BOARD MEMBERS and OFFICERS
Robert Heasley, PhD, LMFT – President and Board Member
Robert (previously Co-Director) is a member of the MCGC Board. He is a psychotherapist in private practice who works with individuals, couples and families, as well as adjunct professor in the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has a strong interest in MCGC expanding its reach in the community to address a range of issues in the lives of men and boys as well their families.
Robert’s work with men over the years has focused on concerns about intimacy, sexuality, sexual identity, commitment, and communications. He is Past President of the American Men’s Studies Association (AMSA). He conducted research, the MFEI Survey with Rob Garfield in 2012, which confirmed the importance of emotional intimacy in men’s close friendships. He currently works with men on such topics as childhood trauma, struggles regarding careers, parenting and friendships as well as masculinity. His also works with couples who struggle with relationship disenchantment, affairs, divorce, anger, children, and change in general in a couple’s life. Robert’s research and publications focus on men and the effects of expectations on men’s lives.
Rob Garfield MD – Vice President and Board Member
Rob is a psychiatrist and clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches systems therapy. He has a private practice in Bala Cynwyd, PA and does consultations and referrals for individuals, couples and families. He is the author of “Breaking the Male Code: Unlocking the Power of Friendship” (New York: Penguin/Random House, 2015).
For the past 30 years Rob has focused on men’s issues, male emotional intimacy and the dilemmas men face in engaging in traditional psychotherapy. He developed an innovative model for group therapy for men (“Friendship Labs”) with Dr. Jake Kriger, and conducted research (the MFEI Study) with Dr, Robert Heasley that demonstrates the value of emotionally close friendships for men’s health and their relationships. He has published and presented his work both nationally and internationally in Delhi, India and Prague, in the Czech Republic.
Rob was the founding Director of the Hahnemann Masters of Family Therapy Program in Philadelphia, and also a founding member and former officer of the American Family Therapy Academy. He is past president and current board member of Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility. He recently became a Fellow in the American College of Physicians. He is excited to advance and expand the social impact of his work with men as a part of the MCGC team.
Alex Bove, Ph.D. – Vice President and Board Member
Besides being a Board Member at MCGC, Alex is also an Assistant Professor at the Community College of Philadelphia, where he teaches writing and literature, as well as a sexuality scholar and educator specializing in the study of Men and Masculinities. When he is not teaching or curating the Talk Like a Man Project, a social media conversation about 21st Century masculinity, he enjoys baking, riding motorcycles, hiking in the woods, and playing board games.
Jake Kriger, MSS – Treasurer and Board Member
Jake is a member of the MCGC Board. He is in private practice in Bala Cynwyd, PA and has run therapeutic men’s groups for the past 25 years. He has also led groups for fathers on parenting issues. He has presented widely on the topic of male friendship and intimacy, locally, at Widener University; nationally, for the American Men’s Studies Association AMSA conference, the Psychotherapy Networker Conference, as well as abroad, in the Czech Republic in 2018. He practiced for many years as a dentist, before years later receiving his social work degree at the Bryn Mawr School of Social Work. He has been active in promoting MCGC’s work as a teacher and in development issues.
Lisa Armstrong, LCSW, MPH, MSS – Board Secretary
Lisa identifies as an able-bodied, Black, cis, heterosexual woman who grew up in poverty.
Therefore, she recognizes the privileges associated with her education, mobility, sexuality, and
being partnered with a male. Lisa received her undergrad degree in Psychology from the
University of Pennsylvania and dual master’s degrees in Social Services from Bryn Mawr College
and Public Health from Thomas Jefferson University. She has previously worked with individuals
experiencing homelessness, trauma, intimate partner violence, severe mental illness, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and grief and loss. She served on the Bucks County Elder Abuse Task Force and the Bucks County Agency on Aging Advisory Council during her community work. Lisa recently worked at Bryn Mawr College in the Career and Civic Engagement Center, supporting students as socially responsible citizens. Today, Lisa works as a psychotherapist. She is grateful that her rich work with individuals in underserved communities supports co-creating holistic spaces for healing. She is passionate about restorative justice, eradicating intimate partner violence, end-of-life care, and how social determinants increase health disparities among underserved populations. During her spare time, Lisa loves gardening, and in 2022 and 2023, she helped Bryn Mawr College place first in their competitive classes in the Philadelphia Horticultural Flower Show (PHS). In 2024, she will return as a PHS Co-Chair. She’s also a member of the Our Garden Club of Philadelphia and Vicinity, America’s oldest continuously active African American garden club. She is a Mainline Health Hospice volunteer and is proud to sit on Bryn Mawr College’s Alumnae/i Association Executive Board.
Jake Horowitz – Board Member
Jake is a therapist in private practice and works part-time as a behavioral health consultant at an HIV/AIDS clinic at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. His private practice and professional interests are centered around working with male-identified clients exploring issues related to identity and masculinity, relationships, and other socioemotional issues. Jake is also pursuing training as a sex therapist through the University of Michigan’s Sex Therapy certificate program.
Rev. Kent Matthies – Board Member
Rev. Kent Matthies has served for over 25 years as an ordained Unitarian Universalist MInister. Kent came to Philadelphia in 2002 and served as Senior Minister of the Unitarian Society of Germantown for 20 years. In that time he worked on the Mayor’s Task Force on Gun Violence Reduction, POWER interfaith justice clergy team and Citizen’s Against Mass Incarceration. Kent was a member of the Germantown United Board of Directors. Kent has worked for over 30 years with men in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction.
In church life Kent worked with men on spiritual issues in weekly programs and weekend retreats.
In 2023 Kent graduated from the Council for Relationship Post-Graduate Program for Marriage and Family Therapy. Kent now provides effective, systemic therapy to individuals, couples and families at Kent Matthies Therapy. He is also a Staff Therapist for the Council for Relationships.
Michelle D. Ray, M.A. – Board Member
Michelle D. Ray is an educator and safety empowerment specialist. A Philadelphia native who wants to live in a world where every person prioritizes their safety and feels empowered to advocate for positive and violence free relationships for themselves and others.
Michelle is a higher education professional at Swarthmore College where she serves as an Associate Dean, Director of Case Management and Co-Founder/Director of the Inclusive Excellence Fellows Initiative. A program designed to uplift DEI, embrace student’s passion and develop their skills to create legacy change at the College. Michelle also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Community College of Philadelphia assisting students to understand grant writing dynamics for non-profit organizations.
Michelle is an ardent community enthusiast. She has spent over 25 years volunteering on a variety of non–profit boards/organizations. Michelle is currently on the Board of Women Against Abuse, Inc., where she served as a former Board Chair. Michelle is a certified, charter Hall of Fame Self Defense Instructor for the International RAD Systems of Self Defense. For many years she has offered workshops in Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Sexual Abuse Awareness, and self-defense courses for Women, Men, Seniors, and Children.
