Cecelia Auditore joined the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship (MPF) in August 2008 as an AmeriCorps fellow, where she she served at Mass Mentoring Partnership and Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring. She joined the MPF staff in July 2012 as their evaluation and volunteer manager.

In her role at Mass Promise, an AmeriCorps program housed at the Center of Community Service at Northeastern University, she supports and evaluates 30 Corps members as they implement OST interventions in the form of mentoring, academic enrichment, or college and career readiness for youth in grades six to twelve. Their mission is to decrease the incidence of drop-out by implementing evidence-based OST interventions in low-income communities and schools. She trains Corps members to adhere to their assessment protocol and coaches community partners around evaluation procedures.

Before joining the staff at MPF, she also worked as a research assistant at the University of Chicago, supporting their urban health initiatives. She graduated from Emmanuel College with a B.A. in history and a minor in political science, and in 2010 earned her M.S. in global studies and international affairs from Northeastern University. Her research capstone explored the impact of conflict in oil regions of Colombia, particularly the negative health and education outcomes of displaced populations. Currently, she is pursuing an Ed.D, also at Northeastern, and her goal is to pursue research in how OST programs can foster engagement as well as lower the incidence of drop-out.

During his more than a decade in OST, Devan Blackwell has developed, facilitated, supervised, and evaluated a number of educational programs and expanded learning opportunities that supported the academic, artistic and social-emotional development of youth. He has created many arts-based initiatives, including: Resilient: A Learning Experience, an urban landscape photography and writing initiative for youth that resulted in a museum installation; and, The SPE@K Project, an award-winning film and teaching curriculum that cultivated artistic strategies for encouraging youth voice.

Olutosin "Olu" Burrell is an education and change management professional who hails from Washington, D.C. He has worked in the field of education at both the secondary and post-secondary level for the majority of his professional career, including more than five years as an English Instructor at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School (also his alma mater). In addition to his work as a program development specialist in the Office of Youth Programs at the D.C. Department of Employment Services, where he develops training and program modules that connect the classroom to the boardroom, he also serves as an adjunct professor of English at Trinity Washington University. Olu holds a B.A. in English from Howard University, an M.S. in organization development from American University, and is currently pursuing a certification in comprehensive evidence-based coaching from Fielding Graduate University.

As the vice president of youth development for the YMCA of Greater Rochester, Sara Cole works with a team of creative youth and community development innovators to provide a spectrum of high-quality programming to serve thousands of youth in the Greater Rochester area, from cradle to career, each day. In addition to being one of the key architects of a nationally-replicated afterschool model, Cole develops and deploys collaborative strategies which have led to increased Association capacity and new programming pathways with local school districts and community agencies. Her grant-writing results have led to more than $2 million in new program improvements and revenue in 2015. Additionally, Cole serves as the regional food program facilitator for the YMCA of the USA and guides large YMCAs throughout the East Coast as they expand food access and enhance food quality.

Previously, Cole served as the director of OST for the Community Services YMCA in Cincinnati where she led 21st CCLC partnerships for Cincinnati Public Schools through CincyAfterSchool programs. She also advised on YMCA Community Learning Center development, served as regional director of the Building Futures Mentoring Program, acted as Director for Walnut Hills Childcare Center, and offered guidance in operating Educational Service tutoring programs.

Before joining the YMCA, Cole served as the assistant director of education for the Department of Youth Services, and provided program management for 63 residential schools and 20 Community Re-entry Centers throughout the state of Massachusetts. Managing over $14 million in educational services, Sara interacted with LEAs as well as faith and community based organizations throughout the state. A former college professor, she brings a personal commitment to promoting youth development, educating youth, and eradicating the achievement gap to open access to educational and workforce pathways to all.

Dare Dukes is the executive director of Deep Center in Savannah, Georgia. Deep Center takes an in-depth approach to literacy and creative youth development by challenging young people to engage with language and their stories through writing, reading, and performance. Deep also strives to raise the voices of diverse young people in to ensure their perspectives, stories, and aesthetics are part of Savannah's rich cultural fabric, and to afford them the opportunity to engage in critical debates and the development of new cultural forms and movements.

Dukes is a musician, writer, and a nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience working in arts and social-justice nonprofit settings, both as an artist and leader. As a nonprofit professional, he worked for more than eleven years as development and communications director for Global Action Project (GAP), a New York City nonprofit that provides award-winning media-arts and leadership training for marginalized and low-income youth. There he directed fundraising and related organizational communications and strategy for one of the nation's leading youth media-arts nonprofits. Dukes has also consulted extensively for nonprofits across the country, and prior to his tenure at GAP, he was the manager of foundation and corporate relations for the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, where he oversaw an institutional-giving portfolio for a leading public-interest law firm working to strengthen democratic institutions, protect the poor, and ensure fairness in the U.S. criminal justice system.

As a musician and composer, Dukes has written, arranged, and produced two critically acclaimed indie rock and folk records and performed across the country. As a writer and performance artist, Dare wrote numerous plays and performances presented in traditional and nontraditional venues in Boston and New York City; articles for periodicals; and two novels (one unpublished, another a work-in-progress). He earned an MFA in creative writing from The New School, a second MFA in theater from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in English literature from the College of the Holy Cross.

Dukes has attended the Summer Institute at the Red Clay Writing Project, the National Writing Project's site at the University of Georgia, Athens, and he is a Red Clay Writing Project teaching consultant.

Briana Flannery is director of development at For Kids Only Afterschool (FKO), a nonprofit organization that provides year-round OST programming in partnership with families, school and communities north of Boston, and now serves over 1,200 children in partnership with 18 schools within six communities. She has been with the organization since 2007, and her current role, manages fundraising, board development, program planning, budgeting and evaluation. She has extensive experience in grant writing, assessment and data analysis and collaboration with school districts, and knowledge of Massachusetts’ policy, procedure and implementation of the Child Care and Development Block Grant and 21st CCLC grant programming. She is involved with many local and statewide policy teams, advocacy groups and community organizations working to improve the lives of children and families and has participated at numerous local, state and national conferences as both a trainer and attendee.

Andrew Fletcher is the program director for 21st CCLC Afterschool Program in the Cassia County School District in Idaho. He have degrees in English and philosophy and is currently finishing a secondary teaching certificate in English. Since 2011, he has been directly involved with afterschool program operations in 18 different schools across eastern and southern Idaho, and has provided statewide presentations and trainings on incorporating STEM education into afterschool. He has also provided local and regional afterschool educators with professional development opportunities in service learning, technology integration, and quality program standards. He also coaches a high school cross-country team.

