Touchstone Team

Anna Brendle Kennedy

Anna Brendle Kennedy is the Executive Director for Touchstone Foundation. Anna holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California- Irvine, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Geography from The Pennsylvania State University.

Anna serves on the Board of the Junior League of Lancaster, PA, the steering committee of the Coalition for the Common Health, and the Pennsylvania Health Funders Collaborative. She is a founding member of Let’s Talk, Lancaster: changing the conversation about mental health.

Shanece Bowman

Shanece Bowman is the Programs Manager for Touchstone Foundation. She graduated from Millersville University with a Bachelor Degree in Social Work.

Shanece brings 12 years of experience including past roles as Clinical Assistant at WellSpan Philhaven, Case Aide at Bethanna Foster Care and Adoption, and CNA/Nurse Aide Team Leader at Conestoga View Rehabilitation Center. Shanece is passionate about mental health for children and families. 

Shanece is passionate about mental health for children and families. She is also dedicated to reducing stigma for those with mental healthcare needs, and equipping providers to serve them well.

Sobeida Rosa

Sobeida Rosa is the Communications & Development Manager for Touchstone Foundation; she focuses on uplifting and amplifying the work that the Touchstone Foundation is doing in the community.

She was a student of the School District of Lancaster and graduated from J.P. McCaskey High School in 2016. She holds Bachelors Degrees in Journalism and Spanish from Ithaca College.

Sobeida has a passion for social justice and was the inaugural recipient of YWCA Lancaster’s new Cheryl Gahring Young Woman Award, for women 25 years of age and under. 

Amy Swanger

Amy Swanger is the Operations Manager for Touchstone Foundation. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Project and Supply Chain Management from Penn State University and is working on her MBA.

Amy contributes to our team with a wealth of experience, leadership, and project management skills from her career in the U.S. Air Force. She has previously served as an Independent Duty Medical Technician, Clinic Manager, and as Operations Coordinator in the Defense Attaché Offices at the U.S. Embassies in Niger and Russia.

Touchstone Board of Directors

Carrie Smith

Board Chair

As associate professor of sociology, Carrie studies sex and gender, medical sociology, sociology of reproduction and birth, work and the profession, sociology of the family, religion, race and ethnicity, qualitative methods, scholarship of teaching and learning, and community-based research. 

Since 2014, she has served as a Faculty Research Fellow at the Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change at Millersville University. Carrie also serves on the boards of the Edward Hand Medical Museum, and Ambassadors for Hope. 

She earned her PhD in Sociology from Vanderbilt University.

Amanda Katchur

Board Vice Chair

Amanda also serves on our Access Committee and has volunteered with Mental Health America. She completed her doctorate in psychology through Marywood University and has participated in specialized training to provide Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Amanda has worked in a variety of settings include community mental health, community-based programs, and both inpatient and outpatient settings. Amanda is an LGBTQIA+ affirming clinician. Amanda has a special interest in school-based mental health and in perinatal mental health. In both her professional life and in her personal life as the parent of a child diagnosed with Autism, Amanda has a passion for advocacy and inclusion.

Patrick Anderson

Board Secretary

Dr. Anderson was a family physician at Lancaster General Health Physicians/Penn Medicine (Red Rose Family Physicians and Oxford Medical Center) from 1987 until his retirement in 2021. From 2018-2021 he was Managing Physician of the practice. Previously, Dr. Anderson served as a United States Air Force Flight Surgeon.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the University of Delaware and a medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internship at Community Hospital of Lancaster, followed by training as a flight surgeon at the U.S.A.F. School of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Anderson then returned to Lancaster to complete his residency in Family Medicine at Community Hospital of Lancaster and entered private practice.

Wayne Groff

Treasurer

Wayne Groff, CPA, is the CFO at Lancaster County Community Foundation for the past 8 years, where he oversees the investment, finance, and accounting functions, and enjoys interacting with fundholders. Prior to that, he has more than a decade of experience as an audit manager at both RKL and KPMG.

Wayne is a Lancaster County native who grew up in Willow Street, lives in Lampeter, graduated summa cum laude from Messiah College, and enjoys vacationing in Cape May and Rehoboth Beach. Wayne loves Christmas, gardening, playing ultimate Frisbee, and his English Springer Spaniel, Baxter.

