2024 CAAP Conference
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Speakers
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2024 CAAP Conference • Speakers •
Presenters & Speakers
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Lindsay is a licensed social worker with a master’s degree in Social Work from Widener University. She has been with Community Progress Council for 13 years, and for the last 6 years, stepped into the Director of Intake and Coaching position that has allowed her to focus more on strategic planning and program and organizational development. Lindsay was part of the collaborative planning team in developing and launching the Centralized Intake and Coaching departments that are at the core of CPC’s comprehensive service delivery model and now serves over 2000 individuals per year. Lindsay’s most recent project was focused on creating an external and internal referral system workflow to allow for seamless entry into CPC services in conjunction with an integrated, agency-wide data system that has established an internal process for coordination of care.
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Carly holds a bachelors of science in Dietetics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She just celebrated 15 years with Community Progress Council where she spent her first 7 years as a Nutritionist prior to transitioning into various coordinator roles and now serves as the WIC Program Director. The CPC WIC program serves over 5,800 individuals throughout York County. Under the direction of Carly, The CPC WIC program was recently one of 36 programs nationwide to receive a WIC Community Innovation and Outreach grant, focused on bringing awareness of WIC services to the eligible population in York County. In addition, Carly recently debuted a new mobile WIC clinic which will serve eligible participants throughout York County.
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Desireé Chang serves as the Director of Education & Outreach for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Desireé has been with the PHRC for over four years. Prior to becoming the Director of Education & Outreach, she worked as a Civil Rights Mediator with the PHRC Mediation Division. During her tenure at the PHRC, Desireé has received the Director of Excellence Award (2020), PHRC Social Justice Team Award (2021) and the Employee of the Year, Central Office (2023). Most recently, she was recognized as one of the 2024 PA City & State Above & Beyond honorees. She is a graduate of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Institute (2021) and the Commonwealth Leadership Institute (2023). Desireé has been recognized for her participation on several committees and community social justice collaborative efforts. She currently serves as co-chair on the Equity Advisory Council for HEAL PA. Desireé’s educational acquisitions include an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Legal Studies from Drexel University. Much of Desireé’s professional career has been in roles that include assistance for, or advocating of, special interest groups. Her passions are married at the PHRC with the ability to educate Pennsylvanians and actively work towards eradicating discrimination both inside and outside of the Commonwealth.
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Kelly Stewart is the Founder of The Positive Business, improving strategic planning and implementation by helping to foster innovation and align actions to outcomes through strengths-based, generative conversations. Kelly is also a certified Conversations Worth Having trainer and Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator. She facilitates strategic planning workshops and teaches people how to have more productive and meaningful conversations because better results begin with better conversations. She works with businesses and non-profit organizations that are purpose-driven and making a positive impact on people and the planet. She is also co-founder of the Conversations Worth Having Institute, Inc. offering resources and training opportunities for organizations that want to support productivity, invite engagement, and nurture strong relationships through conversation. Kelly has a natural desire and proven ability to bring out the best in an organization. This comes from a long background of leadership experience in Client Services, New Business Development, and Marketing where she was both the "face of the company" and the "voice of the client." She is grateful and humbled to support Community Action Agencies in having conversations that enhance their ability to reduce poverty, promote self-sufficiency, create opportunities for people to thrive, and strengthen communities.
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Ronnessa Edwards is a proud human rights' advocate, and proponent of equitable access to mental health services. She has spent most of her career as a civil servant in Pennsylvania State Government. Ronnessa currently serves as an Investigatory Supervisor with the PHRC Philadelphia Regional Office where she supervises a team of human relations representatives that process and investigate complaints. She also facilitates trainings to educate the private and public sector about implicit bias, unlawful discrimination, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ronnessa graduated from Eastern University with her Master of Arts in Counseling. She recognizes the existing disparities in access to mental health services and the deleterious implications it has on BIPOC populations. Ronnessa aims to combine her career in human and civil rights advocacy with her education in clinical psychology to highlight the intersection between fighting for social justice and addressing trauma related needs in response to social injustice.
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Dr. Nathaniel Woods, Jr. (known as Nate) is a Senior Executive at Pennsylvania College of Technology, serving as the Special Assistant to the President for Inclusion Transformation. Before serving at Penn College, Nate served as the Interim Dean of Workforce Education and Tenured Professor for the Human Services Program at Grays Harbor College. While at Grays Harbor, Nate became a certified Master Trainer for the Hope Squad, QPR, and Mental Health First-Aid. In addition to the Hope Squad, Nate serves as a board member on multiple boards and believes in philanthropic work. He is the Managing Partner and co-founder of DOT Service LLC, a leadership development firm. His clients include Southeastern University, Every Nation’s 10-Days missions group, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Controlled Contamination Services, Polk County Schools, Grays Harbor College, Hope Squad, and Grays Harbor County Schools to name a few. Dr. Woods earned his Doctorate of Strategic Leadership (DSL) from Southeastern University. His Master’s degree in Human Services: Marriage and Family Therapy is from Liberty University, and his Interdisciplinary studies degree is from Winston-Salem State University. Before earning his doctorate, Nate released his first book on Amazon, titled: “Developing Others Through Service: Starting with ME!”
