Building Community Power
We're excited to announce our upcoming Community of Practice event, "Building Community Power," happening on Friday, September 20th, from 8 am to 1 pm at Normandy Farms in Blue Bell. Join us for a day devoted to strengthening community ties and empowerment, with a focus on themes that enhance opportunities throughout Montgomery County.
Our events are designed to inspire, educate, and facilitate networking among our key community partners, including nonprofits, local and county governments, philanthropies, faith leaders, grassroots activists, and elected officials.
“Building Community Power” is centered on how nonprofits and advocates can build their power to make substantive change in our communities, with themes on inclusive leadership development, coalition-building, shifting nonprofit culture to include advocacy, harnessing voter power, and more.
Hear from innovators and leaders who are passionate about driving transformation and progress, all in the spirit for a more just and healthier Montgomery County. Our day together is designed to spark collaboration and ignite new ideas.
Limited spots available. We look forward to welcoming you!
Emi Maeda is the 2024-2025 Youth Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Her work is published or forthcoming in Polyphony Lit, The Eunoia Review, and The Rising Phoenix Review, and she has been recognized by the Japanese Consulate General, the Lower Merion Library System, and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. She writes in both Japanese and English, and she hopes to use poetry to inspire social activism and empowerment.
Jennifer Njuguna, Esq. (she/her/hers) is a prominent executive leader and lawyer known for her work in racial and economic justice. As Co-CEO of Common Future, she has advanced equitable initiatives like a 4-day workweek and compensation audits, and played a key role in the organization’s growth, including two acquisitions. Jennifer also serves as a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity and the Atlantic Institute. Previously, she founded JSN Strategies, LLC, and held roles such as Chief Strategy Officer at Brooklyn Community Services and Health Justice Staff Attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. Her career began as a Litigation Associate at Skadden, Arps, Meagher, and Flom, LLP.
David Charles is a graduate of Pottstown Senior High School in Southeastern PA, where he experienced firsthand the challenges many youth face while growing up in a subsidized housing development. He understood the struggle of adults working to make ends meet and the impact on family engagement. David's travels to places like California, Florida, New York, Atlanta, and Germany deepened his awareness of the struggles faced by young people. While pursuing his music career, he helped youth musicians navigate their paths, fostering his commitment to positive change. This dedication led to the creation of the S.T.R.I.V.E. Initiative (Strengthening Tomorrow Requires Initiative & Vision Everyday), aimed at empowering youth to make better choices and improve their lives. David’s mission focuses on supporting community revitalization through personal development, ensuring the younger generation has the resources and motivation to become future leaders.
Unveiling Our Breakout Sessions
Gen Z’s Rising Power
How can we tap into the rising power of Gen Z as voters, advocates, innovators, and colleagues? Gen Z (those born between 1997 – 2012) is known as a generation that is more likely than others to challenge the status quo. This presents an opportunity to tap into their creativity and energy to reimagine and reshape our communities and organizations. Hear from representatives of Gen Z and those working to unleash their power to learn how you can tap into and be inspired by their rising power and transformative leadership.
Featuring:
王潇/Evan Wang was the first Youth Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and the editor-in-chief of Hominum Journal. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in POETRY, The Kenyon Review, The Journal, RHINO, The Harvard Advocate, and elsewhere, and was exhibited at the Montgomery County Community College. Evan has performed his work at various venues such as the U.S. Department of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Miami Book Fair, and more, and was featured on NPR, WXPN, TEDx, and Button Poetry. A recipient of honors such as the National YoungArts Award and a Scholastic National Gold Medal, he is a commended 2024 Foyle Young Poet of the Year. Evan is the current director of the Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate Program.
Anjali Verma is a senior in Bucks County, PA and is the inaugural president of the National Student Council. A proclaimed “Leadership Nerd,” Anjali has served on the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils as the 2023 State President and has been involved in Student Council for the past six years. Additionally, she has advocated for youth mental health and wellness at the local, state, and national levels. Her roles in various organizations include serving as the Lead for the Activation Team on Work2BeWell’s National Student Advisory Council, a Morgan’s Message Ambassador, a Chief Science Officer, and as Social Impact Manager for #ICANHELP + Digital4Good. Anjali can’t wait to uplift the voices and stories of young community changemakers nationwide through her work in student leadership.
