Alumni Awards
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Jeffrey Tubbs ’95 is the owner of L-Town Construction and president of JDT International, a firm specializing in public/private partnerships in impact real estate development. Jeffrey founded JDT in 2008, and it has developed hundreds of housing units—from the adaptive reuse of an 1800s firehouse to several passive house residences. As co-founder of the Make the World Better Foundation, he has led over $30 million in public space improvements and has also launched a real estate incubator offering employment and ownership in projects to young people from disadvantaged communities. Jeffrey holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a partner of the ACE Mentor Program (ACE), which provides career exposure and experiences to those interested in the design and construction industry. His most important job, however, is being a dad to his two young children, Van (6) and Zoe (4). |
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If you have known Tracy Romans ’75 for any amount of time, you know her love and appreciation for Friends Select. From the day she entered the school, she knew she found her people. Whether as a student leader in the Black Student League (BSL) or later as the alumni director, the guiding principles of her Quaker education have had a tremendous impact on how she views the world. As alumni director, Tracy connected with alumni all over the country and impacted students by building bridges between the two groups. She created a class agents system, expanded regional reunions, and established a mentoring program to link middle school African American students with young, Black male alumni. Working with the alumni board, Tracy created opportunities for alumni to connect socially and professionally. Tracy currently works in the death care industry, where the core principles of her Quaker education continue to guide her work. |
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Natalie Mayer P'32 has been a member of the Friends Select community since 2007. She has worn many hats, including biology teacher, science department chair, grade dean, Jewish student union faculty advisor, and currently, upper school dean of academics (along with teaching Anatomy and Advanced Biology). Her career path toward education—a path that included experiences in politics, hospitals, and children’s television production—may seem meandering. But the experiences she had in communicating with different constituents, caring for patients in medicine, and learning how to educate children with care and creativity, all provided her with invaluable life lessons for her ultimate landing spot in Quaker education. Natalie is a Philadelphia native, who feels lucky to accompany her 5th grade son to school every day! |
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Zina Robbins-Maldonado ’16 was a three-season athlete at FSS, excelling in field hockey, basketball, and softball. A four-time First Team FSL All-League selection in softball, she led her team to an FSL championship in her final season. She holds multiple FSS records—including career wins (64), strikeouts (604), and hits (150)—and received the Emma Braun Award. After graduation, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated in 2020 with a B.A. in political science and communication arts. Zina currently works at the Association for a Better New York as the membership & events manager. She loves New York City second best to Philadelphia, and values community-based work and learning more about the people and city in which she lives. Zina enjoys reading and traveling, but most importantly, hopes to try every cuisine New York has to offer. She lives in Brooklyn with her two cats, Omar and Little, and partner, Patrick. |
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While at Friends Select, Patrice Canuso Kirby ’85 played field hockey, basketball, and softball. She was selected for several all-star teams and received the Emma Braun Award. After graduation, she received a B.S. in therapeutic recreation and leisure studies and an M.Ed in health studies from Temple University. Patrice spent several years at Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital and Children’s Seashore House, providing therapeutic services to children from birth to age 18 with a wide variety of illnesses as well as physical and intellectual disabilities. Patrice then began her career in education as a preschool teacher while raising her two children. She continues to work in education, providing learning support at the elementary school level. |
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A member of the class of 1980, Beth Feldman Folkman ’80 was instrumental in bringing girls’ sports to the Friends Select athletic program. She was a member of the soccer, basketball, and tennis teams. She continued her education at George Washington University, and after graduation in 1984, worked for many years at Rosenbluth Travel before taking time off to raise her two children. She and her family recently moved back to Philadelphia from Cherry Hill, NJ. |
