PRESENTER PROFILES

2020 BOOST Conference Speakers & Presenters

Christina Aanenson
Christina Aanenson has been working in the OST field for over 12 years. She has a BAS degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Outside of her career, she loves to spend her time running, being outdoors with family, and snuggling with her kitties.

Rafael Acosta
Rafael Acosta is the Regional Director for the LAUSD-Beyond the Bell Middle School Unit. Since 2002, Rafa has served in a variety of roles & duties while also earning both his B.A. in History and a Masters in Public Administration from CSUN. As a proud product of the Los Angeles Unified School District, he has experienced similar circumstances as the students in the Beyond the Bell Middle School Programs & continues to strive to ensure these students are provided with quality student-centered and meaningful learning opportunities during the out of school hours. Lastly, Rafa is the proud father of Alyssa and Samantha Acosta.

Omar Aguiar
Omar Aguiar began his career at Think Together for over nine years. In his time here, he has been a Site Coordinator, Regional Operations Analyst, and is now the Data Operations Manager. Currently, he supports the development of data collection processes, state compliance reporting, and the Data Management Team. Omar believes in the impact our programs have on the lives of the kids we serve, and he loves that we can tell that story through the data we collect. He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English from the University of California, Riverside.

Bibi Al-Ebrahim
Bibi joined Amizade after spending over a decade working in Ecuador. She first traveled to Ecuador in 2003 as a Peace Corps Volunteer. After completing a Masters of Public Health, Bibi returned to Ecuador as the Director for Manna Project International, a community development and volunteer organization. In 2011, she returned to the Peace Corps as a Program and Training Specialist in community health and completed her tenure as the Training Manager.

Be it community development and volunteering, or service learning, Bibi deeply believes in the immersive travel experience's power to affect positive transformation for individuals and communities.

Gloria Alday
Born and raised in Santa Ana, California, Gloria left her hometown to attend Yale University and graduated with a degree in American Studies. While at Yale, she was an active student organizer, raising awareness around financial aid issues. For the past ten years, Gloria has been working for Think Together supporting older youth attain their higher education goals. Gloria has helped develop and run after-school programs, providing academic and enrichment opportunities for high school students and workforce readiness programs that provide employability skills for teens. As the Director of Older Youth Programs, she oversees high school programming and works to increase university and college acceptance of local students across multiple districts and regions.

G. Jinger Alvarez, LCSW
G. Jinger Alvarez is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has 20 years of experience working in the field of mental health. She has provided professional development training in areas of Trauma-Informed Care Practice, Self-Care and Secondary Trauma, Conducting Psychosocial Assessment, Crisis Assessment, and Intervention, and is a certified Families Over Coming Under Stress (FOCUS) Trainer. She is currently the Mental Health Consultant for LA’s BEST providing staff development training to address Trauma-Informed Practices, Social-Emotional Learning, Psychological First Aid, resilience and self-care, and suicide assessment.

Carmen Alvarez-Esparza
Carmen Alvarez-Esparza has been an Out-of-School Traveling Program Supervisor with LAUSD/Beyond the Bell Branch’s Ready Set Go! Before School Program for the last 5 years. She is experienced in running successful before-school programs during the regular school year and summer. She currently oversees school sites in the Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles area where she hires and trains staff and evaluates programs.

Scott Amick, M.A.
Scott Amick, M.A. is a self care expert, wildfire survivor, and experiential education enthusiast. Facilitating programs for Odyssey Teams Inc., Mr. Amick has traveled the nation engaging audiences with philanthropic team building programs that include the construction of prosthetic hands, bicycles, and skateboards that are donated at the end of the programs. Currently living in Chico, CA, Mr. Amick is passionate about helping students, teachers, and administrators create sustainable self care routines that focus on building self esteem through introspective journaling.

Amy Anderson
A Tulsa native, Amy serves as the Senior Manager for Experiential Learning at The Opportunity Project. In this role, she engages schools and community partners in providing high-quality expanded learning opportunities to middle-schoolers through a program called AfterOpp. Amy has served in roles in both programs and research in the non-profit and academic sectors. She is an advocate for her community and especially for its youngest members. Her passion for building meaningful connections between service providers and families fuels her work at The Opp.

Majanaye Anderson 
Majanaye Anderson lives to build opportunity and access for marginalized groups. Majanaye serves as a Program Coordinator for the second-largest school district in the nation - Los Angeles Unified School District's Beyond the Bell Youth Development Program Unit. Majanaye is a dedicated leader who has a passion for making a positive difference in the lives of children and their families. Majanaye brings both lived experiences, education, and professional skills, which generates passion and commitment to the communities she serves. Majanaye Anderson takes the initiative to build her leadership capacity through local and statewide advocacy and community volunteerism in the public service and expanded-learning field.

Melissa Arambula
Melissa has been working in the field of after school for over ten years both running community and school-based programs. Currently, she is the Family and Community Coordinator for Think Together's Shalimar Teen Center. Melissa graduated from UCSD with a degree in Molecular Biology before earning her Master's in School Counseling.

Robb Armstrong
Robb Armstrong is the Program Manager for Dylan’s Wings of Change and a Master Trainer for the Wingman Program. Robb has been facilitating social-emotional learning, team building, leadership and staff development, and teacher trainings for the last 15+ years.

Erica Barrueto
Erica strives to share her love of science and engineering to empower youth and adults to create and to think critically. It is a passion of hers to inspire the same spark in educators across the world, and in all areas of STEM and reflective practice. Erica has a B.S. in molecular and cell biology from U.C. Berkeley. At The Tech, Erica leads efforts to support educators as they develop the next generation of problem solvers via Design Challenge Learning. This work includes the development of educator resources and establishing partnerships with like-minded organizations around the world.

Rhonda Beasley
Rhonda Beasley is currently the MTSS Coordinator at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Prior to joining the SCCOEas the Elementary ELA/ELD Coordinator in 2012, Rhonda served as an elementary classroom teacher, a Reading First Coach, and a Teacher on Special Assignment for English Language Arts supporting 29 elementary schools. As the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Coordinator, she supports district teams with the alignment of their academic and behavior systems in order to more comprehensively support students, teachers, and families. Rhonda earned her B.A. from Pomona College in Claremont, CA, M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction in Multicultural Contexts from Azusa Pacific University, and is currently pursuing her Ed.D in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of Southern California.

Meghan Bender
Meghan Bender has been with Sanford Harmony going on 3 years. She was an elementary school classroom teacher for 23 years and is now a Sanford Harmony Implementation Specialist and Trainer.

Lauren Bergh
Lauren Bergh is excited to share her passion and tools for connecting students with the natural world as an informal environmental educator for over 15 years. As the Education Specialist for the Santa Ana Zoo and the Southern California Project WILD Coordinator, Lauren loves using the outdoors as a classroom to explore natural phenomena and build discovery, understanding, and capacity to share experiences with others for all ages. Project WILD provides a wealth of activities for formal and informal educators to bring their students outside and teach them "how to think, not what to think."

Brandon Blache-Cohen
Named one of “Pittsburgh’s 40 under 40” in 2012 and a “Rising Education Leader” in 2017, Brandon has over fifteen years of experience in the nonprofit, service-learning, and international education sectors. In that time, he helped to create life-changing global experiences for over 10,000 young people. In addition to his work with Amizade, Blache-Cohen was a US delegate to the One Young World Summit, has published several articles on responsible global service-learning and is the President of the Pennsylvania Council on International Education (PACIE). To date, Blache-Cohen has worked, studied, or traveled in around 85 countries.