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Dr. Esther Hio-Tong Castillo, PhD, is a mental health and social justice advocate with nearly two decades of experience in education and community advocacy. With a Ph.D. in Sociology, she specializes in survey development and conducts nuanced qualitative and quantitative analyses. Her true strength lies in driving impactful systemic change through narrative change efforts and community engagement strategies, particularly excelling in engaging diverse communities, including immigrants and BIPOC.
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Mandy Welty Zalich graduated from St. Vincent College with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and she gained her Master’s Degree in Counselor Education at Duquesne University. After working in direct practice with children and families for a number of years, she moved into non-profit management. The transition to Chief Executive Officer of Westmoreland Community Action (WCA) in April 2019 was a significant step in both personal and professional growth for her. Working in this dynamic community organization, Mandy is able to see impacts made on the lives of individuals across all stages of life, as well as throughout the entire county; thus, making a bigger impact in the lives of her neighbors. In her free time, Mandy enjoys spending time with her friends and family, husband Nick, son Noah and dog Daisy, often visiting nearby Mammoth Park.
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Megan Bair is the Chief Executive Officer at Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc. (CSO). CSO is the Community Action Agency for Columbia, Montour and Northumberland Counties as well as a provider of workforce development services in a nine-county area in the Central Region. Megan has over 22 years of experience at CSO in a variety of direct service and leadership positions. Megan has a passion for helping others and is dedicated to finding collaborative and innovative program services to meet the needs of the local community.
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Joe Cuozzo is the Director of Development for the Bucks County Opportunity Council. Over the last nine years, Joe has led the fund raising efforts of BCOC by building a diverse group of funders including individuals, businesses, religious organizations and private foundations. Joe has over 25 years of experience fundraising for many different organizations in the greater Philadelphia area, Milwaukee, WI and New York City. Joe earned his Certified FundRaising Executive designation in 2010 and is one of the founders of the Bucks County FundRaisers Group.
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Meet Heather Holloway, the founder of Holloway Media Services and the creative force behind the SCOPE Social Media Marketing System. With a background in radio and television broadcasting and extensive marketing experience (over 2 decades!), Heather is a sought-after expert in social media marketing.
Passionate about empowering businesses to post with a purpose, Heather has led her team to create successful campaigns for renowned brands, helping businesses of all sizes build solid followings and achieve marketing success. Today, Heather offers us the unique opportunity to learn her exclusive SCOPE system, which gives you an inside track on using organic social media to grow your organization's reach and influence.
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Will is the Vice President and Regional Manager for Citizens & Northern Bank. Will has over 11 years of banking experience working with Penn Community Bank, BB&T and 3rd Federal Bank. He holds a degree from Bucks County Community College and serves as a Board Member for Vita Education Services and Potential Inc, both non-profits located in Bucks County.
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Jamee E. Boone, trainer, coach, strategist, consultant, helps transform people, processes, and workplaces through diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Jamee meets individuals and organizations where they are and develops customized plans to guide leaders and teams through strategies that embed DEI in their DNA. Jamee has over 35+ years of for-profit and nonprofit work experience). Jamee is a Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Senior Certified Professional. She acquired a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University. She holds a Master of Science degree in Human Services from Wilmington University where she serves as adjunct instructor for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; College of Business/Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Science degree (Magna Cum Laude), from Wilmington University in Human Resources Administration. Jamee was awarded a certificate of completion by the Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership, Jessie Ball duPont Developing Excellence in Leadership Institute. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Brandywine Chapter’s Board of Directors, Governance Committee, and Chair of the AFPB Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Committee; President of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) Delaware Chapter; member of Wilmington University Human Services Advisory Board, former member of the Inclusion Council for United Way Worldwide. She leverages her broad background, formal/informal education, unique blend of skills, expertise and lived experiences to execute on strategies that, at their core, help to improve holistic outcomes for individuals, families, communities, and organizations. To learn more about Jamee/Eddee Boone Consulting LLC, visit eddeebc.com
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Community Action Partnership is Lancaster County’s largest anti-poverty organization and boasts a service profile that interrupts generational poverty with programs that assist families at every age and place in life. As Chief Strategy Officer, Amanda leads strategy development across the organization and identifies new opportunities and innovations to further the agency’s vision.
