Leadership

Ajeenah Amir

Director of Civic Engagement and Community Partnerships, Penn Medicine

Ajeenah Amir is a strategist and leader, passionate about equity, inclusion, storytelling and impact. As the director of Civic Engagement and Community Partnerships at Penn Medicine, Ajeenah leads the organization’s work with community and civic partners, and provides strategic direction for Penn Medicine entities, departments, faculty and staff, particularly around meaningful community engagement for health initiatives.

Ajeenah was previously director of the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement in the City of Philadelphia. In this role, Ajeenah developed and managed numerous and impactful public engagement strategies around key initiatives and Mayoral priorities. Prior to this, she also served as deputy Communications director for Mayor Jim Kenney, managing and advising the communications strategy for a broad portfolio of departments, including the Department of Planning and Development, the Office of Immigrant Affairs, and the Mayor’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Before joining the Kenney administration, Ajeenah worked as deputy press secretary for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, and as associate state director for Communications with AARP Pennsylvania. As a proud Philadelphia native, Ajeenah earned her M.S. in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A. in Journalism from Howard University in Washington, DC.

Maria Baez

Maria Baez is a Business major student from Brooklyn, New York. While born in Brooklyn, she grew up and was raised primarily in Pennsylvania. Currently, she serves as president of the Student Government Association at Community College of Philadelphia. Prior to this role, Maria served as SGA treasurer, gaining valuable experience in leadership and financial management. She is an active member of several campus organizations, including LASO (Latin American Student Organization), All Black Students Alliance, Period Poverty Project, I Am More., Financial Wellness, NABA, Student L.E.A.D.S. and Bible Study.

Maria has built her professional skills through roles as a work-study student in the Admissions Office, a team member at the student-run Saxbys café, and currently as a work-study student in the Dean of Students Office. She has also taken steps toward her career in real estate by completing 75 hours of pre-licensing coursework. Her dedication has been recognized through three scholarships: the Ed Hermance Scholarship, the PepsiCo Foundation Uplifting Scholarship, and the Boo & Loo Scholarship.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Maria is passionate about civic engagement. She has participated in voter registration initiatives, accumulating over 30 hours of volunteer work, including active participation in National Voter Registration Day tabling events. She is committed to empowering others to exercise their voting rights and to use their voices to advocate for change.

Morgan Cephas

State Representative

Morgan Cephas was elected to serve her first term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in November 2016. As a lifelong public servant and native of West Philadelphia, Morgan works to forge cross-sector collaborations and partnerships to solve some of the community’s biggest challenges.

In the General Assembly, Morgan's priorities include expanding access to health care to improve health outcomes, increasing educational opportunities and career pipelines for youth and young adults, creating jobs through business incentives, and ensuring women and girls are a priority. Since her first term, she has successfully secured over $15 million in state funds to improve local schools, parks, businesses, and libraries and to jumpstart community development projects throughout the 192nd Legislative District. She currently sits on the Appropriations, Health, Insurance, Committee on Committees, and Labor & Industry committees and is a co-chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Health Caucus.

Currently, Morgan also serves on the Pennsylvania Workforce Development board, the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) board of directors, and Lankenau Medical Center President’s Advisory Council. She previously served as a member of the Governor’s Commission for Women and as a board member of the African American Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Settlement Music School, Wynnefield Branch, and the Village of Champions Youth Network, Inc. Morgan is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta and the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.

H. Patrick Clancy

President and CEO, Philadelphia Works

H. Patrick Clancy possesses more than 20 years of senior level experience developing and managing career and workforce development programs. As president and CEO of Philadelphia Works, the city’s Workforce Development board, he directs all aspects of the organization, providing strategic guidance for investments in solutions and services to grow Philadelphia’s economy.

Previously, Clancy served as special advisor on Employment and Training programs for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, where he oversaw the implementation of an $80 million Welfare to Work program across the Commonwealth and helped to draft the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state plan for the U.S. Department of Labor. He also advised the Pennsylvania Secretary of Human Services on all employment and training issues regarding Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients.

Clancy’s experience is rooted at Philadelphia Works, having spent nearly 15 years in various roles, including seven years as vice president of Training Programs with the former Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation (PWDC). After PWDC, Clancy led the strategic planning and development of 16 industry-sector partnerships across Southeastern Pennsylvania, connecting employers, unions and community colleges in order to create cost-effective training programs. Active in the community, he serves as a board member of the Wanamaker Institute of Industries, and is a member of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Organization, National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Workforce Development Council of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Clancy received his Bachelor of Science in Human Resources and Management from La Salle University. He also received a certificate in Project Management from Pennsylvania State University.