Joshua Blecha
Before his work as a statewide leader in the field of Expanded Learning, Josh started up the latter as an over-enthusiastic tutor supporting a local Afterschool program. Josh applied his creative skillset leading classrooms of children on academic journeys that were reminiscent of his childhood camping trips with his 5 sisters. He finds joy in connecting learning to fun. Josh currently supports Expanded Learning grants by providing TA to the Fresno area. In his work, he dedicates a majority of time finding innovative ways to inspire people to improve their world around them and pushing them to new heights.

Irene Bobadilla
Irene oversees programs and operations for the San Gabriel Valley Region. She joined Think Together in 2007 as a Site Coordinator and has held many roles with the organization. Irene holds a dual bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine in Political Science and Chicano/Latino Studies and a Master’s degree in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne.

Katie Brackenridge
Katie Brackenridge is a Partnership Director at Turnaround for Children. Katie has worked in schools, school districts, and community organizations for her entire career. Most recently, she was an independent consultant focused on improving learning conditions and social-emotional supports for young people through public school systems. Before becoming a consultant, Katie worked at the Partnership for Children & Youth (PCY), where she led local and statewide initiatives to improve program practice and promote policies to make after-school and summer programs more accessible and effective.

Phil Brown
Phil joined the High 5 team in May 2015 having previously worked in Adventure and Outdoor education for 7 years. Phil brings high energy and devotion to the Adventure field and has presented at the NEYCC, ACA New England, ACCT, Northeast and International AEE, BOOST, several regional Physical Ed conferences and at the High 5 Symposium. He is also one of the co-authors of the book “Tinker: Building Purposeful Experiences from Classic Adventure Activities” and the producer/host of “High 5 Adventure – The Podcast”.

Rebecca Brown
Rebecca Brown is a creative youth development professional, committed to providing a positive arts culture to youth. She graduated in 2011 from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Art History. Rebecca found her passion serving the youth of Hilton Head Island at the Boys & Girls Club of the Lowcountry as Director of Education & Enrichment, and now holds the position of Director, Youth Development Programs with Boys & Girls Clubs of America providing programmatic resources and support to Youth Development Professionals and Teaching Artists in Clubs across the nation.

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH, FAAP
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is an award-winning physician, researcher, and advocate dedicated to changing the way our society responds to one of the most serious, expensive and widespread public health crises of our time: childhood trauma. She was appointed as California’s first-ever Surgeon General by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2019. Her career has been dedicated to serving vulnerable communities and combating the root causes of health disparities. She is the Founder of the Center for Youth Wellness, an organization leading the effort to advance pediatric medicine, raise public awareness, and transform the way society responds to children exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress. Dr. Burke Harris’ TED Talk, “How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across the Lifetime” has been viewed more than 6 million times. Her book “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity” was called “indispensable” by The New York Times. She is the recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Heinz Award for the Human Condition.

Dr. Sandra Cano
Dr. Cano is a bilingual, seasoned educator with an emphasis on English learners and students with special needs. Born of immigrant parents, raised in various impoverished communities throughout Los Angeles. UCLA and UCSB graduate, with a doctorate in Education from the Education Leadership Doctoral Program at UCLA.

Robert Caples

Robert is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) and Education Specialist (Ed.S.) with advanced training in behavioral & educational intervention. Trey has more than a decade of senior leadership experience in public schools, nonprofits, and community organizations. He has extensive experience with program design & evaluation, fundraising & grant writing, Board development, staff training & management, & community relations. Trey will be the project manager and primary contact for each organization, providing daily support as well as big picture strategy.

Erica Cardoso
Erica has been a Think Together team member for over 12 years. She has held various positions and is currently the Program Development Technician on the Organizational Development Team. She enjoys the variety in her work and being a piece of the puzzle across multiple teams within the Program & Operations Department. Erica has a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Minor in English from California State University, Los Angeles.

Jasmine Castleberry
As a long-time education professional Jasmine Castleberry has led multiple youths and staff development efforts in many organizations across the nation and has developed performance-based, goal-oriented solutions through effective staff management and program planning workshops. Her ability to connect with any audience and specialty in workshop facilitation has allowed her to serve as a presenter locally and nationally. Jasmine’s performance-driven passion for the out-of-school time comes from the thousands of students she has seen this work serve–and the many more who could be impacted by high-quality programming.

Ricardo Castro
Rick Castro is a Regional Director with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Beyond the Bell He has been working in the after school field since 2000. He has worked closely with a variety of Community-Based Organizations in helping provide an outstanding recreational component. Rick gets his motivation from when he was a child and not having the luxury of playing sports along with being a father to a set of twin boys that are currently active in an after school program. He treats all of his programs as if his twins were attending that program. If learning is something you want to do, Rick has a way to teach you.

Dr. Alexander Chan
Dr. Chan is the tenure-track 4-H Agent for Prince George’s County, and is responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating youth-focused extension programming in Prince George’s County. He also has practiced marriage and family therapy for 8 years and is currently licensed (and practices) in the District of Columbia. He has 5 years of experience implementing and evaluating relationship education programming and has had his work in that area featured at national conferences, published in academic journals, and in national press outlets.

Regino Chávez

Regino is the Director of Evaluation for LA’s BEST, and he received his B.A. degree in sociology from Pitzer College and his M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. He has over 35 years of experience in educational research and has extensive experience in evaluating educational programs in the U.S. as well as internationally. His work has included assessments of preschool programs as well as policy work for investing in early childhood education, investing in girls’ education, improving educational quality and, training educational practitioners in the use of research for improving classroom practices. He has been involved with the field of expanded learning for over 20 years, first as the President of the Board of Directors of S.T.A.R, Inc. then as Director of Evaluation for LA’s BEST. In 2019, he wrote a three-part series on The Evaluation Basics as a guest blogger for the Afterschool Alliance’s Evaluating Afterschool series.

Sherry Colgan Stone, Ed.D.
Dr. Sherry Colgan Stone has worked 29 years in education and mental health, spending the last 20 years focusing on safety, security and emergency management. She enjoys serving as Chula Vista Elementary School District’s first full-time Emergency Preparedness & Security Manager, meeting the of the largest elementary school district in CA. Dr. Stone serves on the Board of Directors and Education Sector Chief for the San Diego InfraGard, Advisory Board for the Joyful Child Foundation and on the Board of Directors of the Chula Vista Police Activities League. She is a volunteer employee with the Riverside County Sheriff Emergency Response Team.

Mashona Council
Mashona Council is a seasoned youth development professional with over 15 years of experience working with youth-serving nonprofits throughout the country and internationally. She established her own consulting firm, Council Consulting, to help youth development organizations grow by providing leadership training and coaching, strategic planning and visioning, program design, evaluation, and management. She has facilitated professional development training at Boys and Girls Club Keystone Conferences, Association of C5 Youth Programs Annual Summit, and Crossroads for Kids summer staff training.

Jason Crawford
Jason Crawford is the superintendent of the Elk Valley School District, located in Longton, Kansas. The school is located in southeast Kansas in an area with high poverty and a lack of economic sustainability. Seeing the challenges and a community that loved their school, his team embarked on leveraging community resources on developing destination secondary schools for students to have hands-on opportunities in agriculture while obtaining high school credits. This vision launched after several years of preparation and is known as The Ag Experience.

Gary Creel
Garry Creel has worked in the Azusa USD for 24 years. He has served as a teacher, counselor and in his current position as the Director of Child Welfare and Attendance. He is passionate about working with at-risk youth and their families and helping bridge the academic achievement gap while addressing their social-emotional needs.

