People of the Year
These men and women change lives, strengthen communities, and make lasting connections with others.
Each year, amid the headlines that measure success in terms of dollar signs and power plays, there are quieter stories that speak more closely to what truly matters. Stories about people who have worked hard, often without recognition, to make life better for others. Stories about caregivers and advocates, innovators and listeners, individuals who choose compassion when it would be easier to look away or keep walking. Some stand beside people living with terminal illnesses, offering comfort in moments that can feel overwhelming. Others confront discrimination head on, building safer spaces and fairer systems for those who have long been excluded or underestimated. Many simply show up, day after day, determined to solve problems both big and small. Their efforts remind us that progress is shaped not only by bold ideas, but also by consistent acts of empathy that change lives, strengthen communities, and make lasting connections with others.
Meet our People of the Year.
Stepping Up
Josh Fields works to even the playing field for individuals with different abilities.
Josh Fields works to even the playing field for individuals with different abilities.
When he was just 16 years old, Josh Fields had a vision for creating a world where individuals with disabilities would have the same access to opportunities after high school as their neurotypical peers.
While talking with a group of friends in the cafeteria at CB South High School one day, he realized that his friends with disabilities, including his best friend Meghan Kensil, would not be heading off to college or other vocational endeavors after graduation. He became frustrated about what life after high school would look like for them.
“I understood at that time that something clearly was not working,” he says. “Why was it that I was being prepared for a transition to life after high school, but my friends with disabilities were not being given the same tools that I was in order to be successful?”
It was then that he vowed to find a way to help Kensil and his other friends with disabilities to find the support they needed to take the next step toward independence, confidence, and success.
In 2015, along with his friend Ricky Price, Fields founded The Next Step Programs (tnsprograms.org) in Doylestown to bridge the gap between high school and adulthood for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The nonprofit’s mission is to create innovative solutions that empower students, families, employers, and school systems to break down barriers and build a more inclusive future.
“Our goal has always been to provide Meg and my other friends with opportunities to become independent and find meaningful relationships as they transition into adulthood,” stresses Fields, now 27, who serves as co-founder and executive director of the organization.
In the beginning, TNS primarily offered social programming and classes designed to develop life skills, including communication, computer skills, cooking, fitness, career exploration, and independent living.
Today, TNS offers a variety of social programs including cooking, crafts, photography, dining out at local restaurants, bowling, trivia nights, and more. In addition to participating in many of the programs that Fields helped to develop, his friend Kensil, now 29, currently serves as a community ambassador and office manager at TNS.
“I love the social interactions and sense of community at TNS,” says Kensil, whose responsibilities include managing small groups, helping to organize day programs, and participating in community events like job fairs, exhibit tables, and trivia nights. “I love working with Josh and being with my friends, and I’m living my best life.”
Kensil’s friend Julia Shirey, 25, who also serves as a community ambassador at TNS and works in the office once a week, was able to create her own business, Creative Jewelry by Jules, with the help of the organization’s entrepreneurship program.
“TNS is such an amazing organization that has given me so many opportunities,” says Shirey, who has sold more than 500 bracelets and proudly donates one-third of her profits back to TNS.
Carolyn Jaggers, 23, who has been participating in the TNS programs for about two years, adds, “I love having the opportunity to meet new friends and learn new things.”
In addition to its social programs, TNS offers in-home and community supports through Medicaid waivers; Explore, a community-participation support day program; employment assistance; and overnight experiences that help young adults learn to feel comfortable away from home.
In addition to its social programs, TNS offers in-home and community supports through Medicaid waivers; Explore, a community-participation support day program; employment assistance; and overnight experiences that help young adults learn to feel comfortable away from home.
Fields was named one of Philadelphia’s Top 100 CEOs as part of the Titan 100 in 2025 and recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact List in 2024. He is currently in the planning stages of an integrated housing project that will create a walkable, affordable housing community in the heart of Doylestown where people with and without disabilities can live and work side by side.
“Accessible and affordable housing remains one of the greatest barriers to independence for people with disabilities,” says Fields. “We’re determined to create a space for people with and without disabilities to thrive independently, participate as active members within our community, and feel seen.” —Mindy Toran
Bigger and Better Together
Lynne Kelleher maximizes the impact of philanthropy by harnessing the power of the collective.
