Pooja Agarwal – pooja@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2018, Governance Committee (Policy)
Pooja sought a role on the board of FACTS to further her support for the immigrant and refugee communities of Philadelphia who make up a large part of the FACTS family. Pooja Agarwal is an attorney in Philadelphia. While currently practicing in the corporate world, she has over 13 years of experience in immigration law, primarily working with people seeking asylum in the United States on a pro bono basis. Since 2009, Pooja has worked as volunteer attorney at HIAS PA, a local non-profit dedicated to immigration legal services and refugee resettlement in Philadelphia. She has a B.A. in economics-philosophy from Columbia University and law degrees from Brooklyn Law School and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Law.
Frank Chism – frank@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2024, Development Committee
Frank values differences in culture, traditions, languages, viewpoints and methods of self expression, and believes strongly that students of all communities, regardless of resources, deserve high quality educational opportunities. Frank works at Vanguard and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He’s lived in Philadelphia for over 20 years, and his children attended public, charter, and private schools throughout their educational journey. Frank lives in the Mount Airy neighborhood with his wife and dog. Frank also serves as a board member for Father Joseph Network USA, a non-profit created in 2021 to raise funds and bring technical and logistical assistance to a network of non-profits in Haiti.
Jeff Koung – jeff@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2022, Development Committee
Jeff is committed to FACTS and its mission to serve students of diverse backgrounds and build a more equitable future for everyone. As a first generation Asian American, Jeff’s experiences growing up in Philadelphia have shaped his values and passions. Jeff recognizes that everyone does not have the same opportunities – this is especially true for people of color, immigrants, and refugees due to language barriers, cultural differences, and racial biases. This difference in equity is the driving force of Jeff’s passion to help marginalized people by creating a more equitable future for everyone. Jeff is an analytics and strategy professional at PwC based in Philadelphia and has over 10 years of experience using data to drive fact-based decision making. Jeff also serves as the community impact lead for the Pan Asian Community Inclusion Network at PwC where he works to connect volunteers with local non-profits
Alison Lin – alison@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2023, Board Secretary, Development Committee
Alison is committed to FACTS mission and approach to integrating arts and cultural rituals into students’ educational experience. Alison supports leaders in authentic collaborations to transform people and systems toward love, dignity and justice. She is a coach and senior consultant with Change Elemental. As a certified coach, Alison partners with clients to take values-rooted action in the direction of their dreams. Alison shares with FACTS board her skill for collaborative design and facilitation and experience in organizational development. Alison graduated with honors from Hamilton College with a BA in Chemistry and Columbia University with her Masters in Public Health. She recently completed training in neurosomatic intelligence.
Xu Lin – xulin@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2019, Board Vice Chair, Governance Committee (Nominations)
Xu Lin dreamed of a school like FACTS for his peers and himself when he immigrated to America and entered a Philadelphia public school. He experienced first hand how lack of funding and advocacy disproportionately affected immigrant and racial minority students. Following high school, Xu became a community organizer and youth organizer who worked in the Philadelphia Chinese community on a variety of issues: affordable housing, race relations, school violence, and public education. Xu is currently a business owner and a proud father of two.
Neeta Patel – neeta@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2016, Board Treasurer, Finance Committee
As one of FACTS Founders, Neeta is deeply committed to its mission and values the role folk arts plays in fostering a caring community that encompasses multiple languages, cultures, and generations; in nurturing creativity; and in honing academic skills in service towards building a more fair and peaceful world. She also brings hands-on experience, having served as FACTS’s inaugural Operations Officer where she developed and directed FACTS non-instructional programs. Neeta currently works as a consultant and has over three decades of experience working with Philadelphia’s refugee and immigrant communities as an administrator, advocate, educator, fundraiser, and organizer in various organizations including Asian Americans United, one of FACTS founding organizations. She earned a BA from Haverford College, and an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Thierry Elin-Saintine – thierry@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2020, Board Chair, Governance Committee (Policy)
Thierry is excited to be a member of the FACTS family and be a part of the school’s fight to make “belonging” an integral part of its mission and philosophy of education. Thierry is an assistant professor of mathematics and First-Year Studies program at Stockton University. He teaches courses on quantitative reasoning, algebraic modeling, and academic identity construction. His research focuses on identity as belonging, mathematics education, urban education, and clinical empathy. Whether learning about housing inequity from homeless Philadelphians at a public library, or studying the meaning of clinical empathy from people living with dementia, or exploring the pervasiveness and depths of institutional racism in mathematics education, I have been fortunate to be part of budding movements in educational research (and the social sciences) helping to rewrite America’s social imaginary–the range of possible identities available to certain groups in this country. I hope to continue this work as a member of the FACTS community.
