Board of Directors

Rashonda was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts but has lived in South Jersey with her family for close to 10 years. She has spent the majority of her professional life in service to others. From her time as a product manager for a pharmaceutical company to helping parents of children with learning disabilities connect to resources, to bringing awareness to African American women of the health benefits of daily walks, the common thread throughout her professional journey has been a commitment to improving the quality of life for children, adults, and families.

In this next phase of her career, she is honored to have the opportunity to provide support to seniors and their families as the owner of Oasis Senior Advisors – Cherry Hill. She realizes that transitioning a senior from his or her home to an assisted or independent living community can be an overwhelming and stressful experience for families, so it is her honor to offer families expert and compassionate assistance as they navigate this process.

Rashonda received her undergraduate degree in public relations from Simmons University in Boston and an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia. When she is not working, she loves to read and discover new places with her family.

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience as a labor and employment law attorney, Deirdre Webster Cobb provides knowledge of HR and EEO to benefit all stakeholders and customers. She currently serves as Chair and CEO of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, and previously she worked at various departments within the State of New Jersey government including, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Personnel, which is now the Civil Service Commission.

Deirdre has been honored with numerous awards, including a Woman of Excellence Award from Exhale Women’s Fellowship, Inc., the Community Service Award from the Ebony Suburbanites, the Hon. Renee Jones Weeks Past Presidents Award from the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, Inc., and the Professional Lawyer from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law and the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey. Deirdre is a Distinguished Legislative Service Awardee of the New Jersey State Bar Association for her work on racial profiling. She also received the Gold Star Award from the National Network of Black Women, Camden Chapter for her contributions to the legal profession and community at large.

Deirdre spends much of her free time volunteering for programsand organizations that uplift women and girls. In addition to Women of the Dream, she currently is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alice Paul Institute, Secretary of Exhale Women’s Fellowship Board of Directors, and a member of Legacy Treatment Services Board of Directors.

Deirdre earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Economics at Chatham College in Pittsburgh, PA, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. In addition, she is admitted to the bars of the Supreme Court of New Jersey and District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and holds an Equal Employment Opportunity Certification from Rutgers University. Deirdre is a Certified Public Manager for the State of New Jersey.

As an exemplary educator for 26 years, Katrina Squire has spent her teaching tenure in the urban areas of Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ, where she is currently employed. She has a heart for the city of Camden of which she is a native. In addition to teaching duties at her school, Katrina sits on the Leadership Team and serves as Grade Level Chairperson. In previous years, Katrina has served as a mentor for Teach for America and local university student teachers, novice teachers and alternate route teachers. Currently she is a mentor for high school students attending Camden City public schools. Advocacy is her forte’. She fights for her students’ rights and her colleagues’ rights as an officer for the Camden Education Association.

Katrina’s earnest desire is to “give back” and that is exactly what she does. In her spare time, she volunteers for a few nonprofit organizations including Women of the Dream for the past 5 years. Katrina is a registered volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program and sits on the Executive Committee of the Wilmington Chester Cultural and Community Services Organization. Katrina is the chairperson of the Scholarship Committee for WCCCSO responsible for raising money each year for educational scholarships.

A graduate of Rutgers-Camden and Cheyney University, Katrina is A PROUD Middle School EDUCATOR…Committed to making a difference in the community!

Michael is an experienced professional with a successful career in application development, data migration, system testing, Quality Assurance and Project Management. He has led development, test and implementation of several systems migration and integration projects in the Telecommunications, Health Insurance, Energy & Utilities, Social Services Program Management (IBM Curam Platform), Mortgage and Financial Services sectors. In addition to certification in project management, he is an IBM Certified Curam SPM v7 Business Analyst. Michael serves on the board of the Omega Community Development, Inc. and Omegas for Education and Community Service, Inc. both of which are dedicated to serving underserved youth including the provision of scholarships to motivated but financially challenged youth. Michael holds a Certificate in Project Management from Rowan College at Burlington College, and a B.S. in Health Planning and Administration from Penn State University.

