Molly Ashodian

Molly Baird Ashodian joined the Center in late 2021 and serves as a Financial SELF Empowerment Coach for the Building Wealth and Health Network. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Molly has spent the last decade working for non profits, city government, and most recently, a healthcare workers' union, advocating for and supporting the working poor in accessing services and living financially empowered lives. She completed a BA at the University of Vermont in 2010. She has previously led trainings on effective communication, collective bargaining and political advocacy. In her spare time, Molly enjoys cooking, experimenting with new vegetarian recipes and going on walks in the Wissahickon with her dog, Baxter.

Emily Brown Weida

Emily Brown Weida, MSW , is a Research Associate for the Building Wealth and Health Network. She is currently a DrPH student in Health Management and Policy at the Dornsife School of Public Health. Her research interests are on the effects of trauma and the social determinants of health. Prior to her doctoral program, Emily was the research coordinator for an NIH-funded study looking at the relationships between trauma, PTSD and alcohol use in veterans. She received her master's degree in clinical social work from Virginia Commonwealth University and her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the College of William and Mary.

Mariana Chilton

Mariana Chilton, PhD, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader addressing child hunger in America. She is a Professor at Drexel University School of Public Health, Co-Principal Investigator of Children's HealthWatch and the Director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. Dr. Chilton received her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Oklahoma, and Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University. She has testified before the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on the importance of child nutrition and other anti­-poverty policies. She has served as an advisor to Sesame Street and to the Institute of Medicine. Her awards include the Nourish Award from Manna, the Unsung Hero Award for Improving the Lives of Women and Girls from Women's Way and the Young Professional Award in Maternal and Child Health from the American Public Health Association.

Victoria Egan

Victoria Egan, MPH, is the Deputy Director for the Center. Victoria will lead our Center through its next phase as we embark on integrating economic security activities into the TANF program and continue to lead the way with Drexel in addressing childhood hunger through research, advocacy and community engagement. Since 2010, Victoria Egan provided operational, administrative, logistical and financial management for all of the activities and programs of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities. Before joining the Center in 2009, Victoria was the Special Projects Coordinator at Our Lady of Lourdes Health System's Center for Public Health in Camden, New Jersey, where she managed undergraduate and graduate public health internship programs and health disparities research. Previously, Victoria served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. During her service, Victoria served as Ship's Navigator and Acting Operations Officer for the USS COWPENS (CG 63) stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, and as Administrative Officer, Legal Officer and Electrical Officer on the USS DULUTH (LPD 6) stationed in San Diego, California. Victoria is a graduate of Harvard College with a baccalaureate degree in biological anthropology. She holds her Masters in Public Health from Drexel University.

Alie Huxta

Alie Huxta, MSS, is the Associate Director, Partnerships and Strategic Planning, for the Center's Building Wealth and Health Network. Starting at The Network in the coach role, she is now excited to lead the Network team as a Co-Director and also continue coaching. As a coach she provides a trauma-informed anti-oppressive approach to the Network's Financial SELF Empowerment sessions. She previously facilitated experiential learning and political consciousness with youth at the Freire Charter High School and later coordinated and built youth programming with the University Community Collaborative at Temple. In this time, she was trained to lead Transformational Social Therapy groups, a model that urges people across identities to share personal violences, hopes, and fears in order to reach collective intelligence and solutions. This work led her to pursue a clinical social work degree at Bryn Mawr's Graduate School for Social Work and Social Research where she studied the psychological effects of oppression as a counseling intern at Women Organized Against Rape. Alie also loves to backpack on the Appalachian Trail, cook with friends, and make songs.

Kasia Kujawski

Kasia Kujawski is a Policy Analyst for the Center through the Dornsife School of Public Health Research Fellowship program. She is currently pursuing her MPH in Dornsife’s Department of Health Management and Policy. As a policy analyst, Kasia’s research focuses on how health outcomes are impacted by public policy and identifying innovative policy solutions to solve food insecurity and poverty, such as cash transfer, transformation of SNAP benefits, and defunding the police. She is interested in examining how public policy can address health disparities in marginalized communities. Prior to coming to Drexel, Kasia served as a public relations practitioner in the healthcare industry, working on communications campaigns for a variety of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising from DePaul University.

Keith Lee

Keith Lee, CLU, ChFC, serves as a Financial Empowerment Coach for the Building Wealth and Health Network and is a financial expert with two decades in the financial services industry. Over the years he has developed curriculum and taught courses in personal and spiritual personal growth and development and has taught pre-licensing courses in the insurance industry. He is a graduate of The American College of Financial Services in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Michael Moody

Michael Moody is the Operations Manager for the Center's Building Wealth and Health Network. In his role, Mike acts as a conduit between Network members and staff, various community organizations or partners and the Philadelphia county assistance offices. He spent six years working in the healthcare industry after which he transitioned into the non-profit sector, working as the Business Marketing and Community Relations Developer for the African People's Education & Defense Fund for two years. Michael has a deep and unapologetic passion for combating social, racial and gender disparities and is particularly interested in the intersection between segregation and long term health outcomes. He has made it his life mission to advocate for oppressed groups and those who feel voiceless. Mike graduated from Temple University with his B.A. in Geography and Urban Studies, concentrating on Community Development. During his spare time Mike plays on a dodge ball league, volunteers with various organizations such as BlackStar Film Festival and Philly Urban Creators and loves to dance.

