2010 Fellows

PLEASE NOTE! We are not currently accepting applications for the 2010-2011 Fellowship. Please check back for updates in fall 2011.

Congratulations to our Fellows in the News:

The Fellowship awards are funded by American Express and Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman. Find out more about our 2010-2011 Fellows below.

Meet the 2010-2011 Fellows:

Tom Barnett, Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services

A native of Northern Virginia, Tom’s practical experience in service to homelss families and individuals is diverse. Yet his work has always focused on helping people regain self-sufficiency through real, tangible resources such as stable housing. While working as a Housing Specialist in New York City, he gained experience in finding housing for families despite their personal obstacles and challenges. As the Director of scattered-site housing programs in New York and Virginia, he has been successful in engaging property owners in finding permanent housing for many homeless families. Now, as the Coordinator of a multi-agency Network of Housing Locators, Tom looks forward to partnering with other non-profits, businesses, government, and the community-at-large to find new ways to prevent and end homelessness.

Stephanie Berkowitz, Northern Virginia Family Service

Stephanie Berkowitz has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 16 years. She has extensive leadership experience in nonprofit management, program development, fundraising, communications, board relations, and strategic planning. She is currently a Vice President at Northern Virginia Family Service, overseeing a diverse spectrum of housing, workforce development, emergency assistance and transportation programs, including a 60-bed emergency family shelter and the largest food bank in Northern Virginia. From 2002-2008, Stephanie served as the Director of the Survivors’ Fund Project, a $25 million long-term recovery program for victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. In collaboration with the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, Stephanie played a key role in leading this nationally recognized, groundbreaking project. In addition, she led the Hurricane Katrina Project, serving Gulf Coast evacuees who relocated to Northern Virginia. Stephanie earned a BA in Psychology from Lafayette College, and a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Judy Berman, DC Appleseed

Judy Berman, Ph.D., is Deputy Director of DC Appleseed, a non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization focusing on making the District of Columbia a better place to live and work. She directs DC Appleseed’s Child Support, Special Education, Working Poor Families and Children’s Health projects. These projects include activities related to government agency reform, court reform with a focus on pro se litigants, offender re-entry, alternative dispute resolution, workforce development, economic development, and post-secondary education policy. Prior to joining the staff of DC Appleseed in 2006, Ms Berman worked for seven years with the Center for Effective Public Policy, a DC-based non-profit organization that focuses on national criminal justice policy, and worked in the areas of women offenders, sex offenders, violence against women, crime victims, offender re-entry, and collaboration within the criminal justice system. Previously, Ms. Berman’s career focused on violence against women policy and advocacy including serving as one of the country’s first state-level coalition staff to focus on housing and economic issues for victims of domestic violence. Ms Berman received her undergraduate degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and her doctorate in English with a concentration in American Studies and Gender Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Jean Bruggeman, Ayuda

Jean Bruggeman is the Director of the Community Legal Interpreter Bank, a project of Ayuda in Washington DC. The Bank increases access to justice for the Deaf and Limited English Proficient communities by providing trained, legal interpreters for all civil legal service providers in the District. The Bank includes specialized training for interpreters and service providers, testing of interpreter proficiency, and an evaluation component. Most recently, Jean was the Survivor Services Department Director for Boat People SOS, a national Vietnamese community-based organization. Jean led the development and implementation of the Community Against Domestic Violence (CADV) and Victims of Exploitation and Trafficking Assistance (VETA) programs. She supervised the legal and social service staff, conducted outreach and education within the Vietnamese community, and provided training and technical assistance to service providers around the country. She graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center and was awarded a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship to serve as the VAWA Attorney at Ayuda in Washington DC in 2000. Jean also holds an AB (Sociology/Anthropology) from Bryn Mawr College.

Curtis Cannon, Greater DC Cares

Curtis Cannon is the Director of Partner Services at Greater DC Cares, a leading coordinator of volunteerism and service in the Washington metropolitan region. In this role, he has lead responsibility for ensuring that over 800 nonprofits, 24,000 volunteers and a host of public and private partners across the region have access to the services provided by Greater DC Cares, which are aimed at building powerful nonprofits and increasing volunteer activism and engagement. Before joining Greater DC Cares, Curtis was the Enterprise Manager at Juma Ventures in San Francisco, a social enterprise nonprofit dedicated to youth development. Curtis also served as an AmeriCorps Vista at Net Impact, a national membership organization dedicated to building a network of professionals committed to using the power of business to create a more just and sustainable world.

