1. Fairmount Park Conservancy appoints Maura McCarthy as executive director.

On October 21, the board of directors of Fairmount Park Conservancy announced the appointment of Maura McCarthy as the organization’s new executive director. McCarthy has been the executive director of the Friends of the Wissahickon for the past 13 years.

During her tenure at Friends of Wissachikon — the only professionally staffed Park Friends group —  where McCarthy served first as development director and then as executive director, she worked with the board of directors to increase the organizational revenue from $500,000 to nearly $2 million. She is also credited with implementing diverse outreach strategies and developing long-term strategies for managing the Wissahickon’s habitat and infrastructure.

McCarthy is native to the Philadelphia region, and holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University, a doctorate in social anthropology from Oxford University, and a certificate in performance measurement for effective management of nonprofit organization from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

McCarthy currently serves on the Green City, Clean Waters steering committee for the Philadelphia Water Department, and was an environment and sustainability member of Mayor Jim Kenney‘s transition team.

She starts November 1.

2. Melody Keim becomes executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger.

Melody Keim. (Courtesy photo)

The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger announced that Melody Keim was named executive director of the nonprofit dedicated to supporting local food pantries, providing education and outreach, and advocating with policymakers to address the immediate, short-term, and long term needs of those experiencing food insecurity in the Philadelphia region.

Keim most recently served as the lead advisor for Five Spires, an advisory practice that partners with organizations and companies to design and calibrate people-centered and equitable solutions. Prior to that, she served as the executive director of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul and vice president of programs and initiatives for the Lancaster County Community Foundation.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Mennonite University, a master’s of family and consumer sciences from Iowa State University, and a certificate in nonprofit management from the Nonprofit Resource Network at Millersville University.

Keim serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the CreekSide Food Co-op, and was an advisory committee member of Common Roads for five years.

3. Rodney Camarce becomes the senior program manager at Asian Arts Initiative.

Rodney Camarce. (Courtesy photo)

Asian Arts Initiative announced that Rodney Camarce has joined its team as the senior programs manager. Camarce most recently served as the youth development manager for the Mural Arts Program.

Previously Camarce served as a facilitator and as a graphic recorder for the Bartol Foundation, Lenfest Foundation, and Ground Work USA, and as as co-ambassador for the Racial Equity Network of the National Guild for Community Arts.

He has been a community organizer in South Philadelphia and the International District in Seattle, and according to an email from Asian Arts Initiative, “works to build solidarity among all people in struggle, and believes that we must subvert this cultural genocide by any means necessary, and practice radical optimism to imagine new possibilities.”

4. Mayor Kenney appoints Nora Dowd Eisenhower as executive director for the Mayor’s Commission on Aging.

Nora Dowd Eisenhower.

Mayor Jim Kenney recently announced that Nora Dowd Eisenhower will become the executive director for the Mayor’s Commission on Aging (MCOA), which leads the development of policy and strategies to support health, safety, and security for Philadelphians ages 55 and older.

Dowd Eisenhower previously served as the director of pro bono action at SeniorLAW Center.  She alsos served as the assistant director for the Office of Older Americans at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2013-2016, and as vice president for economic security at the National Council on Aging.

In addition, Dowd Eisenhower previously served as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging from 2003-2009, and also served as the AARP Pennsylvania state director. She began her career as a deputy attorney general with the Pennsylvania Attorney General in the consumer protection division.