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Tech training program Per Scholas to open North Philly location after 5 years in the city
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at philly@
Tech education is in the spotlight this month with new classes and top awards.
Workforce development org Per Scholas will expand its Philly offerings and computer science educators in the region received recognition for their work.
PACT also honored leaders at its annual Enterprise Awards, acknowledging the accomplishments of tech and life sciences companies in the region.
Check out all the details and more power moves below the chart, where we look at the top 10 desirable skills for jobs right now and how many job postings request each skill.
Per Scholas to open a North Philly campus
Tech workforce development program Per Scholas celebrated five years in Philadelphia, announcing at its May anniversary event that it would open a satellite campus in North Philly in November.
Per Scholas is partnering with OIC Philadelphia, a local workforce development org, which already provides career and financial services at its North Broad Street location, said Joshua Park, managing director of Per Scholas Philadelphia.
'We have this opportunity now to go join [OIC Philadelphia] and be their tech training partner,' Park told 'Their doors are open to that community. They're trusted in that community.'
With a dedicated classroom and teaching assistant, Per Scholas plans to offer IT support training at the satellite campus. Students will be in a hybrid class with the main campus in Center City.
Computer science's top teachers of 2025
CS4Philly named Raheem Chowdhury and Maureen Brown as the winners of this year's Computer Science Teacher Awards.
Chowdhury won the Early Achievement Award. For the last three years, he has been leading a computer science career pathway program at Olney High School.
A School District of Philadelphia graduate himself, Chowdhury told there weren't many computer science opportunities when he went through the school system. Now, he thinks students recognize the importance of technology in education, he said.
'We have students who want to learn it. They're curious. They want to build opportunities for their future,' he said. 'Everyone on my team is really supportive of our goal of getting as many kiddos into computer science classes as we can so that we can help create a more diverse technical workforce afterwards.'
Brown won the Sustained Impact Award, recognizing her decades of service as an educator. After teaching digital literacy at the elementary level for her first 20 years, Brown moved into the role of instructional technology integration specialist in the district's Office of Educational Technology, where she coaches teachers and students about using technology.
With a total of 36 years working in the school district, Brown has seen everything from the first iterations of computer labs to the evolution of students playing with robots, she said.
'We've gone from being an end user to a developer,' Brown said. 'It's not just about using something that somebody else invented, now. Kids are making their own apps. Kids are coding. Kids are using all these different tools to produce and not just consume. So it's really come full circle.'
PACT celebrates annual Enterprise Awards
The Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) hosted its 32nd annual Enterprise Awards in May, recognizing top life sciences, healthcare and technology companies in the region.
BioAnalysis, Integrated Reality Labs, Ghost Robotics, NeuroFlow, Spirovant Sciences and Boomi all took home awards. Plus, FS Investments' Michael Forman was recognized with the Legend Enterprise Award for Lifetime Achievement.
'These winners represent the bold ideas, resilient leadership, and groundbreaking innovation that define the Philadelphia region,' said Dean Miller, CEO of PACT. 'The Enterprise Awards continue to spotlight the visionaries who are building the future of our economy and transforming industries.'
Startup power moves:
The University City Science Center announced its eighth cohort of the Capital Readiness program. Ten companies from across the country participated in a weeklong bootcamp in Philadelphia, meeting with investors and other healthtech stakeholders.
Fintech startup AIlocations rebranded to New Issue IQ. The 2025 RealLIST Startup honoree developed a platform that collects data to help investors make decisions.
Florida-based healthtech company PaceMate appointed Philly-based JR Finkelmeier as its next CEO. Finkelmeier was previously the company's chief commercial officer.
PACT welcomed Tori Chamberlain as its new membership coordinator and Ayannah Kamryn as its new manager of signature events.
King of Prussia-based electric vehicle charging company InductEV is expanding its partnership with Sweden-based Business Region Gothenburg and Svenska Mässan Gothia Towers. After a three-year pilot, InductEV's charging stations will become permanent and more will be installed in the region.
Ernst & Young selected ZeroEyes CEO and co-founder Mike Lahiff as the 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Academic power moves:
University College at Temple University is partnering with Ziplines Education to offer online certificate programs for digital marketing, business analytics, product management, Salesforce administration, AI prompting and advanced AI workflows.
Montgomery County Community College won Innovation of the Year from the international org League for Innovation in the Community College for its Virtual Reality for Public Speaking Skills project.
Lifeguarding game Boast Guards won Drexel University's College of Computing and Informatics senior project showcase.
University of Pennsylvania researchers Carl June and Bruce Levine won the 2025 Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology along with Isabelle Rivière and Michel Sadelain for their work developing CAR T-cell therapy.
More power moves:
Biomedical research center the Wistar Institute selected six biotechnology students from Montgomery County Community College to attend its biomedical technician training program this summer. The three-part program involves two weeks of training, five weeks in an academic research lab and five weeks in an industry lab. Also, Joshua Friedman joined the Board of Trustees at the Wistar Institute. Friedman is the senior vice president of clinical development at Massachusetts-based Spyre Therapeutics.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia appointed Bill Wafford to its Economic and Community Advisory Council. Wafford is the chief administrative officer and chief financial officer of QVC Group.
Panas Kollas, CEO of Wilmington-based public benefit corporation UNISCRAP, is a 2025 Philadelphia Titan 100 honoree. This list recognizes accomplished CEOs and executives in the region.
The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia announced this year's Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia, a list of local, 'community-minded' employers. Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Bentley Systems and GSK are among this year's honorees.
Martin Snyder, a former RealLIST Engineer, started a new position as president of data science software at Certara.
