Our Mission
The nation’s distribution of wealth is highly skewed, and this disparity is increasing at an alarming rate.
A key to changing this disturbing dynamic is improving the educational opportunities for those students who are being left behind.
Students Helping Students is committed to helping disadvantaged educational institutions.
To this end, SHS is continually expanding our scope to reach as many low-income schools as possible.
We constantly interface with teachers, administrators, students, school district officials, volunteers, academics in the field of Educational Entrepreneurship, businesses, and concerned members of the community to exchange ideas, identify problems, and work together to develop and implement solutions.
Our ultimate goal is to help promote the opportunity for all students to have a quality education!
Our Values
To succeed at our mission, SHS will adhere to these values:
All decisions of the organization are made in the context of the mounting educational crisis.
Wherever possible, our actions will serve to mitigate the problem. Our activities will be under constant evaluation and re-assessment, continuously innovating and improving.
Our full attention is given to both the donor and recipient institutions, as defined by quick and efficient transaction periods, minimum use of raw materials (including transportation), multi-functionalism, non-obsolescence, and the kind of reward that emerges from the knowledge that your donation will benefit the lives of others for years to come.
SHS recognizes that successful communities are part of a sustainable environment.
We consider ourselves to be an integral part of the community that also includes our employees and volunteers, the neighborhoods which make up our cities, our suppliers and recipients.
We recognize our responsibilities to all these relationships, and make our decisions with their general benefit in mind.
SHS strives to achieve its goals in a financially self-sustaining way. We wish to significantly expand the scope of SHS in other communities across the United States. This can only occur if the organization is financially self-sufficient.
SHS promotes activities that encourage the larger corporate community to adjust its values and behavior and supports those who work to solve the current environmental and social crises, both financially and through community activism.
Board Of Directors
The Board of Directors is the primary governing body of the organization. The board is responsible for the overall strategy for accomplishing the organization’s mission and for the long-term sustainability of the organization itself.
Bill Zandi
Bill Zandi is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a degree in Philosophy and Social Entrepreneurship. He is also the Founder and President of Students Helping Students. Bill also served as the President of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Helping Hands Philadelphia, whose mission was to promote opportunities for those less fortunate by rehabilitating vacant and blighted properties into affordable and market-rate housing.
Ava Nelson Zandi
Ava Nelson Zandi received a BA in Environmental Studies and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Students Helping Students, she worked for Conoco, DuPont, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, specializing in ground water protection. She also served as a consultant for the Willistown Conservation Trust, a nonprofit land trust.
Paul Getman
Mr. Paul Getman serves as an Executive Director of Business Affairs and Strategic Planning at Moody’s Analytics, Inc. Mr. Getman is a Co-Founder of Moody’s Economy.com and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and President. Mr. Getman oversees Moody’s business affairs, marketing, strategic planning, and product development. He has over 20 years’ experience in consulting and research on economic issues.