A mother of twin sisters, Dr. Lewis brings over 20 years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker, higher education administrator, and behavioral health consultant to her current position as Multi-Systems Director with the Hamilton County Job & Family Services. Focusing on youth with complex needs, she provides consultation and strategic planning to strengthen the county’s trauma-informed, child protection system of care reform and partnerships with Medicaid managed behavioral health care providers and organizations. Prior to this role, she was appointed to chair the undergraduate social work program at Union Institute & University. Formerly, she managed the women’s substance use outpatient treatment program and facilitated intensive training seminars on cross-cultural practice at the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Lewis is the past board chair of The HealthCare Connection, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and previously served on the Hospice of Cincinnati board diversity committee. She is the former nonprofit board treasurer and project director for the Life Management Institute’s National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Annual Conference funded by the Pennsylvania/Mid Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center, Ohio Commission on Minority Health, and U.S. Office of Women’s Health (Region 5). Currently, she serves as an executive board member with the Ohio Justice & Policy Center, a nonprofit, public interest law firm.

Dr. Lewis earned her master’s degree in social work from Simmons University, master’s degree in health services administration from Xavier University (Ohio), and the Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies major in Public Policy & Social Change with a certificate in Women and Gender Studies from Union Institute & University. In 2019, she received the Marvin B. Sussman award for excellence in dissertation and interdisciplinary scholarship addressing the problem of low literacy among U.S. women through gender-sensitive adult and higher education policy design.

The proverb – She who learns, teaches – affirms her personal mission and heritage of reaching back to the future generation of scholars, and teaching those who do not believe they possess the capacity to learn.

Mary Lynne Reynolds served as the Executive Director of Mental Health Association of Prince Georges Co. (MD) and the Mental Health Association in Southwestern NJ. Under her vision and leadership each of these agencies developed and implemented a multitude of programs and services that provided assistance and support to enable youth and adults with mental illnesses to live and participate in their communities. Throughout her career, Mary Lynne has served on state and county inter-agency councils representing the leadership from the behavioral health, health, business and public sectors. She has been an outspoken advocate for public policy and strategies that address the need for a continuum of quality mental health services, as well as social justice for people who live with mental illnesses.

Mary Lynne is a member and officer of the Rotary Club of Camden. She represents the Camden Rotary in its ongoing partnership with the Camden City School District to host the annual Back on Track Awards Luncheon, honoring 30 remarkably resilient high school students. Mary Lynne is a Charter Member of Impact 100 South Jersey, a women’s collective philanthropy. Mary Lynne Reynolds holds a BA in Psychology from Simmons University and a MA in Public Administration from the American University.

Keisha Cogdell started her health care career journey as a volunteer “Candy Striper” in the early 90’s, at Saint Michael’s Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. In 1994 and 1995, she had obtained her certifications as a certified home health aide, phlebotomist and certified nursing assistant. She is also a former teenage mother and recipient of federal and state programs and services. This did not stop her from moving ahead and obtaining a good education.

Keisha earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Seton Hall University College of Nursing, South Orange, NJ, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Capella University, Minneapolis, MN. Keisha is a former Minority Nurse Leadership Institute Fellow of Rutgers University School of Nursing, Newark, NJ. She is an active member of several professional associations including the New Jersey State Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Eta Mu Chapter, Rutgers School of Nursing, Camden, NJ. She has appeared in several print or public media outlets of being a recipient of prestigious scholarships, awards, recognitions and her active commitment in serving communities in MarketWatch, New Jersey Hospital Association and News 12 of New Jersey, for “gifts that were sent to troops overseas”. Her compassionate commitment to “giving back” is reflected in her service as a general member and when she had served as Fundraiser Committee member, Membership Chair and Executive Board Member of Marlton Woman’s Club, Marlton, NJ.

A native of Newark, NJ, Keisha enjoys spending quality time with friends and family, especially the joys of hanging out with her three granddaughters’ and mentees from Woman of the Dream.