Our Board (Original)

Dennis Burroughs (Chair): Dennis was born and raised in the Black Bottom section of Philadelphia. Active with the Promise Zone since 2016, he has engaged in community work both in West Philadelphia and in the North. He is also a member of the Penn Advisory Board and the Baring Street Community. His greatest education is understanding the people whom he serves.

Rita Nelson (Secretary): Rita has been a West Powelton resident for over fifty years and is a member of Saunders Park/ West Powelton CDC. She became interested in community engaged research after attending PZRC meetings in 2018 and after working as a Promise Neighborhood Surveyor, where she really learned a lot about the community.

Bettye Ferguson (Treasurer): Bettye has resided in the Belmont District in West Philly for fifty-four years. Bettye is the President and CEO of Belmont Alliance Civic Association, CDC, and is heavily involved in her community. She has served on the West Philadelphia Promise Zone Research Connection since 2014 when the concept was first introduced and strategies began to mold and shape the PZRC program.

Jimmy Allen: Jimmy is the former executive director of the Mantua Community Planners, and former President of the Philadelphia Crime Prevention Association. He attended Temple University, where he earned a B.S. in Education, and where he was President of Veterans in Public Service. Currently, he is the outreach director of Management and Environmental Technologies Inc, and outreach coordinator for Mantua Civic Association and Promise Neighborhood Youth Committee. His greatest ambition is to improve the quality of life in his community, and to bridge the gap between communities, universities, hospitals, and companies.

Amy Carroll-Scott: Dr. Carroll-Scott is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Prevention at the Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health. Her research focuses on understanding and addressing urban health inequities and underlying social inequities. This research consists of social epidemiological and mixed methods studies applied to the lived experience of urban neighborhoods and schools, and driven by community-based participatory research approaches.

Jasper Jones: Dr. Jasper Jones Bey, M.S.S., is: Executive Director, UBCA Community Trust for Family Life Improvement, Inc; President, Data Spectrum, Inc; Community Rebirth Organization Plan (CROP™) National Program & Computer Distance Learning Director; Chief Administrator, Campus of Distance Learners (OCS) Omni-community Charter School – The UBCA – Community Trust® (for family life improvement) Inc; River-City-toHydrogen (RCtH™) Dream-Team™ Promotion Organization; Data Spectrum Senior Consultant Engineer and RCtH™ Project Configuration Management Engineer; and Ambassador of the Shaykamaxum Republic Government and Minister of Energy/Education/Community Affairs.

Juanda Myles: Born and raised in Philadelphia, Juanda is a Citizen Planner who emphasizes sustainability, historical preservation and affordable housing. She is a community activist for good causes, an advocate for urban agriculture, and a professional volunteer. She has been with PZRC since its inception in 2014.

Sharon Nichols: Sharon is a resident of the community. She started attending Promise Zone Research Connection meetings in 2018 in the interest of community-based participatory research, in order to engage investigators to help ensure safe practices, integrity, and health of the community by following the guidelines for Human Subjects Research.