Philly’s new superintendent asked 98 people to help him assess Philly schools. Here’s who he chose.

Philadelphia’s new superintendent has tapped two locals to head his transition team.

Tony B. Watlington Sr. announced Tuesday he had selected Andrea Custis, president and CEO of the Urban League of Philadelphia, and Donald “Guy” Generals, president of the Community College of Philadelphia, to formally help him examine the internal workings of the Philadelphia School District and set priorities for his administration.

Custis and Generals will lead a team of mostly local volunteers working on an ambitious timeline — they are expected to produce preliminary reports in August. A final report is due to the school board in October.

Watlington, who started as superintendent in June, said he was “intentionally bringing more than 80 members of the Philadelphia community, including Philadelphia parents, teachers, principals, unions, educational, city, business, nonprofit and grassroots leaders and School District of Philadelphia staff” to analyze what’s working and what needs to be improved in the district.

The transition team, Watlington said at a news conference, will “lay the foundation for transformative growth in the School District of Philadelphia.” Its work will lead to the development of a strategic plan aligned with ambitious school board goals for the district.

Watlington took over as Philadelphia’s schools chief, replacing William R. Hite Jr., who was superintendent for a decade. It’s common for new superintendents to form transition teams to help set priorities.

Custis, a former businessperson, declared herself “a strong advocate of public education. I believe, other than love, the greatest gift that we can give our children is education. I‘ve seen that education opens the door and allows children to work to their full capacity.”

Generals said the team’s efforts will lift student and district performance.

The transition team, Generals said, “brings a broad group of city leaders together to collectively have a voice in moving this school system forward.”

Watlington said he chose Custis and Generals not just for their expertise but because they “have that kind of name recognition and respect that would lend a lot of credence to the work that the Board of Education is trying to do.”

The transition team usually comprises five subcommittees, each with one district staffer and a local or national expert. The Student Achievement subcommittee will be led by Sheila Brown, former Boston schools deputy superintendent, and Malika Savoy-Brooks, the district’s chief academic officer. The Operations subcommittee will be led by Henderson Lewis Jr., former superintendent of the New Orleans Public Schools, and Uri Monson, the district’s chief financial officer.

The Anti-Racist District Culture subcommittee will be led by Camika Royal, an associate professor of urban education at Loyola University with extensive local ties, and by Sabriya Jubilee, the district’s chief of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Community Engagement subcommittee will be led by James Earl Davis, interim dean of Temple University’s School of Education, and by Kathryn Block, the district’s communications chief.

The Enriching and Well-Rounded School Experiences subcommittee will be led by Andrea Kane, an education professor at the University of Pennsylvania and former superintendent of Queen Anne’s County, Md., public schools, and by Evelyn Nuñez, the district’s chief of schools.

The transition team’s work will be overseen and shepherded by consultants Shawn Joseph and Elizabeth Molina Morgan. Morgan was present at Watlington’s news conference Tuesday.

Watlington has taken heat for hiring Joseph and Morgan, who will be paid $450,000 over the course of a year.

Joseph is a former Nashville superintendent and Morgan worked in Maryland and was once the National Superintendent of the Year. Joseph’s hiring, in particular, drew criticism — a former Nashville school board member wrote the Philadelphia school board to raise red flags about “corruption and dysfunction” during his time in that district.

From other members of the Nashville board, Joseph has received praise. Also, Watlington and the Philadelphia school board have defended both the contract and Joseph. Watlington said Joseph — and Morgan — have “done some pretty significant work in school districts and in the national space in public education.”