Michael Cooper

Director of Government Relations & Institutional Affairs, Leonardo Helicopters

Michael Cooper is an accomplished leader with experience in the aerospace and banking industries, city government, and workforce and economic development organizations. He presently leads federal, state, and local government relations for Leonardo’s helicopter division in the United States.

Michael’s previous positions include senior vice president and regional director of Public Affairs at Citizens Bank, director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Manufacturing and Industry, vice president of Market Development at the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), and an analyst in the Office of Special Finance and Treasury Options for the School District of Philadelphia.

In addition to serving on panels and delivering speeches, Michael is a recipient of the 40 Under 40 Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal and the Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award from The Pennsylvania State University.

Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University; a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration from Widener University; and a certificate in Management Development, from Wharton Executive Education, at the University of Pennsylvania.

Rob Dubow

Director of Finance, City of Philadelphia

Rob Dubow was appointed to his current role on Jan. 7, 2008. Previously, he was the executive director of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA), a financial oversight board; chief financial officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2005; and budget director from 2000 to 2004 for the city of Philadelphia, where he had also been a deputy budget director and assistant budget director.

Before working for the city, Mr. Dubow was a senior financial analyst for PICA. He also served as a research associate at the Pennsylvania Economy League and was a reporter for the Associated Press.

Mr. Dubow holds a Master in Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Harold T. Epps

Senior Advisor, Bellevue Strategies

Throughout his career, Harold T. Epps has built a solid reputation in both private and public sectors. Privately, he has focused on positioning organizations for sustained growth, successfully managing change. Publicly, Harold oversaw and implemented policies to help both small businesses and major corporations in Philadelphia thrive. As a Senior Advisor for Economic Development at Bellevue, Harold continues this work with businesses of all sizes. Harold lends his expertise to clients through strategic positioning, access to capital and introductions to his vast network of key stakeholders. In addition, Harold is also serving as a Senior Advisor with the global search firm, Diversified Search, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Harold previously served as the Director of Commerce at the City of Philadelphia for the duration of Mayor Kenney’s first term. As Director of Commerce, he helped to coordinate activities along neighborhood commercial corridors with small businesses and entrepreneurs, major real estate development projects, large-scale business attraction and retention efforts, as well as efforts to increase minority-owned business contracting opportunities.

Formerly, he served as vice chairman of the board, and president and CEO of PRWT Services, one of the largest minority-owned firms in America, and held executive roles with Quadrant, Menasha Corporation, Polaroid and Digital Equipment Corporation.

His commitment to workforce development and business opportunity diversity and inclusion efforts, both professionally and personally, has shaped his civic and board activities. Harold serves on the board of many organizations, including Cobbs Creek Restoration and Community Foundation, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and Board Chair First Step Staffing of Philadelphia. Harold previously served on the board of the Philadelphia Inquirer and as an executive committee member of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the African American Chamber of Commerce, The Urban League of Philadelphia, Comcast National African American Advisory Council, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) and Chair of the African American Museum of Philadelphia. He was recently honored with the title of Trustee Emeritus at North Carolina Central University, his alma mater, where he served as a trustee for eight years.

Mr. Epps holds a bachelor’s degree in Business/Commerce from North Carolina Central University and an MBA from Western New England University.

Mr. Epps holds a bachelor’s degree in Business/Commerce from North Carolina Central University and an MBA from Western New England University.

Timothy J. Ford

Partner, Dilworth Paxson LLP

In addition to partner, Timothy Ford is a litigator, representing governments, businesses, political committees and individuals in high stakes and sensitive disputes. He founded the law firm’s political and election law practice group. He practices regularly in the Pennsylvania Supreme and Commonwealth Courts in matters of public importance from election administration to the opioid epidemic. At Dilworth, Tim also serves on Dilworth’s Diversity Committee and chairs its Election Law Committee, responsible for the firm’s political compliance.

Previously, Tim worked as an international trade and investment associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP in Washington, D.C., and he clerked for the Honorable Timothy J. Savage on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Before law school, he worked in government and politics.