Jim Crittenden
Jim Crittenden has nearly 30 years of experience working in substance abuse prevention, intervention services, and youth development. The majority of Jim’s experience has been in the field of substance abuse prevention. For the last 19 years, Jim has worked as a Program Specialist for the San Diego County Office of Education. Jim assists school districts in developing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug comprehensive prevention plans to include prevention curriculum and activities, intervention services, and resources for treatment/cessation. Prior experience also includes managing community coalitions and juvenile diversion programs.

Valentina D’Alessandro
Valentina D’Alessandro is the OUT for Safe Schools® Coordinator at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. She has 14+ years of experience in education and is a former Preschool Principal and Community Center Coordinator. Valentina was the project manager for a school-based anti-bully campaign in Italy and worked with social justice organizations like Arcigay, Italy's foremost national LGBT rights organization, the GAY LEX Law Firm and other agencies. Valentina was on the research team of the Dept of Educational Sciences of the University of Bologna and the Concordia University College of Alberta, focusing on Independent Living for special needs Youth.

Clint Darr
Clint works for the Missouri Afterschool Network providing coaching, training, and technical support, as well as laughter, to out of school time programs throughout Missouri. He is a highly qualified educator possessing extensive experience teaching in the classroom and in the out of school time environment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management and a master’s degree in education. He is passionate about the importance of quality afterschool programming, with a particular interest in STEM and in laughter. Clint has presented at several state and national conferences and is a certified Laughter Yoga Instructor.

Eloi Delmonico
Eloi Delmonico has been working in the field of Emotional intelligence for many years. He first worked as a teacher and then as a school principal in Switzerland. After several years of research and experiences, he decided to devote his life to conceiving and deploying a new program about emotional intelligence, in collaboration with a team of doctors, psychologists, and teachers. He is now the General Manager of The +|- Code, a fantastic new Program about Emotional intelligence that is diffused in Canada, the USA, France, Switzerland, India, and Vietnam.

Sherrice Dorsey Smith

Sherrice Dorsey-Smith
Sherrice Dorsey-Smith is currently the Program and Planning Manager for the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families for the City and County of San Francisco. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing three out of six primary funding areas for the department. She also provides the vision and coordination for DCYF’s Professional Development/Capacity Building and Quality Assessment efforts. Recently, Sherrice designed and launched DCYF University (DCYFU). The aim of DCYFU is to build a stronger workforce and increase the quality of services that are available to San Francisco Children, Youth, and Their Families. In partnership with San Francisco State, she has been able to offer college credit and a Youth Development Certification to individuals, which is a first of its kind from a 4-year institution.

Dr. Courtney Dowdall

Dr. Courtney Dowdall has applied her academic background in anthropology and sociology to help nonprofit organizations measure and evaluate program impact. She served as Director of Evaluation for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's American Graduate Initiative. She currently directs research and evaluation for ARCHS, a not-for-profit organization that provides funding, resources, and expertise to enhance education and social service initiatives as the official "Community Partnership" for Greater St. Louis on behalf of the State of Missouri.

Tyler Downey
Tyler Downey has a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Education. Devoting himself to education for the last 20 years, he has worked as an elementary classroom teacher, full-time gifted education instructor, and librarian. During that time, he also runs numerous science camps and clubs in both summer and after-school contexts, emphasizing hands-on experiential learning. He is a lifelong learner who continually seeks to expand his knowledge in both his personal and professional life and since joining the PCS team has become obsessed with all things drone.

Bryn Drescher
Bryn Drescher is an Expert in Transformational Speaking and Facilitation. She has been using her unique brand of electric energy, humor, and insight to empower audiences and individuals to move toward their dreams and goals despite the obstacles in their path. She has spoken in the arenas of large and small businesses, education, and personal development. Bryn believes that we all have what is necessary to achieve anything once we move beyond self-imposed limitations and blocks. Her most recent engagement was at Inbound, HubSpot's annual marketing conference in Boston, where she had the privilege of being a featured speaking alongside, Gary Vaynerchuk, Alec Baldwin, and Serena Williams. The topics she is most passionate about are Leadership, Self Empowerment, and Limitless Living. Bryn is also passionate about youth and has devoted the last 6 years to speaking all over the Los Angeles Unified School District for EduCare Foundation to high school students regarding being their best selves while pursuing their goals.

Lesford Duncan
Lesford Duncan, MPH, is the Senior Director of Programs for Outdoor Outreach, a San Diego-based nonprofit that introduces, and builds resilience in youth through the transformative power of the outdoors. Lesford has had a career centered around child advocacy, behavioral health, and youth development. He has worked to develop trauma-informed and restorative systems, policies and programs. Lesford has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Florida and an MPH in Health Policy and Leadership from Loma Linda University. Lesford is an avid backpacker and ultramarathon runner. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity.

Renae M. Dupuis
Renae M. Dupuis, M.Div. R-HYI, R-TSHYI, is a teacher, speaker, writer, and advocate in Southern California. She teaches at local schools, churches, and organizations regularly. She is also a Parent Trainer for Empowered to Connect, a TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner, and an ACE Interface Presenter. She serves OC United as the Trauma Specialist and Director of the RESPITE Program, programming and facilitating support within the foster, adoptive, and kinship constellation. Renae also shares self-care tips on her YouTube Channel “Keeping Your Heart.”

Joe Eberstein
Joe Eberstein currently works for the Center for Community Research as the Program Manager for the San Diego County (MPI) Marijuana Prevention Initiative. Mr. Eberstein has 10 years’ experience working in the prevention systems in both San Diego and Los Angeles Counties. His role includes engaging community members, guiding and collaborating with regional prevention providers to prioritize prevention strategies and efforts to address marijuana use among youth ages 12-25. He is a subject matter expert in youth marijuana use and the impact legalization has on communities. Joe has given hundreds of presentations on the impact of marijuana.

Amanda A. Ebokosia
Amanda A. Ebokosia is CEO of The Gem Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that works to improve youth engagement through service-learning initiatives, which take on a social justice approach. Since inception, The Gem Project has directly impacted the lives of 2000 youth and young adults.

Honored by The White House, The City of Newark and making the annual FORBES Magazine 30 under 30 list, Ebokosia and her team have demonstrated a great ability to engage communities and young people in ways that develop their leadership skills, which have the capacity to change their lives.

Leonetta Elaiho
Leonetta Elaiho is responsible for the program leadership and operating strategy of Students Rebuild; a global program of the Bezos Family Foundation that mobilizes over 100,000 students annually in nearly 30 countries to take action on critical global issues. Joining the foundation in 2016, Elaiho brings a background in program leadership with distinct expertise in Community Youth Development—an approach to effective community change that puts young people at the center. Elaiho is a Seattle native who is also trained as a Doula and a Spiritual Director. She is the mother of a son, Omorefe Elaiho (12) and married to Osa Elaiho.

KishaLynn Elliott
As Director of Program Evaluation at The Monarch School, KishaLynn Elliott focuses on measuring student social-emotional learning. She is and IIRP-licensed restorative practices (RP) trainer and leads the implementation of Monarch’s school-wide RP framework. KishaLynn developed a student RP training as a core component of the implementation plan, adapting content from IIRP’s two-day certification program. She has trained and engaged 20% of Monarch’s HS students on the “Royal Restoratives” student leadership team, which coordinates student-led events to build community, and facilitates peer mediation conversations to repair harm.

Amanda Esaena
Amanda Esaena brings her energy and enthusiasm for STEM education to life through her work with Wonder Kits. Working directly with afterschool students Amanda found her passion for advancing social and emotional skills through curriculum writing. As a lead Project Manager for the Resource and Curriculum Department at Dallas Afterschool, Amanda is dedicated to supporting afterschool providers with the best tools to create quality programs. Join her in a Wonder Kit lesson that will train you how to demystify the world of STEM!