Destiny Williams is a dedicated board member at Be ReZilient, where she has the privilege of learning from and working alongside Denise Williams, the organization’s founder and Executive Director. A graduate of Howard University, Destiny brings both her educational background and a deep commitment to community empowerment to her role.
Under Denise Williams' guidance, Destiny has gained insights into effective leadership, advocacy, and coalition-building. This experience has greatly informed her approach to supporting Be Rezilient’s mission of creating inclusive and impactful community programs. Destiny is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to initiatives that address systemic challenges and foster positive change.
Her work is focused on collaborating with others to drive meaningful impact and ensure that diverse voices are heard and valued in the pursuit of community well-being.
Mobilizing Voter Power
Voters have the power to determine who will represent and prioritize their needs. Educating, energizing, and turning out voters is a crucial part of shaping the future of our future at the local, state, and national levels. Every resident and community organization has a role to play in mobilizing voter power. Hear from advocates about how to mobilize voters, what local elected officials see as the key to leveraging voter power, and the role that nonprofits can play in getting out the vote to advance opportunity and justice for all.
Featuring:
Megan Briggs, M.A., has degrees in Psychology and Counseling & Human Services. She has spent significant time studying and serving outside of the United States in the Middle East, Thailand and Africa. Megan worked as a Mobile Therapist/Behavior Specialist with families and in schools before her role as Program Coordinator with Girls on the Run, a non-profit using running to teach girls social, emotional skills. She is currently an adjunct psychology professor at Eastern University and works as an independent consultant organizing and facilitating civil conversations - building relational bridges across social and ideological differences. Megan serves on the Board of Directors of Interfaith Philadelphia as well as on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committees at her local school district, North Penn. She lives in Lansdale, PA with her husband and two teenage sons.
David Heayn-Menendez is the Chief Strategy and Organizing Officer at The New Pennsylvania Project and the Mental Health Campaign Senior Advisor for Communications at Children First PA. With nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, David has a proven track record of supporting low-income and historically underinvested communities through grassroots organizing, strategic communications, and advocacy. His previous roles include Senior Director of Advancement and Public Affairs at ACLAMO, Deputy Director of Programs and Partnerships at Pennsylvania Voice, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light, and Director of Education and Civic Engagement at Al-Bustan, where he amplified the voices of marginalized populations across Pennsylvania. Additionally, David is an educator, curator, and writer, having taught in settings ranging from preschools to universities and public forums. Beyond his professional work, he serves as Council President in the Borough of Lewisburg and is completing his PhD in history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Mary Felley is President of the Board of the League of Women Voters Abington-Cheltenham-Jenkintown Area. This League serves seven municipalities with a combined population of 160,000 in eastern Montgomery County. She has been a League members since 2008, and works mainly on voter registration and education.
Prior to retirement, Mary coordinated a chamber music program for retired adults at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, the largest community arts organization in the US. Previously she served as executive director of a land trust in northeastern Pennsylvania, and as an environmental consultant in Hong Kong and China. She also volunteers with the Tookany-Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership.
Building Collective Power
People and organizations working together have the power to build each other up, influence systems, and create conditions to achieve healthy, equitable, and hopeful communities. Explore the skills that are needed, from relationship-building to facilitation, and various approaches to building collective power, from grassroots organizing to policy and advocacy, to advance your vision, connect it with others, and spark action for positive change.
Featuring:
For nearly twenty years, Adam has led public policy efforts to ensure everyone can live healthily and safely in their communities. Since leading CeaseFirePA in 2020, he has strategically expanded the Commonwealth’s gun violence prevention advocacy organization’s efforts to ensure everyone can live free from gun violence. That includes securing more than $200 million to fund community violence-prevention programs, moving the first gun safety bills through the PA House in years, and developing CeaseFirePA’s collaboration with 130-plus member-activists, including veterans, physicians, clergy, and violence survivors under the Common Agenda to End Gun Violence.
Rev. Dr. Gregory James Edwards is the Interim Executive Director of POWER Interfaith, advancing racial and economic justice in Pennsylvania. He is also the Founder and Senior Pastor of Resurrected Life Community Church and the President and CEO of the Resurrected Community Development Corporation. His dynamic leadership has driven significant growth and financial stability for both the church and the development corporation, leading to impactful projects like the Resurrected Life Children’s Academy and the James Lawson Freedom Schools, which is inspired by the national freedom school model created by the Children's Defense Fund. His achievements include a historic congressional candidacy in 2018, induction into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College, and numerous accolades for his community leadership and service.
