Power moves: Arun Prabhakaran resigns from DA’s office to become executive VP at Urban Affairs Coalition

1. Big changes for Arun Prabhakaran.

District Attorney Larry Krasner recently announced the resignation of Arun Prabhakaran, his chief of staff, effective June 12. Prabhakaran will become the executive vice president of Urban Affairs Coalition, where he previously served for five years as senior vice president and chief external affairs officer. In his new role at UAC he will oversee all of the organization’s operations.

Before his work at UAC, Prabhakaran served as the governmental and institutional liaison for Solutions for Progress; as prevention services manager of the youth health empowerment project of Philadelphia FIGHT; and in positions with Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, Kensington Welfare Rights Union, and the Village of Arts and Humanities.

He serves as the vice president of the board of directors of  Maternity Care Coalition; a board member of UAC; and a research and policy committee member of Philadelphia Works. Prabhakaran also served, for 12 years, as a board member and community grantmaking committee member of Bread & Roses Community Fund.

“A movement of Philadelphians elected Larry based on his vision for fixing our broken criminal legal system,” Prabhakaran said in the DA office announcement of the resignation. “I am proud to have led the team of staff tasked with executing that vision, by transforming this office and repairing relations with communities that were most harmed by mass incarceration under prior administrations.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University.

2. Health Care Improvement Foundation announces that Wendy Nickel will become its president.

The Health Care Improvement Foundation announced it has named Wendy Nickel as its new president. Nickel succeeds Kate Flynn, who held the position for 12 years.

Nickel leaves the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, where she served as vice president for prevention, to join HCIF. Before that she served as director of the centers for quality and patient partnership in healthcare of the American College of Physicians.

Nickel previously also served as associate vice president of quality initiatives at the Society of Hospital Medicine; as hospital administration at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; as director of patient satisfaction and advocacy at Albert Einstein Medical Center.

“My vision is to expand on everything that Kate has put into HCIF,” Nickel said via the emailed announcement. “We’re doing the important work: Bringing people together when no one else can or will. We have an opportunity to expand our work beyond Pennsylvania and across the country. And considering the ongoing coronavirus crisis, we have the ability to address the myriad quality, safety and population health challenges that will impact care both now and in the future.”

Nickel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Emory University.

3. Leigh Anne McKelvey appointed to serve on council of National CASA/GAL Association for Children.

CASA Youth Advocates, Inc. announced that its executive director, Leigh Anne McKelvey, has been appointed to the suburban leadership council of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Association for Children.

McKelvey will serve a two-year term on the council, which looks to the work of the more than 950 local programs that make up the National CASA/GAL network. In 2019, the network served more than 271,000 children who have experienced abuse and neglect.

McKelvey was appointed executive director of CASA Youth Advocates, Inc. in 2018. She has been with the organization since 2007, previously serving as assistant executive director. During her career, she has also worked for West Chester University’s Graduate School of Social Work, Eastern University‘s social work department, Paula Teacher & Associates, and Friendship House.

“I am honored to be appointed to the co-chair role of the Suburban Leadership Council,” McKelvey said in the announcement. “I’m looking forward to collaborating and bringing perspective from our organization in Pennsylvania’s Delaware and Chester counties that will help us continuously improve the way we serve children in our community.”

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Grove City College, and a master’s degree from University of Pittsburgh.