Lateefah Strickland

Executive Director

Lateefah earned her M.A. in Social Work with a Clinical Concentration from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Spelman College. Her academic excellence and passion for equity have guided her work in creating opportunities for underserved populations.

Lateefah’s career has focused on empowering vulnerable individuals and families. At Covenant House PA, she supported youth experiencing housing insecurity by addressing critical needs, including housing, mental health, and education. As a Child Advocate Social Worker with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, she worked closely with families navigating dependent court proceedings, ensuring they accessed essential services while providing holistic support.

Her leadership roles demonstrate her commitment to impactful service. As Site Director at the Center for Employment Opportunities, Lateefah led a diverse team to help justice-involved individuals secure transitional and full-time employment. She cultivated partnerships with community organizations, developed workforce readiness programs, and increased local funding opportunities.

Lateefah is a long-time dog owner and animal lover,

Megan Hannah

Director of Operations

Megan is a certified School Counselor who received her graduate degree from Eastern University. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Megan has worked with our city’s youth in various capacities throughout her career, and connected with H2P through a partnership she formed while working in an educational setting specifically for youth involved in the foster care system.

Sara Schwartz

Director of Development

Sara Schwartz is a Licensed Social Worker with 20 years of experience working with adolescents in foster care and experiencing housing insecurity, Latine immigrant communities and survivors of domestic violence. Sara previously worked at Women Against Abuse, Juntos and Valley Youth House. Sara was one of the early leadership team members at C.B. Community Schools, a small high school in Philadelphia for young people in the child welfare system. Sara joined the Hand2Paw Development team in 2021 helping to grow the organization and expand its impact.

Penny C. Ellison, Esq.

Board President

Penny Ellison has been Hand2Paw’s Board President since 2012 and previously served as our Executive Director from 2012 through April 2023. Penny is an Adjunct Professor at University of Pennsylvania Law School teaching Animal Law and Ethics. She supervises the Animal Law Project, a student-run group that performs pro-bono services for nonprofits serving the interests of animals, and serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Pennsylvania SPCA. She is also an attorney and mediator.

Angela Marcus

Secretary

Angela Marcus is the co-founder of GetYourPet.com, an online community that helps pet owners rehome their animals without going to a shelter. Angela was formerly Director of Operations for the Pennsylvania SPCA.

Colleen Landy-Thomas

Treasurer

Colleen has spent her career working to improve outcomes for youth experiencing homelessness. She has served as a Director at both Covenant House PA and Valley Youth House. She is currently a Director with the School District of Philadelphia where she is responsible for education for all children and youth experiencing homelessness for the District.

Melanie Jumonville Cataldi

After a long career tackling food security as part of the senior management team at Philabundance, Melanie now runs Hygieia Consulting LLC, which links diverse partners from all sectors to generate purpose-driven impact in the community.

Elizabeth Olsen

Beth is an attorney with Sullivan and Cromwell in New York City. She has also saved many animal lives through fostering dozens of dogs until they could find their forever homes.