Sherita Mouzon

Sherita Mouzon is member of Witnesses to Hunger who currently lives in Philadelphia, PA. As a founding member of Witnesses to Hunger, Sherita is a seasoned advocate whose activism explores issues of mental health, addiction, youth development, healthcare, poverty, and housing in Philadelphia. As a member of Witnesses, Sherita was a leader in the movement to introduce the Sanctuary Model as the program's foundation of practice, and her commitment to bettering trauma-informed care extends into her professional career working in human services at the Salvation Army, St. Christopher's and as a Certified Recovery Specialist. Her writing and activism has been featured in TalkPoverty, DrexelNow and elsewhere.

Brittany Nelson

Brittany Nelson serves as a Financial Empowerment Coach for the Building Wealth and Health Network. She is a former Network member from cohort 36 and the first Network member to be hired by the Center. She looks forward to many other Network members joining her on the team in the future.

Brittany has been a licensed life and health insurance agent for two years and has helped many families and children become financially secure for their future. She teaches the importance of proper financial planning for now and the future. She is a mother of three and credit repair is her specialty. She enjoys using her voice and experience to help others, in hopes that as many people as possible can overcome the obstacles preventing them from reaching their goals.

Natalie Shaak

Natalie Shaak, MS, joined the Center in 2019 and serves as Operations Manager. In her role, Natalie supports the Center's programs through communication and business operations. She oversees the Center's website and social media, supports central office administration, and assists the Executive and Deputy Directors in strategic planning, grant writing, and Center operations. Natalie holds a bachelor's degree in English from Millersville University and master's degrees in educational psychology/counseling from West Chester University and publication management from Drexel University. She previously held roles in communication with Drexel Student Life and the LeBow College of Business and served fraternity and sorority communities at Drexel, West Chester, and Washington State Universities. In her free time, Natalie enjoys volunteering with the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), collecting cookbooks, and reading. Natalie is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in culinary arts at Drexel and is passionate about restaurant worker rights, culinary education, mental health, and food waste reduction.

Jenay Smith

Jenay Smith, MSS, LMSW, is the Life Skills Development Trainer for the Building Wealth and Health Network. Jenay is a graduate of Bryn Mawr's Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (GSSWSR) with a concentration in Community, Practice, Policy and Advocacy. At the Network Jenay is part of a training team developing onboarding material and training Network staff. In the classroom she is a SELF coach facilitating lessons and conducting one on one support with members after class. Jenay supports with grant research and implementation for the Network. During her time at Bryn Mawr, Jenay served as the president of Macro Social Work Student Network, was the student representative on the strategic planning committee and was selected by the Dean to serve as a Graduate Assistant for a national Special Commission to Advance Macro Practice in Social Work. Jenay was also asked to participate in a panel for the Policy Practice Summit, hosted by the National Association for Social Workers, about social work education and its attention or inattention to policy. Upon graduation Jenay received the 2017 McPherson Award for excellence and service to the GSSWSR community.

Raheem Stevenson

Raheem Stevenson, joined the Center in 2021 and serves as a Financial Empowerment Coach for the Building Wealth and Health Network. In this role, he facilitates financial SELF empowerment sessions and offers one-on-one coaching for members looking to build financial security and meet their goals. A native of Philadelphia, Raheem has over 12 years of extensive financial sales and management experience in numerous positions including financial planner, senior financial specialist, financial sales leader, district manager, and private banker. In 2009, he began the second phase of his professional career and opened his own business. Raheem is an alumnus of Virginia State University and a former varsity athlete who received athletic and academic honors from his alma mater. Raheem is truly involved in his community, serving as an ordained deacon and ministry leader at the Four Corner Crusade for Life Community Church and President of Peoples Unified Resource Center, an organization focused on the advancement and education of the African American community. Raheem volunteers with Big Brother and Big Sisters of Philadelphia and serves as a varsity football coach. He is a proud member of the Urban Financial Services Coalition and a dedicated father of three.

Kevin Thomas Jr.

Kevin Thomas Jr., MPP, works with the Building Wealth and Health Network as the Associate Director of Operations and Asset Building. His primary role is to manage the day-to-day Network activities and staff, as well as develop the program and its capacity. Kevin is responsible for facilitating Financial SELF Empowerment sessions for the Networks members, but he also works with the Network team to develop new coaches and expand its footprint. Prior to joining the Center, Kevin was a highly decorated banker, working with industry giants PNC Financial Services and Commerce Bankcorp. He was also a recognized community advocate in the North and West Philadelphia sections of city. Kevin received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from St. Joseph's University and attained his Masters in Public Policy at Drexel.