Mohan Seshadri – mohan@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2025
Mohan is committed to FACTS because he shares the school’s mission of building a just and equitable future within and for Asian and immigrant communities, rooted in a love for our cultures and traditions. Mohan is the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and the Asian American Community Fund of PA, PA’s statewide Asian American civil rights advocacy and civic empowerment organizations. He is a founder and board member of the Asian American Power Network, the national coalition of state-based Asian American political organizations. Previously, Mohan managed political work for Planned Parenthood PA and served as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. He has co-founded multiple community organizations across Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and the AAPI PA Power Caucus, PA’s statewide Asian American civic engagement coalition. In 2024, he was honored to receive a Pennsylvania Impact Award, awarded annually to Pennsylvanians transforming their communities and the commonwealth for the greater good.
Debi Nhu Tran – debi@board.factschool.org
Board Member since 2026, Development Committee
As a refugee and immigrant, Debi understands the importance of belonging, cultural inclusion, and psychological safety in helping children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. She is passionate about fostering environments where diversity is celebrated and where kindness, compassion, and respect are core values alongside academic excellence. Professionally, Debi brings extensive experience in drug development, regulatory strategy, and organizational leadership from her career in the pharmaceutical industry. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (now merged with Saint Joseph’s University). She is deeply committed to partnering with educators and families to ensure FACTS continues to grow as a learning community where every student feels seen, valued and empowered to succeed.
Board Meetings
FACTS Board of Trustees meet the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 pm and are open to the public. Members of the public are invited to speak at Board Meetings during the Public Comment section of the meeting. No advanced registration is required in order to speak during the Public Comment period of Board meetings.
All in person meetings will take place at 1023 Callowhill Street/Philadelphia, PA 19123.
All virtual meetings will take place on Zoom: Zoom Link
Passcode: FACTS (if required)
NOTE: After Public Comment at the beginning of the meeting, the Board will go into Executive Session (a meeting for board members only) for one hour. The Board will return to Public Session at 7:30 pm.
- July 16, 2025 (virtual)
- August 20, 2025 (virtual)
- September 17, 2025 (in person)
- October 15, 2025 (virtual)
- November 19, 2025 (in person) – Board Agenda
- December 17, 2025 (virtual)
- January 21, 2026 (in person)
- February 18, 2026 (virtual)
- March 18, 2026 (in person)
- April 15, 2026 (virtual)
- May 20, 2026 (in person)
- June 17, 2026 (virtual)
To request interpretation at an upcoming Board meeting, please call the FACTS front office at 215-569-2600. Please make your request at least ten days in advance if possible.
Committee Meetings
Please call 215-569-2600 to get the zoom link for committee meetings and to verify that a committee meeting is occurring.
- Policy Committee – First Wednesday of every month at 10:00 am via Zoom
- Nominations Committee – Third Monday of every month at 10:00 am via Zoom
- Development Committee – First Monday of every month at 12:00 pm via Zoom
- Finance Committee – Thursday of the week prior to the Board meeting at 12:30 pm via Zoom
Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
Previous Year’s Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
- FACTS Board Minutes 2024-25
- FACTS Board Minutes 2023-24
- FACTS Board Minutes 2022-23
- FACTS Board Minutes 2021-22
- FACTS Board Minutes 2020-21
- FACTS Board Minutes 2018-19
- FACTS Board Minutes 2017-18