Miyesha Perry Chappell, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Miyesha Perry Chappell is the Manager of Grants & Administration at the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, which funds nonprofit organizations in the metropolitan Washington area. Since 2002, Miyesha has served in both programmatic and operations positions at the Foundation, including program officer. As a program officer, her portfolio focused on groups working in the field of health (including primary care and mental health), those serving prisoners, ex-offenders and their families and those working to prevent and combat domestic violence and homelessness. In addition, Miyesha serves as Board Chair of the Black Philanthropic Alliance. Miyesha received a M.B.A. and B.A. from Trinity College. She is a second-generation Washingtonian and a proud graduate of DC Public Schools. Miyesha resides in Prince George’s County with her husband and two children.

Janice Cori, Polaris Project

Janice Cori joined Polaris Project as the Director of Development in June 2009. She brings more than ten years of professional nonprofit experience to the fundraising team. Prior to Polaris Project, Janice served as a Director, Development and Marketing for Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI) specializing in outsourced development and event fundraising. Before OAI, Janice was the National Director of Special Events for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) overseeing a $20 million walk fundraising campaign. She also worked as a Development Manager for Food & Friends raising funds for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging issues. Janice holds a BA in Educational Studies from the University of Delaware, a Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the University of Massachusetts and a MA in Women’s Studies from George Washington University. Currently, she is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

Catherine Crum, Miriam’s Kitchen

Catherine Crum is the Deputy Director of Miriam’s Kitchen, a social services, meal, and arts program for individuals who are homeless in Washington, DC. She has been a clinical social worker in DC since 1994, having spent nine years at the Whitman-Walker Clinic and seven at Miriam’s. Catherine has served on the Boards of HIPS and Miriam’s House, and she is currently the Board Development Chair of SpeakeasyDC. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Edinburgh, and a Master of Public Administration degree from American University. Catherine loves facilitating poetry and ESL groups at Miriam’s Kitchen, and her passion is bringing arts to underserved communities.

Keiva Dennis, National Housing Trust

Keiva Dennis serves as the Director of the National Housing Trust Community Development Fund (NHTCDF). She is responsible for loan underwriting and servicing, as well as coordinating and executing NHTCDF’s operations. She is involved in strengthening existing relationships and developing new relationships with borrowers, lending partners and funders. Ms. Dennis is certified as a Housing Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council. Prior to joining the Trust, Ms. Dennis was Assistant Vice President of Product Development at Deutsche Bank in New York where she was responsible for managing innovative Cash Management products for clients in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ms. Dennis has a Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the Yale School of Management and a B.S. from Cornell University.

Charles Evans, DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation

Charles J. Evans is totally committed to serving his community and helping young people find success and fulfillment. Charles is a Senior Program Officer for the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation.  In this role, he advises, assists, and monitors the progress of local community-based organizations that work with youth in the District.  He also provides managerial support and supervision to Trust program officers and manages several of the Trust’s strategic partnerships with District government agencies.  Prior to his work with the Trust, Charles was the Program Officer for Communications for the Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS) program which is administered by the United Negro College Fund.  In this role he conducted nationwide outreach to youth, parents, school administrators, and community based organizations about the GMS value proposition and  developed a male specific outreach strategy designed to increase the number of African American, Native American, and Latino boys that applied for and received the Gates Scholarship.

Charles is a 2009 Connecting Leaders Fellow with the Association of Black Foundation Executives.  Charles also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from James Madison University and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from George Mason University.

Ronald Galvin, Jr., IMPACT Silver Spring

Mr. Galvin (Ronnie), has committed his life’s work to community building, community organizing, and social change. Educationally, he earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the Citadel Military College of South Carolina (1990) and a Masters of Divinity degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ronnie began his organizing career as a community builder with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Civic Site Team in Atlanta, Georgia where he worked on the staff of the Center For Working Families and the Atlanta Civic Site of Annie E. Casey Foundation. During his 7-year career in the Casey constellation of programs and Civic Site initiatives Ronnie held responsibilities ranging from outreach and recruiting for the Site’s programming to facilitating resident-driven advocacy and change efforts. Most notable in these efforts was the creation of an “edgy” advocacy and organizing initiative known as the Dirty Truth Campaign, which to this day continues to serve as an effective convener of residents, policy makers, philanthropy, and media, in the effort to resolve quality of life challenges that continue to press struggling and overcoming families in Atlanta’s near Southside neighborhoods. As the Civic Site’s Senior Community Builder Ronnie also facilitated efforts to activate resident power, influence, and social networking capacities to inspire participation in the planning and building of a 31-acre transit-oriented and sustainable development project in these same Southside Atlanta neighborhoods.