Lynne Kelleher maximizes the impact of philanthropy by harnessing the power of the collective.
As a Realtor and the founder of 100+ Women Who Care Bucks County (100womeninbucks.org), Lynne Kelleher approaches her career and philanthropic work with an eye toward results. Kelleher was already involved in the world of charitable giving when a chance outing with her sister about 15 years ago completely overhauled her approach to the pursuit.
“For years and years, I had run a charity auction [for a local Realtors’ group],” she shares. “It was so much work; I had to hit up the same merchants that every Little League and other organization hit up to donate, hassle people to come to the event, and pressure them to bid on things they didn’t really want or need.
“So when I saw this concept, I thought it was just brilliant,” she continues. “It cuts through all the noise, is hugely impactful, and it appeals to women, particularly because they have generous hearts and want to help out the community, but just can’t fit one more thing onto their already overloaded plates. That’s why this organization is effective; it’s just brilliantly simple.”
The concept capitalizes on the power of collaborative giving. Each woman pledges $100 per meeting, for a total of four meetings per year, to donate to a local organization working to improve life in Bucks County.
At each quarterly meeting, held in person at Maggio’s in Southampton and online via Zoom, three distinct nonprofit groups have five minutes to advocate for their group. At the end, the women vote for whom they think deserves funding. Then, each group receives a portion of the total donated funds, based upon the percentage of votes they earned.
“If you look at your $100 in isolation, it doesn’t have a huge impact,” Kelleher says. “Combine that with 285 other women’s $100, now you’re making a difference.”
An impressive feat for a group that started with just 30 members.
An impressive feat for a group that started with just 30 members.
“I’ve always been in philanthropy in some way, but it felt important for me to support the community that supported me,” Kelleher shares. “In a year, my group donates over $100K in just over four hours a year.”
The experience, Kelleher says, brings joy to donors and recipients alike.
“People leave those meetings feeling like a million bucks,” she says. “You can put your head on your pillow tonight knowing you’ve made a difference. With so little effort on your part, not a lot of effort in terms of time, and not a huge commitment monetarily.”
Past beneficiaries have included organizations such as the Bucks County Opportunity Council, Help HOPE Live for Lauren Shevchek, the Bucks County Housing Group, Peace Valley Holistic Center, The Fiaria Project, Welcoming the Stranger, Angel Housing Solutions, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County, among others.
“Anybody can join, as long as they’re OK with the money staying in Bucks County,” Kelleher says. “I’m on a mission to get to 300 women by the middle of next year. I’d love to have 400, 500. … I would love to be splitting up $30,000 or $50,000 each meeting so we can have even more of an impact.” —Leigh Ann Stuart
Equal to the Task
Lila Slovak plays a leading role in advancing the rights of women and girls, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community, in Pennsylvania.
Lila Slovak plays a leading role in advancing the rights of women and girls, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community, in Pennsylvania.
Si vis pacem, para bellum. That Latin adage translates to: “If you want peace, prepare for war.”
Attorneys who have dedicated their careers to guiding people through troubled times know this adage well; if not in word, then certainly in deed.
Attorney Lila Slovak is one such steward. She’s director of the Philadelphia office of the Women’s Law Project (womenslawproject.org), a public interest legal organization that defends gender justice in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Slovak, a native of Delaware County, studied public policy as an undergraduate at Brown University and worked for the Maternity Care Coalition before pursuing and earning her J.D. from Temple University. Her legal career took her to Boston, where she focused on matters vastly different from those to which she devotes her time today.
“In Boston, I was doing a lot of white-collar and commercial/business litigation, then I was in Delco representing survivors,” she says. “It was a big shift for me.”
Slovak has served leadership roles with WOAR—Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence and the anti-sexual violence organization RAINN. Slovak also worked locally with Delaware County Victim Assistance Center, formerly known as Delaware County Women Against Rape.
Slovak serves an integral role at WLP, an organization that has been working to advance the rights of women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ+ community in Pennsylvania and beyond since 1974.
“The WLP was founded to leverage the power of state law,” she says. “We tend to be on the cutting-edge of gender equity work, and we do that through a couple of modalities. We do a lot of high-impact litigation, which is litigation brought with the specific purpose of changing the law and advancing rights. We also do a lot of public advocacy around legislation that is happening at the state and city level.”
