Marwan Kreidie has been a leader in the Arab-American community as an activist, academic and public servant for over 25 years. He has served in National, State and Local capacities for the Political empowerment of the Arab-American community. He is a member of the National leadership conference of the Arab-American Institute in Washington D.C and a Board member and co-founder of the National Association of Arab-American Communities (NAAC) in Dearborn Michigan as well as the Founder and Executive Director of the Philadelphia Arab-American Development Corp. which co-developed “Tajdeed” a 45 unit affordable Housing Development in rapidly gentrifying South Kensington. Marwan also served in many roles for the City of Philadelphia including being appointed by Mayor Rendell as Chair of the Vendors Advisory Board, a member of the Election Reform Task Force and Civil Service Commissioner. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Marwan Served almost 8 years as the Chair of the Civil Service Commission. In addition, he served in leadership roles on the transition teams for Mayor Michael Nutter in 2006, Governor Wolf’s transition team in 2014 and was co—chair for Mayor Kenney’s Immigration and multi-Cultural transition team in 2015. Marwan is also active with the immigrant community and was a Co-Founder and Board Member, Philadelphia Immigration and Citizenship Council, (PICC) from 1996 to 2000 He was also awarded the Philadelphia regional FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in 2003. Mr. Kreidie is an expert in Civil Service reform and is a sought-after expert on the empowerment and mobilization of the Arab and Muslim American community. Marwan teaches at West Chester University and is a frequent commentator for the media and is often published.

Herman Nyamunga is the director of Power Up Your Business, Community College of Philadelphia’s neighborhood-based approach to economic development that offers free training to small businesses in vital commercial corridors. Nyamunga previously served as the director of the Global Enterprise Hub for the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, where he helped to obtain grants to fund a micro incubation program for 52nd Street, an immigrant innovation hub, and a Global Startup Accelerator. He also built the entrepreneurship and innovation programs for the Welcoming Center.

Charles M. Lewis is Senior Vice President and leads Conifer's development efforts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. His responsibilities include all phases of the development process: acquisition, land development, financing and construction. Projects developed by Mr. Lewis have received numerous awards including the NJ Governor's Excellence in Housing Award, the NJ State Historic Preservation Award, NJ Future's Smart Growth Award, the Environmental Protection Agency's Quality Award and the NJ Board of Public Utility's Clean Energy Leadership Award. Prior to joining Conifer in 2007, Mr. Lewis was a Senior Vice President of Pennrose Properties. He procured 28 tax credit awards in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, resulting in the creation of over l ,720 rental units.

Ahsan M. Nasratullah is the President of JNA Capital, Inc. He has twenty-seven years of experience in urban planning, development, and real estate finance. JNA Capital sources debt and equity for real estate projects, both for its own account and for a select group of developers/non-profit sponsors in the Philadelphia area. Mr. Nasratullah has developed several urban mixed-use/hospitality projects in and around academic campuses and in collaborations with local institutions.

Andy Toy is the community development and communications director of the Philadelphia-based Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition or, as it's commonly called, SEAMAAC. Toy has been involved in the city's community work — as a professional or civic volunteer — since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in economics and public and urban policy.

Tom Ginsberg (@tgins) is a senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org), an independent, nonpartisan public-policy research organization. He helps lead Pew’s research and policymaker engagement in Philadelphia (Pew’s hometown). Tom’s recent work has included analyses of immigration and small businesses in major cities. Prior to Pew, Tom was a journalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Associated Press in a variety of roles, including correspondent covering conflicts and migration in Russia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Cuba, and Colombia. He holds certificates from The Wharton School and Drexel University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Nicole Pumphrey has dedicated her career to fostering cultural understanding and promoting inclusion through education and workforce development. She joined the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians as Director of Strategic Partnerships in 2014 and currently serves as the Deputy Director, where she leads the organization’s external engagement strategy, building collaborations and advocating for the valuable contributions of immigrants to the region’s social stability and economic prosperity. Nicole earned her B.A. in French and Korean Studies and an M.S.Ed. in Intercultural Communication from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Welcoming Center, Nicole supported global initiatives at Temple University’s Fox School of Business at and at the University of Pennsylvania, focused on creative funding strategies to expand opportunities for first-generation and underrepresented students to travel abroad. She currently serves on the board of the Women’s Opportunity Resource Center, a CFDI promoting economic self-sufficiency for women and their families through entrepreneurship and the Executive Leadership Team of the City Philadelphia’s Workforce Professionals Alliance. She has served as the President of the Pennsylvania Council for International Education, advocating for global competence in policy and practice throughout the Commonwealth, as a member of the PA Department of Education’s International Education Advisory Council, on Mayor Jim Kenney’s Transition Team for Immigrant Affairs, and in 2016 she received the Rising Star Award from Drexel University’s Institute for Strategic Leadership as a Fellow in the Leading for Change program. Nicole is a lifelong Philadelphian, who has lived in France and Korea, but sees her deep roots in the region as a valuable asset, motivating her to invest in making her hometown a place where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, both newcomers and long-time residents.

John William Chin is the Executive Director of PCDC, where he oversees all projects and programs. He is a native of Chinatown, Philadelphia and attended Holy Redeemer School and Friends Select School. He serves on the Board of several nonprofit organizations including the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, Friends Select School, and PHL Diversity. He is a board member of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and is a member of National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD). He is committed to the preservation and growth of Chinatown for new immigrants, as it was a gateway to success for his family. In his spare time, he enjoys crime procedurals, basketball and cooking for his family.