Staff & Board — Homeless Advocacy Project

Our Staff

Everyone at HAP, from the legal staff to the administrators, is committed to the same compassionate goal of easing the burdens of homelessness. We draw as much inspiration from each other as we do from the people we serve, and we make concerted efforts toward making our office culture a supportive and inclusive one.

Brittany Barnes

SOAR Paralegal

[email protected] Read Bio

Amal Bass, Esq.

Executive Director

[email protected] Read Bio

Shevaun Brannigan

Director of Development and Communications

[email protected] Read Bio

Faye Chevalier

Paralegal

[email protected] Read Bio

Josie Chiba

Paralegal and Development Coordinator

[email protected] Read Bio

Andrew Feigenbaum, Esq.

Staff Attorney & Duffy Fellow

[email protected] Read Bio

Claire Grandison, Esq.

Children, Youth & Families Project Director

[email protected] Read Bio

Theresa Jett

Director of Operations

[email protected] Read Bio

Patricia Malley, Esq.

Senior Staff Attorney

[email protected] Read Bio

Patrick McNeil

SOAR Project Director

[email protected] Read Bio

Briana Nicholas

Operations and Development Coordinator

[email protected] Read Bio

Margaret Oberkircher, Esq.

Pro Bono Manager

[email protected] Read Bio

Alexandra Ravano

Administrative and Intake Specialist

[email protected] Read Bio

Nancy Rimmer, Esq.

Legal and Advocacy Director

[email protected] Read Bio

Margianne Smith

Office Administrator

[email protected] Read Bio

Joel Sobel, Esq.

Director of Intake and Outreach | Duffy Fellow

[email protected] Read Bio

Nina Torres

Law Clerk

[email protected] Read Bio

Board of Directors

HAP is incredibly fortunate and proud to have such a dedicated, passionate, and eclectic Board of Directors. Members include attorneys from a diversity of Philadelphia firms, social services providers, and community members with lived experience of homelessness.

Lawrence J. Kotler, Esquire

HAP Board President

Lawrence J. Kotler is a Partner at Duane Morris in Philadelphia and co-chair of the Bankruptcy and Fiduciary Representations division of Duane Morris' Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring Practice Group. Mr. Kotler practices in the area of reorganization and finance, representing chapter 11 debtors-in-possession, chapter 11 trustees, chapter 7 trustees, liquidating trustees, creditors' committees, secured creditors and large institutional unsecured creditors in all facets of bankruptcy. Mr. Kotler is currently serving as counsel to the senior secured lender in the Hajjar Business Holdings, LLC et al, bankruptcy cases, pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey; counsel for StoneMor Operating LLC in the bankruptcy cases of Moon Group, Inc., pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware; and the Plan Administrator in the Spectrum Alliance LP bankruptcy case, pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He is also serving as trustee's counsel in the bankruptcy cases of Image Masters, Inc., et al., Fitzpatrick Container Corp., Precise Graphix, LLC, WM Robots, LLC, all pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Kotler has been listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers since 2006 as one of the top Bankruptcy lawyers in Pennsylvania. He has been named a Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania since 2005 and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2009. For their 2023, 2025 and 2026 publications, The Best Lawyers in America recognized Mr. Kotler as “Lawyer of the Year” for Bankruptcy – Litigation in the Philadelphia metro region. In 2024, Mr. Kotler received the David T. Sykes Award from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference and the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project (CBAP). Mr. Kotler was selected for his embodiment of qualities including excellence and integrity as a bankruptcy attorney, unsurpassed professionalism, courtesy to and respect for all, and unwavering dedication to the bankruptcy community and the less fortunate in Philadelphia. In 2025, he received the Board Champion Award from the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) for championing HAP and contributing meaningfully to the organization's mission of offering free legal services to reduce the frequency and duration of homelessness in Philadelphia.

HAP Executive Board 2026

Lawrence J. Kotler, Esq. President Duane Morris	Bridget Mayer Briggs, Esq. President-Elect Blank Rome	Justin Cupples, Esq. Vice President Morgan Lewis, Inc.
Thomas Duffy, Esq. Vice President Duffy Firm	Wesley R. Payne IV, Esq. Vice President White and Williams	Cassandra Summers Vice President Reed Smith
Heather E. Rennie, Esq. Vice President Merck & Co.	Olfunke Leroy, Esq. Secretary Holland & Knight	Josh Materese, Esq. Assistant-Secretary Kessler Topaz
Kenneth L. Gibb, CPA Treasurer White and Williams	Harrison Lee, Esq. Past President (2025) Comcast Cable	David Newmann, Esq. Past President (2024) Hogan Lovells

HAP Board of Directors 2026

Dennis Brennan, Esq. Saul Ewing	Daniel Brewer, Esq. Subaru of America, Inc.	Rhonda Carter, MSN Philadelphia Health Management Corporation
Jon L. Cochran, Esq. Stapleton Segal Cochran LLC	Jacqueline C. Chapman	Katrina DeLancey
Carmine A. Giganti, Esq. ACE/Chubb Insurance	Kharisma Goldston Bethesda Project	Michael B. Hayes, Esq. Olympus Corporation of the Americas
Jennedy S. Johnson, Esq. FirstEnergy Corp	Jon M. Katona, Esq. Klehr Harrison	Brenna D. Kelly, Esq. DLA Piper
Stephen Kempa, Esq. Cozen O’Connor	Bridget Lankford, Esq. GSK	Christopher Nana-Sinkam, Esq. Dilworth Paxson
Peter Newman, Esq. Feldman Shepherd	Michael J. O’Brien, Esq. Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott	Jeff P. Palazzese, Esq. The Reliable Companies
Brian D. Pedrow, Esq. Ballard Spahr	D. Deone Powell, Esq.	Julia Pudlin, Esq. Comcast
Rachel Rosenberg, Esq. McAndrews, Mehalick, Connolly, Hulse & Ryan P.C.	Jessica Rickabaugh, Esq. Tucker Law Firm	Anthony Sierra, Esq.
Nancy Smith, Esq. Lincoln Financial Group	Hon. Sheila Woods-Skipper Orphans’ Court Division