BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • President

    Patrice Cathey, MS.Ed., is a Buffalo Native. She graduated from The Buffalo Seminary and earned both her bachelors and masters degrees from Canisius College. She is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University at Buffalo.

    She has had experience as an interior designer, performance poet, celebrated author and educator.

    She is the Director of The Liberty Partnerships Program at Buffalo State University and the CEO of The Eulis Cathey Jazz Legacy, Inc. and its Jazz Education Academy.

    She is the co-host of The Jazz Legacy Hour Saturdays on WUFO.

  • Vice President

    Rahwa Ghirmatzion is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Just Solutions Collective and co-founder of EJ Agency. She works on holistic, place-based implementation strategies that promote equitable community development, climate justice, public health, affordable housing, and energy democracy. Rahwa currently serves on the New York State Climate Justice Working Group, a group created by New York’s 2019 climate law to identify disadvantaged communities on the frontlines of climate change that will be a focus for state climate investment.

     

    Rahwa was previously the executive director of PUSH Buffalo, a community organization that works at the grassroots level to create and implement a comprehensive revitalization plan for Buffalo’s West Side, focused on affordable housing rehabilitation, land use, climate policy, solar installation, and green jobs training. Prior to that she was the executive director of Ujima Company, a multi-ethnic, intergenerational professional theatre dedicated to social justice and the rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled including the rights to life and liberty; freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, the right to health, and the right to education.

     

    Rahwa was the recipient of the 2022 ALIGN Movement Builders Award, the 2021 Clean and Healthy NY inaugural Cecil Corbin-Mark award for Environmental Justice, 2020 National Organization of Women (NOW) Community Award. 

  • Treasurer

    Paul is a Buffalo native. He is a graduate of Canisius College and the University of Buffalo Law School (magna cum laude). He joined the firm of Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel in Buffalo upon his graduation from Law School in 1972, and was a partner of the firm from 1976 until 2012. He was a member of the Adjunct Faculty of the University of Buffalo Law School from 1994 to 2020, where he taught courses on corporate tax and non-profit organizations among others. Over the years, Paul has served on the Boards of, and has held leadership positions with, many community organizations, including Canadian Opera Company, Inc. and Shaw Festival Foundation. In addition to his service with Ujima Company, Paul is presently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of Knox Farm State Park, Inc. and Just Buffalo Literary Center, Inc. He resides in Orchard Park, New York.

  • Secretary

    Gerald is a Buffalo native and retired real estate professional with 20+ years residential housing industry experience. He is now a multifamily property investor.

    As an artist Gerald has 30+ years of theater performance experience. He is also a Member Actor of Ujima Theater Company.

  • Amilcar Hill is a proud graduate of UNC Greensboro and Buffalo State College, and a native of Buffalo, NY. He is also a proud alumnus of St. Joseph's High School, which laid the foundation for his diverse career and community impact. As a professional, Amilcar has made significant contributions to the world of media and community engagement, working as a lead videographer for E Media Studios and Child Development Health Services.

    Beyond his technical expertise, Amilcar is deeply involved in his community, contributing his talents as a DJ for high-profile events with the Buffalo Bills, ECMC, Children's Hospital, Buffalo Pride, and many other organizations. His work as a community leader is driven by a genuine love for people, and he approaches every endeavor with a peaceful and caring spirit that reflects his deep commitment to making a positive difference.

    Amilcar's values were shaped by the lessons he learned from his mother, visionary Lorna C. Hill, founder and first Artistic Director of Ujima Co. Inc. Her influence instilled in him a sense of creativity, compassion, and a dedication to excellence, which continue to guide him in all that he does. Through his mother's example, Amilcar has learned to balance his professional success with a commitment to uplifting others, always seeking to create spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued.

  • Charles Clark has made a name for himself as an individual that connects with the African American Christian male experience as a man, mentor, information distributor, and life coach. Mr. Clark is committed to doing his part to raise awareness to causes that matter to him and others who are a part of the African American community.   

    As founder of Nebo Media Group, home of Brotha Magazine, Charles employs multiple layers of media to create a dialogue among his constituents. Brotha Magazine specifically targets the African American male committed to a Christian lifestyle and is intended as an empowerment tool to comprehensively address, without restrictions, complex issues providing resources to resolve many of life's challenges. In 2024 Brotha Magazine celebrated its 15th Anniversary of publication reaching global audiences.    

    In May 2016, Charles became co-owner of The Star Radio, a 24-hour Internet gospel radio station (thestarradio.com) which is the home of Brotha Live (dealing with topics concerning black men), The Daily Mix Show(pop culture politics, current events, arts, and entertainment), Jazz Sessions (music), and RoundTable Consult with Dr. Mark Williams and more.   

    Charles Clark is more than an African American male owning several communication resources; he is a man dedicated to his mission and purpose to educate and enlighten us with conversations that lead to positive action for change. 

  • Jim is the founder and President of JRB Insights, a provider of marketing research solutions for Financial, Health Care/Health Insurance, Legal Services, Manufacturing, Non-Profit, Retail, and Utility/Energy organizations. With 20+ years of research experience, Jim works with a diverse portfolio of organizations to craft appropriate research methodologies, design survey instruments, deploy polls and customer surveys, moderate focus groups, analyze research results, and provide reporting, actionable insights, and recommendations.

    “I am a life-long advocate for the arts and believe in the power of exceptional and provocative theatre, literature, poetry and music to stimulate a better understanding of others, enhance compassion and ultimately transform lives. I am impressed with what Ujima brings to our community and am proud to serve on the board of an organization that has such a strong collective and artistic vision: Ujima’s unique ability to work together, take responsibility for each other, and create that special magic that flows from love and dedication to the work, the collective, and the audience.”

    Jim also serves on the boards of Just Buffalo Literary Center, a non-profit dedicated to creating and strengthening communities through the literary arts, and Empower Camp, a non-profit committed to creating a world where young women radiate strength, have the courage to speak up and are empowered to create the life of their dreams.

  • Sarah Norat-Phillips is an Emmy award winning broadcast writer, producer and television executive in Buffalo and Detroit.

    A trained singer, actress, director and producer, Sarah has over 45 years of work in professional theater and is a multiple Buffalo ARTIE Award winner and nominee.

    She recently retired from her position as the Marketing and Operations Manager at Detroit’s Carr Center, one of the oldest African American multi-disciplinary arts organization in the nation.

    Sarah is a founding member of Ujima Theatre Company. She returned to Buffalo in 2020 to serve as the company’s Interim Artistic Director following the passing of Lorna C. Hill, the theater company’s visionary Artistic Director. Her tenure as Interim AD concluded in 2024 and she now volunteers to serve as a member of Ujima’s Board of Directors.

  • Debora Ott is a cultural/creative consultant whose abiding passion is building community through a shared appreciation of the creative process.

    The Founding Director of LitNYS, a coalition of New York State-based literary arts nonprofits, and Founding Artistic/Executive Director of Just Buffalo Literary Center, Inc., where she served for twenty-three years, she accepted the New York State Governor’s Arts Award at Lincoln Center in 1997. Debora’s consulting practice focuses on capacity building, program development, leadership succession, and strategic planning for nonprofit organizations.

    She is the author of the monograph About Face – A Guide to Founder Transition, commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts, and served as Arts Education and Literature Program Manager at the Georgia Council for the Arts.