ACHIEVEability
Board of Directors:
The ACHIEVEability staff wishes to thank its Board of
Directors for their unwavering support of our mission.
Thank you for the time, resources, and heartfelt
commitment that enable our recent successes!
Board Members
Tim Thornton Board Chairman
Principal, Vanguard
Donna Higgins Board Vice Chair President
Higgins Group, Inc.
Joel S. Lawson III Board Treasurer
Private Investor
Mark S. Cohen Board Secretary
Askot Weiner & Cohen, LLP
Danyl S. Patterson Recording Secretary
Attorney at Law, Patterson Law Firm
President, Haddington-Cobbs Creek CDC
Kellye Walker Executive Committee Member
CAO, General Counsel & Secretary
American Water Works Service Company, Inc
Rich Furino
Regional Manager, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
Arnold Johnson
Senior Vice President/Consumer Market Manager,
Bank of America
Michele Lawrence
Senior Vice President/Community Banking President
Wells Fargo Bank/Delaware Valley Central
Brian McElwee
President, Valley Forge Investment Corporation
Chip Olson
President & Chief Executive Officer, Olson Research Group
Anthony Schweiger
Managing Principal & CEO, The Tomorrow Group, LLC
Bruce Shook
President and CEO, Neuronectics
Letitia Squillaro
Managing Partner and CEO, CAN DOR Consulting
William J. Stickney
Partner, Grant Thornton, LLP
Robert Strouse
President, Wind River Holdings, LLP
Sheryl Williams
Executive Consultant, JFox Enterprises, LLC
Denise Green
ACHIEVEability Participant
Sonya Robinson-Williams
ACHIEVEability Participant
2
CEO CORNER:
Earlier this year,
ACHIEVEability’s Board of
Pl a nning fo r t h e F u t u r e
Directors appointed Susan
Patton as the interim Chief Executive Officer.
Susan literally and figuratively had big shoes to fill after Marcus Allen accepted
a new career opportunity, but the organization continues ACHIEVEability’s
tradition of serving the community and our participants. The Board is using her
interim role as an opportunity to examine the possibilities for the next 30 years.
As Susan says, “There is so much promise in the outcomes we deliver as an
organization. And at the same time,
Over the past 31 years, ACHIEVEabiliy has become
we owe it to our funders, participants, and
a pillar in the West Philadelphia community. I am
employees to take a fresh look at where we
looking forward to working with ACHIEVEability’s
are and where we need to go.” The Board
Board, staff, local community members and most
recently reviewed a State of the Agency
importantly, our participants to move these great
report and is actively engaged in working
programs forward and to break the generational
with Susan and the entire leadership team
cycle of poverty.
on taking ACHIEVEability to the next level.
Susan’s corporate background,
– SUSAN PATTON
organizational and human resource
experience, and her passion for service position her well to steward
the organization during this time of change. Susan served in several
executive roles at Merck & Co, Inc. and was a Principal in the Central
Region with Towers Watson – a leading global HR consulting firm.
She has a Master of Management from Northwestern University
and a B.A. from Yale University.
Outreach
and Advocacy:
ACHIEVEability’s Community Services
Office is a resource center and computer
center for the Haddington and Cobbs Creek
neighborhoods and for other Philadelphians
O u r C omm u ni t y
in need. Led by Community Services Director,
S e r vic e s O ffic e
Kimberly Snowden, the office promotes selfadvocacy by educating community residents about resources that are available to them and
serving as an advocate and liaison between the residents and various benefit providers.
For example, they provide free tax preparation, referral services to employment training
programs, housing counseling, food banks,
financial education, and other life skill
workshops. The office also offers allow access
to a free computer lab, and connect residents
to program initiatives such as utility assistance,
financial aid applications, TANF, SNAP, LiHeap,
foreclosure diversion and Medicaid.
Open Mondays through Friday, with
flexible hours of operation that can include
Saturdays, the ACHIEVEability Community
Services Office staff strives to accommodate
Kimberly Snowden (standing), with staff members
Yolanda Mack, & Yahya Bey.
the varying work schedules of the community
members. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available within the Community Office
ranging from clerical support to tax preparation. We would love to have you join us!
ACHIEVEability Newsletter
FALL - WINTER 2013
E D U C A T I O N . H O U S I N G . S E L F - S U F F I C I E N C Y.