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.
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. Jacqui is also the chair of the Children First Development 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.
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
Soledad Alfaro
Soledad is the Chief Operating Officer of The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for fostering inclusive growth and innovation. She’s demonstrated exceptional leadership in strategic management and organizational effectiveness to educate and develop leaders of color who create transformative change in urban education.
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.
Frank Cervone
Frank is the retired Executive Director of the Support Center for Child Advocates, the lawyer pro bono program for abused and neglected children in Philadelphia. He is a founder and co-director of the National Children’s Law Network and former chair of the Board of the Children’s Trust Fund of Pennsylvania.
Roy DeLaMar
Roy is a seasoned professional in brand strategy and communications, currently serving as the Director of Brand Content and Strategy at Lincoln Financial and has also served as Manager of Marketing Communications at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Harriet Dichter
Harriet is a private consultant expert in early education services, bringing experience in policy, strategy, leadership, and partnership at the state and federal levels. She was also Pennsylvania’s founding deputy secretary for the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, gained national attention for the state’s unique new solutions and partnerships.
Matt Dorney
Matt is a Managing Director at Accenture Strategy. He is a management consultant specializing in Communications, Media and Technology,
Marsha Gerdes, PhD
Marsha is a Senior Psychologist with PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
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.
Julia Hinckley
Julia is the Director of Policy Strategy at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania working to connect academic research to policymaking to improve health at the federal, state and local government levels. Previously, Julia served in several leadership roles at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and was the Policy Director for the Mayor of Philadelphia.
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.
Harriette Lynn Starr
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.
Fatima Sultan
Fatima is a Client Strategies and Operations Leader at Vanguard where she has been
John Summers
John is a founder of the law firm Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller, where he chairs the firm’s Litigation Department.
Tommy Tomlinson
Tommy is a former Republican State Senator having served residents of the 18th District in Bucks County Pennsylvania for more than 25 years. Previously, he was also the Director of the Bensalem Township School District for more than 10 years and a past president of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit.
Honorary Board Members
Carolyn Adams
John E. Riggan
Allener (Sissy) Rogers
Patricia West