Farrah Farnese
Farrah Farnese is the Senior Director of External Relations at the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), a solutions-builder forging together significant players to alleviate a root cause of poverty by preparing 12-24-year-olds to become productive working adults. In her role, Ms. Farnese oversees program design and implementation of summer and year-round career exposure and pathway programs, supports citywide career-connected education initiatives and increases the visibility of PYN and in the Greater Philadelphia business community. In her eleven years at PYN over 10,000 youth have received opportunities through programs she has overseen.

Shelby Feliciano-Sabala
Shelby is the Director of Data and Evaluation and has led the Data Department at Think Together for two years. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and earned her MSW at University of Washington with an emphasis in Women, Adolescents, and Children. She has worked in nonprofits for over ten years in education, youth development, and workforce development.

Jane Felling
Jane is an international speaker and has been presenting math game workshops for over 25 years. She has been a featured speaker at the national ASCD and spoken at the national and regional NCTM's for over 20 years. She continues to teach in classrooms across North America as part of her consulting contracts.

John Felling
John is an international speaker in the area of using games as a teaching strategy and brings over 30 years of education to his presentations. He has been a featured speaker at the National ASCD Conference on Teaching Excellence as well as a frequent speaker at both regional and national NCTM's.

Cesar Fernandez
CESARDUZIT is a math teacher of 21 seasons. He is currently serving as the district contact for Expanded Learning in SUHSD. Cesar began The Educated Guess Podcast in 2016 to share the work and stories of educators and community game-changers. Streaming wherever you listen to top-shelf podcasts.

Dr. Andria “Andi” Fletcher
Dr. Andi is a nationally recognized expert in program, policy and fund development, with 24 years of experience supporting public/private partnerships, organizational leadership teams and local, state and national policies. As the Founding Director of one of the nation’s premier Expanded Learning Programs, she initiated California’s first comprehensive afterschool legislation, leading to $730 million in annual state funding. As a Consultant, she has worked closely with hundreds of programs, led major national and statewide initiatives and helped programs secure more than $200 million in balanced, diversified and sustainable funding.

Mary Flores
Mary started her career in expanded learning 12 years ago as a Program Leader. She is currently a Field Program & Operations Specialists for Think Together where she supports with the expansion of new programs and services to support school partners and internal teams across the organization.

Mike Freeman
Mike Freeman supervises school-based programs at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and holds a Master’s in Psychology, specializing in LGBTQ Youth Studies. Over the past 9 years, Mike has worked with LGBTQ youth and has led school-based initiatives working with students & staff on school campuses supporting LGBTQ clubs. Mike has facilitated multiple workshops bringing competency and knowledge to individuals who work with LGBTQ youth. Mike has worked to build capacity with a coalition of community members who work together to provide safe & nurturing spaces and reduce substance misuse among the LGBTQ youth population in Los Angeles.

Michael Funk
Michael Funk was appointed Director of the Expanded Learning Division for the California Department of Education in 2012. Building on California’s investment in Expanded Learning, Michael was charged with creating and implementing a strategic plan to support the development and sustainability of high-quality programs. Prior to this role, Michael founded the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center, regarded as a national model for community and afterschool programming rooted in Youth Development. Michael grew up in Idaho where he worked to create social justice ministries to serve urban and immigrant communities.

Robin Galas
For the past 12 years, Robin Galas has promoted educational equity by providing high-quality educational programming to K – 12 students, their families, and educators and providers who serve the students of those families. She has held multiple positions as both Adjunct Faculty and as Assistant Director with the Family Engagement Institute at Foothill College. In her current capacity at Chabot College, she supports college-readiness for low income, potential first-generation college students as the Director of the TRIO Educational Talent Search program and coordinates the Hayward Promise Neighborhood grant, a place-based initiative which supports residents in the South Hayward neighborhood.

Carlos Garcia
Carlos is passionate about making an impact in the lives of children and being able to provide a safe outlet. He is proud of how he built a meaningful afterschool culture of sports and enrichment activities. Carlos has been instrumental in implementing numerous activities, campaigns, and programs that offer students exposure and development in leadership, arts, science, and many other enrichment platforms. Carlos believes expanded learning programs great to provide access to fields normally not available for underprivileged youth. Carlos is currently a Regional Director for LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell Branch.

Elvy Garcia
Elvy Garcia’s experience emerges from over 16 years in the out-of-school time. She is Regional Director who has extensive field experience working with diverse teams, youth, and communities throughout her professional and academic career. She has a B.A in Sociology and M.P.A– Public Sector Management & Leadership from CSUN. She is an alumnus of the California School Age-Consortium Leadership Development Institute for Emerging Leaders of Color. She is also completing her certification as a life and leadership coach. Furthermore, Elvy is the co-facilitator and an alumnus for the Sisters Inspiring Change mentorship group in Los Angeles.

Dan Gilbert
Dan directs the Afterschool Alliance’s work around social and emotional learning (SEL), manages the Alliance's webinar offerings, and coordinates efforts with partner organizations. Dan has experience working for Massachusetts state government, European Parliament, and political campaigns, and most recently worked at the Alliance for Excellent Education’s Center for Digital Learning & Policy. He has a Master’s in Public Administration from the Trachtenberg School at the George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Northeastern University in Boston.

Shawn Ginwright, Ph.D.
Shawn Ginwright, Ph.D. is one of the nation’s leading innovators, provocateurs, and thought leaders on African American youth, youth activism, and youth development. He is a Professor of Education in the Africana Studies Department and a Senior Research Associate at San Francisco State University. His research examines the ways in which youth in urban communities navigate through the constraints of poverty and struggle to create equality and justice in their schools and communities. Dr. Ginwright is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flourish Agenda, Inc., a national nonprofit consulting firm, whose mission is to design strategies that unlock the power of healing and engage youth of color and adult allies in transforming their schools and communities.

Jodi Grant
Since 2005, Jodi Grant has been Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. In America today, 11.3 million children take care of themselves after the school day ends, more than 10 million students are in afterschool programs but the parents of almost 20 million children say their kids would participate if a program were available. The Afterschool Alliance seeks to educate the public, the media and policymakers about the enormous potential of quality afterschool programs and how programs across the country are inspiring children and creating opportunities for them to succeed academically, socially and professionally. The Afterschool Alliance serves as a national voice for afterschool and provides resources and materials to more than 25,000 afterschool programs. It organizes national and local afterschool events, including the organization’s signature event, Lights On Afterschool; conducts research on the need and support for afterschool; creates tools for afterschool practitioners; and connects afterschool leaders to national, state and local opinion leaders.

As Executive Director, Grant oversees all aspects of the Afterschool Alliance’s work – setting its goals and strategies for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, working with the field to help programs tap into federal funding streams, and supervising research to help national, state and local afterschool advocates and providers support, create and expand quality afterschool programs.

Prior to joining the Afterschool Alliance, Grant served as Director of Work and Family Programs for the National Partnership for Women & Families. In that position, she worked to protect and expand the Family & Medical Leave Act and was a member of the team that successfully defended the law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, she worked on Capitol Hill as General Counsel to the Senate Budget Committee and as Staff Director for a Senate Committee. Her legislative accomplishments include expanded support for the child tax credit, the Child Health Insurance Program and class size reduction. She also served as liaison to the National Governors’ Association, where she worked closely with Republican and Democratic governors.
Grant graduated from Yale University with honors and was elected senior class president. She received her law degree from Harvard University, where she was elected class president (first marshall). As a student, she volunteered at an afterschool program. She currently serves as a Trustee of the America’s Promise Alliance, and on the Steering Committee of the Coalition for Community Schools. Grant, her husband, and two children live in Bethesda, Maryland. She moonlights as a spin instructor at a local gym.

