Susan Matyas
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.
Maura Kennedy
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.
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.
Nicole F Seawright
Nicole Seawright is an attorney, activist, and educator. She currently serves as a career counselor at Columbia Law School and is an active member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Nicole and her wife, Mariah, moved to West Mount Airy with their daughter in 2023 from New York.
Carla Pagan
Jarma Frisby
Sam Lifson-Neubardt
Josephine Gasiewski Winter
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.
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.