#PLACES2040
SPEAKERS
Description of speakers will go here...
DR. DANIEL A. WUBAH
PRESIDENT, MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Daniel A. Wubah became the 15th president of Millersville University on July 1, 2018. Prior to that, he served as Provost and later the Senior Advisor to the President at Washington and Lee University.
His previous positions include deputy provost and vice president for undergraduate education at Virginia Tech; associate provost and professor of zoology at University of Florida; associate dean, professor of biology and special assistant to the president at James Madison University and associate professor and department chair at Towson University.
JEN KOPPEL
DIRECTOR: OFFICE FOR THE LANCASTER COUNTY HOMELESSNESS COALITION
Jen has 27 years experience working in social services and community coalition building.She has a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. In 2018 she was appointed to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Board.Her work transforming systems was recognized at the White House in 2015.
ETHAN DEMME
EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR, CEO – DEMME LEARNING
Ethan Demme is the Chairman and CEO of Demme Learning, and is passionate about building lifelong learners. Ethan is an elected member of the board of supervisors in East Lampeter Township, PA.
CLAUDE HICKS
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT,
HDC MID-ATLANTIC
Claude Hicks serves as Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development, responsible for the construction, preservation and acquisition of affordable housing. With over 27 years’ experience, he has dedicated the majority of his working life to providing affordable homes to families and seniors in need.
IAN RAWHAUSER
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT,HDC MID-ATLANTIC
Ian was introduced to Housing Development Corporation MidAtlantic in August 2009 when he joined the team as an AmeriCorps® Vista volunteer in the Development Department. At the completion of his yearlong volunteer assignment, Ian was asked to join the company full-time as a Development Team Assistant. Since then, he’s held multiple positions as an Analyst, Project Manager and Senior Development Officer before assuming his current role as Assistant Director. In his ten years as a full-time member of the Development Team, he has successfully closed twelve (12) developments generating over $120M in economic activity and grossing over $10.5 million in developer fees. His experience includes closing multiple 9% LIHTC New Construction & Preservation projects, as well as three (3) 4% LIHTC/Tax-Exempt Bond projects throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware.
DAVE DUMEYER
WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR, CONSULTANT: DAVE DUMEYER CONSULTING/ TRIAD STRATEGIES
Dave Dumeyer spent 15 years in secondary public education (Hempfield School District) and later with the House of Representative, retiring as Executive Director of the Education Committee. He has been an elected township supervisor in West Hempfield for over three decades,18 years as board chairman. Dave taught history of the US and Western Civilization three years at HACC and has dabbled occasionally in politics. During his time on the Board of Supervisors, West Hempfield has grown from 13,200 to over 17,000 residents (29%) while still maintaining an active agricultural community and parks and recreation system. He also owns a small consulting business.
SAM MECUM
FORMER COMMISSIONER,
MANHEIM TOWNSHIP
Lifelong Resident of MT, Attorney, Commissioner
DAVID HIGH
ARCHITECT
David High is a registered architect who lives in the City of Lancaster. He has over 15 years working in local firms and has experience in commercial, residential and historic preservation projects. He currently works in due diligence and enjoys the continuous learning and travel across the US that this work provides.
David considers it a point of pride that he is helping to raise a family of five with only one car, and has the goal of eventually living car-free. (He also loves it when he gets a convertible Ford Mustang at the airport Hertz.) David’s family tree extends far back in Lancaster County, and he considers it a blessing to know where he is from. This influences his design philosophy, and he believes that future Lancaster Countians should inherit a city and rural areas worth caring about.
CAROL SIMPSON
FORMER COMMISSIONER,
MANHEIM TOWNSHIP
Live most of my life in MT; graduated from Michigan State University with degree in Institutional Management, Worked for CHI managing hospitals.
RICK GRAY
FORMER MAYOR OF LANCASTER
Rick Gray was the Mayor of Lancaster City from 2006-2018. Prior to his tenure as mayor, he was a well-respected defense attorney.
ERIC SAUDER
DIRECTOR, RegenAll
Eric Sauder is a social innovator focused on climate change with a background in engineering, sustainability, and design. He graduated from Penn State University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS in Architectural Engineering. For the past five years, Eric has worked alongside farmers and natural resource professionals to create new programs and support for farmers to sequester carbon, generate ecosystem services, and create resilient agricultural economies. Motivated by the opportunity for a more regional climate response, Eric founded RegenAll to catalyze regeneration across rural and urban communities.
