Staff

The staff at the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians is culturally diverse and reflective of the communities we serve.

If you are contacting the Welcoming Center, please note that we can serve you better if you email only one staff member. If you are not sure the best person to contact, please email info@welcomingcenter.org

 

Anne O'Callaghan (email Anne) is the executive director of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. She has been a prominent advocate for immigrants for over three decades.

Trained as a physical therapist in Ireland, Ms. O'Callaghan came to the United States in 1970 and worked in the field for 20 years as a practitioner, college-level instructor, and service director. She brought her entrepreneurial skills to the founding and building of a software development company which serves the home health care industry. She is active in the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the Visiting Nurses Association of Greater Philadelphia, and the Southwest Community Enrichment Center.

Ms. O'Callaghan received her training and certification at the University of Dublin (Trinity College) School of Medicine and the Oswestry and North Staffordshire School of Physiotherapy.

She is married and is the mother of three children.

 

Amanda Bergson-Shilcock (email Amanda) is the director of intake and Operations at the Welcoming Center. She coordinates data collection and analysis, enabling the Welcoming Center to use hard evidence to support its decision making.

Ms. Bergson-Shilcock previously worked at the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning, where her duties included grants management for the Pew Fund for Health and Human Services in Philadelphia.

She was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied American Civilization with an emphasis on minority populations. She is a native Pennsylvanian whose roots go back to Wales, Germany, Lithuania, England, and France, among other countries.

 

Rosara Castillo-Beshore (email Rosara) is the Intake Coordinator for the Welcoming Center.  She schedules our employment clients and conducts the initial assessment of their education, experience, and skills. She also serves as an interpreter to Spanish-speaking clients.  Additionally, Rosara supports our legal clinics, conducts community outreach events, and serves as the point of contact for our online ESL class database. 

Rosara's public relations skills were developed in her home country of Panama, where she received a B.S. in Public Relations and began her career in P.R. and communications before coming to the United States.

 

Yana Chernov (email Yana) is the Welcoming Center's senior employment specialist. She helps evaluate immigrants who seek the center's services for employment, and finds jobs that best suit their skills.

Ms. Chernov was born in Ukraine and came to the United States in 1993. When speaking about working with immigrants and refugees, she says: "It feels great to be able to help new Americans just like someone once helped me and my family. Everyone who comes here wants the best for their future and the lives of their children. To know that you are helping them achieve that goal feels wonderful. You cannot get tired of doing work like this."

Ms. Chernov is married and has one daughter. She speaks Russian and Ukrainian

 

Jennifer Chiu (email Jennifer) is the coordinator of the Project Bridging Cultures program at South Philadelphia High School.  She and a team of part-time mentors provide tutoring, mentoring, and outreach services to immigrant students at SPHS.

Jennifer was born in Hong Kong and grew up in New York City.  She graduated from Yale University with a degree in History.  She started working with Project Bridging Cultures as a mentor in the fall of 2006.  Jennifer is a native speaker of Cantonese and has also studied Mandarin, Spanish, and German.

 

Grace Croke (email Grace) has been with the Welcoming Center since its inception. She is on the center's Board of Directors, and serves as its secretary. She is currently a part-time intake support staff and case manager. Ms. Croke was born and raised in Philadelphia. She was a nurse for 46 years and has 5 children.

 

Michelle Cross (email Michelle) is the employment specialist for the Welcoming Center. She recently graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in History along with a concentration in Third World Studies, and a minor in English.

Originally from Maine, Michelle moved to Philadelphia in 2004. While living in Maine, she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and worked as the assistant director for the adult learning center at H.O.M.E., Inc. She continued her passion for teaching in Philadelphia as an ESL instructor in the northeast region and an ESL tutor for the Well Program at Temple University, an educational program assisting adults achieve a GED.

In her spare time, Michelle enjoys caring for her garden and has developed a “green thumb” in the last few years.

 

Janice Darab (email Janice) is the office administrator for the Welcoming Center. She oversees the general operations of the office and is also an assistant to the Executive Director. She was born and raised in Philadelphia. A graduate of Ursinus College, Mrs. Darab was a computer programmer and systems analyst before retiring from the workforce to raise her twin sons. Mrs. Darab is an active member of the Spina Bifida Association of the Delaware Valley where she served on the Board of Directors for over 20 years, including eight years as President. She volunteers actively in the non-profit sector, including fundraising.

 

Margaret Hilsdon (email Margaret) is in charge of the Center’s legal clinics, a monthly session which offers free legal services to immigrants. She is also involved in our vocational literacy program, which aims to increase employability by providing relevant workplace English skills to the Center’s clients. Ms Hilsdon trained as a teacher in Britain, and taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in several countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. She came to Philadelphia in 2004 and taught as a volunteer before joining the staff of the Welcoming Center. She is married with three children and two stepchildren. She speaks French and German.

 

Ginny Jones (email Ginny) is the Welcoming Center’s employment specialist for the Delaware County office. She provides employment services to the growing immigrant community in the suburbs and is making connections between job seekers and employers across Delaware County every day.

Ginny has seven years of experience in the behavioral health and education fields.  She is a certified trainer in Safe Crisis Management, Safety Techniques, and Personal Emergency Interventions.  She is also a Basic Life Support instructor for the American Heart Association.

Ginny is a former track and field medal winner and enjoys running training programs for both youth and adults.  She is a single mother of two and a grandmother of three and is very involved in her local church, outreach programs, support groups, and other family resources in her community.

 

Patience Lehrman (email Patience) is director of job-seeker and employer services for the Welcoming Center. She oversees a vocational literacy program, in which immigrants learn English that is directly applicable to their specific career paths.

 

In addition, she works with businesses of all sizes, providing them with information about the practical steps and economic benefits of hiring foreign-born workers.

 

Ms. Lehrman came to the U.S. from Cameroon, West Africa. She is fluent in four languages, including French.  She holds a dual master's degree in education and organizational development from Temple University, and a Professional Human Resource Certification from Villanova University. 

 

Patience Lehrman has a decade of experience in the workforce development field. She previously worked at a Philadelphia based organization as Managing Director of Program Operations, overseeing the largest urban transitional jobs program in the Commonwealth. She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management and the American Society for Training and Development.

 

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Fatimah Muhammad (email Fatimah) is the outreach and civic engagement associate for the Welcoming Center.  One of her major projects is the development of a Welcome Center that will serve as a resource for both immigrant and native residents of West Philadelphia.

Fatimah previously worked as a field organizer for the Service Employees International Union.  She earned a B.A. in Sociology and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.  Her work with cross-cultural collaborations and dialogue has earned her such prestigious distinctions as the Woman of Color Award and the Alaine Locke Award for Cross-Cultural Communication.

 

Isabelle Rambo (email Isabelle) is the development associate for the Welcoming Center.  She manages the fundraising activities and assists with public relations and communications.

Isabelle previously worked at a Philadelphia based Welfare-to-Work program.  She started as a career advisor helping clients find employment and then worked in the finance and operations department.

Isabelle was educated at Duke University (BA) and Syracuse University (MA), where she studied International Relations.

While in school, she spent a summer interning at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, Switzerland.

Isabelle grew up in the Philadelphia area and loves to travel. She has spent time in South Korea, Mexico, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Australia and recently returned from her honeymoon in Thailand.

 

Marshall Reeve (email Marshall ) is the development director for the Welcoming Center.  In this capacity, he creates and oversees the implementation of a strategic approach to fundraising and external communications.

 
Marshall has more than 15 years of extensive not-for-profit experience.  Prior to joining the Center, he served as executive director of Arnold Schwarzenegger's youth development organization, After-School All-Stars, where he managed multiple high-profile special events, cultivated a thriving major donor program, and diversified the funding base.  Over the course of his career, Marshall has served in development capacities with United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Cornerstone Academy, and EAPE.