Rachel Katkar majored in biology, but realized her passion was in youth development. Her first job was at the Science Museum of Minnesota, hiring high school youth to work in the Cell Laboratory. Later, Rachel enrolled in an M.Ed. program specializing in natural science and environmental education.

Now, Katkar coordinates community education classes for 16,000 youth in preschool through grade 12. She combines youth and family feedback with the passions of her instructors and curriculum development. In the summer of 2015, she created a camp for 30 youth called Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, which involved theatre makeup, an Aikido self-defense workshop, fishing, archery, and the anatomy of the human brain. Additionally, she facilitates the Youth Leadership Team, a group of high school youth who choose and implement community impact projects. In her spare time, she teaches cello lessons over Skype to a student in Seoul, South Korea, and trumpet to a non-traditional learner in person.

Andrea Magiera-Guy is the principal of Youth Development Solutions. She has an M.S. in social administration and planning from Columbia University’s School of Social Work and has been working in youth development and cultural exchange programs for the past 17 years.

Working as a program director, a funder, a policy maker, and a consultant, Magiera-Guy has:

• Revitalized and redesigned an afterschool program in Washington Heights, New York. Supported and supervised the implementation of 119 OST Programs in the Bronx and Manhattan that served New York City youth ages five to 21.
• Managed the design of a contract database system used across four DYCD program areas to track attendance, participation, program design, and implementation.
• Launched the Teen ACTION Service Learning initiative, part of the Center for Economic Opportunity’s anti-poverty programming.
• Coached after-school programs in program planning and design and program management.

Kendra A. Moore received both her Bachelor and Master of Social Work from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. She has over 10 years of experience in youth programs, strategic planning and teen development. Her professional experience includes serving as a director of the Bellemeade Community Center for the City of Richmond in Virginia and currently working for the City of Tallahassee as interim executive director for the Palmer Munroe Teen Center. Ms. Moore is a proud and loyal member of Gamma Sigma Sigma National Service Sorority and Divine Light No. 6 Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, Prince Hall Affiliated.

Kimberly Newberry was educated in Detroit Public Schools and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. She also studied on the graduate level at Wayne State University and Central Michigan University. She has held key leadership positions within various organizations, including serving on the board of directors of the National Association for Child and Youth Care Practice. Kim is the program director for youth development at Don Bosco Hall, a leadership member on the Detroit Youth Development Alliance and a trainer of the Academy of Competent Youth Work. She serves as the founder, president and CEO of Developing Kingdoms In Different Stages (Developing K.I.D.S.) Developing K.I.D.S. has served more than 700 youth and their families since its inception in 2006.

Ashley Peters has worked in the field of afterschool for the past 25 years. Her personal journey has given her the opportunity to lead a program through National Accreditation, becoming the first non-military based afterschool program in South Carolina to become nationally accredited by the National Afterschool Association (NAA). Her career started as a part-time counselor in the “Adventure Club” afterschool program, while attending the College of Charleston. Eight months later, her supervisor was promoted and moved to a different school, and Ashley became the site coordinator.

Advancing through the ranks of the school district has given her the opportunity to work as a program manager, overseeing eight afterschool programs, to her current position as program officer in the Office of Expanded Learning and Community Education, for the Charleston County School District. She has served as an endorser and endorsement application reviewer for NAA, and currently serves as a reviewer of 21st Century Grants going through the CIPAS process. She has been active in promoting afterschool at the state and national level, holding positions with the South Carolina Afterschool Association and the South Carolina Adult and Community Education Association, as well as servings as a regional representative for the National Community Education Association, where she earned a national fellowship.

Since 2003, Pamela Prevost has worked with the Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network facilitating cohorts of Maine OST programs seeking national accreditation of their OST programs (through NAA and COA accreditation). She was also trained as an afterschool accreditation endorser for NAA and the Council on Accreditation.

She has been active in Maine’s Afterschool Network as a member of their leadership team and has facilitated a cohort of OST practitioners statewide who are interested in obtaining Maine’s Youth Development Credential.

She written, co-written, and revised curricula related to school age care for the Maine Roads to Quality Prpfessional Development Network. She wrote a course that was delivered as a series of afterschool classes at one of Maine’s community colleges in the spring of 2016.

She has written two articles for the Youth Today Hub:

• "Professional Development in Out-of-School Time: A case study in Maine"
• OST Programs in Rural Maine Make a Difference

She is currently completing her studies for a Ph.D. in education and human development at the University of Maine. Her research interests include the impact of professional development and technical assistance supports (such as coaching/mentoring) in providing engaging learning experiences for youth in OST programs.

Elana Rosenberg is the senior project manager of expanded learning at United Way of Rhode Island. She joined the team in September 2014, with a background in higher education and program development, and is responsible for the overall management and growth of the statewide afterschool network: RIASPA. Prior to coming to United Way, she spent five years providing direct service to 13- to 23-year-olds at Youth Pride, Inc., where she coordinated center programming, provided professional development to Rhode Island school educators and administrators, and helped facilitate both statewide and national networks. She enjoys working with diverse populations, striving towards a community conscious of social justice, and working collaboratively with colleagues. She is particularly interested in exploring the intersection between afterschool and the school-to-prison-pipeline. Rosenberg received her Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Smith College and a Master’s degree in college student personnel from Miami University of Ohio.

Julia Rugg is the chief strategy officer at WINGS for Kids, a nonprofit organization focused on developing social and emotional learning skills in at-risk elementary school age youth during the after school hours. In July 2011, she launched WINGS’ expansion efforts across the Southeast with the CEO, and has worked alongside the senior team to ensure the WINGS model has been replicated with fidelity and quality through internal and external evaluations. She evaluates current and future growth opportunities for WINGS, develops partner relationships, and builds the necessary internal infrastructure and resources necessary to support growth. Rugg’s experiences range from the nonprofit to small business industries, and includes work as a federal government attorney. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Ana Thomas has a M.Ed in youth development and has worked in the OST field for 10 years. She is currently certified through the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality as a qualified Youth Work Methods trainer, Youth Work Management, and a reliable assessor for the Youth Program Quality Assessment tool. In the course of her career she has had a wide range of experiences establishing youth programs both in private and non-profit organizations including the ramp up and implementation of a 21st CCLC where she managed a team of youth development instructors. In these roles she has helped to develop and implement meaningful content, elevate staff practice and create quality learning environments for young people. In her current role as school-age advisor at the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, she has helped build the infrastructure necessary to support quality OST programs. In this role, she manages the continuous improvement processes for school-age directors that gives afterschool staff an opportunity to assess their own programs, reflect on their strengths and growth areas, then build out improvement goals to elevate the quality of their programming. As a part of this process, she facilitates workshops and training for front line staff to introduce best practice, examine new techniques and plan how to incorporate these new skills into their practice.