Recently, WLP client advocate Davina Scott spoke before Philadelphia City Council to reiterate a message first brought before the council in 1999 regarding a need to overhaul the city’s domestic and sexual violence response modalities. This came in the wake of 23-year-old Kada Scott’s murder.
In the reproductive rights space, attorneys from WLP are among those representing a group of Pennsylvania abortion providers in a lawsuit challenging a state statute that bars Medicaid coverage for abortions.
“In Pennsylvania, we have an Equal Rights Amendment in our constitution, something that was never adopted at the federal level,” Slovak notes. “Abortion remains legal in Pennsylvania. That hasn’t changed with Dobbs [v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization]. Abortion is absolutely legal in PA. … Not everybody that needs access knows that.”
Slovak encourages people to remember that issues such as sexual and domestic violence, reproductive health, access to affordable health care and child care, and family leave are not relegated to women alone.
“These are issues that affect every single one of us,” Slovak says. “There are so many ways to support either ours or partner organizations. People can reach out to organizations in their community and ask what they can do to help.”
For Slovak, fortitude grew with time.
“Earlier in my career, each story was a blow to the heart,” Slovak says. “I would think: I can’t do enough, I can’t do enough. … Here, there is such a phenomenal team. We’re a mission-driven organization, and every single person is here for that mission. We have people who care so deeply, and so passionately. You’re never doing this alone.” —Leigh Ann Stuart
Defying the Odds
Barb and Gene Smith serve as a vital resource for families affected by ALS.
Barb and Gene Smith serve as a vital resource for families affected by ALS.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive degenerative motor neuron disease that, in 90 percent of cases, strikes randomly and without a known cause. On average, people live up to five years from their date of diagnosis.
Bucks County residents Barb and Gene Smith know the statistics all too well. Their son, Jay, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2014, continues to defy those odds.
“He’s managed to keep his sense of humor,” Barb says of her son, who currently lives in Texas with his family. “He likes to play practical jokes, mostly on my husband. Some of his stuff is pretty funny.”
Along with a sharp wit, Jay has an incredibly innovative mind. Barb beams when describing Independence Drive, a piece of tech Jay developed with Team Gleason (an organization co-founded by New Orleans Saints football hero Steve Gleason, who also lives with ALS) and assistive tech company Evergreen Circuits. The technology empowers people with ALS and other disabilities to regain their independence, their ability to communicate, and their mobility by using their eyes alone.
Jay also started 90 Foundation (every90minutes.org), a nonprofit dedicated to raising money for research to treat and cure ALS. The foundation takes its name from the fact that another American is diagnosed with the disease every 90 minutes.
“It’s an awful, cruel disease,” Barb says. “It’s underfunded. There is no cure, no effective treatment, and it’s always fatal. Jay was very active, and now he can’t move. We get a lot of calls from ALS families because they’ve heard about us. The first thing they say is, ‘Tell me what to do.’”
For those families, Barb and Gene are happy to share the wealth of knowledge they have amassed in the years since Jay’s diagnosis.
“The first thing I tell families is to open a trust,” she says. “With ALS, when someone is on a breathing machine, that requires someone who knows how to operate those machines. They call ALS ‘the bankruptcy disease.’ Insurance covers none of the caregiving, so people have to pay out of pocket. That’s hard on families.”
The Jason Smith Medical Trust (doitforjay.org) helps to fund the cost of Jay’s care—approximately $4,000 per week, by Barb’s estimate. She and Gene currently serve as chief fundraisers for 90 Foundation, as well as the medical trust. The trust’s next fundraising event is a virtual affair set for January 24, featuring guest appearances by actor Jenny Lee Stern and local TV personality Richard Curtis.
The Smiths now serve as a resource for other families affected by the disease, including by offering guidance in setting up their own fundraising vehicles. In doing so, they have cultivated a growing community that includes the families of Pete Frates, founder of the Ice Bucket Challenge, who passed away in 2019, and fellow Bucks County native Bryan Rosica, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2020 at age 48.
“This disease is stressful on a family 24/7,” Barb says. “You have to focus on what you still can do, not what you can’t do.” —Leigh Ann Stuart
Compelled to Serve
Through their expertise and compassion, these local professionals strengthen connections, solve challenges, and work every day toward a more vibrant community together. In other words, not only do they excel at what they do, but they’re also wonderful neighbors.
