Our Staff and Board

Who We Are

There are two arms of CeaseFirePA, the educational arm CeaseFire Pennsylvania Education Fund (organized under the nonprofit laws of the Commonwealth of PA and recognized as exempt from income tax under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code), and the advocacy arm CeaseFire Pennsylvania, (organized under the nonprofit laws of the Commonwealth of PA and recognized as exempt from income tax under 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Service Code).

Our Board of Directors

 

Officers

Alicia Chatkin, President
Jill Zipin, Esq., Vice President
Mayor Rick Gray, Secretary
Howard Levin, Treasurer

Board Of CeaseFire Pennsylvania Education Fund

Alicia Chatkin MPA, MSW (President)
Jill Zipin (Vice President)
Howard Levin (Treasurer)
Mayor J. Richard Gray (Secretary)
Karen C. Buck
Amy Coles
David Ellowitch, CFP ®
Laura Morris
Shakeeta Purdie
Mike Scott
Rev. Eileen Smith
Todd Underwood
Harriet Weiss

Board of CeaseFire Pennsylvania

Ellen Brookstein
Jessica Frankl
Dr. Andrea Kesack
Mayor J. Richard Gray
Adam Kessler
Adan Mariena
Helen Tai
Hon. Timothy K. Lewis

 

 

 

Our Staff

 

Adam Garber

Adam Garber is CeaseFirePA’s executive director. Before joining CeaseFire PA, he worked to protect everyone from dangers in the marketplace at U.S. PIRG where his independent investigations into toxic toys, dangerous cars, contaminated food and other threats received national coverage on CBS This Morning, the New York Times and elsewhere. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade advocating for clean air and water in Pennsylvania at the local, state and national level.  Adam lives in South Philadelphia with his wife and young son, Elon, where he enjoys studying history, exploring the city and cooking.

Max Milkman

Max Milkman serves as our Organizing Manager. His role entails empowering Pennsylvanians to join the gun violence prevention movement and inspiring them to use their voice to advocate for safer communities. He is a Perlman Jewish Day School alum and attended Temple University. Mr. Milkman has worked on several political campaigns in the Commonwealth including Josh Shapiro’s Campaign for Attorney General and Brendan Boyle’s Congressional Campaign. He also served as the Pennsylvania Director of March For Our Lives, the youth-led gun violence prevention organization founded by the survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. Max lives in Philadelphia and enjoys hiking and camping.

 

Josh Fleitman

Josh Fleitman is CeaseFirePA’s Western Pennsylvania Manager. His background is in policy, politics, and communications at the local, state, and federal government levels. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to PA State Senator Pam Iovino and worked in the offices of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. He lives in the Pittsburgh area with his wife, cat, and dog. In his free time, Josh enjoys singing and playing guitar, skiing, and cooking.

 

Kallel Edwards

Kallel Edwards is the Philadelphia Campaign Organizer for CeaseFirePA. In his decade of organizing and issue-based advocacy, he has worked to establish fair sentencing guidelines at Families Against Mandatory Minimums and advocated for immigrant rights with Make the Road. He has extensive political experience having served on the Board of Directors for Millennials on Action to encourage urban millennials to play a “substantive role” in regional politics and local elections including Kahlil Williams campaign for Philadelphia Commissioner. Kallel is active in several organizations including the Philadelphia Free Library, Member of Blacks in Government, and the National Coordinator of the Flag program (Future Leaders of American Government). He is an active alum of Cheyney University, Located in Cheyney, PA.
 
 

Terri Minor Spencer

Terri Minor Spencer serves as the Southwest PA Campaign Organizer for CeaseFirePA. She has almost two decades of organizing experience in criminal justice and probation reform alongside groups such as The Straight Ahead Organization. Prior to joining CeaseFirePA, Terri formed West End P.O.W.E.R., a grassroots, non-profit, community-based organization in Pittsburgh with the mission of helping adults get their G.E.D’s and building job readiness for the formerly incarcerated. Terri has been personally impacted by gun violence with the tragic murder of her grandson, RaShawn, two weeks before his high school graduation where he would have graduated with high honors. Terri is also the Community Outreach Coordinator at White Lily Baptist Church, where she makes sure that all members are up to date with civics, policies, and legislation. She loves to travel with her husband to different countries, and she loves true documentaries.