Thomas has been able to share this work with city, state, and national audiences presenting at numerous conferences on best practices in OST, including the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Youth Development Summit, the Illinois Afterschool Network State Conference and the Ready by 21 National Meeting. In 2015, she was asked to be a contributing writer for the “From the Field” section of Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating Effective Afterschool Programs designed by American Institutes for Research.

For the past 25 years, Sonia Toledo has worked in the after-school field building quality programming for students in elementary through high school during their out-of-school time. Toledo spent her first 10 years as a hands-on director of Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, and Children's Aid Society. In 1995, she created a workshop for after-school staff focused on building children's self-esteem, in order to make a difference in their future successes. Her career in youth development took off, as she became more involved in training and advocacy on a state and a national level.

From conception to institutionalization, she has contributed to the creation of grassroots projects for not-for-profit organizations and public schools. As former President of the After School Works NY (formerly the New York State School Age Care Coalition), she spearheaded a strategic plan with the board of directors to bring the organization to the next level of institutionalization, creating statewide infrastructure to support building quality after-school programs and enhancing professionalism in the field. In 1998, she became a national endorser for the National AfterSchool Association, assessing programs and recommending them for accreditation. Today she is still endorsing after-school programs with the Council on Accreditation.

During her nine years at Child Care, Inc., she streamlined and upgraded the school-age department to deliver nationally recognized standards and best practices to thousands of program directors and staff members of after-school programs throughout New York City.

As a single mother of two sons, she has faced the challenges of raising boys in New York City, and the experience has clarified and energized her passion for making a difference in the lives of whole families—not just children. She founded Dignity of Children, Inc. in 2008 with the vision of creating programs that would support families holistically. She now serves as CEO, and her approach is to educate adults, parents, caregivers, and teachers, helping them to create environments for children that will make them feel emotionally safe and develop their self-worth.

For the past 18 years, Michael Waters has worked in an expanding role within Westlake City School District in Westlake, Ohio. In this suburban public school district on the west side of Cleveland, he is responsible for the development, implementation, supervision, and coordination of all district OST programming for students in eight K-12 schools, along with providing adult community education programming. This programming encompasses content areas including art, music, drama, STEM, world language, physical education and college prep, and serves nearly 1000 students annually. He has presented nationally on multiple occasions at the National After School Association Convention on topics ranging from continuous improvement to multi-site management.

Jocelyn Wiedow works as the network and quality coordinator of Sprockets, the citywide OST system in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The "network" part of her role convenes groups of youth workers on a monthly basis to network and collaborate. Through the "quality" part of her role, she supports network partners through their quality improvement cycle and provides trainings throughout the year.

Prior to working with Sprockets, she engaged in a variety of youth work, most recently managing an afterschool and summer program in St. Paul for eight- to 14-year-olds. She has also worked direct service with young people in OST programs, support groups, probation and diversion supervision, wraparound case management as well as camp settings.

Tinnycua Williams is the director of programs at Homes for the Homeless' Saratoga Family Inn in Queens, NY, where she is responsible for the operational success of multiple programs in the areas of school age and adult education programs primarily in the area of workforce development. In that capacity, Williams focuses on ensuring seamless team management and development, program delivery, and quality control, evaluation and reporting. Previously, Williams managed, oversaw, and organized the education department of the Saratoga Family Inn serving more than 600 residents. By building partnerships with community-based organizations, Williams increased the shelter’s afterschool enrollment rate by over 77 percent over the course of a year and a half. Before joining Homes for the Homeless in 2010, Williams served as program director at the Samuel Field YM & YWHA and as program coordinator at the Harlem Children’s Zone’s Countee Cullen Community Center.

Williams earned her B.A. from Colgate University, where she studied Africana Studies and Political Science.

Hello, I am Karl Benz. Professionally, I am the Arkansas Out of School Time Network (AOSN) Professional Development and Leadership Coordinator. In this role I support OST professionals by coordinating Best Practices (BPAs) and STEM Academies, both promoting awareness of topics, trends and practices essential to offering quality expanded learning opportunities. In addition I facilitate our Leadership In Action (LIA) program, that is a chance for experienced OST practitioners to gain valuable leadership experiences and share insights with other leaders in a learning community format. Other duties include representing our organization at partner meetings, co-creating content for our online learning platform- the Youth Development Institute (YDI) and administering our Youth Worker Orientation Certificate (YWOC) Program. I come to OST with experience as a Recreation Programmer with the City of Little Rock, and as a former OST program director with the Aviators program- a community based afterschool program located in a multi-family residential facility. Personally, I am a father of three and married to a wonderful woman. I spend most of my free time visiting parks, walking the dog and attending school functions.

Terrance L. Cauley is a Assistant Director in the Department of Youth, Family & Clinical Services at Better Family Life, Inc., a 501c3 Social Service Agency in St. Louis, Missouri. As a grant writing team member, he has help to secure over 1.5 million dollars in funding for positive youth development. At the heart of Mr. Cauley's experience includes youth programs and research in the area of youth violence and conflict resolution / prevention, healthy relationships, black youth culture & identity, and the use of affective praxis in academics, athletics & activism.

His youth programs concentrate on promoting the assessment and functioning of the African Personality for optimal identity stasis in the context of MEES (mundane extreme environmental stress). To this end he has researched, written and presented work at various academic and professional development seminars over the last 20 years. Mr. Cauley's most recent work, "The Positive Effects of Cultural Pride Reinforcement (CPR) for African American Youth," was presented at the MAACE 2018 Conference.

He is currently building on this concept in a forthcoming work titled, "BALLERS: Building Affective Learned Liberated Emotional Regulations Skills, in African American Youth through Academics, Athletics, Arts & Activism.” Additionally, he currently serves as a consulting member on the committee for Youth Violence Prevention and the Education Youth Equity Initiative, through the Deaconess Foundation for Childhood Wellbeing & Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

Tameyer Evans is the Program Manager of the Afterschool Care Program that sits within the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). As the Program Manager, Tameyer leads the State’s approach to ensuring that all children ages 5-17 have access to high-quality out-of-school time care in their local community. The Afterschool Care Program provides federal funding to non-profit organizations and local public entities that are youth serving agencies. The funding given is specifically to support afterschool, summer and intercession programming for eligible youth.

