Category: Member Profiles

Introduced to Impact100 South Jersey via casual conversations with several existing members, Michele warmed to the idea of becoming a part of a women’s philanthropic group that makes a reverberating impact throughout the South Jersey region. Michele’s interest was piqued by attending one of the organization’s annual membership information sessions, traditionally held during the Fall months. She filled in some of the gaps of the grantmaking process and felt led to unite with the purpose-driven group’s mission. While Michele is no stranger to charitable giving, she recognized the greater impact she could have by joining forces with other local women for the greater good, to truly make a lasting impact for our South Jersey neighbors. Testing fate, Michele relays the story of the first informational call on which then-Impact 100…

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel”.  This is one of Dr. Maya Angelou’s most memorable quotes and Cheryl’s favorite to live by. She grew up in Camden and lived there until she married. As a longtime Camden resident, Cheryl received her early education from Camden schools including Davis Middle School before graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School. She went on to pursue a degree in biology from Seton Hall University with aspirations of becoming a medical doctor. Cheryl had worked hard and was proud of her four-year Martin Luther King scholarship. On a blind date at the Cherry Hill Inn, she met her future husband, Ron, who guided her to pursue…

A lifelong South Jersey resident, Lindsey Cowperthwait has a soft spot for the region personally, professionally and philanthropically. As Client Relationship Manager at Abacus Payroll, Inc., a division of The Alloy Silverstein Group, Lindsey assists small businesses located throughout South Jersey where she helps them to optimize their payroll, workforce management and HR operations to be as effortless as possible. In addition to working directly with business owners and employers, Lindsey also travels throughout South Jersey for networking events and meetings to build relationships, to further connect business owners with payroll solutions. Lindsey is new to Impact100 South Jersey in 2023. After learning about the organization from Leadership Council member Angela Venti, a co-worker at the Alloy Silverstein Group, Lindsey applied for membership in December 2022 and has become an…

TAHISHA (Tai) Anderson, AIA was introduced to Impact 100 South Jersey via an online posting promoting the 2022 Annual Reveal event.  During the event, she connected with Valerie Buickerood, an Impact100 member she knew as a Development Consultant for LUCY Outreach Youth Center where Tai serves as a board member. Tai was impressed by Impact100 South Jersey’s model of supporting multiple non-profit organizations while demonstrating equity among its members. As a new Cherry Hill resident, Tahisha liked the idea of networking with like-minded, community-focused women. That same year, she joined. Tai’s focus on philanthropy and volunteerism originated from her humble upbringing in Queens, New York and the example set by her paternal grandmother- a civic-minded and charitable city legal assistant and union treasurer. She witnessed first-hand the impact that one individual can have on a community by being a selfless…

Patricia A. Legge, Esq., LMSW is the Executive Director of Volunteer UP Legal Clinic, a nonprofit that connects clients facing legal barriers to their success with South Jersey attorneys who volunteer to provide high-quality pro bono legal services not otherwise available to make a difference in the lives of those in Camden and its surrounding communities. Prior to becoming a licensed social worker, Patty was a career law clerk in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, serving the federal government for over 22 years. At the same time, she taught law school for 15 years, for the most part as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Rutgers Camden Law, but also as an Inaugural Faculty member at Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of…

Jaime Desman grew up in Mt. Laurel and attended Lenape High School.  She went to Boston University to major in hospitality management. Once graduating, Jaime moved to Denver and lived there until 2020. While she was in Denver, Jaime donated blood, volunteered for Outdoor Colorado (the state’s oldest outdoor non-profit organization that motivates and enables people to become active stewards of natural resources), food banks, and Habitat for Humanity.     Jaime moved back to South Jersey during the pandemic. Her mother, Barbara Schwartz, introduced her to Impact100 SJ, knowing Jaime had always loved being active in community service and doing more than just writing a check.  Jaime became an Impact 100 SJ member in 2021. She jumped in with both feet, joining both the financial review and grant review committees last year. This…

As President/CEO of the Cumberland and Salem County Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program for youth, Donna Bennett was introduced to Impact100 South Jersey as a potential grant awardee. She was immediately impressed with the level of professionalism of Impact’s Grant Review committee members as she led her organization through the grantee application process. Much to her delight, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland & Salem Counties did indeed receive a grant in 2019. It was through this experience that Donna knew she wanted to become a part of Impact100 South Jersey where she saw firsthand the tremendous impact that a group of women, joined together, can make to such worthy causes in their community. As a South Jersey native, Donna pursued a career path in advertising. Following her studies…

Karoline Moxham has lived in Medford for 20 years. She is married with two sons, Donald, and Doug. Along with working full-time as a commercial lender for WSFS, Karoline is very involved in philanthropy and volunteering in South Jersey.  Her husband works in wealth management.   Karoline joined Impact100 SJ because she loved the mission — women gathering resources together to help the community. Karoline joined three years ago and is a member of the Grant Review Committee. Hearing about Impact100 SJ from a friend, she checked out the website and attended an information session and joined shortly thereafter. She plans to continue with Impact100 SJ since she feels very connected to it, and WSFS has now joined as a corporate sponsor, thanks to Karoline. Karoline’s two sons are on the autism spectrum. Her oldest,…

When you meet and get to know Hala Shawaf Barson it’s easy to see that she really is “all about people, relationships, and community” and being a member of Impact100 SJ feeds her desire to be connected to the community in a meaningful way.   Hala was introduced to Impact100 SJ in 2017 by her friend and mentor Georgann Wardzinski and was instantly drawn to the collective giving model. Being a part of a like-minded community of women who are caring, collaborative, and love connecting and “cross pollinating ideas” was an exciting notion. But at the time she was a young professional growing her career. In 2022 the time was finally right to become a member.  Being a member has been a wonderful experience and Hala actively participates on the Grant…

As a newcomer to South Jersey in 2021, Beth’s interest in IMPACT100SJ was piqued when reading the profile of a Leadership Council member in a local lifestyle magazine. She checked out the organization’s website and its robust offerings, which sealed the deal on her membership application. She completed the paperwork, joined the Grant Finance and Grant Review committees and there was no looking back. No stranger to nonprofit and board engagement, Beth is impressed with IMPACT100SJ’s mission of leveraging the power of collective giving and making a significant impact on local non-profits via IMPACT100SJ’s grant-making process. Being new to the area, Beth was curious to learn more about the area and its needs. Win-win. Beth is a longtime “joiner” and, more importantly a “doer”. As a retired CPA financial advisor,…