WELCOME TO CEASEFIRE PA!

CeaseFire PA is devoted to protecting your community from gun violence.

As the largest organization working to reduce gun violence, injury and death in Pennsylvania, CeaseFire PA seeks enactment of sensible gun regulations and public policies through grassroots activism, to elect public officials who favor the prevention of gun violence and to increase public awareness about ways to prevent themselves and their loved ones from becoming victims of gun violence.

CeaseFire PA Goals:

• Reduction of illegal handgun trafficking by requiring gun owners to report lost and stolen firearms, and by limiting most handgun buyers to no more than one handgun purchase per month.
• Closure of the gun show loophole at the federal level.
• Public access to federal crime gun tracing data.
• Effective product safety standards for firearms.
• The eradication of needless gun violence.

Board of Directors:

Officers:

Phil Goldsmith, President, is a principal and founder of GoldsmithKahnAssociates, a public issues management consulting firm. He has held senior positions in a broad spectrum of fields including law, journalism, government, banking, and human resource consulting. He is the former managing director of the City of Philadelphia, and past interim director of the School District of Philadelphia.

Nancy Lamason, Vice-President, is one of the founding members of CeaseFirePA.  She came to this issue as a concerned citizen after many successful years in business, both in Pennsylvania and abroad. Nancy is one of our hardest working fundraisers, and most reliable office volunteer.

Robin Valicenti, Secretary, is an art therapist who works with youth in crisis, often from the very communities being ravaged by gun violence.  She is one of our founding members as well, and this is her second position as a CeaseFire PA officer.

James C. Higgins, Treasurer, is an attorney in private practice in Delaware County, with a long history of public service.  Jim is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and several years ago served two terms as a Commissioner of Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. He is the president of a historical foundation in his community and has been an advocate for common sense firearms regulations for over thirty years.

Margaret (Peggy) McCausland, Immediate Past President, is a prominent member of the Philadelphia bar who practices in the field of employment law.  She is also on the Board of Directors of Robin’s Nest, a New Jersey based group that supports adolescents at risk, and is an award-winning volunteer attorney with the Support Center for Child Advocates, which represents abused and neglected children throughout the Philadelphia area.

Members:

Susan Burt-Collins practiced criminal law for many years, and been a candidate for  Montgomery County District Attorney in the past.  She’s also been a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Robert Eddis is a long time police officer and former president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5, and is currently the Chief of Staff at Lodge 5.  His connections to law enforcement agencies across the state are an essential part of our outreach in that area.

Dr. Paul J. Fink is a nationally recognized leader in the field of psychiatry, as well as a long time advocate for children.  He has headed the Psychiatry Departments at Thomas Jefferson University and Albert Einstein Hospitals in Philadelphia, and has been president of the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Psychiatrists.  He is currently chairman of the Philadelphia Interdisciplinary Mortality Review Team’s Youth Homicide Committee.

David Glancey  recently retired from the Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes, where he held several positions over the years, including Chairman.  He is now on the staff of the University of Pennsylvania, in their Office of Government Relations as a liaison to local government.

Mary Beth Hacke joined the CeaseFire PA board as one of the original members.  Her son was killed ten years ago, at the age of fourteen months, when he was shot at in their parked car at a gas station, by a convicted felon with a gun.  Ever since then throughout her Pittsburgh community, she has been outspoken against lax regulations which allow criminals easy access to handguns.  

Warren Haggerty was formerly the Mayor of Reading, PA, and is now heads up  the Reading Downtown Improvement District Authority. He is a strong voice for makng the connection between safer streets and the economic viability of communities across the state.

Raymond T. Jones, Jr. is founder of Philadelphia Safety Net and co-founder of the anti-violence group Men United for a Better Philadelphia, noted for its innovative “street shoulder” approach to ending violence. Ray’s length history of service to the community has garnered him numerous awards.

Dr. Julie Levitt is a practicing clinical psychologist in Lower Merion, PA.  She represents CeaseFire PA in an interfaith collaborative on the Main Line that conducts vigils and educational programming on gun violence prevention, and lectures widely on conflict resolution.  

Lisa Macaulay, joined the CeaseFire PA board last year.  She is a business executive with Johnson and Johnson, and lives in Chester County.  Lisa brings valued management perspective to the organization.

Dan Muroff is a former legislative aide in Harrisburg and on Capitol Hill. He now has his own government relations firm and possesses an intimate familiarity with the people and institutions that CeaseFire PA must appeal to in order to achieve our organizational goals.

Linda Rosenfeld has served as past President of the Allentown City Council, and Vice President of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners.  She is currently a member of the panel of court appointed special advocates serving the needs of vulnerable youth in her community.

James Sayne has been a part of our organization’s leadership from its earliest days, and has held two executive positions on the board in past years.  He is employed by Unisys, Inc.  in the field of computer systems development.  

Jennifer W. Stein has been a CeaseFire PA supporter since its founding, and came onto the board in the spring of 2006.  She was a co-founder of the Coalition Against Jewish Domestic Violence in 1983, and has been active in anti-violence causes since then.  She is an independent documentary filmmaker and lives in Philadelphia’s western suburbs.

Bridgette Tobler is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist on the staff of Pennsylvania Clinical Schools, in West Chester, PA, a residential treatment center for youthful offenders. She is also a member of the National Association Of Social Workers and The Fiery Phoenix MC Inc.

Staff:

Joe Grace, Executive Director, served for the past 3 years as Communications Director for the City of Philadelphia.  Joe is an attorney and former journalist, and has extensive experience managing high profile political campaigns.  As chief spokesman for the Street Administration since 2005, Joe worked on the issue of gun violence and illegal handguns at a local, statewide and national level.

Jana Finder, Western Pennsylvania Coordinator, is an attorney with a background in civil rights and public health. Jana coordinates the efforts of the CeaseFire PA Education Fund in Allegheny County and neighboring counties.