Staff
Meka Allen, PH.D., LCSW
Vice President of Social Services
Meka Allen is a licensed clinical social worker who joined the Fresh Start team in 2021 as Director of Social Work. She has served in the non-profit sector, in some capacity, since 2004, and earned her Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate of Social Work degrees after active duty service in the United States Army. As a leader, Meka has managed diverse teams working in mental health, substance use disorder, homelessness, and justice-involved and DCS-connected youth. She has been a faculty member with Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions, School of Social at Arizona State University since 2018. In 2021, Meka was nominated to serve as Commissioner with the City of Phoenix's Human Services Commission by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. She also supports women towards self-sufficiency through board membership, mentorship, and volunteerism in the Valley.
Heidi Coupland
Vice President of Development
Heidi initially joined Fresh Start over 20 years ago and instantly fell in love with the Fresh Start mission and the services offered to women in our community. Since that time she has served as the Chair of the Auxiliary Board, as well as Chair of the Fresh Start Fashion Gala. In 2017, Heidi joined the administrative team at Fresh Start as the Development Manager. Prior to that she owned a consulting practice that launched the operations of multiple new business start-ups. She also spent over 10 years in the NBA, serving as the Director of Corporate Sales for the Phoenix Suns.
Abdu Dahr
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships
Abdu Dahr's role as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships is a key driver in the ongoing growth and accelerated development of Fresh Start’s mission. Abdu is responsible for building partnerships with companies, employers, and educators who will provide career training, employment and education opportunities that meets the FSWF’s expectations for the women we serve to become self-sufficient.
Along with obtaining, a degree in Social Services in Rabat, Morocco where he grew up, Abdu also obtained his professional certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from ASU. Abdu has over nineteen years of experience in the nonprofit field with the past eight years being at the executive level. He has held multiple leadership roles and is passionate about serving others within his community.
Kim McWaters
President and Chief Executive Officer
Kim McWaters recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Universal Technical Institute (UTI), the nation's leading provider of transportation technician training. She joined UTI as a part-time receptionist in 1984, and quickly worked her way up the leadership ranks. She was named President in 2000 and, in 2003, became CEO. She continues to serve on the company’s board of directors, and also is a member of the boards of Penske Automotive Group, Inc., and Mobile Mini, Inc.
Kim is deeply committed to helping others transform their lives and communities through education, guidance and support, and is especially passionate about helping women forge a path to success. She has been on the Fresh Start Board of Directors for more than a decade and, in 2014, was honored with the organization’s Founders' Award. She has also served as a previous chair for the Fresh Start Gala. In addition, she previously served on the boards of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix and Banner Health Foundation. While leading UTI, she earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Business Administration and raised three children.
Lata Quinn
Chief Financial Officer
Lata Pall joined Fresh Start Women’s Foundation in November 2018 as the CFO. She brings a wealth of knowledge from her experience in running her own accounting firm with a focus on automating processes and working on productivity and efficiency to selling her company a few years ago to Clifton Larson Allen. Lata obtained her Chartered Professional Accounting, Certified Management Accountant designation in Canada and has worked in various capacities with Non-Profits for the past 10 years.
Meg Sneed
Vice President of Programs and Organizational Impact
Meg Sneed has nearly twenty years of non-profit management experience. Meg specializes in program management, evaluation, data analysis, big picture organizational strategy, and continuous quality improvement. She is a 2018 Virginia G. Piper Fellow who has won awards from the City of Phoenix and American University for her leadership. With a rare blend of programmatic and evaluation background, Meg brings a unique blend of experience to large-scale evaluation initiatives that include strategic planning, outcome development, program planning and implementation, continuous quality improvement, and organizational learning.
Meg holds a B.S. in Communications, an M.S. in Information Technology from Colorado State University, and is a recent graduate of Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations from Harvard Business School.
Additional Staff Members
Brittany Santamaria
Client Support Services