Committed to higher education and the community, Tim is an adjunct professor of Law at the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, teaching Election Law, and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Committee of Seventy.

Tim earned his B.A. in Public Policy from Stanford University and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was executive editor of Michigan Law Review.

Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend

President, Hamilton Family Charitable Trust

Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend is the president of the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust (HFCT). Ms. Fulmore-Townsend oversees planning, implementation, and management of the HFCT philanthropic grantmaking in the Philadelphia, Newport, RI and Palm Beach County, FL markets. She also serves as the organization’s senior executive responsible for strategic planning, budgeting and community outreach. She will report directly to the HFCT Board of Directors.

Most recently, Ms. Fulmore-Townsend served as president and CEO of the Philadelphia Youth Network, an organization that works to prepare young people for academic achievement, economic opportunity and personal success. As a leader, Ms. Fulmore-Townsend seeks to inspire passion, commitment and collaboration.

Her previous experience includes different positions at PYN, most recently as vice president of Program Services, where she led a team accountable for program design, implementation, evaluation, compliance and continuous improvement. Prior to her work at PYN, Ms. Fulmore-Townsend served at the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation as the senior director of the Emerging Workforce, fusing data-driven decision making with solid project management to implement and improve adult and youth workforce programs.

An in-demand speaker in the Philadelphia region and throughout the country, Ms. Fulmore-Townsend’s awards include being named a White House Champion of Change in 2016 and recognized in the Philadelphia Business Journal as part of Philadelphia’s Got Talent: 40 Under 40.

Ms. Fulmore-Townsend holds a B.A. in Psychology and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.

Keola Harrington

Chief Financial Officer, The Philadelphia Parking Authority

As Chief Financial Officer, Keola leads, directs, and oversees all financial operations at the Philadelphia Parking Authority, including finance, accounting, revenue, payroll, procurement, and risk management, ensuring fiscal integrity and strategic financial planning.

Previously, Keola held senior finance positions within the City of Philadelphia, including Senior Director of Finance for the Commerce Department and Assistant City Treasurer. Notable achievements include spearheading the financial recovery post-COVID-19, strategically managing a $150M operating and capital budget to increase economic development opportunities in the Philadelphia region, and successfully diversifying the City's $8.5 billion bond portfolio.

Before her tenure with the City, Keola led various financial empowerment programs, including Cities for Financial Empowerment funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. These initiatives empowered Pennsylvania's most vulnerable residents with financial literacy skills such as budgeting, saving, debt management, student loan counseling, and first-time homeownership programs.

Keola is a Philadelphia native deeply committed to public service, education, and economic empowerment. A former Community College of Philadelphia student and first-generation college graduate, she earned a BS in Finance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an Executive MPA from the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, she serves on the boards of Community College of Philadelphia, City Year Philadelphia, Schuylkill River Development Corporation, and the Community of Compassion CDC.

Sheila Ireland

President and CEO, Philadelphia OIC

Sheila Ireland’s hallmark of success is her ability to translate the context of organizational problems to effectively realign people and processes with organizational objectives. Her ability to create tactical, innovative and strategic initiatives results in programs that drive performance improvement and produce bottom line results in intensely competitive and highly regulated markets.

With more than 25 years of management experience, Sheila has been responsible for the successful leadership of human resources training, and organizational and workforce development functions, in the nonprofit, health care, consulting, government and public utility fields.

Ms. Ireland previously served in the Wolf Administration as the deputy secretary for Workforce Development in the Department of Labor and Industry for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Leveraging a deputate staff of more than 600 employees and an annual budget of $260 million in federal and state funding, the deputate oversees the planning, oversight and direction of Pennsylvania’s public workforce system. Under Sheila’s leadership the deputate leaned into the challenges of a seismic shift in the labor market by creating new and innovative strategies to upgrade service provision at the PA CareerLinks, traversing the digital divide in workforce development by bringing 32 public computing centers online, and providing increased access to funding opportunities across a number of industries, having released more than $30 million in opportunities in Fiscal Year 2021.

Prior to joining the Commonwealth, Sheila served in the Kenney Administration as the executive director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Workforce Development. Her charge was to implement the City of Philadelphia’s first citywide workforce development strategy, “Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine.” This comprehensive plan leveraged the collaborative efforts of the city’s major education and workforce development entities to fill the human capital needs of employers and to create career pathways for the city’s most vulnerable populations. During her tenure, Sheila created innovative and collaborative approaches that effectively engaged employers, funders and the workforce development community in the fight against poverty and unemployment in Philadelphia.

