Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Javier Suarez, President

Javier is the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Estelle Richman, Vice President

Estelle is the Executive Director, Philadelphia Coalition to Save Lives and former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.

Ira Goldstein, Treasurer

Ira is President of the Policy Solutions Group at Reinvestment Fund. He is also a Lecturer for the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Ira is also the Chair of the Children First Finance Committee.

LaTi Spence, Secretary

LaTi is Counsel at TD Bank.

Lindsay Albright, Committee Member

Lindsay is the Chief Operating Officer for Episcopal Community Services and is a graduate of the University Of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Lindsay is also the Chair of the Children First Nominating & Governance Committee.

Harriette Lynn Starr, Committee Member

Lynn is the former (retired) Director of Clinical Development at Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC / Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Lynn’s uncle, Wilbur Hobbs, was a founder of Children First. Lynn is also the Chair of the Children First Development Committee.

Ann Rosewater, Committee Member

Ann is a senior member of the team at Kronley & Associates and has advised foundations, non-profit organizations, federal, state and local governments and universities including Ford, Annie E. Casey, Rockefeller, Pew Charitable Trusts and Robert Wood Johnson.

Board Members

Saumya Ayyagari

Saumya is the Director of Special Outreach Services, a preventative oral health care program for individuals with intellectual disabilities and behavioral health challenges in PA. Her background is in public health nursing and maternal and child health nursing.

Matt Dorney

Matt is a Managing Director at Accenture Strategy. He is a management consultant specializing in Communications, Media and Technology,

Phil Fitzgerald

Phil is Senior Vice President, Senior Program Officer at Citi Foundation.

Marsha Gerdes, PhD

Marsha is a Senior Psychologist with PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Jacqueline Griffith

Jacqui is a former Chief Social Worker at University of Pittsburgh and a member of multiple local boards including the Bryn Mawr School of Social Work and now, Children First.

David Hackett

David is a lawyer with Cozen O’Connor focusing on representing and counseling employers concerning the full spectrum of labor and employment-related issues.

Melanie Hidalgo-Britt

Melanie is the Vice President of Development at Building 21 and member of the Steering Committee for the Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective.

Honorable Renee Cardwell Hughes

Renee is the CEO of the Hughes Group. She’s a former trial judge in the Court of Common Pleas of Pennsylvania and former CEO of the Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania.

Phil Jaurigue

Phil is the Chairman and CEO of Sabre Systems, Inc. He’s also co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul and Albany Empire AFL Teams.

Ken Klothen

Ken is the Founder and principal consultant in E2K Consulting, LLC, a firm specializing in research ethics, clinical ethics, and mediation in the health care field.

Diego Matamoros

Diego is is a hands-on corporate attorney with Pierson Ferdinand and has a broad range of experience with a particular focus on private investment funds and middle-market M&A transactions.

Joanne McFall

Joanne is the Market President for Keystone First/AmeriHealth Caritas PA, Pennsylvania’s largest Medicaid managed care organization.

Lisa Panepinto

Lisa is the Senior Vice President & General Manager Public Sector for Comcast Business.

Rosa Parks-Green

Rosa is a DEI Strategy Coordinator at Temple University and a former child welfare attorney for the City of Philadelphia.

ShaVon Savage

ShaVon is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Policy, Organizational, and Leadership Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University.

Staci Scott, MHS

Staci is the Executive Director of Sanctuary Village, providing people without housing, with transitional tiny homes within communities of care, advocacy, and equitable access to resources to empower their life choices.

Darren Smith

Darren is a Senior Associate at Wodjak Government Affairs. He is a lawyer and former Chief of Staff to a Senate Leader and former campaign director for various legislators.

John Summers