About ThirdPath Institute

President and Founder

Jessica DeGroot is one of the nation's leading figures in the work/life field. Passionately committed to educating others about work and family issues and how these impact organizations, communities, parents and children, Jessica founded the ThirdPath Institute. Jessica and the work she has been doing at ThirdPath have been featured in national and local newspapers and radio shows, including Working Mother magazine, Fast Company magazine, Parenting magazine, the National Public Radio show The Parents Journal, and a number of local and regional cable and television shows. Jessica received her MBA from the Wharton School in 1994, where she was co-founder of the Wharton Work/Life Roundtable. She has been published in The Harvard Business Review, The American Woman 2003-2004: Daughters of a Revolution, and is co-author of the Wharton Work/Life Resource Guide. After receiving her B.A. from Hampshire College, Jessica managed a childcare resource and referral service and a then a work-life program for a bank. Jessica and her husband live in Philadelphia and share in the care of their two children.

Vice President of Programs

Sarah Sherertz is the newest member of the ThirdPath Institute. Sarah currently provides organizational support, project coordination, and is the primary person in charge of growing the working class-working families project. Before ThirdPath, Sarah worked with a variety of grassroots community development organizations, as well as special needs populations in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, She has also conducted international research and service in some of the poorest areas of Central and South America, as well as India. The work in Sarah's career has primarily focused on the dynamism between culture and the economy. Sarah received her B.A.'s in Community Development and Economics from Portland State University and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA.

Writer

Sean Romanoff graduated with B.A. with honors from the Ohio State University in 1990 and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law - Newark in 1995. After graduating from Rutgers, Sean practiced law for three years as an associate with the Freehold, NJ firm of Sonnenblick, Parker and Selvers specializing in real estate, commercial, securities and litigation practice. Upon the birth of his son in 1998, Sean decided to leave the practice of law to become a full-time stay-at-home parent. Sean has continued in this role to this day, having added a daughter to his care in 2000. In Fall 2002, Sean became an Adjunct Professor of English at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus and teaches introductory composition and literature courses at the school.

Executive Assistant

Ponscella Cousins has worked with ThirdPath Institute since 2000, taking on an ever-increasing set of responsibilities along the way. Her work at the Institute has included systems and efficiency tasks such as data-base management, transcription and bookkeeping. However, because of her many talents it has also included interviewing Shared Care parents, helping create a Single Parents guide and managing the process of keeping ThirdPath community members involved with different volunteer activities. Prior to working with the ThirdPath, Ponnie worked as a supervisor and manager for marketing and retail companies, was a 51% owner of a small business, taught preschool at a Christian Academy, and counseled young African-American women around breast-feeding issues. Ponnie is a single mother who lives the concepts of the ThirdPath Institute; opting not to raise her daughter in the "traditional" style of many single parents - with a long day in school and using after-school programs - Ponnie changed her work/life balance in order to homeschool her child.