Dee Hankins
Dee Hankins is a nationally acclaimed inspirational speaker helping people focus on resilience; the ability to bounce back. He spent 18 years in foster care bouncing around to 12 homes and 2 group homes by the time he was 12 years old. Instead of letting the system write his story, Dee took his pen back, focused on his resilience and started writing his own. A story he now shares with thousands of people around the country every year. Once a troubled, “at-risk” youth, now a dynamic, inspirational, and passionate speaker; Dee Hankins is helping people realize that life throws curveballs but even curveballs can be hit for home runs!

Daniel W. Hatcher
Daniel W. Hatcher is the Director of Community Partnerships at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation where he has served since 2008. At Healthier Generation, Daniel oversees out-of-school time partnerships and manages technical assistance services and resources for before and after school and summer programs as they work to achieve national standards for healthy eating and physical activity. Daniel has a BA in International Relations and a Master of Public Health, both from Western Kentucky University. You can follow Daniel as he speaks across the country on the topic of healthy communities via Twitter @hatchdw.

Clarissa Hayes
Clarissa Hayes joined FRAC in February 2015. As a senior child nutrition policy analyst, she works with anti-hunger organizations as well as with local, state, and national governments to expand the use of afterschool and summer nutrition programs. Before joining FRAC, Clarissa was an anti-hunger program associate at Maryland Hunger Solutions (an initiative of FRAC) and worked to increase participation in the child nutrition programs across the state. She has also completed two years of national community service through AmeriCorps NCCC and AmeriCorps VISTA.

Angelina Hernandez
Angelina Hernandez began her career over 14 years ago as a Program Leader in afterschool and summer programs. In that time, she has held multiple positions. As the Director of Strategic Projects, Angelina leads a myriad of projects which include contributions to employee engagement, policy and advocacy. Angelina received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in English Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s Degree from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development in Educational Leadership, Politics and Advocacy.

John Hiester
John is the ED of Breakthrough Silicon Valley, which supports low-income, first-gen students to college while inspiring future educators. John is passionate about youth development, building and teams, and supporting others to reach their potential. Prior to BTSV, John served in a variety of leadership roles at Year Up Bay Area, including Founding Site Director for the Silicon Valley campus. John has served as a committee member for several area initiatives, including the East Side Alliance, the Opportunity Youth Partnership, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He holds a BA in Spanish from Kenyon College and an MBA from Boston University.

Jahaziel “Jazi” Hiriart
Jahaziel “Jazi” Hiriart is responsible for expanding the impact of social and emotional learning as a citywide initiative. Jazi coordinates SEL efforts, connects related initiatives, and leads the design process while working closely with key partners, school and OST staff and researchers. Passionate about community transformation and human capital development, she has experience working with young professionals and early childhood organizations. She is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in educational leadership at ORU.

Nathan Houston

Nathan E. Houston is the Director of Training & Professional Development/Site Specialist for Center for Fathers and Families. He has worked his way up from program participant, volunteer, front-line staff, Site Coordinator and now a Director at CFF. Nathan is also the founder and creator of #iAmImpact which is more than a brand it is a lifestyle that he shares with expanded learning practitioners. Nathan’s ability and devotion to positively impact everyone he comes in contact with is an extension of the work he does on a daily basis.

Michael Jacobus
Michael Jacobus is an internationally recognized author, child-development specialist and camp professional. He has an extensive background in youth-serving nonprofits, staff training, operations, administration, and outdoor education. In the summer of 2018, Michael started the world's first clinical summer camp program for teens and adolescents suffering from unhealthy screen-time and social-media overuse habits and gaming addiction. Reset Summer Camp for Digital Detox.

Sheila James
Sheila has served as a champion for children and dedicated youth advocate for 25 years. She has been a leader among her peers to drive quality and consistency of the site experience through coaching, training and mentoring throughout the US and home in Central Ohio. With the intent of delivering best practice information, relevant resources, and updating significant changing trends in the after-school field; Sheila is committed to advancing children’s learning and social development by equipping those who work in programs with impactful tools they need to be successful.

Alexis Jefferson
Alexis D. Jefferson is the Program Manager at the Institute of Creative Community Initiatives (ICCI). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She also received her Master’s degree in International Community Development from Northwest University. Alexis has an extensive background in performing and teaching dance and creative movement. As ICCI’s program manager she enjoys being a mentor and role model to the youth and making a positive impact in her community through ICCI’s prevention-focused initiatives.

Dr. Tasha Johnson Tasha Franklin Johnson, Ph.D.
Tasha Franklin Johnson, Ph.D., is an educational strategist with expertise in the areas of teacher development, leadership development, and urban education. She has international and domestic experience developing transformative practices that will have high impact results on issues of social justice and equity, particularly in the K-12 education sector. Dr. Johnson holds several degrees to include bachelor’s degrees in Organizational Behavior & Business Policy and African American studies from SMU, a master’s degree in Administration, Planning & Social Policy from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Early Childhood & Elementary Education from NYU.

Al Johnson
Al Johnson is currently a Social Work student. Sharing from their own experiences, Al brings understanding to the non-binary acceptance. Al has presented to hundreds of people sharing their experiences as a trans person. Their passion work is with local youth, providing resources to GSA’s and facilitating support groups.

Dr. Anna Katz
Dr. Anna Katz manages partnerships for Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit working to close the gender gap in technology. Anna began her career as an attorney strategically positioning startup companies and facilitating investments. Working with cutting-edge technologies inspired Anna to leave legal practice in favor of leading cross-functional design and development teams, and Anna has been instrumental in bringing to life award-winning digital products. Anna joined Girls Who Code to support the next generation of women in technology-related fields, and she works closely with stakeholders to facilitate access to STEM opportunities.

Arlene Kee
As Assistant Director for Youth Services, within the Education Authority for Northern Ireland, Arlene is responsible for the strategic planning and delivery of youth services. Her primary objectives are to support the overall educational attainment of young people; to enable them to explore their values and beliefs which in turn results in them becoming active citizens within their community. Most importantly, children and young people are facilitated to have a voice in their own lives.

Sangita Kumar
Sangita Kumar is a results-based organizational development consultant and facilitator dedicated to the empowerment of individuals and our communities. Sangita’s experience over the past 15 years ranges from coaching, professional development, strategic planning, program design, and curriculum development. Sangita holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Development, is a Certified Life Coach, and completed a two-year certification in Somatics and Trauma.

Brad Lademann
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 afterschool program coordinator. Brad currently works with program coaches across Missouri to raise the quality of OST programming in the state. He also writes for the BOOST Café Blog, conducts trainings in Missouri, presents at statewide and national conferences, and is part of the NIOST Afterschool Matters Fellowship.

Mele Lau-Smith
Mele Lau-Smith has been working in public health and public education in San Francisco for nearly 30 years. For the past seven years, she has served as an Executive Director in Student, Family, Community Support Division of SFUSD overseeing Community Schools and Family Partnerships which includes the ExCEL/BEACON after school programs, family partnerships, community partnerships, and translation & interpretation. She has now added Pupil Services to her repertoire – which includes safe and supportive culture & climate, attendance, and discipline. SEL is infused throughout all those areas. Prior to working in the school district, she worked for the SF Department of Public Health for over 20 years, partnering with community-based organizations to implement the Community Action Model focusing on community-driven environmental tobacco prevention policy change.