Tameyer has been a public servant for 15 years and has used her professional expertise to influence subsidized childcare policy and procedures as well as inform partner entities about the importance of early education initiatives and strong youth development practices in the populations they serve.

Tameyer’s passion for out-of-school time programming comes from her own participation in state/grant funded afterschool and summer programs that she participated in throughout her adolescent years. She was able to fully understand the positive impact that these offerings had on her and her siblings. This participation fueled a dedication to ensuring that youth behind her had the same opportunities that were afforded to her.

Tameyer attended and graduated from both Georgia Southern University (2004) and Georgia State University (2012) and enjoys community work, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Edward L. Franklin M.A.R., M.DIv. is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Voice of Hope Ministries based in West Dallas Dallas, Texas and has had the wonderful opportunity to lead the out-of-school time ministry for 15 years.

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Edward earned his Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University, a Masters in Counseling and a Masters in Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing his D. Min from Knox Theological Seminary.

He was a behavior specialist and mobile therapist for children and families before being recruited to Dallas. He’s been an adjuct professor of world religions at Cedar Valley College and urban ministry at Westminster Theological Seminary Dallas campus. He planted and pastored New Hope Church and has been involved in Christian community development for many years.

He lives in West Dallas Dallas, Texas and is the blessed husband of Michele and father of three teenagers Hannah, Arielle and Ethan.

With the big dream that one day all afterschool & summer enrichment programs will operate in their own dedicated spaces, Amy Franks has a passion for ensuring families have access to a safe environment that provides diverse, enriching experiences for children and youth, regardless of circumstance. In her twenty years of experience in the out-of-school time arena, she has worked in afterschool programs in every capacity, beginning as a group leader at an elementary school in college through becoming the head of the School-Community Relations Department in Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, North Carolina, overseeing all OST programs for the entire school district. Amy, a former classroom teacher who holds a B.A. in English Education, believing her passion to be advocating the awareness of and addressing the social and emotional needs of children and youth, made the decision to leave the classroom and has never looked back. She has worked primarily in school-based programs but has served in community-based and non-profit organizations as well, providing direct services, supervising others who provide direct services, volunteering in programs, and serving on committees that address needs related to the provision of high-quality afterschool programs. Amy is currently the education partnerships manager at a Durham-based North Carolina non-profit called Book Harvest where her work keeps her connected to school systems across the state through the oversight of programs that provide free access to and ownership of books to students while on summer break and through leading afterschool-based book clubs. Additionally, Amy is in her second year as a board member of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs and she is a state and national presenter at out-of-school-time conferences. Known to students as "Miss Amy," she enjoys boot camp style workouts, has a fascination for roller derby, and is the proud human companion of a Lynx point Siamese cat named Fancy.

What started out as an insatiable curiosity as a child, and a banning from the local public library at eight years old, has evolved into my career as a youth librarian and children’s book author and illustrator (don’t worry, the irony is not lost on me).

With a focus on curriculum development for informal learning environments during undergrad (BA) and an emphasis on human-centered design and equity in graduate school (MSLIS) I have steeped myself in informal pedagogies and best practices in order to make learning fun and transformative for all who walk into the library.

By harnessing the power of play, partnering with established community groups and supporting classroom initiatives, I’m helping to re-write the narrative of what a public library is as well as what OST learning looks like in-between the stacks.

A public librarian by day with Anythink, Perl Mack in Denver, Colorado, my evening and weekends are all about books in a different context altogether -- writing and illustrating them. You can find me on the shelves with Big Breath: A Guided Meditation for Kids, The Kraken’s Rules for Making Friends, Transforming Your Library into a Learning Playground, or in-between them hosting spy clubs, storytimes, cooking classes and the like.

Brad Lademann serves as the Resource Center Coordinator for the Missouri AfterSchool Network (MASN). He has over 15 years of experience working with middle school and high school students in a variety of capacities. He has worked as a youth pastor, a teacher, a mentor, a coach, and an after school program coordinator. Specifically, in the world of afterschool, Brad worked for Communities In Schools of Cape Fear in Wilmington, NC where he ran afterschool programs for middle school and high school students.

In his role as Resource Center Coordinator, Brad works with nine AfterSchool Regional Educators (AREs) around the state of Missouri. He is responsible for communication with the AREs, training and development of the AREs, and working with the MASN team to improve the quality of after school and out of school time programs across the state.

In his life outside the office, Brad has a family of five, with his wife and one child at home and two children out making their way in the world. In his so-called “spare time”, he drives his youngest son to soccer practices and games and also finds time to fit in the occasional pick-up basketball game.

Mariana Lopez Quintanilla is a native of Venezuela. She studied Interior Design in Institute Villasmil de Leon and Education in Universidad Metropolitana. She worked as the Assistant Principal at Institute Nuevo Amanecer, a school for students with ADHD, where she founded Creative Afternoons after school program. In 2007, she started working in the Non Profit sector with Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services. As the Program Manager of the Refugee Youth and Family Program for Miami-Dade County, she ensures families understood the educational system, and that students have tutoring services and summer programs that supported their academic and social development. In 2008, Mariana joined the largest out of school time provider in the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently, she manages eight Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) programs, serving more than 10000 students a year. Since 2014 she has been training volunteers in Cultural Sensitivity to equip them with tools before they start volunteering in Title I schools. For the last six years, she has been an active board member of San Rafael City Schools Foundation, HeadsUp, where she continues to be an advocate for immigrant children and families in Marin County.

In 2014, Mariana received the BACR Best Practices Award for After School Programs and a Golden Bell Award from the Marin County Office of Education. She completed a fellowship program in 2016 with the National Equity Project and co-facilitate the Leading for Equity Institute for Educators from around the country in 2018. She is passionate about equity in education, implementing strategies to develop quality after school programs, and finding resources that inspire students to learn. She is also certified to conduct program observations to measure quality in out of school time STEM activities using the Dimension of Success Tool from the PEAR Institute.

