in the heart of University City for two public schools, Powel Elementary and Science Leadership Academy Middle School.

Before coming to Drexel, Kerman served as vice president of Policy and Planning at the Urban Affairs Coalition, and was a member of University of Pennsylvania President Judith Rodin’s staff, where she helped to coordinate Penn’s West Philadelphia Initiatives. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, and earned a PhD in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a business certificate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

For news media inquiries, contact Niki Gianakaris at ngianakaris@drexel.edu, 215-895-6741 (office) or 215-778-7752 (cell).