Our Leadership
Steve Kendall
Board President
Steve Kendall
Board President
Dr. Kendall is a registered architect and holds a PhD in Design Theory and Methods from MIT. His career in architectural practice, research and education spans more than 35 years. Before his retirement in 2014, he taught in the US, Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Africa and Italy. His teaching, research and writing focus on the Open Building approach, needed to make buildings more adaptable, easier to customize to meet changing preferences and thus more sustainable. He has authored more than 50 published papers and research reports and three books. He is Co-Founder and Vice President of the Council on Open Building, a professional non-profit advocating that buildings be prepared for change.
Adrienne Carpenter
Adrienne Carpenter
Josephine Gasiewski Winter
Executive Director
Josephine Gasiewski Winter
Executive Director
Jo lives in W Mt Airy with her husband, two young children, poodle pup Penny, and Balinese cat Beef Stroganoff. Born in the Overbrook Farms section of Philadelphia, she is a graduate of three pillars of Philly based education, Central High School (257!), the University of Pennsylvania (BA, MSEd), and Temple University (Phd). After completing her doctorate in Urban Education, Jo did three years of post-doc research at UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute where she focused on qualitative analyses related to diversifying the STEM pipeline. Jo now serves as a qualitative data consultant primarily on diversity, equity, and inclusion projects in higher education. She first joined WMAN as the VP of membership, but after organizing Covid vaccinations for hundreds of elderly folks during the peak of the pandemic, Jo caught the community organizing bug, and took on the role of full time ED in December 2022. She is dedicated to reigniting WMAN’s advocacy and activism roots, and establishing WMAN as true community led, hub of West Mt. Airy life.
Morrie Zimmerman
VP
Morrie Zimmerman
VP
Rob Pelszynski
VP
Rob Pelszynski
VP
Rob and his wife Elizabeth have lived in West Mount Airy since 2006. They opened the Mount Airy Taproom in 2019. Rob holds a Bachelor of Business Administration specializing in Risk Management and Insurance. He has a wide range of experience in restaurant management. Rob is interested in deepening his roots in the community by serving on the WMAN Board.
Kevin Keene
Kevin Keene
Kevin Keene was born in Philadelphia and has lived in the city for all but ten years. He is a graduate of Central High School and Clark University. He has been a resident of West Mount Airy for four years. He served in the City of Philadelphia for over 30 years as a Real Property Evaluator; Mass Appraisal Analyst; Real Property Supervisor; GIS Manager; Modeling Director and Director of Mass Appraisal and Analysis.
In his semi-retirement he is the principal at Keene Mass Appraisal Consulting. His primary passions are promoting assessment equity, teaching, community activism, cycling, travel and enjoying life with a loving wife and two adorable dogs.
Cheryl Ann Nelson
Cheryl Ann Nelson
Cheryl Ann is a retiree of Community College of Philadelphia where she served as an English professor for 30 years. Her primary area of interest during her retirement is working with organizations that promote the importance and enjoyment of reading, especially for children and youth. Recent home and apartment development in her immediate area has spurred a desire to protect the W. Mt Airy neighborhood from being overly developed with construction that does not reflect a respect for this historic area of the Wissahickon Valley.
Ralph Pinkus
Ralph Pinkus
Ralph has lived on Westview Street since 1980. He and his family moved to Philadelphia from the Washington, DC area where he worked in the Office of General Counsel for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He then served as a Deputy City Solicitor in Philadelphia in the City Law Department. In 1984, Ralph opened his private legal practice specializing in real estate and zoning matters. He has chaired the West Mt. Airy Neighbors Zoning Committee since 2005. He is currently in the process of retiring and has a part time “gig” serving on the Philadelphia Board of License and Inspection Review. He enjoys walking in the Wiss with his lovely wife Cheryl, and traveling to Colorado to visit his two fantastic grandchildren.
Sam Lifson-Neubardt
VP
Sam Lifson-Neubardt
VP
Jarma Frisby
Jarma Frisby
Carla Pagan
VP
Carla Pagan
VP
Octavius Price
Octavius Price
Originally from Memphis Tennessee, I made my way to Philadelphia in August of 2020, instantly fell in love with the character and fabric of the city and the grit of its citizens. Decided that my family would set up here and raise our daughter here. You can frequently find me walking or running up and down Germantown Avenue or taking the 23. Excited for the future of Mt.Airy and looking forward to helping it fulfill its potential.
Maura Kennedy
VP
Maura Kennedy
VP
Maura lives in West Mount Airy with her wife, Jessica, their two young sons, and a rescue
dog named Ella. Maura has extensive professional experience working in real estate in the
public and private sectors. She has held leadership roles in the land use agencies for both
the City of Philadelphia and the City of Pittsburgh. She currently works in the private sector,
where she leads projects across the Mid-Atlantic. Maura has a bachelor’s degree in
government from Cornell University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University
of Pennsylvania. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the Wissahickon with her family,
reading mystery novels, and advocating for safer streets.
Susan Matyas
VP
Susan Matyas
VP
Susan Matyas has resided in W Mt. Airy for nearly 15 years and
wouldn’t want to live anywhere else! She worked for several
decades as an engineer and consultant for hi tech companies such
as Hewlett Packard, and then made the switch to the nonprofit arts
world. She has been in leadership roles for nonprofits in the city
including the Kimmel Center and is currently Senior Director of
Development & Communications for the Preservation Alliance for
Greater Philadelphia. She was an adjunct faculty in Drexel’s Arts
Administration & Museum Leadership program for over a decade
where she taught Fund Raising, Advanced Fundraising, Strategic
Planning, Grant Writing, and more. Susan is the Board President of
Allens Lane Art Center and is thrilled to be back on the board of
WMAN.
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