Alejandra Liera
Alejandra Liera “Coach Purple” joined Playworks as an Americorps Program Coordinator, serving the community of Huntington Park in Southern California. Prior to coming on board, Alejandra worked with other Non-profit organizations such as LA’s BEST, LA KIDS and worked for the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Her passion for enhancing the communities we serve and promoting positive youth development has been her driving force throughout her professional development.

David Lo
David Lo, CAE currently serves as a Senior Program Manager at the California Society of CPAs (CalCPA). His primary responsibilities include empowering all Californians through financial literacy, promoting the CPA profession among high school and college students and career outreach to underrepresented minority populations. David is an active member with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and California Society of Association Executives (CalSAE). He has served on CalSAE’s government relations committee and Southern California regional council as a member at large.

Fausto A. López
Fausto A. López is a senior technical assistance consultant working on school climate; social and emotional learning; and afterschool and expanded learning initiatives at AIR. López specializes in the U.S. Department of Education, Elementary and Secondary Education Act initiatives (21st CCLC, GEAR UP, and Upward Bound). He facilitates national, regional, and statewide educational workshops that bring the most up-to-date research to the field in exciting and relatable formats (e.g., Beyond the Bell Toolkit). He holds a master’s degree in education psychology-youth development from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Bettina Love
Dr. Love is one of the field’s most esteemed educational researchers in the area of Hip Hop education. Her research focuses on the ways in which urban youth negotiate Hip Hop music and culture to form social, cultural, and political identities to create new and sustaining ways of thinking about urban education and intersectional social justice. Her work is also concerned with how teachers and schools working with parents and communities can build communal, civically engaged schools rooted in intersectional social justice for the goal of equitable classrooms.

Brad Lupien
Brad Lupien is President and CEO of arc. He earned his BA in Social Work from the UVM and a Masters in the Art of Teaching from Simmons College. Brad began his career as a teacher and social worker in the juvenile justice system and as a special education teacher in Boston, MA. He is also a member of the LIAS Executive Advisory, a founding member of the youth Take Action Campaign, a Vistage (CE 3494) member, alumni representative of Leadership North County class of 2012, advisory board member for Just in Time for Youth and also a playmate to his son, Jonah, and daughter, Sydney, and a dedicated partner to his wife, Jessica.

Susan Manheimer
Susan Manheimer served almost 17 years with the San Francisco Police Department. She proposed and spearheaded the first Business Improvement District and Safety Ambassador program for the city and county. Chief Manheimer was recruited by the City of San Mateo and appointed Chief of Police in May 2000. Under her leadership, with the support of the City of San Mateo, and the men and women of the SMPD, evidence-based, sustainable solutions that strike at the root of neighborhood safety have improved the quality of life in San Mateo. She also serves on the International Association of Chiefs of Police Juvenile Justice Committee.

Fong Marcolongo
Fong’s expertise resides in program design, staff development, youth development, and specializes in creating interactive visual frameworks for group collaboration and strategic visioning. Fong has over 10 years of working in the non-profit sector, where she served as direct line staff, Site Coordinator, Program Director, and Curriculum Developer. Fong uses her graphic facilitation skills to lead participants in their process design using creativity to achieve fruitful outcomes. She studied Global Affairs at the University of San Francisco.

Lesley Martin
Lesley Martin has been an Odds Changer at Think Together for 10 years. She started her career as a Program Leader and later transitioned to the role of Site Coordinator for a new district partner. She became a Quality Assurance Coach for ASES programs and enjoys building strong relationships with district partners. She currently supports Student Support Services by fostering the growth of new partnerships and programs. Each of these roles has supported her growth and leadership and has allowed her to impact diverse districts and communities.

Cindy Martinez
Cindy Martinez has a broad career in the Expanded Learning field and is currently serving as a Director of Program & Operations at a non-profit organization, Think Together. Cindy holds a Master of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, which combined with thirteen years of experience in the After-School community, makes her a strong ally for youth.

Tia Martinez, JD
Tia Elena Martinez has over 25 years’ experience working for social justice in working-class communities of color in the United States. Over the decades her work spanned a wide range of issues including K-12 education, the HIV epidemic, the war on drugs, homelessness, affordable housing, disconnected youth, and immigration. She is currently the CEO of Forward Change, an organization that helps advocates and community organizers use data, strategy and research to advance racial, economic, and gender justice.

Justin McGlamery
Justin McGlamery is Founder and Chief Locus Focuser for Focus Your Locus Teambuilding Training & Development and is a Master Trainer for Wingman, a project of Dylan’s Wings of Change. For more than two decades, Justin has taught Experiential Education and Leadership & Group Dynamics courses at the university level and facilitates social-emotional learning groups, team building, leadership development, mindfulness workshops, and teacher trainings. Justin is a regular presenter and keynote speaker at national and international conferences and is a co-author of Focus Your Locus: Activities that Focus the Power of Individuals and Groups (2010).

Samira Mejia
Samira has a 12-year history with Think Together starting in 2007. She joined us as a Site Coordinator and has explored multiple positions across several regions. She continues to share her deeply rooted passion and heart for making an impact on the staff she works with and the students we serve.

Raul Menjivar
Raul Menjivar has been part of the Beyond the Bell Team since 2017 and he is currently Traveling Program Supervisor for the North West Region. He is a product of Beyond the Bell having participated in Youth Services during his elementary and middle school years. He was part of the Sports Program his three years in middle school, which prepared him to participate in varsity sports in high school. He is currently working on his Kinesiology degree at California State University, Los Angeles as he continues to assist his staff in providing quality programs to all students.

Dr. Jessica Mitchell
Dr. Jessica Mitchell, Associate Director of Research and Evaluation at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), leads research and evaluation projects to assess and strengthen youth outcomes and engages thought leaders in youth development and mentoring for collective impact. She has worked in research, evaluation, and grant management capacities on federal and state-funded grants at the Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. Dr. Mitchell works with colleagues across the country to study youth mentoring, at-risk juveniles, program evaluation, sexual assault, and co-occurring disorders among special populations.

Kathie Moehlig
Kathie Moehlig is the Executive Director of TransFamily Support Services and a leading authority on supporting transgender and non-binary youth and their families. A tireless advocate for the LGBTQ community, she was named “Woman of the Year” by California Assemblyperson Todd Gloria. A certified life coach, parenting instructor and motivational speaker, Kathie’s work has been featured in the New York Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune and on NBC News. She is regularly crisscrossing the country to work with families, schools, healthcare, and organizations to promote understanding, inclusion, and equality.

Christian Moore
Christian Moore is an internationally renowned speaker, social worker, and author of The Resilience Breakthrough. The WhyTry Program that he authored is used in 20,000 institutions worldwide and has proven to effectively teach the social and emotional skills needed to thrive in school and life.

Zakir “Zak” Parpia
Zakir Parpia is currently overseeing core programming of the organization, including our leadership development work and grassroots advocacy. Zak joined the CalSAC team in 2010 with an extensive background in sports-based youth development and physical activity-focused afterschool programming. While at CalSAC, Zak has worked in collaboration with research institutions to design and implement STEM professional development programs, has overseen a complex county-wide professional development and retention program, has overseen program budgets totally over $1 million, and has managed staff and interns.

Dr. Ruby Payne round1 Dr. Ruby K. Payne
Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D. is the founder of aha! Process and an author, speaker, publisher, and career educator. Recognized internationally for A Framework for Understanding Poverty, her foundational book and workshop, Dr. Ruby Payne has helped students and adults of all economic backgrounds achieve academic, professional, and personal success. As an expert on the mindsets of economic classes and overcoming the hurdles of poverty, she has trained hundreds of thousands of professionals, from educators and school administrators to community, church, and business leaders. Payne founded aha! Process in 1996 to offer a broad range of training solutions–workshops, consulting, books, and trainings for K–12, higher education, and communities—with a focus on creating sustainable success for everyone.

