Our Team
Meet The PENN Creative Strategy Team
Molly Penn
Strategy & Planning
Organizational Development
Change Management
IDEA Services
About Molly Penn
As a consultant to mission-based organizations for two decades, Molly has deep experience with organizations and foundations of all sizes and a broad range of missions. She has worked with more than one hundred organizations to help them become stronger and have a greater impact. She is particularly interested in how effective strategy helps organizations disrupt and rebalance systems of power, privilege and access – whether through cultural reflection, direct service, philanthropy or advocacy.
Molly began her professional life as the Assistant Director of Development and Government Relations for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, followed by senior Development roles at smaller organizations. She has an MBA in Management from Fordham University, a Masters in Arts Management from Columbia University and a BA in dance from Bard College. She is certified in Lean Process and Hogan Personality Inventory, and trained in Appreciative Inquiry and as a professional coach. Molly serves on the board of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management and Nonprofit New York’s selection committee for the Nonprofit Excellence Awards.
Marissa Lewis
Fundraising
Training/Facilitation
Board Development
Strategic Planning
About Marissa Lewis
Marissa is experienced in non-profit management as both grantmaker and grantseeker, including fundraising, strategy, grant/grantee management, and board development in staff, consultant, and volunteer/Board capacities. She is a strong administrator with a talent for building and strengthening organizational culture, along with the necessary systems and frameworks. Her 20-year career has been anchored in ensuring individuals, communities, and organizations have access to all the tools they need to succeed. Marissa is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and did graduate work at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Lakimja Mattocks
Leadership Coaching
Training/Facilitation
Strategic Planning
Theory of change
About Lakimja Mattocks
Lakimja Mattocks brings over fifteen years of experience of leadership in the nonprofit sector and has served as the Chief People Officer for LEAP, Chief Equity and Learning Officer of Nonprofit New York and the Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Learning at Support Center designing emerging and senior leadership programs. Prior to those roles, Lakimja was a Senior Program Director at Roads to Success and a Success Coach at Groundwork for Success. Lakimja has completed multiple trainings and professional certifications to build her knowledge and leadership skills in equity and inclusion as well as nonprofit leadership and is an active volunteer with the New York Urban League and Temple University, her undergraduate alma mater. She is also an experienced coach, mentor, and facilitator.
Eileen Newman
Leadership Coaching
Training/Facilitation
Strategic Planning
Board Development
About Eileen Newman
Eileen Newman has been consulting since 2023, when she left her position as Executive Director of the Center for Bronx Nonprofits at Hostos Community College. While there, she established the Center as a convening, training and resource-sharing organization which strengthens the capacity of the local community leaders and nonprofit organizations serving the Bronx. She is the producer and host of Mission Bronx, a monthly program on BronxNet, the Bronx public access network. The show is aimed at informing the community about the work of nonprofits in the Bronx. Prior to creating the Center, Eileen was the Deputy Director and Director of Community Engagement at the Tribeca Film Institute and the Executive Director of Film Video Arts.In addition Eileen has held leadership positions at New Visions for Public Schools and the NYC Department of Education. She has served on a number of nonprofit boards including New York Women in Film and Television.
Janice L. Shapiro
Leadership Coaching
Training/Facilitation
Fundraising
Strategic/Scenario Planning
About Janice Shapiro
Janice believes that people thrive when they are empowered and engaged. Those of us drawn to work with nonprofit organizations are drawn to missions but retained by healthy cultures. With this grounding principle in mind, she has served as Executive Director of Doug Varone and Dancers and Moving for Life, Managing Director for the Brooklyn Arts Council, Director of Development and Planning for La MaMa, Director of Development for the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Program Associate in Culture for The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Managing Officer of Awards and Creative Development for the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). As a planning and fundraising consultant and coach, her clients have included the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, Creative Capital, Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, Association of Hispanic Arts, Foundation for Jewish Culture, Support Center for Nonprofit Management, and the Harlem School of the Arts.
Janice is a recent graduate of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching and a graduate of the James P. Shannon Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives. She is a certified Program Developer and Facilitator in Peer Coaching Groups through Authenticity Consulting and certified in Principles and Practices of Organizational Development from Teachers College at Columbia University. She earned a BA in Dance from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Janice is a volunteer for Companion Animal Placement in Hoboken and recently served as a Lifeline Counselor for The Trevor Project.
Marita Phelps
Training/Facilitation
Strategic/Scenario Planning
Organizational Development
Facilitation
About Marita Phelps
Marita Phelps is an experienced social impact expert with 15 years of experience working with purpose-driven organizations to power their missions forward and create positive change in society. Throughout her career, she has worked in and collaborated with numerous organizations as a consultant, administrator, and board volunteer, delivering impactful and sustainable solutions. She has worked on engagements with renowned organizations such as Nike (Purpose), Color of Change, Goodwill Industries, United Way, Mass Cultural Council, Brooklyn Arts Council, and Simmons University. She partners with clients to create organizational strategies that improve program and organizational operations, scale mission impact and develop new approaches that effectively evaluate and report out that impact. With experience across government, nonprofit, and corporate sectors, she brings unique and valuable insights to each engagement. Her consulting practice draws on these experiences to provide tailored, realistic solutions that address the current and complex challenges faced by the teams she works with. She has facilitated capacity-building workshops for Executive Leaders at places like Candid and Nonprofit New York on topics such as managing remote teams, collaborations and partnerships, distributed leadership, and equitable strategic planning. She previously served as Vice President of the Howard University Alumni Club of Greater New York City, Treasurer for the Howard University Alumni Club of Greater Seattle, and an Advisory Board Member for ACT Theatre. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University with magna cum laude honors in Theatre Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Seattle University in Arts Leadership. Marita’s Graduate Research, entitled Measuring The Method, focused specifically on the effectiveness of different data collection methods and best practices for evaluation of arts education programs. This research project included interviews with leaders at several Seattle art organizations such as Office of Arts & Culture, LHPAI, Frye Art Museum, ArtsCorp and CD Forum for Arts & Ideas.
About Ayesha Acquah
Ayesha M. Acquah joined Penn Creative Strategy after holding various positions in marketing and managing large teams of staff and volunteers in the music industry. At PENN Creative Strategy, she helps ensure the firm’s various work engagements stay on track, manages ongoing communication with clients, and supports the team in producing effective results. She has a keen talent for systems management and is an attentive facilitator with a gift of warmth and engagement. Ayesha has been on the team at Penn Creative Strategy since 2019 and has contributed to multiple strategic plans, sector trainings, and other engagements. Ayesha graduated Cum Laude with a BS in Communications Studies with a focus in Public Relations.
About Esder Chong
Esder Chong is a passionate advocate for immigrant rights and educational equity, leveraging her expertise to drive meaningful change. She founded RU Dreamers, a student organization focused on supporting undocumented, DACA, and TPS students’ access to higher education. She led efforts to pass the S699 State Financial Aid bill in New Jersey, enhancing educational access for undocumented residents. Additionally, she contributed to the Let’s Drive NJ campaign, which aimed to expand driver’s license access to undocumented immigrants, formerly incarcerated individuals, domestic violence survivors, and seniors facing ID barriers. Esder has been featured in the NY Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, TIME, and NPR for her advocacy work. She holds an EdM from Harvard and an MA in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University.
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