Through their expertise and compassion, these local professionals strengthen connections, solve challenges, and work every day toward a more vibrant community together. In other words, not only do they excel at what they do, but they’re also wonderful neighbors.
Colleen Bell
A seasoned Realtor with deep roots in the sand of the Jersey Shore, driven by a love of family and a lifelong desire to help others. colleenbellhomes.com
A seasoned Realtor with deep roots in the sand of the Jersey Shore, driven by a love of family and a lifelong desire to help others. colleenbellhomes.com
Randall C. Flager and Adam D. Flager
Attorneys and leaders of Flager Law, a law firm committed to helping people recover from life-changing injuries. flagerlaw.com
Attorneys and leaders of Flager Law, a law firm committed to helping people recover from life-changing injuries. flagerlaw.com
Dr. Robert Fortino
Physician who champions weight loss, fitness, and healthy living, as well as someone who has been protecting the country and its airmen through years of military service. drfortino.net
Physician who champions weight loss, fitness, and healthy living, as well as someone who has been protecting the country and its airmen through years of military service. drfortino.net
Susan M. Gibson
Founder of her own Doylestown-based law firm, Gibson Family Law.com, and president of the Central Bucks School Board of Directors. gibsonfamilylaw.com
Founder of her own Doylestown-based law firm, Gibson Family Law.com, and president of the Central Bucks School Board of Directors. gibsonfamilylaw.com
Jeffrey S. Gross
Managing partner of Gross & Kenny LLP, a Philadelphia-based law firm devoted to helping injured clients recover and move forward with their lives. philaworkerscomp.com
Managing partner of Gross & Kenny LLP, a Philadelphia-based law firm devoted to helping injured clients recover and move forward with their lives. philaworkerscomp.com
Tina Guerrieri
Accomplished real estate professional Realtor who has become a leader in the fight against domestic violence and child abuse in the Philadelphia area. tinag.remax.com
Accomplished real estate professional Realtor who has become a leader in the fight against domestic violence and child abuse in the Philadelphia area. tinag.remax.com
Dr. Rande Kaminksy
One half of the leadership team at Kaminsky-Wolf Dental Associates, a Philadelphia-based practice that prizes kindness, respect, and the power of human connections. ruflossing.com
One half of the leadership team at Kaminsky-Wolf Dental Associates, a Philadelphia-based practice that prizes kindness, respect, and the power of human connections. ruflossing.com
Jody Kotler
A veteran Realtor with a rich history and knowledge of the Main Line who is personally invested in helping each client achieve their goals. jodykotler@comcast.net
A veteran Realtor with a rich history and knowledge of the Main Line who is personally invested in helping each client achieve their goals. jodykotler@comcast.net
Kathleen Piperno
A survivor of domestic violence who, as co-managing partner of the Eckell Sparks’ Family Law Division, uses her expertise to advocate for victims of abuse. eckellsparks.com
A survivor of domestic violence who, as co-managing partner of the Eckell Sparks’ Family Law Division, uses her expertise to advocate for victims of abuse. eckellsparks.com
Maureen and Madison Reynolds
The mother-daughter tandem of luxury home Realtors with SERHANT., committed to serving clients in Bucks County and beyond. societeselect.com/agent/maureen-reynolds | societeselect.com/agent/madison-reynolds
The mother-daughter tandem of luxury home Realtors with SERHANT., committed to serving clients in Bucks County and beyond. societeselect.com/agent/maureen-reynolds | societeselect.com/agent/madison-reynolds
Dr. Miriam Ting
Founder of Think Oral Implants & Periodontics, as well as an educator devoted to raising the bar for clinical excellence. think-oral-implants-and-periodontics.org
Founder of Think Oral Implants & Periodontics, as well as an educator devoted to raising the bar for clinical excellence. think-oral-implants-and-periodontics.org
Joe H. Tucker Jr.
Versatile trial lawyer and founder of Philadelphia’s Tucker Law Group, plus the current president of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers. tlgattorneys.com
Versatile trial lawyer and founder of Philadelphia’s Tucker Law Group, plus the current president of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers. tlgattorneys.com
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, November 2025.