Yvonne Mejias is the Improvement and Impact Manager at the Youth Development Resource Center (YDRC) in Detroit, Michigan. The YDRC “supports a network of Detroit-area youth development providers to strengthen their individual and collective impact on youth through shared measurement, continuous quality improvement, professional development and advocacy” (YDRC, 2019). As the Improvement and Impact Manager, Yvonne builds and nurtures a network of provider partners engaged in continuous quality improvement efforts for Detroit youth development programs. Yvonne also oversees and supports cohorts of quality coach assessors and trainers to expand quality improvement and professional development delivery capacity, and to ensure data quality, analysis, and management.

Prior to this role, Yvonne developed and implemented curricula centered on social-emotional learning to support academic and life outcomes. Further professional career opportunities have provided Yvonne with experience in schools as a classroom teacher, diversity, equity, and inclusion coordinator, and afterschool coordinator, in working with parent advocacy groups, and in scaling a start-up nonprofit organization.

Yvonne holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California as well as a Master of Education in Education Policy and Leadership from Marquette University. Yvonne is also a state certified teacher, is trained in restorative practices and circles, and is a Teach for America alumna

Jose Mendez is the Out of School Time Coordinator for the City of Somerville. This is a cross-sector, collective impact initiative that includes OST program providers throughout Somerville, the City’s Department of Health and Human Services, Somerville Public Schools, Somerville families and other stakeholders.

Over the past 10 years Jose has developed and led several out of school time and social service programs through entities such as the Cambridge Community Center, the City of Cambridge and the YMCA .

Major projects have included developing the first Winter Farmer’s Market in the City of Cambridge, serving as the host of Former Governor Deval Patrick's roundtable announcing additional funding for the Youth Works program, and serving as an operations review liaison to the Sri Lankan YMCA.

Jose holds a B.A. in Political Science from University of California and an M.S. in Human Service from Springfield College.

Andrew Neal is Co-Founder and Director of Brookside Community Play, a youth development program in inner-city Indianapolis. Andrew grew up in Omaha, Nebraska where he was exposed to diversity at an early age. He earned his B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, but more importantly he gained an appreciation for urban youth work while in college. After spending time in non-profit management and fundraising while working for the Boy Scouts of America and the Denver Rescue Mission, he moved to Indianapolis with his wife and children in 2015.

In 2016, Andrew joined Brookside Community Church to help create and launch a youth development initiative designed to help kids overcome trauma through the power of play. Over the past three years, this initiative has grown to serve over 250 children and youth through afterschool and summertime programs. Currently, Andrew leads the vision and mission of Brookside Community Play, while also providing executive leadership of Brookside Community Development Corporation’s fundraising operations. Andrew and his wife, Dani, have three wonderful and crazy boys (ages 4, 2, and 4 months).

Priscilla Parchia has worked in the OST field since her very first job at circus camp at age 15 and has since worked as an educator across the country in the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest as a counselor, program director, and director. For the past 11 years, she has worked in the Bay Area with Oakland Unified School District as a youth developer, coordinator, teacher and curriculum specialist. She currently supports programs across Oakland as a Program Manager for the Expanded Learning Department in Oakland Unified. Priscilla stands for empowerment and peace for herself and all others and hopes to uplift the innovative and transformative work that is done in the out of school time field while cultivating space for this work to inform daytime school efforts to grow thriving, productive youth leaders with the authentic agency.

Jacqueline Sanchez is currently The Director of Elementary and Middle School Programs at South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) in NYC and an aspiring Executive Director. Prior to her current position she worked in various large nonprofits in the most underserved communities in New York City. Jacqueline feels very passionate about equity advocacy particularly in education. “I have experienced first-hand the devastating impacts of growing up in similar communities and attending schools that failed to prepare me for the next level in school and life.” “I believe awareness regarding racism and inequity is integral to breaking the vicious cycle of economic struggle.” Jacqueline proudly earned her High School Equivalency diploma as an adult. she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology form the City University of New York and a Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College.

For the last 14 years Bethany Steinken has run a very small, very rural afterschool program in White Sulphur Springs, MT -- a town without a single stoplight. She started her time at the Stevens Youth Center as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer but fell in love with the work and the community and stayed. She is currently the Director. During 10 of those years she also managed the county 4-H program. 4-H is the largest youth development program nationwide and under her guidance the program in Meagher County doubled in size.

Coming from a biology background meant that Bethany had to seek out the education and tools she needed to do her jobs well. Over the years she attended countless workshops and trainings and became passionate about professional development. It was all those conferences and workshops, and not formal education, that prepared her for work in youth development.

In January, Bethany started channeling that passion when she was hired as the Program Support Coordinator for the Montana Afterschool Alliance. She’s spent her time in that position planning the Afterschool & Beyond statewide professional development conference, which took place in August.

Bethany splits her work between the SYC and MTAA, and her time between White Sulphur and Bozeman, MT with her boyfriend and their furry menagerie.

Brandis Stockman currently serves as a Deputy Director with Promise South Salt Lake in Utah. Her work with youth and families began around 20 years ago when she was attending college in Toronto, Ontario. While she initially thought that residential treatment was her career path, she began working in OST programs and fell in love! Upon graduating from college with a degree in Child and Youth Work, [Canadian] Brandis shocked her friends when she decided to move to Texas, where she worked in the OST field for the next 15 years. She has become known as a strong leader and mentor in the field, and is always striving to increase program quality. On several occasions, her programs were visited by government officials, including a future Presidential candidate. After beginning a new adventure in Utah, Brandis found her home at Promise South Salt Lake, and after her first year she received an award from the Mayor for exemplary work. When she is not working, enjoying Japanese food, or hiking, Brandis also acts as Chair Elect for the Salt Lake Afterschool Regional Network, working towards the further professionalization of the OST field.

Maggie Winiarski is an After School Program Coordinator with the City of New Britain Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department in New Britain, Connecticut. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University. She has worked in the out-of-school time field for over 20 years, working with afterschool and municipal summer camp programs in an urban setting with a diverse population. In her role, Maggie designs programs, develops and leads staff, and supports growth in young people across the city in twelve afterschool and five summer program sites. Over the course of her career working in a municipality, she has developed the ability to collaborate and partner with the school district, other community members, and organizations to pull large citywide events together. Maggie is an active member of the Connecticut After School Network's Professional Development and Quality Task Force, as well as an alumni from the statewide CLASP (Coaching and Learning for After School Professionals) program that has over 70 other people from across Connecticut. When Maggie is not working, she enjoys spending her time with her husband, Steve and two kids, Nicholas and Lily. They love to travel, especially to Disney World.

