New Members of AccessMatters’ Board of Directors

AccessMatters is pleased to welcome these new members of the Board of Directors:

Patience Ajoff-Foster (Board Vice President) is the Executive Director for Diversity & Inclusive Culture at Drexel University. Patience has worked with community-based and non-profit organizations in local communities in the U.S. and in Africa. Her work has been in a variety of capacities, including: consulting, leadership, training, and service-based. Patience’s professional expertise is in nonprofit/nongovernmental organizational leadership; organizational development and change; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She has a strong personal commitment to building a just society.

Danna Casserly is a former staff attorney and the current Director of Development and Communications at the Pennsylvania Health Law Project. Danna has committed herself to following a career path that focuses on advancing the rights of low-income people and other oppressed populations, including women and people with disabilities. As an attorney, Danna lends her expertise to support a multitude of efforts. She sits on the Advisory Council for PA Families Need Nurses Now and is also a member of the Imagine Different Coalition. Working to eradicate inequity in access to healthcare is one of Danna’s top priorities in life.

Amy Confair is the Assistant Director of Community Engaged Research and Practice at Temple University College of Public Health. Amy’s main goal for community engagement is to dismantle systems that lead to inequity and improve the impact of research, policy, and practice by connecting the community with researchers and decision-makers. Amy’s background is in sexual and reproductive health and creating a supportive society for health and equity. She has extensive knowledge and expertise in program evaluation and community engagement, especially via academic-community partnerships.

Natasha Graves has experience in teaching, public health, health education, direct service, policy, and health advocacy. She has worked in public health and also has been impacted personally with healthcare systems as a person living with chronic illness. Natasha values her professional and personal connections to a large chronic illness and disability patient and activist community. She aims to bring these connections to the Board since these communities are often overlooked when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health services.

Kevin Jordan graduated from the Fox School of Business at Temple University with a major in marketing and a minor in real estate. He is a realtor at Addison Wolfe Real Estate and works in the service industry as well. Beyond marketing and sales, Kevin is an activist. He cares deeply about combating climate change and advocating for both human and animal rights. In his free time, Kevin enjoys hiking, performing in drag, traveling, and attending musical events.

Matthew Ray is the Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder of ChatterBlast Media. Matthew has unique experience in digital communications specific to helping progressive causes reach their core audiences and grow empathy in new or unfriendly audiences. Matthew has worked closely with many people active in state and local politics, and has an extensive network of contacts in communications offices in those arenas. He is also a current Board Member of the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

James C. Wadley, PhD, is a sexuality educator, counselor, and therapist and has been an activist and advocate in the field of mental health for 25 years. Dr. Wadley, an American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT)-Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor, currently serves as the Chair of Counseling and Human Services at Lincoln University and has extensive experience working with transhistorically-oppressed communities addressing social justice issues and the construction of race and other identities. Dr. Wadley is a published expert and leads the publication of the Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships and is a frequent guest on radio. He is a member of the Society of Therapists and Researchers and currently serves as a senior advisor and board member for several other organizations.

Teneshia Washington (Board Secretary) is a member of Temple University’s Administration Office. Teneshia’s lived experience helps her connect to under-served and marginalized people and communities. She brings with her a background of non-profit work and community engagement. Teneshia has worked with several non-profit boards and committees, including: Physicians for Social Responsibility, Friends Child Care Center, The Friends Center Corporation, BeautifullyTrans, and others. She also helped to start BeautifullyTrans.org, which “brought light to the increased violence and murders of persons of Trans experience.”

Matthew I. Whitehorn (Board Treasurer) is a Partner at DilworthPaxson LLP. In addition to advising clients on employee benefits/ERISA and other tax issues at Dilworth, Matt leads the pro bono efforts of one of the most well-known law firms in Philadelphia. This role is a passion and one that Matt has enjoyed for more than 20 years. Matt cares deeply about access to healthcare, and in particular, to giving a voice to underrepresented and underserved people with critical health issues. Over the years, Matt has served on many board committees, currently as Finance Committee member of the Philadelphia VIP, a pro bono legal services agency.

Michele Wilson is a retired pediatrician and retired adolescent medicine physician. Michele has over 20 years of experience caring for patients. While working at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she cared for many patients who had experienced trauma, driving her to commit to being anti-racist and trauma-informed. Michele’s expertise is in clinical care working with teenagers, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical assistants, health educators, social workers, psychologists, and others to provide quality services to all patients. Seeing the best in each individual is an important principle for Michele.

Natalia Windisch is a certified public accountant with 20 years of professional accounting and financial reporting experience and a Director at Savran Benson, LLP. As someone who faced limited access to health insurance and care providers as a young immigrant, Natalia has a deep commitment to issues such as literacy, infant mortality, access to education, health care, and nutrition. Natalia has previous and current board experience and currently serves as a volunteer for the Mitzvah Food Program and as the Board Treasurer for The Women of Walnut Club. Her life experience and volunteer experience at the VA Center and the Mitzvah Food Bank have led her to take a more active role in addressing inequities in her community, and she believes everyone has a role to play in alleviating race-based barriers in all aspects of life.

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Their unique perspectives, along with their professional and personal experience, are critical to bringing new ideas and leadership to help the Board of Directors further support AccessMatters to achieve its mission.  

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