GIB ARMSTRONG
FORMER STATE SENATOR
Gib C Armstrong represented the PA 100th House District from 1977-1984 and the Senate District 11 from 1984-2009.
SHELBY NAUMAN
CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER, TENFOLD
Shelby Nauman is the Chief Impact Officer at Tenfold (formerly LHOP and Tabor). Prior to the merger, Shelby was the Chief Operating Officer for the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Program (LHOP) and the Vice President of the Lancaster City Alliance. Shelby has served as co-chair for the Coalition for Sustainable Housing for 3 years.
DANA EDSALL
GEOGRAPHY LAB MANAGER
MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY
Dana Edsall is a graduate of Millersville University with a degree in Geography, specializing in Geo-Spatial applications. For the past 10 years, he has been a Volunteer-in-Service for the Geography Department at Millersville University. There he manages the Geography Lab and its lab assistants and assists various professors in projects. Some of the projects include:
- Creating a Geographic Information Systems mapping tool to measure desirability of land parcels for the Lancaster Farmland Trust
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Outfall mapping for the Lancaster Inter-Municipal Committee,
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Mapping traffic signs and validating reflectivity for Mountville Borough, and
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Determining effectiveness of zoning ordinances on historic preservation efforts in rural municipalities in Pennsylvania.
Prior to his time at Millersville University, Dana worked in various analytical and managerial capacities for the U.S. Postal Service, retiring after 35 years of service.
RACHEL LUEHM
DATA ANALYST, COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP
Rachel...
TONY COLLINS
PRESIDENT
BLAKE COLLINS GROUP
Tony Collins has built his career on successfully guiding major civic projects and communication efforts into port.
While living in Lancaster, PA Collins has already created impact by leading an effort to understand and integrate the concepts of The 1619 Project-a Pulitzer Prize winning initiative-to correct the narrative of U.S. History.
Collins played a key role in setting the course for Greenlight Pinellas, a comprehensive transportation plan for Pinellas County Florida’s most densely populated county. As senior vice president of the Florida public relations firm Tucker/Hall, Collins helped create a foundation of political, business and civic support for the transportation effort. Collins’ work with Tucker/Hall also included steering clients through turbulent crisis management storms and crafting strategic communication paths for new businesses. During previous stints with the cities of Newark, N.J., Miami and St. Petersburg, Fla., Collins commanded the helm for a number of critical efforts.
He headed the Florida Black Business Investment Board and St. Petersburg’s Department of Economic Development, launching several successful downtown redevelopment projects for Florida’s fourth-largest city, including construction of a new major league baseball stadium and a mixed-use urban retail center. Collins recruited new businesses and designed and implemented a strategy for urban revitalization and economic development including an economic development strategy with South Africa. Collins’ other public-sector experience includes working on economic development projects in Tampa, including the development of the Tampa Convention Center.
With a vast understanding of leadership, community impact and communication strategies he emphasizes establishing trust with clients and colleagues. Collins’ approach always involves framing issues and creating mutual understanding among clients. “It’s not about having all the answers,” Collins says. “It’s about working together to ensure we’re asking the right questions.
JESS KING
CHIEF OF STAFF
CITY OF LANCASTER
Jess King is a values-driven leader with 20+ years of experience starting, building and leading equity-driven organizations, leveraging financial and social capital, building volunteer and staff teams, developing and growing programs, building public campaigns and advocating for social equity and inclusion. She is Chief of Staff for the City of Lancaster and has served as Executive Director in three economic development organizations over her career in Pittsburgh and Lancaster, including ASSETS in Lancaster.
Born & raised in Lancaster, she is a graduate of Lancaster Mennonite School and Eastern Mennonite University. She earned an MBA in the integrated bottom lines of economics, social equity and the environment from Bard College and studied Impact Investing at the University of Oxford.
MILZY CARRASCO
DIRECTOR OF NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT, CITY OF LANCASTER
Milzy Carrasco serves as the Director of Neighborhood Engagement and was appointed by Mayor Sorace in 2018. She brings with her a passion for sustainable community development while fostering inclusion and equity for all Lancastrians. Milzy is the City of Lancaster’s first Director of Neighborhood Engagement. She uses her passion, experiences, and skills to ensure that Lancaster’s neighborhoods are diverse, vibrant places where relationships can grow and thrive.
ZAYRA FALU
LANGUAGE ACCESS COORDINATOR, CITY OF LANCASTER
Zayra Falu serves as the Language Services Coordinator for the City of Lancaster. Zayra is passionate about ensuring everyone has access to their local government and the services they need. In her work, Zayra ensures that all residents can communicate with the City of Lancaster in whatever language they speak. She also is a community builder and often brings people together of different backgrounds to connect and solve problems. Zayra cares deeply about Lancaster, her community, and her family.