Board Members

Arthur Ace

Truist Financial

Arthur also serves as Chair of our Finance & Investment Committee. As a Client Advisor with PNC Wealth Management, he has a recognized history of working in the financial services industry. Leveraging strong analytical, consulting and relationship management capabilities to assist clients in the areas of investment and asset management, succession strategies, estate planning, and administration. 

Arthur is a member of the Lancaster County Estate Planning Council and Civil Air Patrol. He graduated with a degree in Finance from Spalding University in Louisville, KY. 

Arthur is fluent in Russian and Ukrainian. Arthur and his wife, Rachel, enjoy life with their Yorkie, Kingston

Fletcher, Kimberly

Kimberly Fletcher

Community Volunteer

Kimberly has a 20-year tenure in human resources development, including strategic management, recruitment, employee relations, training, on-boarding, benefits administration, professional development administration, and special events coordination.

Her experiences include working with people from diverse economic, academic, and cultural backgrounds. Kimberly’s broad career as a human resource professional has been enriched through experiences in childcare, secondary education, and college administration. 

She is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College.

Sam Soliman

Freelance Photographer

Sam has lived in Lancaster for 22 years and has been doing work as a freelance photographer for 6 years. For the last two years he has been the creative director and producer for a clothing company called The Hood Hippie Love Yourself. 

Sam uses his marketing skills and knowledge to connect youth to the incredible mental wellness resources that Touchstone has and to make them feel like they are easily understandable and accessible. He knows that the sooner younger people can take control of their mental wellbeing, the better they will be in the long run.

Bill Zee

Appel, Yost & Zee

Mr. Zee is Chair of the firm’s Education Law Group. His recent community involvement includes board member and president of Aaron’s Acres, and board member of Leadership Lancaster.

He received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers, a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law. His bar admissions include state and federal courts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and the United States Supreme Court.

Phil Hess

Retired

Mr. Phil Hess served as President of WellSpan Philhaven and Senior Vice President of the WellSpan Health System from 2016 until his retirement in 2022.

Mr. Hess began his career at Philhaven in Mount Gretna in 1988 and previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer before leading the affiliation and integration of Philhaven into WellSpan Health system.

He earned his BA in Biology from Goshen College and his Master of Health Administration from Duke University. Mr. Hess also serves on the Board of the Lebanon County United Way, and the Ephrata Area Education Foundation. Previous Board service includes Advanced Metrics, LMC Legacy Foundation, Ephrata Area Social Services, and Garden Spot Community.  

 

Ramon Rivera

Conestoga Valley School District

Mr. Ramon Rivera teaches middle school life science at Conestoga Valley School District and has taught at the School District of Lancaster previously. Mr. Rivera has dedicated his 28-year career to serving all students in public schools spearheading initiatives to support marginalized students. He has mentored staff members and promoted science literacy programs in his career.

Mr. Rivera is a collaborative, supportive educator who focuses on empowering others to foster self-sufficient, capable, contributing members of our community. He has served on the Manheim Township Policy Advisory Committee and coached basketball and soccer for the Manheim Township Parks and Recreation Department. Mr. Rivera is a bilingual English/Spanish speaker and enjoys spending time with his wife and their five children.  

Jacquelyn Palm

Blueprints for Addiction Recovery

Jacquelyn serves on the Touchstone Foundation Access Committee. She works to support clients in addiction and mental health treatment designed for recovery at Blueprints for Addiction Recovery. She has worked as a counselor at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Advancement in Recovery Program. She has worked in restaurants, insurance and billing in mental health care, and she has held positions on ethics and trauma informed care committees.

Jacquelyn has participated in Touchstone Foundation programs and services and is currently a Mental Health Careers Scholarship recipient.

Jacquelyn is pursuing a Human Services degree at Elizabethtown College with an anticipated graduation in May 2024.

Chris Lesser

Hershey Company

Chris Lesser is currently the Senior Marketing Manager for The Hershey Company’s International Commercial Growth Office. Over his successful 16-year career in professional marketing, including 9+ years at The Hershey Company, he has focused on unlocking new opportunities rooted in consumer insights, developing brand strategies, and leading cross-functional teams to deliver top and bottom-line growth.

Chris received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from The Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona and his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.