Susan Teegen-Case, M.Div. is the founder and director of the Arts & Spirituality Center. Susan is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a visual artist. Her long-standing interest and practice of the intersection of creativity, spirituality, healing, and social transformation led her to envision with others the birth of the Arts & Spirituality Center in 2000. Susan also has extensive experience as an interfaith chaplain and counselor in hospice and hospitals. Susan received her Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and her B.A. in psychology, sociology and religion from Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington. Susan has training in Gestalt Pastoral Care. She has also been engaged in work on dismantling racism and community revitalization.

Cathleen Cohen, PhD is founder and director of the We the Poets. Dr. Cohen has led poetry workshops in a variety of secular and parochial schools of all faiths throughout Philadelphia since 1989. She has trained teachers in poetry techniques through the Aaron A. Gold Scholars Program and NESS, joint efforts of ACAJE at Gratz College and the Penn Literacy Network. A poet, exhibiting painter, and maker of artists’ books, she is the co-author of articles on spirituality and a handbook on teaching poetry and Jewish prayer. She received the Public Service Award (2004) from the National Association of Poetry Therapy, and the Interfaith Relations Award (2003) from the Montgomery County Advisory Board to the PA Human Rights Commission. Dr. Cohen's doctorate is in Learning Disabilities from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.  She also holds a certificate in painting and printmaking from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA.

Autumn Konopka, manager of resource and program development, has extensive fundraising and communications experience, working with community-building, education, and grassroots nonprofits. Autumn is also a poet who has created and delivered poetry programs throughout the Philadelphia area.  She is deeply interested in the relationship between the arts and socioeconomic class and has researched and written about the ways in which various poets have used writing as a way to give voice to the experience of poverty.  Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Autumn has an M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University and a B.A. in English writing and communications from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Fatima James, program director, has extensive experience administering educational programs, particularly for underserved, urban youth, through her work with Johns Hopkins University and the Philadelphia Education Fund.  She has helped develop, implement, and evaluate curricula; lead professional development workshops; and build and sustain partnerships between educational programs, community groups, and business partners. 

Rebecca Rivera is the office manager and has been working with the Arts and Spirituality Center since 2003.  She has a degree in computer science and extensive working experience with former Deputy mayor of Philadelphia Emmanuel Ortiz, Maria Quinones, Juan Ramos and other prominent Hispanics in the Latino community, as well as with the Jewish community through the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. Rebecca has two grown children (Anthony and  Deniece) and a lovely granddaughter Brianna.