Maria Arteaga-Beltran is currently associate director of Youth Speak Collective in Northridge, California. Her career in youth development started right after she graduated from college and joined AmeriCorps VISTA, where she was introduced to the nonprofit world. She has worked in the nonprofit world since 2004, focused on providing youth with opportunities to find and utilize their voices. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in sociology and obtained an M.S. in human services, non-profit management.

Melvina S. Banti has over ten years of supervision, policy and procedure enforcement, project facilitation, and staff development experience in the nonprofit sector. As a problem solver and strategic thinker, Melvina is known for her hard-work and perseverance.

Melvina started her professional career as an AmeriCorps member with EducationWorks, Inc. and served as an afterschool program site coordinator for two years at Gideon school in North Philadelphia. After successfully completing two terms of AmeriCorps service, in 2008, she was hired as an operations manager (OM) to oversee six of sixteen After School Initiative (ASI) programs. Until May 2016, she served as an OM for six of eighteen Department of Human Services licensed OST programs. During her work as an OM, Melvina was responsible for the professional growth of numerous OST AmeriCorps and part-time staff. She succeeded at coaching and supporting OST staff to ensure their professional growth, quality programming, and safety of all enrolled children. Currently, Melvina is assistant director of OST programs for Episcopal Community Services.

Melvina earned a B.A. in English education with a minor in Spanish from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, in 2006. She also holds an M.A. in English from Middlebury College, BreadLoaf School of English, Vermont (2010), and an M.S. in nonprofit management from Eastern University, the Campolo College of Graduate and Professional Studies, Pennsylvania (2012).

Marie Benson has worked in the OST field since 1991, when she was asked to work for the afterschool program at her daughter’s preschool as a substitute staff member. She was then asked to apply for the director position when the founding director left. She has also been involved in OST at the local level by organizing conferences, at the state level as president, as an endorser for NAA, and as a Weikart Trainer. Her degree is in business.

Alicia Christensen currently serves as the outreach programs manager for Denver Zoo. She has been working in informal science and OST education since 2002, including aquariums, residential camps, National Parks, and university outreach and afterschool programs. She holds a B.S. from Colorado State University and an M.S. in marine resource management, with a focus on free-choice learning, from Oregon State University. She grew up and currently resides in Colorado, but has always had a tremendous passion for the ocean, and visits frequently. She loves the outdoors, animals, and inspiring others to appreciate their natural world. Her most recent work has involved the development of a very popular Denver Zoo afterschool outreach program that partners with afterschool providers in the Denver area.

Trina Dorn joined the team at LearningWorks in July 2014, inspired by the agency’s mission to help children, adults, and families realize their potential through innovative educational programs. She uses her background in science and elementary education as assistant director of LearningWorks Afterschool in Portland. Dorn is a licensed K-8 educator in Maine and holds a B.A. in elementary education and Ecology, as well as an M.A. in teaching and curriculum design, from Bennington College in Vermont.

Prior to joining the LearningWorks team, Dorn taught pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade in Vermont and Maine. She started in educational leadership and science curriculum design in early 2014 when she designed and launched summer marine science programs at Coastal Studies for Girls in Freeport. She brings this innovative, big-picture thinking into her work of developing afterschool and summer programs at six of Portland’s public elementary schools.

Chris Dudley is a 15-year professional in OST and senior director of youth development the YMCA of Greater Rochester in Rochester, NY. His YMCA career path has been guided by a community-wide approach to serving families. In partnership with the United Way, a dozen public school districts and higher learning institutions, local museums, local medical partners, and under the leadership and guidance of the YMCA of the USA, the YMCA of Greater Rochester continues to implement innovative programming that strengthens their communities, help children to be active and make healthy food choices, develop passions for arts and sciences, and strives to close the achievement gap.

Connor has worked in OST for over 15 years. He began as an afterschool counselor with the Boys and Girls Club, and now works as a coordinator of Elementary Community Learning Center (CLC) programming with Seattle Parks and Recreation. He has facilitated the addition of CLC programming at multiple school sites, incorporated ESL classes for families into OST programming, developed academic transition programs and summer learning programs for elementary school youth. In addition to his work with the City of Seattle, Connor has spent the past 10 years volunteering for Camp Ten Trees, a residential summer camp for youth in the LGBTQ community, in various roles ranging from camp leadership staff to the board of directors. Connor holds a B.A. in recreation from Western Washington University, and a M.Ed in guidance and counseling from City University of Seattle.

In her nearly 20 years in OST, Amy Franks has worked in afterschool programs in every capacity from beginning as a group leader in college through becoming the head of the School-Community Relations Department in Orange County Schools. Franks, who holds a B.A. in English education, has worked primarily in school-based programs, but has served in community and non-profit organizations as well, providing direct services, supervising others who provide direct services, volunteering in programs, and serving on committees that address needs related to the provision of high quality afterschool programs.

Leah Golubchick is the manager of middle and high school courses and institutes at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), where she oversees programs that explore the natural world with NYC teens and middle schoolers. She holds an MSEd from Bank Street’s Leadership in Museum Education Program. Before AMNH, Leah taught informal science and history in institutions across New York City, including the Children's Museum of Manhattan, The Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Sabriyah is a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park (2002 B.A., Spanish) and holds a Master’s degree from Loyola University of Maryland (2009) in educational leadership. Her past professional experiences include working as a special education teacher for the Pathways Schools in Silver Spring, Maryland, as a behavior intervention specialist for Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute, and as a site manager and community school coordinator for Elev8 Baltimore.

Sabriyah founded Team Triumphant, Inc. in 2006 to identify innovative and meaningful OST activities and make them accessible to all Baltimore City youth. Team Triumphant’s mission is to provide supplemental educational and extracurricular services to youth that promote creative thinking, develop strong problem solving skills, build self-esteem and improve physical and mental well being. Since its founding, Team Triumphant, Inc. has worked with over 300 students in grades K-12.

Brandon Hutton has been in the Youth Development field for eight years. His career started in afterschool programs while working towards his B.S. in sociology at Kansas State University. Previously, Brandon served as a senior unit director for the Boys and Girls Club in Manhattan, Kansas. Currently, he works as a research project coordinator with the Kansas Enrichment Network through the Center for Public Partnerships and Research, University of Kansas. Brandon has received multiple certificates related to afterschool professional development involving STEM education and afterschool administration. Brandon holds certification in the Simensions of Success tool from the PEAR Institute at Harvard University and serves as an external assessor for the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality.

