2020 Annual Conference
Innovative and Just Approaches to Tackling Hunger
Friday, January 31st
The Hill School Center for the Arts
Register to Attend
Meeting Agenda
Innovative and Just Approaches to Tackling Hunger
Friday, January 31st
The Hill School Center for the Arts
Register to Attend
Meeting Agenda
Speaker Bios
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Marlysa D. Gamblin (Keynote Speaker) Domestic Policy Advisor, Racial and Gender Divides, Bread for the World Institute Marlysa D. Gamblin is the Domestic Policy Advisor for Racial and Gender Divides at Bread for the World Institute. Her expertise is providing research and analysis to end hunger and poverty among communities of color and women, with the intention of narrowing the racial and gender hunger and income divides. At Bread, Marlysa has designed the Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation, an interactive tool that helps people understand the connection between racial equity, hunger, income and wealth. She also authored the first-ever report that applied a racial equity lens into federal policy to end hunger and poverty. In this role, she also staffed on the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships during the Obama Administration, where she proposed key recommendations to the White House on race, justice, and poverty. Marlysa previously chaired the Economic Empowerment work for the NAACP DC Branch, where she helped to build capacity in the Black business and residential community in DC. Marlysa holds her Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. with honors from the University of California, Berkeley. |
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Stuart Bush Executive Director, The Open Link; Executive Committee Chair, MontCo Anti-Hunger Network Stu Bush has been Executive Director of The Open Link, a multi-service agency serving the Upper Perkiomen Valley, since 2013. In previous positions he served as Director of The Academy at Liberty Resources in Philadelphia and as Grants and Operations Manager at Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton. Stu is a founding Governing Board member and currently Chair of the Montgomery County Anti-Hunger Network. He is also President of the Upper Perk Community Council, a member of the Board of Directors of Bucks-Mont Collaborative and sits on the Steering and Educational Advisory Committees of PerkUp. Stu holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and spent 25 years as a research leader at Rohm and Haas Company. |
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Tamela Luce President & CEO, Phoenixville Community Health Foundation Tamela Luce is the President and CEO for the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation. She comes to the foundation with more than two decades of philanthropic experience, most recently as the Senior Program Officer for Health Spark Foundation, and previously as the Director of Grantmaking and Agency Relations for Women’s Way. While at HealthSpark, Tamela helped secure the funding that created and seeded the initial years of MAHN’s growth. She was also instrumental in supporting the network during those formative years and introducing MAHN to several of the region’s food funders. Tamela holds a Master of Public Administration degree, with a concentration in nonprofit management, from West Chester University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Institutions and Policy from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. |
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Dr. Valerie Arkoosh Chairwoman, Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Dr. Valerie Arkoosh is a parent , physician, health policy expert, and community leader who was appointed a Montgomery County Commissioner on January 29, 2015, and currently serves as Board Chair. A practicing obstetric anesthesiologist for over two decades, Val has always put the health and well being of her community first. As Commission Chair, Val oversees a budget of $430 million and directs more than 2,500 employees. Val has a degree in Economics from Northwestern University, and attended medical school at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. Frustrated by watching families she cared for fall through the cracks time and time again – Val earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy giving her the tools to increase her impact outside of the exam room. Through many local and national leadership positions, Val has been a tireless advocate for fair and equal treatment of all people. |
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Teresa Miller Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Teresa Miller has served as Secretary of the Department of Human Services (DHS) since August 2017. In her time at DHS, Miller has focused on collaborating across agencies to advance Governor Wolf's health innovation and workforce development agendas, overseeing the successful launch of managed care for long term care services, and supporting efforts to address social determinants of health such as food security and housing. Prior to leading DHS, Miller served as Pennsylvania’s Insurance Commissioner beginning in January 2015. As Insurance Commissioner, Miller prioritized increasing the Insurance Department’s consumer protection, outreach, and education efforts. Before coming to Pennsylvania, Miller help positions at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where she worked on implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Miller also previously served as the administrator of the Oregon Insurance Division. Miller received her J.D. from Willamette University College of Law, and her B.A., magma cum laude, from Pacific Lutheran University. |
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Nelly Jiménez-Arévalo Executive Director &CEO, ACLAMO Family Centers Nelly Jiménez-Arévalo is the Executive Director and CEO of ACLAMO in Montgomery County. She is an appointed member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs (Pennsylvania), co-chair of the Montgomery County PA Counts Census Committee 2020, and co-organizer of the Latino Professional Luncheon Scholarship Program for Chester County. She serves on the boards of the West Chester Area Senior Center, Norristown Police Department Advisory, Montgomery County United Way, Diversity Council Advisory and Montgomery County Community College Culture Affairs. She is also a member of the steering committee for the Montgomery County Maternal and Early Childhood Consortium. Nelly has received numerous awards including the 2013 Power Women Award by Main Line Today Magazine, recognition as the 2015 Most Influential Latina of the Delaware Valley, and the 2018 Superhero Award by United Way of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. Nelly holds a degree in Law from Santa Maria University, Venezuela. |
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Suzan Neiger Gould Executive Director, Manna on Main Street; Executive Committee Vice-Chair, MontCo Anti-Hunger Network Suzan Neiger Gould began as Manna’s Executive Director in October, 2012, bringing 17 years of nonprofit management experience to the position. Using her extensive experience in organizational management, she coordinates board, staff, volunteer and constituent collaboration in operations, program design and delivery. As Chair of the CEO Council of North Penn Commons, she helps manage an innovative partnership between Manna, the Lansdale YMCA, The PEAK Center and Advanced Living Communities. These seasoned nonprofits, co-located on a campus in Lansdale, offer collaborative programs and access to programs, services and facilities for North Penn residents of all ages and income levels. She is vice-chair of the governing board of the Montgomery County Anti-Hunger Network (MAHN). Suzan earned her B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Penn State University and her Master’s in Non-Profit Management from Eastern University. |
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Bill England Program Manager, Pennsylvania Health Access Network Bill England is a community organizer and nonprofit manager who has spent his career working on issues of social justice including hunger, public education, access to affordable health care, and others. He works for the Pennsylvania Health Access Network in Montgomery County where he is building a coalition focused on advocacy and policy. Bill is an active member of the MontCo Counts Census Committee. He also serves as an elected School Board Director in Cheltenham and as Treasurer on the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Board of Directors. In 2018 during the lead up to the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, including SNAP and other critical hunger and nutrition programs, he worked with pantries and other providers in Montgomery County raising the grassroots voice in support of passage of the reauthorization. Bill has directed programs at the local, state and national levels. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, receiving both his undergraduate and Master of Social Work. |