Akshara Vivekananthan is the Program Officer at HealthSpark Foundation, where she leads grantmaking and communications initiatives. A passionate advocate for racial and social justice and systems change, she previously was the Director of School Readiness at the United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley, championing grantmaking efforts and addressing systemic challenges in early childcare by convening diverse stakeholders to drive local solutions. She holds a Master's Degree in International Public Service from DePaul University and a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Psychology from Austin College.
Advancing Your Organization’s Power
Nonprofit organizations are essential contributors to thriving communities and a healthy democracy. Inherent in their founding is a commitment to addressing a community need and advancing the common good, yet too often, nonprofit organizations limit themselves to addressing needs and emergencies that result from systems that are not working well or are even doing harm in our communities. Explore ways to step into your organization’s power to make societal and governmental systems and structures more responsive, compassionate, and equitable.
Featuring:
For the last twenty years, Marsha has dedicated her professional life to protecting, serving, and advocating for vulnerable families experiencing housing and food insecurity. From her roots as a Volunteer Coordinator, Marsha’s superpower is bringing together people, groups, and organizations from multiple sectors to creatively solve problems and strengthen systems to improve the lives of economically marginalized families. She currently serves as the executive director of Family Promise Montco, a position she has held since December 2013. Since joining FP Montco, Marsha has harnessed the strength and resources of the faith community, safety net service providers, community groups, elected officials, and the county. With this backing, she’s strengthened and expanded programs, launched a long-term supportive housing program, built innovative, one-of-a-kind programming at the FP Montco Food Pantry, diversified the staff and board, and effectively increased the operating budget from $300,000 to over $1M. Under her leadership, FP Montco received the prestigious Upper Dublin Medal Award of Excellence in 2020, staff have become sought after subject matter experts, and Marsha received the Justice and Peace Award at the 2023 MLK Day celebration at Bethlehem Baptist Church for her leadership in anti-racism work.
Denise, a relatable and transparent coach and motivational speaker, believes that trust, empathy, and compassion are crucial in fostering open communication. She meets people where they are, allowing them to be their authentic selves. Her mission is to inspire and empower others through the power of therapeutic art resilience coaching, merging her gifts to facilitate healing and self-discovery.
Be ReZilient, Denise's brainchild, was born out of this vision in 2019. The Be ReZilient experience commences with working through emotions, establishing a deep connection between the individual and their inner feelings. The unique use of creative mediums in each session awakens all senses, creating a safe space for vulnerability and transformative moments.
Denise's educational background includes a Master of Science in Human Services, a Master of Arts in Leadership and Accountability, Certified Resilience Coach and a Certified Therapeutic Art Coach. She is an active member of the National Business Women's Organization (NWBAO) and serves on the Trellis for Tomorrow Executive Board, Tri County Chamber of Commerce REACH committee.
In Pottstown, Pennsylvania, a town Denise has come to cherish for its diverse population and close-knit community, she resides with her two adored fur babies and her children.
Jennifer is also our Keynote Speaker. Please check her bio above!
Meghan McVety, MPA, Principal and Co-Founder, infuses her work with the belief that cultivating strong leadership in organizations and communities will best achieve positive change. By creating processes and spaces that support meaningful conversations, connections and strategy design, Meghan has helped numerous organizations to re-think and improve their internal and external approaches, leading to breakthroughs in their communities. Meghan has expertise in strategic and business planning meeting, retreat and event facilitation organizational development and management philanthropy executive coaching and evaluation. From 1998 to 2007, she served as a lead consultant for Salgado & Associates, working with foundations and nonprofit organizations in the areas of health, advocacy, anti-violence efforts, and civil rights. Meghan previously served as the development director for both the San Francisco Women’s Center and La Raza Centro Legal of San Francisco. She earned her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco and was the recipient of the Merit Scholarship. Meghan currently serves on the Board of Directors of Unite for HER, the Advisory Council of the Volunteer English Program of Chester County, and is the Immediate Past President of the Chester County Women’s Commission. In the past, Meghan served on the Boards of Directors of the Chester County Community Foundation and Coatesville Youth Initiative, and was a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia.