Brad Forbes, President
Brad (he/him) moved to Philadelphia in 2010. He has been an intentional stakeholder for the Life Center Association cooperative land trust since 2012. He co-founded the Sankofa House project a year later, serving thousands of community members who are using the space to grow rich, local, and abundant cultural economies. Brad’s efforts on PACA’s Board have included: increasing understanding of our stakeholders, and actualizing our organization as an alliance of stakeholders with shared interests. He is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Life Center Association and President of PACA’s Board. Additionally he is a Co-Facilitator of PACA’s Policy and Advocacy Circle.
Tara Taylor, Vice President
Tara (they/them/we/us) is a dedicated mutual aid organizer in Philadelphia. They have been a key organizer with the Workers Revolutionary Collective since 2020. As a homeless mutual aid organizer, they have deep experience with mutual, strengthening community relationships, sourcing and coordinating resources, and laboring collectively with organizers of different backgrounds and capacities. For years they have been affirming people the dignity and respect they deserve outside of profit motivated systems that do not value their well-being. Newly elected to the board, they seek to be an ambassador between PACA and the community at large, further giving us direction in our programming. They are currently one of the key organizers and leaders with the Workers Revolutionary Collective, and the head of Mastress LLC.
Ana Martina, Secretary
Ana Martina (she/her) is a chilenga community organizer and facilitator, who is a founding worker-owner member of Colmenar Cooperative Consulting. Committed to principles and practice of Solidarity Economy, her organizing and early work a couple decades ago was linked to the Indymedia movement in Mexico. She documented and actively supported the Zapatista movement in solidarity with other indigenous and grassroots organizing including documentation of Free Trade Agreement’s environmental impacts and displacement of communities in Mexico and Central America. In the U.S. she served as the Technical Director of the Prometheus Radio Project in the United States, providing technical assistance to dozens of organizations to obtain FM low-power transmission licenses around the country including WPPM PhillyCAM Radio.
Christina Gosnell, Treasurer
Christina Gosnell (she/her) has spent the last decade researching and organizing to advance climate and energy policy. Christina studied Environmental Sciences at University of Colorado Boulder, where she worked at the CU Environmental Center, and co-founded the CU Environmental Studies Club and the divestment group Fossil Free CU. After graduating, Christina assisted research on high pressure gasification of biochar at the National Renewable Energy Lab and worked at Clean Power Finance, contributing to the National Solar Permitting Database. She then worked for two years at the nonprofit Clean Energy Action, managing data-driven advocacy programs and working for the first time with public data on electric utilities as the nonprofit engaged with proceedings at the Colorado Public Utility Commission. Christina is the president and co-founder of Catalyst Cooperative, where she enjoys working at the intersection of public data, utility policy, and database design.
Mathias Duncan Griffith-Bixler, Board Member
Mathias (he/him) is a youthful community organizer and member of the Wholistic Art Cooperative. They have had a variety of experience as a cook, activist, farmer, and organizer. For the past two years, they have been doing food distribution with BunnyHop Philadelphia. He is compassionate about cooperatives, identifying them as the means to bring isolated community members together to build solidarity with one another. They are currently living in London, and using their knowledge in the fields of mutual aid and cooperative economics to connect cooperative alliance across neighborhoods and nations.
Taylor Nickens, Board Member
Taylor Nickens is a Philly native event curator, social entrepreneur, photographer, and holistic healer. Simply put, Taylor makes things happen. She is a powerhouse of energy, enthusiasm and valor, capped off with an infectious smile. She has experience producing events and programs for Footlocker, Adidas, REC Philly, and several corporate and nonprofit partners throughout Philadelphia and the Tri-state region. Various industry leaders have been her clients including: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Bri Steeves, Kur, Christian Crosby, Chill Moody, Paris Nicole, and many more. She is the founder of Taylor Nickens Events, Rise and Ritual, and Sacred Intentional Sisterhood.
Komal Vaidya, Board Member
Komal Vaidya (she/her) is Director of Clinic for Law and Entrepreneurship at Villanova University, as well as Associate Professor of Law. Vaidya, hosts seminars and supervises student representation of community enterprises, including coops, nonprofits and small businesses. She has a deep history of providing legal support for community organizers and cooperatives. Among many other things, Vaidya also serves on PACA’s Board of Directors.
And of course, we hold deep gratitude for all of our past board members, who have helped steward our organization over the years:
Maddie Taterka
Charlyn Griffith-Oro
Divya Desai
Loushun McCrea
Nancy Nguyen
Annette Griffin
Abdul-Aliy Muhammed
Amanda Green Hull
Chris Hill
Clark Arrington
Damali Rhett
Esteban Kelly
Felicia Bender
Frank Ortiz
Greg Holt
Jamila Medley
Jasmine Hamilton
John Wieme
Krystal Eason
Lauren Troop
Margaret Lenzi
Mo Manklang
Morgan Pitts
Shaline Webb
Susan Kavchok
Teresa Mansell
Terrence Toppings-Brown
Tim Palmer
Will Crosswell