Jan Manfredi is the director of expanded learning time, Boston Public Schools. In this role she oversees the rollout of a longer school day for 58 K-12 schools; the implementation of 21st Century Learning Funds, Summer School K-12 and Online and Blended Serving. Jan has also served as part of the BPS High School Redesign Team and sits on the Superintendent's Leadership Team.

Prior to joining BPS, she was the project director for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services Education Reform Initiative at the Commonwealth Corporation, where she was responsible for the oversight and management of the agency’s statewide multi-year education reform initiative in its 58 facilities. She has served as youth director in a large urban district and taught for many years in programs for at-risk youth. Jan began her career in the national education legislative and policy arena and continues to participate on various federal and state advisory boards.

Jan holds an advanced degree in curriculum design and instruction from Cambridge College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut. She has been involved in professional development and strategic planning for schools and school districts across the country and has served as a member of the Gates Foundation Youth Transitions Taskforce.

Lizette Marie Martinez lives in Brooklyn, New York and is a mother of two beautiful daughters and three grandchildren. She studied deviant behavior and social control with a minor in psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and proceeded to work in city government to pursue her passion for youth development. Currently, she is a deputy director at the Department of Youth and Community Development and oversees a portfolio of 71 OST programs with a budget of $24+ million that serves 7,975 middle school youth throughout the New York City area.

Patricia McGuiness-Carmichael is assistant director of Tenacity’s Middle School Academy, with an expertise in family engagement, who works to empower students and parents to access services to foster academic, behavioral, and social-emotional success. Patricia has worked in the out of school time field for more than a decade in direct service roles and in research, policy, and evaluation as knowledge projects manager with Boston After School & Beyond (BASB). As a family engagement coordinator, Patricia worked to support families by acting as an advocate and making necessary resource connections. While with BASB, Patricia worked to strengthen the quality of afterschool programming by helping nonprofits access and utilize data for ongoing program improvement. Patricia has facilitated substance abuse groups for parents and adolescents at Children’s Hospital Boston and has worked in a variety of camps for kids. Patricia is a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) and has received continuous training in work with youth and families. She holds an MSW from the University of South Carolina and a B.A. from Stonehill College with a focus on criminal justice and psychology.

Keith Miller is an award-winning director of Deep Center's advanced, year-long creative writing and youth leadership program, Block by Block. A storyteller, creative, and village-maker, he has several years experience recruiting, training, screening and matching over 1,500 mentors across 18 different New York City high schools with youth mentoring organization iMentor; crafting compelling marketing campaigns for the the largest school districts in the country at TNTP; and developing NYU Stern's first-ever ambassador program and think tank of over 30 business school students tasked with reshaping and reimagining school culture.

Keith also serves as the managing editor and creative director of The Pillow Talk Project, a website dedicated to sharing the fearless stories of men--and those who love them--in an effort to redefine masculinity while rediscovering the power of everyday intimate conversations. He also collaborates with artists around the country, sparking national dialogues through marketing campaigns like #WeSmileToo and #WhenMenDance, bringing the power of creative storytelling, healing, and empowerment to the masses.

In addition to being a National Writing Project teaching consultant, Keith is pursuing his M.S. in educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison exploring village making and fostering fearlessness and empathy through creative arts.

Marisela Montoya is the director of education for Foundation Communities, a nonprofit affordable housing organization in Austin, Texas. Marisela graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in psychology. She began her work with out of school time programs during college. For 24 years, she has directed and implemented programs for youth and adults, including eight years with Austin ISD as a program director and program specialist (community education; at-risk youth programs; afterschool, teen and adult education programs). She has been with Foundation Communities for 16 years, first as lead learning center coordinator, and now as the director of education. In her current position she oversees 12 learning centers in the Austin and North Texas areas. The learning centers provide on-site afterschool, summer and adult education programs for residents. She holds a certificate in nonprofit leadership and management from Austin Community College and Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

Abby Nash began her career with youth development as an afterschool assistant in North East Independent School District’s, Kids’ Involvement Network. Her professional path at NEISD led her through the roles of site director, 21ST CCLC grant programmer, program coordinator, and training director. After participating in many community efforts to support youth in OST hours, Nash joined the YMCA of Greater San Antonio as the district director of youth development. She currently operates as an executive director of OST overseeing afterschool and summer day camp programs. She has a B.A. in political science and an M.S. in organizational leadership.

Shawn Petty is training and development manager for Westat, overseeing the creation and implementation of educational training products and providing leadership to a team of instructional designers, trainers, and technical assistance consultants. In this role, he drives results for one of Westat’s main clients, the Texas Education Agency 21st CCLC Program Enhancement and Quality Assurance program.

Prior to joining Westat, Petty worked with one of Houston’s largest non-profit OST entities as a project director overseeing nine 21st CCLC programs in Klein ISD, with a staff of 100 and serving over 1500 students daily. Petty’s tenure in OST began as a program coordinator managing multiple 21st CCLCs and partnership projects at Harris County Department of Education’s Cooperative for After-School Enrichment.

Mr. Petty also served as the South East Texas Afterschool Association president (2010-2011) and secretary (2008-2010) and was an active liaison for the National Afterschool Association and the state affiliation. He was invited to join the charter board for the Texas Partners of Out-of-School-Time and led its communication committee. In 2013, Petty was selected as a White-Riley-Peterson Fellow with Furman University and has been asked back every year as a faculty member. In 2017, he was selected to be a National Afterschool Matters Fellow at Wesley College.

Petty began his career at the Walt Disney Company as a guest service operations manager, managing business operations including financial and reserve planning, resort arrival and departure experience, hiring, training, schedules, cost control, marketing, and inventory. He was project manager on a variety of Disney projects and a leadership trainer. Petty then joined the Target Corporation as an executive distribution manager, where he facilitated a just-in-time distribution system through Six Sigma and Lean Management techniques, and developed a flexible scheduling system that became a standard for the Target Distribution System.

Mr. Petty holds a B.S. in business management from BYU-Hawaii, a Project Management Certification from Villanova University, and a Master’s of Political Management from George Washington University.

Kate Porter began OST work as a teen assisting in a preschool summer program at a small daycare center. She then obtained obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in general education with triple minors in early childhood, physical education and reading at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Following graduation, she continued to work in child care settings including as a site coordinator for the Eastern Michigan University Bright Futures program, a 21st CCLC funded program. She then took an administrative position overseeing 10 of the 20 sites at EMU, training front line staff, assisting with hiring, supporting staff and their programs. She is now a quality specialist with the Michigan After School Partnership, supporting programs throughout the state.