Sheila began her time in the Kenney Administration as the deputy director of Workforce Development and Inclusion for Rebuild, the City of Philadelphia’s $500 million investment in infrastructure improvements to Philadelphia’s parks, libraries and recreation centers. Sheila’s role was to ensure the Kenney Administration’s promise of workforce diversity in the skilled trades and expanded access to contracting opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses was realized.

Previously Sheila has served as the vice president of Workforce Solutions at University City District (UCD). Sheila was the founding director of West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) and led its growth to prominence as a national model for innovation and effectiveness in workforce development programming. She also launched and shepherded the growth of Green City Works (GCW), UCD’s first social venture. GCW expanded the demographic footprint of workforce development in West Philadelphia by bringing a new industry to West Philadelphia, expanding the job opportunities for individuals with higher barriers to employment.

Sheila graduated with honors from Community College of Philadelphia with an A.A.S. in Finance, Temple University with a B.B.A. majoring in Human Resources Management, and LaSalle University with an M.S. in Human Capital Development. She holds an SPHR certification from the Society for Human Resource Management. Sheila’s commitment to giving back and passion for education include roles on multiple nonprofit boards of directors and serving on the boards of trustees for local colleges.

Carol Jenkins

Retired Political Science Faculty and Administrator

Carol Jenkins has been involved in various aspects of Philadelphia life over her long tenor in the city. For 20 years, she has served as the 27th Ward Leader, where she oversees local democratic processes in choosing strong candidates to serve the city. Outside of politics, she has been active on various community boards including Friends of Clark Park and the United Nations of Greater Philadelphia.

As a Bucks County Community College graduate, Carol is a longtime and fervent supporter of the community college system. She previously was a faculty member of Temple University, where she taught Urban Policy classes. Carol focused on improving course material that introduced students to the ways in which they can impact their state and local contexts. She specifically engaged with transfer students from Community College of Philadelphia, which provided insight into transfer preparation to a four-year institution.

Carol earned an associate degree at Bucks Community College; a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education at Indiana University, Bloomington; and an MPA and Ph.D. from Temple University.

Jonathan A. Mason, Sr.

Pastor, Northeast Baptist Church

Reverend Jonathan A. Mason Sr. was driven to service by his father, Rev. Lee Mason Jr., an esteemed and connected pastor in the Philadelphia area who ran in the same circles as Martin Luther King Jr., Clay Evans, Jesse Jackson, James Cleveland and many other prominent figures of the time.

Rev. Mason has had a distinguished career in media sales and management, leading teams at iconic New York radio stations such as 92.3 K-ROCK, 1010 WINS and 77 WABC. Tasked with driving exceptional revenue growth in the nation’s top media market, he consistently guided his teams to surpass revenue goals.

He now serves as the owner and operator of Philly's Favor 100.7 FM, the last remaining Black-owned Gospel radio station in Philadelphia, where he continues to make a lasting impact in the industry.

Dedicated to bridging opportunity and education around the world, Rev. Mason’s support of an adopted school in Suhum, Ghana, has resulted in renovations to meet the needs of 300 children and prepare them to be world-class leaders. He has partnered with corporations, institutions of higher learning and community organizations for leadership training at his facility, Camp New Joy. The camp serves at-risk youth from communities across the nation.

During Rev. Mason’s career in radio, he was selected as the 2000 New York Infinity Broadcasting Radio Marketing Consultant of the Year. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Norfolk State University, his alma mater, in 2017, where he also established an endowment for Mass Communications students. In addition, he was past international president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

Rev. Mason is a visiting professor at NSU, teaching courses in media sales and radio broadcasting. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in News and Public Affairs, with a minor in Public Relations, from NSU; a master’s in Ministry from Missio Seminary in Philadelphia; and received an honorary doctorate from NSU.

Rosalyn McPherson

President and CEO, The ROZ Group, Inc.

Rosalyn McPherson is President and Founder of The ROZ Group, Inc. Highly regarded as a natural cross-pollinator, builder of strategic relationships, and cross-cultural content enthusiast, she leads her company in providing project management, market research, strategic marketing and communications, custom publishing, and product development to corporations, governmental agencies, and nonprofit institutions. Cultural arts, education, health care disparities, science and history are among her key areas.