EMMA HAMME
SENIOR PLANNER, CITY OF LANCASTER
Emma Hamme is a Senior Planner City of Lancaster Planning Bureau, where she supports the City’s comprehensive planning effort Planning Our Future Lancaster. She also serves as the Acting Executive Director for the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Lancaster (RACL) and the Land Bank Authority of the City of Lancaster.
Ms. Hamme began her career with the Lancaster County Planning Department, where she focused on planning and research related to active transportation, affordable housing, historic preservation, data analysis, and census promotion and outreach. Ms. Hamme is a graduate of Cornell University.
A native of Lancaster County, Ms. Hamme resides in Lancaster City with her husband, their young son, and an overwhelming collection of toy dinosaurs.
MATT JOHNSON
REFUGEE COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
Matt Johnson works closely with refugees, immigrants, and the welcoming community to build a stronger Lancaster community.
ED KAMINSKI
DIRECTOR
LANDIS QUALITY LIVING
Ed Kaminski is the Director of Landis Quality Living, an affiliate of Landis Communities designed to provide quality housing options for older adults in the region. Kaminski holds an International Business Diploma from Nijenrode University in Bruekelen, The Netherlands, and comes with extensive experience in developing affordable housing in the area.
Kaminski joined the team in 2019 after serving for nearly 14 years as Director of Business Development at HDC MidAtlantic, a nonprofit with a mission of building hope and opportunity by providing safe and affordable places to call home. Before that, Ed was a Partner at The Roykam Group in New Paltz, NY, working in the areas of real estate investment, development and brokerage.
In his role with Landis Communities, Kaminski leads the exploration, development and operations of market rate and affordable living opportunities for individuals age 55 plus.
HEATHER VALUDES
VICE PRESIDENT
LANCASTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Heather Valudes oversaw the creation of the Chamber’s Immigration Strategic Plan and was a driving force behind Lancaster’s designation as a Certified Welcoming City.
RAY MARVIN
CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS,
BART TOWNSHIP
I’ve been a resident of BART Township for over 33 years, where I have served Bart on the Board of Supervisors & previously served on the Township sewer authority. I also serve as a member LCPC & LCTCB for southern region. And I am a local businessman for over 30 years in the area as well.
SCOTT PEIFFER
MANAGER,
QUARRYVILLE BOROUGH
Scott has been a lifetime resident of Quarryville Borough. He has been the Borough Manager for 2 years and has served in the Borough’s Public Works Department for over 13 years as well as being self employed as a landscape contractor for 25 years. A relative newcomer to the planning world, he is excited to see the Borough adopt its first Official Map in 2021 as well as embarking on developing an Active Transportation Plan to be adopted in 2022.
KIP VAN BLARCOM
DIRECTOR FOR PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION, LANCASTER COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT
For most of his nearly 30-year planning career, Kip has been on the staff at Lancaster County Planning, where his work initially focused on historic preservation and heritage tourism. He later played a key role in developing places2040. Kip now serves on the department’s leadership team, and his primary responsibility is to ensure that Lancaster County Planning and its partners meet the goals in the county plan. He also manages the Technical Services Team, which includes staff responsible for data analysis, GIS, graphics, and public engagement.
MARK PLATTS
PRESIDENT, SUSQUEHANNA NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
Mark Platts is President of Susquehanna National Heritage Area (SNHA), a non-profit organization and state and national Heritage Area based at the Zimmerman Center for Heritage, on the Susquehanna River south of Wrightsville, PA. He is a native of York with over 30 years of experience in urban planning, community design, landscape conservation, and heritage and outdoor tourism development. Mark has managed public and private sector planning programs in Washington, DC, Orlando, FL and Bainbridge Island, WA. He holds a BA in Urban & Rural Studies from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and an MA in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Florida. Mark returned to Central Pennsylvania to launch SNHA’s initial start-up as the Lancaster-York Heritage Region in 2003. His interests include American history, architecture, politics, and boats of any kind. He launched his first wooden runabout in the river at Wrightsville soon after college and once lived on an old wooden motor yacht in Florida. Mark is now firmly planted on land, living in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, with his wife and two sons.