Anthony Pound is assistant director of education/Youth Corps for the New 42nd Street and New Victory Theater. He joined The New Victory Theater in 2007 working with the teen program, The New Victory Usher Corps. He has since gone on to helm and develop three other programs at the New 42nd Street focused on arts administration, arts access, and college success. Previously, he worked with teens as a counselor and acting instructor at Ewing’s Children’s Theater, a venue run by the City of Memphis, and as a theater director and arts administrator for numerous regional theater companies. A 2009 JP Morgan Chase Fellow, Pound has obtained certifications for mentor supervision through Fordham University and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and for college counseling through the Options Institute. In 2014, he was honored to accept the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program award from the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities on behalf of the New Victory Usher Corps program. He studied performance in the BFA program at the University of Memphis.

Carla Rizzo has been working in the nonprofit field for nearly 20 years at Camp Fire USA – Midlands Chapter, now Completely KIDS, starting as a volunteer and then as part-time program support staff. She was promoted to program coordinator and then program manager after completing her MSW degree. Finally, she was promoted to director of programs in 2011. Currently, she oversees seven 21st CCLC programs for Completely KIDS, which, in addition to the after school programming, provides case management, mental health services, and parent education. Most of her responsibilities center around setting the vision for the program, writing grants, networking, and ensuring high quality programming.

Katie Svaicer is currently a Program Manager at Youth Guidance, a leading social-service, non-profit agency in Chicago. She works within their Community and After Schools programs and manages afterschool programs and enrichments at five Chicago Public Schools throughout the city. She started her work with the organization in 2004 when she was teaching art and drama to students in one of their school programs. She moved from that position into managing a school site and then to managing an entire group of schools. She has a B.A. in art history from Arizona State University, and an MAM in arts management from Columbia College Chicago. She is currently also serving on the board of a small, non-profit, musical theater company in Chicago, Kokandy Productions.

Emily Ustach is director of programs for New Urban Arts, a free, community art studio for high school students in Providence, Rhode Island, with the mission to build a vital community that empowers young people as artists and leaders to develop a creative practice they can sustain throughout their lives. She joined as director of programs in the fall of 2013, but has been involved with the organization in various capacities since 2007. As director of programs she designs, manages, oversees and evaluates year-round arts programs including directing the organization’s 21st CCLC grant. Prior to joining New Urban Arts full time she developed the Education Fellowship AmeriCorps program at The Learning Community, a nationally recognized public charter school. Emily received her Bachelor’s degree in art history from Salem College and a Master’s degree in art and design education from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Andrea Wilson grew up in Guyana, South America. She started her career primarily as a classroom teacher but from the inception worked beyond school hours trying to find ways to meet the needs of kids on the brink. One of her first ventures involved opening a community reading room in a tiny town in Guyana, with only a small, clean room and a few used books. Every day the room would be packed with children needing help with homework or just a place to read, relax and talk about their day and their lives.

Andrea completed a Master’s degree in education leadership, management and policy with Seton Hall University and then accepted a position as education coordinator with Casa Guadalupe Center. Working with a small staff, she is presently coordinating and implementing a multi-faceted OST education program.

Shakima Figuera-Collins is currently a Director for the DYCD COMPASS SONYC/Middle School Programs. She has over 15 years of experience in the field of youth development and has spent her career serving youth and families in underserved, low-income areas. Shakima earned her BA in Political Science and Sociology from St. Francis College and earned her Master’s in Public Administration-Non-Profit Management from Baruch College.

I currently serve as the Chief Operating Officer for Kids Can Community Center in Omaha, Nebraska. I have 12 years of Youth Development experience including time as a front-line staff, Site Director, Multi-Site Program Manager and now as COO. Over the years I have gained experience designing, implementing, and administering programs in a wide variety of settings including school based, community centers and city parks. Kids Can serves over 650 children per day in Out-of-School and Early Childhood programs. As COO, I oversee all facets of program implementation and management including program design and innovation, professional development, evaluation, strategic planning, community partnerships, and financial management.

I hold bachelor’s degrees in History and International Studies from the University of Nebraska Omaha and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Bellevue University. My wife and I recently became parents with the arrival of twins (Henry and June) on March 4th.

After-school was not a profession that I imagined for myself. I knew very little about the field, having grown up in rural Las Vegas, an area that did not see much value in after-school programs. Like many youth development professionals, the option to pursue the profession came by way of random luck. My first interview right out of school from the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work was with an afterschool and summer camp program in inner city Denver for 3rd through 5th graders. Four years later, I am still in love with the field, it is ever-changing and allows for creative solutions. At the Heart & Hand Center in Denver, I started as a program manager at a school site and developed a skillset that led to being the Director of Community Partnerships. In developing community based and family centered programming I was fortunate to garner recognition among the National After-School Association. As a NAA NextGen Leader in 2019, I was able to understand the full impact after-school has across the country for so many youth. After leaving Denver, my heart yearned for after-school and it was clear to me where I found passion. When not able to work in the field, I volunteered at a local manufactured home community at an after-school club and became a mentor. More recently, I took on a role as a scholarship administrator for the Sachs Foundation in Colorado Springs. Currently we serve African American youth and their families starting in 8th grade with access, equitable opportunities, mentoring, and support to realize their college dreams. As I think about what’s next, evidence-based models and innovative thinking are what excites me most. I enjoy researching, learning and collaborating with other professionals. I appreciate the adaptability, how dismantling of barriers and creativity are used to create meaningful relationships and intentional programming in the after-school world.

Yasmin is an experienced out-school time professional committed to enhancing young people's lives through innovative, hands-on programs that inspire informed choices. She is the Assistant Youth and Family Services Division Director at Cypress Hills LDC and has been there for 6 years. She oversees all programming related to adolescent youth.

She is a camp kid for life and believes in the impact of youth-adult partnerships as a key lever in changing young people’s lives. In the past few years, she has participated in Restorative Justice and Talent Management initiatives. Born in Israel, raised in NJ, she now lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She earned her Master’s in Education in Curriculum and Instruction – Specialization in Out-of-School Time Education and Leadership for Adolescents and Youth at Lesley University and earned her BA in Women and Gender studies at Rutgers University.

Fun facts: Yasmin is always in the mood for karaoke and explores her fascination with the ocean by scuba diving or watching documentaries about marine life.

Favorite thing to do with NYC visitors: Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

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