Roz has had a long-term career as a senior level executive in the corporate and nonprofit sectors that includes educational publishing, museum administration and marketing. Many of her major projects have revolved around the development of legacy experiences that celebrate the accomplishments of the world’s diverse people. She recently served as President & CEO for the Urban League of Philadelphia. She also served as Senior Vice President for the Science Center at The Franklin Institute. Time Warner, McGraw Hill and Scholastic are among the companies where she served as a publisher and marketer. In 2016, The ROZ Group celebrated its 10th year as a certified minority business in the State of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia.

Among the boards that Roz sits on are: National Philanthropic Trust; Community College of Philadelphia; Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA; and First Person Arts.

Mindy Posoff

Managing Director, Golden Seeds

Mindy Posoff is a senior financial services professional with expertise in strategic development, operational due diligence, and institutional sales and marketing. She has more than 20 years of experience with top-tier global financial services organizations.

Ms. Posoff is currently a managing director and member of Golden Seeds, an investment group whose network is dedicated to investing in early stage companies with diverse management teams. She is also the founder of Traversent Capital Partners, LLC, a consulting firm focusing on strategic solutions for investment firms. Ms. Posoff also serves as an independent trustee of the Harris Associates Investment Trust for the Oakmark Family of Funds, a value driven complex of mutual funds.

Prior to Golden Seeds and Traversent, Ms. Posoff was one of the three co-founders of NewMarket Capital Partners, LLC, an investment management company focusing on absolute return strategies for the institutional investor. She was the firm's chief operating and compliance officer, as well as co-head of Sales and Marketing. Previously, Ms. Posoff was a vice president at E*Trade, and a director and institutional sales manager of the structured product sales group at Credit Suisse First Boston.

Ms. Posoff is a member of the Board of Managers of The Philadelphia Foundation; a member of the Board of Ben Franklin Technology Partners SEP; a trustee of Salus University; a founding member of the board of directors of 100 Women in Finance, the largest global association for finance and alternative professionals; and a member of Springboard Enterprises’ Council of National Advisors.

Ms. Posoff has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Beloit College.

Michael D. Soileau

CEO, O3

Michael D. Soileau has joined O3, a customer experience (CX) consultancy, as Chief Executive Officer. Soileau will lead O3 during its next phase of expansion to help meet the rapidly growing demand from B2B enterprises and B2C brands for the company’s end-to-end customer journey solutions. Soileau previously served as Vice President of Planning and Strategy for communications, data and WiFi products at Comcast for more than 20 years. In this role, he was responsible for the planning and design of initiatives for deploying Comcast technology to deliver innovative solutions in Comcast markets. He was also responsible for understanding the company’s competitive market pressures and developing strategic plans to navigate this landscape. Michael managed industry research, developments and needs from new and emerging providers and for future products that are yet to be publicly available.

Previously, Michael served as the Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Experience at Innovative Communications, a multiservice provider (MSP) of phone, data, video and wireless for the United States Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and St. Maarten. Prior to his assignment in the Virgin Islands, Michael spent 10 years with Comcast, serving in various leadership roles throughout the company’s footprint. Additionally, Michael held several leadership positions at OpTel, a MSP in the multihousing segment.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business from the University of Texas at Austin. This is his eighth year sitting on the board of the National Adoption Center and he is also on the Steering and Advisory Committee for Philadelphia Fight. He is on the board of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, and is a member of Lambda Legal’s National Leadership Council. Michael resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jeremiah J. White, Jr.

Chief Executive Officer, White and Associates

As chief executive officer of White and Associates, Jeremiah White, Jr. leads the development of consulting strategies, such as business development and fundraising, designed to help midsized business and nonprofit organizations overcome market challenges and pursue growth. Most recently, he was president and CEO of Osiris Group, Inc., a marketing and business strategy firm. Mr. White is co-founder and past president of Intercultural Family Services, Inc., a nonprofit health and service organization for Philadelphia's in-need and ethnically diverse citizens.

Currently, Mr. White is the board vice president of the Glaucoma Service Foundation at Wills Eye Institute and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, board member of bioscience companies Transdermal Specialties, Inc. and FlowMetric, Inc., and member of the Wistar Institute Leadership Council.

Mr. White earned a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in Planning and Administration in Health Services from Antioch College.