Our Board & Staff

“When I was growing up, having a safe space to be and someone who cared about me made all of the difference in the world. At Cape May Cares, I want to bring forward those ideals and help these kids by providing them with education and experiences that could be the extra boost they need.” – Keith Lafferty, Cape May Cares Founder & Chairman

Executive Committee Members

Keith Lafferty

Founder & Chairman

Keith is a proud product of Philadelphia Housing Authorities. With many mentors in life, hard work and opportunity, he is now a medical director of emergency medicine, teacher and author. He started Cape May Cares as a way to give back to those who helped him and his family during those formative years and thereafter. He now serves as Chair for Cape May Cares and the Cape May Housing Authority.

Claudia Von Savage

Vice-Chair

Claudia Von Savage has been an active member of the Cape May community for over 35 years while raising four children with her husband David. She holds a BA from Duke University and a JD from Boston University School of Law. Her early experience teaching students living in NYC welfare hotels inspired her to help children and families in need. Claudia is also a board member of The Fund for Cape May.

Lisa Boecker

Treasurer

Lisa spent 40+ years working in Human Resources, specializing in employee relations, regulatory compliance, and diversity. Now a full-time resident in Cape May, Lisa enjoys giving back to her community by volunteering with Cape May Cares and the Cape May Community Food Closet.

Joann Mirgon-Erb

Secretary

Joann Mirgon-Erb has over 30 years of experience in human resources, training, adult education, and youth-at-risk interventions. She holds a BA in Psychology from Penn State and an MBA from the University of Denver. Beginning as a drug and alcohol prevention specialist, she worked with schools, then transitioned to human resources and training for 25 years. Later, she supported underserved youth in career and college readiness at the University of Maryland. Now retired, Joann lives in Cape May, NJ, with her husband, Craig, where she volunteers for local charities. She is a mother to adult triplets, Austin, Katie, and Jordan.

Board of Directors

John Francis

Board Member

Dr. John Francis is an environmental educator and former UN goodwill ambassador. After witnessing an oil spill in 1971, he stopped using motorized vehicles and took a 17-year vow of silence. He walked across the U.S. while earning a PhD and emphasized the link between the environment and human relationships during his Earth Day 1990 speech. He worked on the USCG Oil Pollution Act and authored Planetwalker and The Ragged Edge of Silence. He founded Planetwalk, an environmental education organization, and speaks worldwide on environmental issues.

Patti Hodgetts

Board Member

Patti has a passion for worked as a research, netting, banding, and releasing thousands of songbirds and shorebirds while maintaining permits and federal records. She used GIS and radar technology to identify important bird areas across several states and volunteered for federal banding of owls, hawks, shorebirds, and songbirds. She is an original member of Cape May Cares and is Vice-Chair of the Cape May Housing Authority Board.

Elaine Lawler

Board Member

Elaine is one of the original members of Cape May Cares and brings over 25 years of business experience to our board where she has worked as an auditor, investment banker and a partner in a project management consultancy. Elaine is a !rm believer that people need to be proactive and work to create the community they want to live and raise children. In addition to her work at Cape May Cares, she has been an active member on her local school board and a youth sports coach.

Patricia Martz

Board Member

Born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia she earned a BA from Temple University and an MD from Drexel University School of Medicine. Patricia is board certified in General Surgery and Addiction/Preventive Medicine. She practiced General and Breast Surgery at Pocono Medical Center, serving as Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery. She then worked at Cape Regional Medical Center, completed a fellowship in Addiction Medicine at Geisinger Health System and then became the Associate Medical Director at Seabrook House in Bridgeton, NJ. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Cape May Housing Authority since 2018 and for Cape May Cares since 2023. She has been a resident of Cape May since September 2000.

Lynda Towns

Board Member

Lynda Anderson-Towns grew up in Cape May, New Jersey. She earned her degree from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and later obtained a master’s degree from Rowan University. She served 35 years in education, ending as Vice Principal and Principal at local schools. She is an honorary member of New Jersey’s Preschool for All, Cape May County NAACP, Seeds of Kindness, Cape May Women’s Community Club, Cape May Garden Club and the historic West Cape May William J. Moore Education foundation. Lynda continues to stay active in the community as a Commissioner for Cape May Housing Authority and President of the Trustee Board at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Cape May where she is a deacon and a church liaison to the Harriet Tubman Museum.