About Us

Paula M. Jones is the President and founder of Zia. By day, she is an attorney who has focused for over twenty years on international estate law, opening her own practice in 2016 in Philadelphia and New York. Issues of poverty, especially food insecurity, have always concerned her and she began Zia with the simplest of ideas – bringing home-cooked meals to a family, recommended by the principal at a local elementary school. After partnership with several neighbors and organizations, Zia continues to grow quickly.

Email Paula: paulajones@ziafood.org

Richard is Vice President of Zia. He owns and runs a manufacturing business in Trenton, New Jersey. He is a third generation Philadelphian and is pleased to join Zia in its pursuit of attacking food insecurity among its schoolchildren and their families.  Richard’s understanding that education is paramount to success motivates him to support food efforts as the bedrock of an educational foundation. Richard also remains active in strategic planning at The George School, in Bucks County and has been on the Board of the Employers Association of New Jersey for almost fifteen years, currently serving as Chairperson.

Debbie is a retired nonprofit administrator having served as the CEO of The Arc of Atlantic County for nearly 30 years. The Arc provides services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Debbie always saw The Arc as a civil rights organization and her passion for assuring the inclusion of all people in the life of their community fueled organizational growth and helped The Arc earn a prestigious national accreditation. Debbie received her BA in psychology from the University of Kansas and her PhD in cognitive development (psychology) from Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) in Nashville.

She and her husband, Marc Lowenstein, have lived in Philadelphia since December of 2017.

Cate has worked in international public health for 35 years, supporting programs and policies intended to prevent adolescent pregnancy and HIV in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, and India and many other low and middle-income countries. She has worked for non-governmental organizations, and also worked for the US Agency for International Development for six years. Through her professional work in international development, Cate is committed to community-based programming, subscribing to the philosophy of building on community assets to solve problems. Originally from California, Cate most recently lived in the Washington DC area where she raised her two children, Robbie (30) and Leigh (27). She relocated to Philadelphia in June of 2019 and looks forward to enjoying what the city has to offer when life returns to “normal.”

Email Cate: catelane@ziafood.org

Elizabeth has over 10 years of experience working in nutrition in community and clinical settings. Elizabeth currently works as a pediatric registered dietitian at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) focusing on chronic disease treatment and prevention. She has supported efforts at CHOP to address food insecurity and teach cooking classes to patient families. She is passionate about promoting nutrition education and culinary literacy to support family and community health. Before moving to the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband and dog, Elizabeth resided in the West Philadelphia area for several years. Elizabeth has a Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics and completed her Dietetic Internship at the University of Delaware. She also has a Master’s Degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.