Dr. Vincent Pompei
Dr. Vincent Pompei is the Director of the Youth Well-Being Project at the Human Rights Campaign. One of his primary roles at HRC is to direct Time to THRIVE, an annual national conference for educators to promote safety, inclusion, and well-being for LGBTQ youth. Previously, Pompei served as President for the California Association of School Counselors and spent over ten years as a teacher and school counselor. He was also an LGBTQ cadre trainer for the National Education Association and authored the LGBTQ section of the American School Counselor Association’s National Model.

Jeff M. Poulin
Jeff M. Poulin is the founder of Creative Generation, working to inspire, connect, and amplify the work of organizations and individuals committed to cultivating the creative capacities of young people. As a recognized leader, he previously led a national program, where he advanced local, state, and federal policies supportive of equitable access to arts learning throughout the U.S. A seasoned educator, Jeff teaches at several universities and trains 10,000+ people annually around the globe. Jeff is a tap dancer by trade and continues to mentor young dancers in the U.S. and in the U.K.

Richard Reyes
Richard Reyes has shared his journey of becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree with over 100,000 students throughout the United States. He launched PLUS ME Project in 2013 after earning his BA from Occidental College and his MA from California State University, Los Angeles. Richard is a social justice advocate who believes everyone has a story that matters.

Rachel Reynolds
Rachel is the Outreach and Prevention Specialist at National Runaway Safeline. Rachel manages the Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum and other educational materials and services to social service agencies schools, and state and national governmental departments. She also leads in the planning and promotion of National Runaway Prevention Month. Rachel received her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health from DePaul University. She has experience in research, evaluation, health promotion, and education.

Vereaux Reynolds
Vereaux Reynolds is an Entrepreneur and Operations leader. She combines her passion for empowering youth with her business acumen and experience working in a large school system to operate Rising Tide Professional Services LLC helping young people overcome barriers to professional success while authentically living with passion and in purpose through transformational workshop series. Vereaux studied Mechanical Engineering at the Univ. of Southern California, earned an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership through a 2-year full-time residency program with the Broad Center.

Aleah Rosario
Aleah Rosario leads the Expanded Learning project for the Workforce Development team of the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Previously, Aleah oversaw the country’s first year-long leadership development fellowship for emerging leaders of color in the out-of-school time field, various professional development initiatives to build the capacity of youth workers, and grassroots advocacy efforts in support of afterschool policies and funding. She is an alum of CalSAC’s Leadership Development Institute and is a White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellow.

Eric Rowles
Eric Rowles is a BOOST Ambassador and one of the country's most sought after experts on generational diversity, millennial culture, substance abuse prevention, and workforce development. He is a nationally recognized trainer, speaker, and consultant who has worked with over 150,000 youth, adults, administrators, professionals, and policymakers within the past 15 years. Previously, Eric served as the Director of Training for the Youth Leadership Institute, Director of International Summer Programs for ELS Language Services, and Prevention Coordinator for Riverside County Friday Night Live.

Harlyn Santos
Harlyn believes that education is the foundation for a child’s success in work and life. As a mother, she wants her child to experience the world as a place with endless possibilities. She is passionate about playing a role in providing similar experiences for the students we serve. In her 18 years working in the afterschool world, she has seen that quality expanded-learning programs are essential for helping students gain confidence, improve academically and expand their horizons. In her role as Director of Program and Operations, she finds joy in empowering and developing her direct reports so that they cultivate the innate talents of the staff and students they work with through quality programming. She believes that through the collective efforts of our organization, our district partners and stakeholders, we will change the odds for the students in the communities that need it the most.

Sarita Sashington
Sarita Sashington is the Strategic Relationship Manager responsible for the growth, management and nurturing of Be Strong Families Café Community of Practice & International Relationships. Sarita believes in nurturing the spirit of family, creating safe spaces for transformational conversations, and the power of cultural humility.

Angie Scott
Angie Scott, Director of Youth Protection for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has worked in partnership with the Vice President of Youth Protection, to support the research and advancement of effective child protection strategies across BBBS’ nationwide network. Previously, Scott provided direct service to children and families for four years through BBBS of Tampa Bay. She has experience working with child and adult sexual assault and trauma survivors, and has received training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Advocacy Core Training through the Florida Council of Against Sexual Violence.

Stu Semigran
Stu has more than thirty years of experience as an educator, developing and facilitating training programs for youth and adults in educational settings worldwide. He has trained thousands of youth, professionals, educators, and parents in leadership development, dropout prevention, conflict resolution, violence prevention, team building, self-esteem, and service-learning programs. Mr. Semigran holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a California Lifetime Teaching Credential and a Master’s Degrees in Theology and Psychology. Mr. Semigran has developed an education curriculum, including Making the Best of Me: A Handbook for Student Excellence and Self-Esteem. From 1995-2000, in his position as EduCare’s President, Stu was instrumental in implementing school reform at over 70 schools and children’s centers through the Annenberg Project; LEARN Reform of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Mr. Semigran also currently serves on LAUSD Beyond The Bell’s Take Action Campaign steering committee. Under his leadership, EduCare has grown to serve over 25,000 students each year. Stu was a 2012 Humanitarian Award recipient, recognized by the David Chow Humanitarian Award Foundation for his service to youth.

Khariyyah Shabazz
Khariyyah Shabazz obtained her bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Cal State East Bay. After dipping her toes into the corporate life, she immediately chose to seek a job with purpose. Khariyyah has worked in youth development for the past 10 years with the organization's Higher Ground. Six of those years she spent facilitating after school programs at Madison Park Academy and New Highland Academy. Khariyyah is currently responsible for running the entire organization which includes managing all outside partnerships and contracts, managing our peer leadership workforce development program, and training all after school program sites.

Dr. Ginger Shea

Dr. Shea’s job in expanded learning allows her to play for a living. She has worked in education for 20+ years, 10 with After School Education and Safety (ASES) funded programs in a Title I district in Oxnard, California. She provides high quality afterschool and summer learning programs. She participates on committees with the California Department of Education (CDE) Expanded Learning Division (EXLD) and California Afterschool Network (CAN). She co-chaired the Summer Learning Implementation Committee. The CDE awarded her programs the Distinguish After School Health (DASH) award. Dr. Shea began by teaching middle school and has become a district-level administrator advocating for afterschool. She completed her doctorate at Fresno State focused on closing the opportunity gap for students from low-income families during the summer months.

Suzanne Sillett
With over 25 years of experience with coaching and sports-based youth development, Suzanne is Coaching Corps’ resident expert on curriculum development and training. Her focus is to ensure all coaches are trained and supported effectively in order to provide youth with quality coaching. She has coached at several colleges, clubs and high schools and represented the U.S. Soccer Foundation as a national trainer. In 2018, she participated in The Aspen Institute’s strategic advisory group, Coaching SEL in Youth Sports. Suzanne earned her MS from San Francisco State University and her BA at the University of California, Davis.

Sandy Slade round Sandy Slade
Basketball phenom, Sandy Spin Slade entertained thousands at NBA half-times and special events around the globe. She revolutionized the educational market by introducing Skillastics®, the #1 large group physical activity resource. Sandy is also known for being one of the premier session speakers/presenters at Physical Education & After School Conferences throughout the country, inspiring thousands to enjoy all the benefits physical activity provides.”