MARK EVANS
DIRECTOR OF PLANNING,
DERCK & EDSON LLC
As a Town Planner and Architect, Mark has planned over 100 downtowns, districts, and neighborhoods throughout Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States with a focus on placemaking and community engagement. His experiences include the planning and design of downtowns, traditional neighborhoods, town centers, transit-oriented developments, college towns, campus master plans, commercial site plans, and community design guidelines. Mark has authored numerous form-based codes, traditional neighborhood development ordinances, and design guidelines integrating his passions for architecture, placemaking and community involvement.
TARA HITCHENS
ASSISTANT TOWNSHIP MANAGER,
EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP
For the past 8 years I served as the Director of Planning/Zoning Officer for East Lampeter Township after 6.5 years with Lancaster County Planning Commission and 3 years in Rockland County Planning Department in New York. A short stint of 1.5 years with Tri-County Regional Planning Commission in Harrisburg, PA and graduate work with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources State Park Division. Given the varied levels of government for which I have been employed, I have been afforded the opportunity to plan and direct policy in many facets.
STEPHEN CAMPBELL
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS,
CITY OF LANCASTER
APSARA UPRETY
SENIOR, MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY
INTERN, CWS
My name is Apsara Uprety, and I'm a senior at Millersville University majoring in social work. I'm a former Nepali refugee who is currently working as a community organizer intern with CWS.
ANDREW HAINES
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,
GATESBURG ROAD
Andrew Haines is an Executive Vice President at Gatesburg Road. Gatesburg Road, formerly known as the S & A Homes Affordable Housing Division, has constructed over 1000 units of mixed income housing, with a specialty in Low Income Housing Credit financing. Andrew is also on the Board of Directors of the Housing Alliance of PA, and a Chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh’s Advisory Council and Pennsylvania Developers Council.
MICHAELA ALLWINE
DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, LANCASTER COUNTY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Michaela Allwine is the Director of Housing and Community Development at the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority where she oversees the creation and preservation of affordable housing and manages the county Land Bank. Previous to moving to Lancaster in 2015, Michaela lived in Philadelphia where she worked for the New Kensington Community Development Corporation as a community organizer in the city’s Kensington, Fishtown and Port Richmond neighborhoods. Michaela received her Bachelors of Architecture from Drexel University’s Co-Op program in 2009 and her Master’s Degree in Geography and Urban Studies from Temple University in 2012 where she managed a workforce development program for youth in Philadelphia Public Schools while earning her degree. Michaela’s passion for affordable housing, community development, and cities started through her early work as an architectural designer for the Philadelphia Housing Authority and evolved through service with AmeriCorps in Seattle, Washington as a community organizer working with families and youth. Michaela loves to travel and ride her bike, and lives in Lancaster City with her family.
LISA GREENER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
COMMUNITY BASICS, INC
Lisa Greener, Executive Director at Community Basics, Inc. (CBI), has over 30 years of experience in accounting and finance for real estate development and property management of commercial, retail, and multi-family residential properties and has applied this experience to the non-profit affordable housing industry for the past 10 years. She is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College with a Bachelors’ Degree in Accounting and Management. She is certified in Low Income Housing Tax Credit Compliance and is trained in Strategic Management for Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO).
Lisa currently serves on the boards of Tenfold (formerly Tabor and LHOP), Lancaster County Coalition for Sustainable Housing, PA Developers Council, and Hempfield recCenter. Past board experience includes Lancaster County Coalition for Smart Growth and Clare House, Inc., a transitional shelter for women and children in Lancaster.
AARON SPANGLER
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, YWCA LANCASTER
Aaron Spangler (he/him) is a musician, visual storyteller, a proud Enneagram 4, and self-diagnosed overthinker who is lucky enough to call Lancaster PA his adopted home. Hailing originally from Mechanicsburg PA, he received a BA in Political Science from Temple University, as well as a certificate in Social Impact Storytelling from Georgetown University.
Aaron has worked in support of the community benefit sector in Lancaster for more than 10 years, and is currently the Director of Communications for the YWCA Lancaster. He is passionate about his journey of being an ever-improving, ever-learning (and unlearning) ally, building meaningful platforms for people to tell their stories to create narrative change, and being the best dad and partner possible to his family.
TRACY CUTLER
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,
LANCASTER COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Tracy combines social impact strategy, communications expertise, and constant learning to cultivate strong communities. She is passionate about community-engaged, inclusive approaches to building our shared future in Lancaster County. She has led initiatives including the Extraordinary Give, At the Table, and Project Activate. Her previous role as a co-founder of the publication Fig ® and private sector work in business, education, and the arts have cultivated her respect for entrepreneurial energy and creative approaches that can drive bottom-line impact. She lives with her husband in the City of Lancaster.
