WHO WE ARE

Kyra Williams is a distinguished multimedia artist, social entrepreneur, and scholar-practitioner who is building a more equitable future for digital literacy and media arts education in Philadelphia. Through her nonprofit organization, Stories In My Backyard (SIMBY), she helps Black youth become critical consumers and creators of media equipped to tell their own stories, ethically document history, and communicate in a world where technology shapes nearly every aspect of their lives. At a time when digital literacy is increasingly essential to education, employment, and civic engagement, Kyra is creating culturally relevant learning opportunities that meet the 21st-century needs of young people.

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Kyra is a Philly native and recipient of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, which provided full funding for her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral education. As a student at J.R. Masterman High School, she discovered her creative potential as an award-winning student journalist, a DJ alongside her father, the first student at Philadelphia Schools TV (PSTV), and a two-time participant in the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY Camp as a music journalist and videographer. She later earned a BFA in Recorded Music from New York University’s Clive Davis Institute at the Tisch School of the Arts and an MA in Digital Media Design for Learning from NYU Steinhardt. These transformative experiences revealed disparities in creative opportunities for Black people, especially Black women and girls. Determined to bring the kind of arts education she experienced back to her hometown, Kyra founded SIMBY and discovered her purpose of providing Black youth access to culturally relevant media arts instruction led by Black instructors to foster representation, belonging, and digital literacy. In 2025, she was named a Mark & Debra Leslie Female Founders Fellow at the NYU Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute, a foundational community of support for SIMBY.

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Now pursuing an Ed.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Kyra is becoming the first doctor in her family while teaching students in the same school district from which she graduated. Through SIMBY’s partnership with the Academy at Penn–a five-year, $8 million college and career readiness initiative serving 200 School District of Philadelphia high school students–she designs and leads virtual reality and photography programs that introduce students to creative technologies and professional experiences not traditionally available in schools. In spring 2026, her photography students became the only Philadelphia students credentialed on the official Penn Relays media team. As they left Franklin Field, one student told her, “I feel important…I feel professional.” That moment reflects the deeper purpose of Kyra’s work: helping young people of color recognize their own value, see themselves in media professions, and envision futures they may not have previously believed were open to them.

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Kyra is also a two-time Black Music City grantee and the creator of SIMBY Presents: The Voices of Sisterly Affection, an immersive photography, video, and virtual reality exhibition celebrating Philadelphia’s Black music herstory from Billie Holiday to Tierra Whack. Presented at institutions including the African American Museum in Philadelphia, World Cafe Live, PSTV, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Free Library of Philadelphia, this traveling exhibition has provided hundreds of people across generations access to immersive technology while preserving and celebrating Black history. As a creative researcher at Penn with Catalyst @ Penn GSE and the Philadelphia Writing Project, Kyra is also advancing new ways to connect academic scholarship with the broader community, using art and multimedia storytelling to explore digital literacy, student belonging, hidden Black histories, and educational equity in our area.

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Kyra’s evolving legacy as an emerging educational leader exemplifies what happens when our community invests in the talent and education of the next generation. She is not simply delivering individual programs; she is developing an innovative and scalable model for expanding access to digital literacy and media arts education for students and educators. Whether she is securing partnerships as a founder, leading programs as a teaching artist, preserving Philadelphia’s cultural legacy in her own creative work, developing curricula, or conducting multimodal research, Kyra is building pathways for young people to be seen, heard, and prepared for the future. She is a leader to watch whose continued growth and community impact merit meaningful attention, partnership, and investment.

Shelley Wolfe is a nationally recognized executive, media practitioner, and experiential learning guide with over 25 years of experience in community media and the entertainment industry. As a passionate advocate for education, mentorship, and amplifying voices, Shelley empowers students and professionals alike, leaving a lasting impact on communities through her outreach, mentorship, and dedication to storytelling.

Shelley has spent over 20 years working in community television through management, program development, teaching, and building production studios in schools and individual production spaces. For ten years, she served as the executive director of PSTV, the education channel for the 8th largest United States school district, the School District of Philadelphia. In nine years, Shelley has transformed this organization into an industry-standard multimedia environment, impacting the lives of over 7,000 students. Working predominantly with students of color at PSTV, she has had the chance to directly train over 1,500 underrepresented students in studio production, both in-person and online.

With a background in Silicon Valley and a national and global footprint in the nonprofit and entertainment sectors, Shelley is a collaborative change agent dedicated to bridging industries through partnerships, technology, and media. Over the last 25 years, she has designed training programs, built innovative state-of-the-art media spaces, and provided training, coaching, and mentorship-led tours internationally. Her leadership extends to her role as CEO of Toolbox Entertainment & Strategic Consulting, where she connects individuals and businesses with valuable media opportunities, professional development, and coaching.

Shelley's expertise spans entertainment, nonprofits, and education, focusing on digital literacy; social and emotional learning; diversity, equity, and inclusion; accessibility; program development; and mentorship. She has been recognized for her innovative programs and leadership, receiving numerous awards and serving on several boards, including PhillyCam and the Jamar Jones Institute.

Melita Johnson is the Special Education Director at Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI) Schools. Although she has many years of experience working in education, 16 years, she is quick to let it be known that it is not a job, but a passion that she just so happens to get paid to do. Being able to give Black children the tools needed to make an impact in this world is a lifelong dream of hers. 

Throughout the years, Melita has been a part of supporting the growth of many young talents through the arts. With a love for dance, music, photography, poetry and creative writing, she has had the opportunity to share experiences with her students and the many youth in which she has mentored over the years. Being a former athlete, running track since the age of 15, she started coaching as her children ran.  Her oldest daughter is an Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion. Her youngest is a former college athlete and a computer technology educator for middle school students.  Melita believes that, “the arts and sports create a common language that’s understood in the Black community.”

Some of her former students, many of which she considers her “children,” range from professional cameramen to mainstream signed artists. Melita taught dance herself and also currently provides creative outlets for recovering addicts and those suffering from mental health issues. “To be able to see the fruit of the seeds planted has been an amazing experience!”