Meet the Board!
Below you will find photos and backgrounds of our amazing team that has built us from the ground up. Without our amazing and hardworking board, we could have never made this a reality.
Jennifer Contes
President
We appreciate you checking out our website! I am Elizabeth's (our Founder) mother and have been a part of this mission since day one. I live in Lititz, PA, with my husband and two daughters. I grew up in Lancaster, attending Lampeter-Strasburg School District. I work as a chef at the LGH Woman's and Babies Hospital. I am so thankful for my family as well as our town. I enjoy walking in the beautiful scenery and shopping locally. Seriously, there is no better place to live. I was very passionate about art when I was younger, and I still continue this passion. It is so important to me to instill a sense of creativity into my children and community. I want to make sure every child will be able to have this same opportunity.
Emily Groff
Treasurer
Hello everyone and thank you for your interest in Inspiring Brushstrokes. I have been best friends with Jennifer for about 30 years and am considered a part of their family. I live in Cross Roads, PA, with my husband. I live with my two dogs and cat. My love for animals is as big as my love for art. Last year, I fostered a total of 12 dogs. I fostered a pregnant dog who gave birth to 10 puppies, which I raised and gave assistance in their adoption process. In my free time, I love baking and doing pilates. I absolutely love art and have loved creating pieces of artwork since I was little. I will always get my hands on a paintbrush whenever I can.
Meghan Marcarelli
Secretary
Thank you all for your interest in Inspiring Brushstrokes. I have been friends with Jennifer for 30 years, and I continue this friendship to this very day. Funny story, when we were teenagers, Jennifer set me up with my husband. I live in Centerville, PA, with my husband and three lovely children. My family means everything to me and I would do anything for them. I enlisted in the U.S. Army from 2001-2009. I currently work as a Dental Assistant, at Conestoga Oral Surgery. I love doing arts and crafts with my children and hope that every child gets that opportunity to create art.
Dan Rodgers
Board Director
Hello from the Inspiring Brushstrokes team. Thank you for checking out our website. I've previously held positions as an instructor at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Systems Tech at Johnson & Johnson. I currently run a business in the automotive industry called United Equipment Limited. I enjoy spending time with my family, computer programing, and competitive pistol shooting. I know how important art and creativity was to me as a child, and still is today. I'd like to help as many children as possible have access to the resources they need to express themselves through their art.
Elizabeth Roberts
Founder & President of the Youth Advisory Committee
Thank you so much for checking out Inspiring Brushstrokes. I founded Inspiring Brushstrokes in June, 2024. I am a Junior attending Warwick High School and am currently 17 years old. I work as a Planetarium Educator at the North Museum in Lancaster City. I live in Lititz, PA, with my family. My future goals are to become an astrophysicist and live in Washington D.C. Art has always been my passion, and I want to continue this passion throughout my future. The experiences that I have been through have made me realize how thankful we should all be for the seemingly little things in life, like art. I never would have been able to start this nonprofit without the support of my family.