TENE DARBY
SE RESIDENT
Tene Darby, is a proud lifelong SE resident. Im the wife of my hardworking husband, Aubrey. His hard work affords me the leisure to serve within my community. I
have 2 grown children (Ayanna/Desmond) & a grandson. I consider myself a humanitarian activist (especially of Black & Latin affairs) & SE advocate.
Im willing to have a seat at the table to get issues & concerns resolved for residents.
In 2021 I became the first Black & first Latina to Chair the Lancaster city Democrat committee. Along with being the chair, I represent my precinct of 7-5 on the committee as well.
I serve on the Board for Habitat for Humanity & their family service committee, SACA Stirring committee for SE grant, Neighborhood Leaders Group, an advisor for Combined Sewer Overflow Control plan, I serve as a commissioner on the city of Lancaster’s Civil Service Commission & Project Activate SE Design team. Project Activate is where the concept for SouthEast Times was established. As a founder of SouthEast Times, I also write the column Political 360. I am the main staff member that maintains our SE Times Facebook page. II do it for the love & pride of my community.
Our history as a people has taught us anything is the power is in the people and numbers. I would love to see more involvement from the resident to spearhead these fights for change, in the coming year.
Be the change you want to see!
KAREEMA BURGESS
COMMUNITY ACTIVIST
Kareema Burgess -Age 45, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, but a Lancastrian for 14 years. Kareema came to Lancaster in 2003, left to work for the NYPD in 2006 and returned to Lancaster in 2010.
In 2004, Kareema began to work as a community activist and developed a summer program with the late Alphonso White on King Street, often being seen setting up tables in neighborhoods giving out free clothes, electronics and food. Kareema a mother of 4 children, who all attended, graduated and resided in the Southeast as well, helped her develop community activities, such as an summer camp, for low income families.
While raising her 4 children, attending college, where she obtained 3 Degrees (Criminal Justice, Social Work and Business Management), working multiple employments, she served on the Neighborhood Leaders Group, Project Activate SE Media and Job Fair team, Eviction Prevention Team with LHOP, became a Family Resource Caseworker, County Caseworker and a Youth Advocate Program Supervisor for over ten years within the juvenile system. Kareema also served on the ACT 101 Board with Thaddeus Stevens for a short period of time and previously served on the South Ann Concern Committee. When asked how to describe Kareema, people would state she is an all-around humanitarian activist especially for the youth and low-income families in the Southeast.
Kareema works around the clock on two community projects she shares with an awesome team. SE times, which provides information and general knowledge that residents lack In the South East and South East Worx, where she is helping people obtain employment, job resources to further their careers. Kareema looks forward to helping everyone who is in need, by filling in the neighborhood with the resources. In addition to the projects, Kareema and her team, also donated $10,000 to the Southeast Community Center “The Mix” for the neighborhood children to learn how to develop their own Media Center.
ADAM NAGLE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
THE FACTORY MINISTRIES
Adam serves as the Executive Director of The Factory Ministries, a Faith based social service hub in Easter Lancaster County focused on tackling poverty through an empowered relational approach. Adam has executive leadership experience in the for-profit, church and non-profit sectors. He and his wife Tonya call Lancaster County home with their four children Luke, Zac, Eden and Ava.
VANESSA PHILBERT
CEO, COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP
Vanessa...
BOB THOMAS
PAST PRESIDENT,
TABOR COMMUNITY SERVICES
Bob...
SONYA KENDALL
COMMUNITY PARTNER
Sonya Kendall brings a range of experiences in the nonprofit sector. Most recently she worked with the development team at Lighthouse Vocational Services an organization that provides vocational services for people with developmental disabilities. She is active in her local community and served on the Project Activate team in Paradise, PA.
KELLY BRUBAKER
STUDENT,
MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY
Kelly Brubaker is a second bachelor's degree student at Millersville University studying environmental and spatial science within the geography department. She works in the geography lab as a lab assistant and a tutor.
STEPHEN REPA
STUDENT,MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY
Stephen is a Junior at Millersville University, where he currently is working on his Bachelor of Science in Geography. He is also working with the Geography department at Millersville as a lab assistant.
AMER ALFAYADH
PRESIDENT/FOUNDER,
COMMUNICATIONS ESSENTIALS, LLC
Amer is a community-focused professional with over a decade of experience working in a multicultural/multinational environment. That experience shaped his perspective as an "out of the box" thinker and consultant.