Valerie Sloane
Valerie Sloane is the creative lead on Students Rebuild, helping craft the art education experiences offered to K-12 students. She also re-envisions and reimagines student art created in the program into large, public art exhibits with trusted and mission-aligned partners. Valerie holds a degree in Art History and Education from the University of Washington, and a master’s in Art Education from Boston University. She is devoted to student art, expression, and facilitating connection and meaning between young artists, thinkers, and their communities.

Aminta Steinbach
In her 20 years working with young people, Aminta has been a Program Coordinator, Youth Leadership Instructor, and Program Director. Aminta majored in Community Studies, has studied Recreational Program Design and is a Certified Self Defense Instructor. Her areas of expertise as a capacity builder include Cultural Competency, Health, and Safety Awareness and Community Building. Aminta is an enthusiastic cheerleader for her coaching clients, listens attentively, pays attention to details and acts as a compassionate guide through even the most difficult transitions.

Alexis Steines
As the Senior Director of Field Outreach, Alexis Steines serves as the liaison between the Afterschool Alliance and its growing network of afterschool providers. She keeps the field up-to-date on the ever-changing afterschool policy landscape and mobilizes them to affect the development of afterschool-related public policy. Alexis directs the Afterschool Alliance’s national AmeriCorps VISTA project focused on creating sustainable afterschool programs, increasing participation in the afterschool and summer meal programs and expanding access to STEM education afterschool.

Angela Strickland
Angela Strickland is a Program Director for the YMCA of Western North Carolina. She has an Early Childhood Degree, along with Administrative Credentials in Early Childhood and Childcare Business Basics. She has worked with the YMCA for 10 years as well as the local school district, directing their afterschool programs and as a teaching assistant. She loves the outdoors, singing, camping, travel, and helping with service programs. Angela has a true passion for working with youth and families.

Devin Swift-Bailey
Devin Swift currently works as the Team Specialist for Chicago Youth Center (CYC)- Rebecca K. Crown in South Shore. In his former role as the Maker Lab Specialist at CYC, Devin used his knowledge of Web Graphic Design to spearhead programs such as Robotics, Film Making, Coding, and Game Design. These programs continue to enhance CYC's youths' creative drive and interest in STEAM.

Tim Taggart
Tim Taggart is a well respected National Presenter with over 22 years of experience in Physical Education and has been conducting professional development workshops for the past 10 years. Tim has traveled internationally from coast to coast to present games and equipment that meet state and national standards.

Emily Tay
Emily Tay is a Project Coordinator at the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). She provides technical assistance and support to expanded learning programs in Los Angeles County that are funded by the After School Education and Safety program and the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. Prior to her time at LACOE, Emily served as a Supervisory Program Specialist for the United States Army’s after school program in Heidelberg, Germany. Emily earned a degree in psychology from Harvard University, and a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach.

Valerie Tomici
Valerie Tomici is the Manager of Community Partnerships and Outreach at Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit that works to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. As a passionate advocate of educational access and equity, Valerie works to foster strong community partnerships with school districts, library networks, and community-based organizations so that every girl has the opportunity to gain the confidence and skills she needs to succeed in the 21st century.

David Tong
David Tong is the Director of TGR EDU: Create, TGR Foundation’s educator training program dedicated to broadening access to high-quality learning environments and unlocking student potential. Our educator opportunities incorporate interdisciplinary approaches with content focused on STEM, college access and career connections. Continuous learning through in-person training and a collaborative online digital community will allow educators to adapt effective inquiry-based, student-centered pedagogy to emphasize positive youth development and student empowerment.

Jimena Toscano
Jimena has worked in the before and after school field for over 15 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has hands-on experience managing programs from site level to district-wide, coordinating District and City events, training and evaluating staff, and managing grants for before and after school programs. She currently oversees the LAUSD/Beyond the Bell Branch’s Ready-Set-Go! Before School Program/Beyond the Bell Branch’s Ready-Set-Go! Before School Program.

David Tuero
David has worked in the before and after school field for over 25 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He is currently the administrator for the LAUSD/Beyond the Bell Branch’s Ready-Set-Go! Before School Program.

Andy Tupy
Andy is the West Regional Sales Manager for Gopher, a nationwide vendor for Physical Education, Athletics, Fitness, Recreation and Health. Over the past 13 years at Gopher, Andy has lead over 100 activity sessions all over the nation including internationally. Some include the state PE conventions in New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, California, Alaska, and Hawaii. Recently, Andy had started presenting at international conferences in Barcelona and Hong Kong.

Dr. Kathleen Van Antwerp
Dr. Van Antwerp is a leader in juvenile justice, youth outreach, and educational reform. For over 30 years she has been at the forefront of developing effective educational and youth outreach programs for at-risk children and adolescents in public schools, court and community schools, emergency care shelters, foster care, and juvenile hall.

Catherine Van Ness
Catherine Van Ness joined Fight Crime: Invest in Kids in 2015, and serves as Associate Director for State Operations & Policy. In this role, she leads the organization's state policy work in New Jersey and New York, supports our nine-state offices, and manages the organization's afterschool campaign. Catherine has extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, previously with direct programming, providing educational and leadership opportunities to minority middle school students and facilitating international dance exchange programming. Catherine is currently completing her Masters in Education Policy Studies at George Washington University.

Dr. Femi Vance
Dr. Femi Vance is a researcher at American Institutes for Research where she researches and evaluates out-of-school time programs and provides technical assistance to youth development professionals. She has expertise in youth program quality, social and emotional learning, evaluation capacity building, and skill-building in youth programs. She strives to translate her research into practice. She is currently a National Summer Learning Field Consultant, and she serves on the board of the California School-Age Consortium. Dr. Vance holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy from UC Irvine.

Leo VanWarmerdam
Leo is a passionate, high energy facilitator known by his peers as a game master! His creativity expands beyond games as he has been customizing experiential programs for hundreds of organizations over the past 15 years. Growing up on a dairy farm near Sacramento, CA he brings a salt of the earth energy as a dynamic and highly intentional facilitator. From youth programs to staff and professional development experiences Leo is committed to creating fun and engaging experiences with equal importance on authentic takeaways and lasting impact. Leo lives in Venice, CA and the past five years has also worked on the CBS hit show SURVIVOR!

Steven L. Willis
Steven Willis is the STEAM Program Manager at Chicago Youth Centers (CYC). His experience is mainly with informal STEAM teaching and learning, college/career readiness, and leadership/character development. Steven has presented at national and international conferences and sat on various committees. In 2019, Steven accepted the STEAM Program Manager role with the charge of developing hands-on STEAM programs to be practiced across all CYC. Steven is a key player in designing and transforming teaching spaces at Chicago Youth Centers into Maker Labs.

Kelly Wise
Kelly Wise currently serves as a Technical Advisor for YMCA of the USA. She trains, consults and supports local YMCA’s youth development program and organizational strategies and practices across the nation. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Purdue University. Her expertise ranges from youth and teen development, family engagement, social enterprising, social and health prevention and organizational capacity building. Kelly’s personal and professional mission statement is “Live with a purpose to support with purpose.”

Nikki Yamashiro
Nikki works to coordinate and implement annual research activities, design surveys in the field and analyze research findings, and communicate the need for and successes of afterschool programs to stakeholders. Prior to joining the Afterschool Alliance, Nikki served as Policy Advisor at Third Way, where she handled domestic policy issues, and as a legislative assistant to former Rep. Hilda L. Solis, where she handled education and youth issues. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from UC San Diego and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Welcome to the BOOST Conference!

PRESENTER PROFILES

2020 BOOST Conference Speakers & Presenters