Bianca M. del Rio

Bianca del Rio serves as the Executive Director of the Netter Center’s University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) at the University of Pennsylvania.  In her work, she collaborates with school principals and develops Penn staff and community partnerships designed to foster the empowerment and development of youth and communities by enhancing collaboration and opportunities for deep engagement and problem-solving learning.  Bianca supports and leads staff, Penn students, faculty and partners at public schools in West Philadelphia.  She is an experienced leader and passionate about providing multiple points of access to teaching and learning across Penn and the West Philadelphia community using schools as the hub for such learning.  As a practitioner and scholar, she works for continual program improvement and shares her work across local, national and international networks of higher education peers.

Bianca is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker from Philadelphia.  In 2002, she received an M.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Florida’s Documentary Institute and a B.A. in Film and Media Arts from Temple University in 2000.  Some of Bianca’s film credits include: Nihon Style, Pandora’s Box, POET, Rising on the Hill, Justice for Her and the award winning Ocoee: Legacy of the Election Day Massacre. Bianca has screened her work across the United States, Japan, Brazil, South Africa and the United Kingdom.