In late February of 2010 Ronnie became the new Deputy Director at IMPACT Silver Spring where he leads a staff of 8 community organizers and network builders. Chief amongst the team’s work is an innovative collaborative with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and several other area non-profits to create a “thriving multicultural” Neighborhood Opportunity Network in Silver Spring and other areas in Montgomery County. This network represents diverse groups of residents and other community stakeholders who are freely exchanging gifts and talents and meeting needs within the framework of mutual support and accountability across their communities.

Ronnie is also a minister in-care in the United Church of Christ. His wonderful family includes his partner and wife, Dr. Yanique A. Redwood and two teenaged children– Alana and Darren.

Heather Bradley Kubo, Gandhi Brigade

Heather Bradley Kubo is the Deputy Director of the Gandhi Brigade, a youth media outfit based in Silver Spring that promotes peace and justice through grassroots media production and youth organizing.  Her commitment to youthwork began in El Salvador, where she spearheaded grassroots work with the United Nations Development Program to incorporate youth and participatory media production as a research model in human development studies.  She later adopted those learnings when she directed a Community in Schools program in the Washington DC neighborhood of Columbia Heights that brought critical literacy, family support, and supplemental opportunities to recently-arrived immigrant youth and their families. In 2007 she celebrated the publication of her first book, A través de su Propio Lente (UNICEF), a collection of children’s photography and writing that explores the impact of migration on youth in El Salvador. An advocate for the advancement of the youthwork field, you can find her taking youth development on the road as a facilitator of Advancing Youth Development (AYD) training and as a coordinator of the Silver Spring Youthworkers Coalition. Heather is a graduate of the George Washington University in Women’s Studies and Latin American Studies.

Kendra Lee, Asian American LEAD

Kendra Lee is the Director of Programs at Asian American LEAD (AALEAD), an organization that works with underserved Asian-American youth. For over ten years, Kendra has been involved with youth and education in a variety of settings as a teacher, volunteer, and mentor. Some of her experiences include teaching at Kwangju Foreign School in South Korea and working with youth as a volunteer in Ecuador and Guatemala. She also worked as a Project Editor at Pearson Prentice Hall and as a Summer Associate with United Way International. Kendra completed a B.S. in Education from Boston University and a Master of Education (Ed.M) from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also holds an MBA from Yale School of Management, with a concentration in non-profit management. She is proficient in Korean and Spanish, and enjoys learning new languages.

Rebekah McGee, Actions in Community Through Service (ACTS)

Rebekah McGee is currently the Program Director for the Emergency Assistance Program at ACTS (Action in Community Through Service), a non profit whose mission is to end homelessness, hunger, domestic violence and help people achieve self support in Prince William County. Her experience prior to ACTS focused on adults with Serious Mental Illness. She has been employed with non profit human services agencies since 2001. Having been exposed to and involved in the world of human services at a young age as both of her parents are long term employees with non profit human service agencies, it was a natural transition for her. She graduated from Gordon College in Wenham, MA with a BA in Psychology and a concentration in Missions. She currently serves as a member of the Cooperative Council of Ministries of PWC, The PWC Continuum Of Care, and well as the PWC Transportations Options Group. She has been a resident of Prince William County since 2004 with her groom of six years, Michael McGee.

Stefanie Renee Moreno, Mental Health Association (MHA) of Montgomery County

Stefanie Moreno, LCSW-C is the Deputy Executive Director of the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Montgomery County. She has maintained this position since 2001 and has worked at MHA for 12 years. Prior to her current position, she served as the Director of two of the organization’s programs – Voices VS Violence and Bridges to Pals. Her area of clinical expertise is in children, adolescents and family practice and her macro experience is in nonprofit management, program development, clinical & program supervision and advocacy. Ms. Moreno is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Clinical Concentration. She received her MSW from the Catholic University of America, National School of Social Services and her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and minor in Sociology from James Madison University.

John Odenwelder, Catholic Charities – Diocese of Arlington

As the Director of Hogar Immigrant Services, John leads a team of 16 paid employees and over 300 volunteers serving a diverse immigrant population across the 21 counties of the Diocese of Arlington. Before joining Hogar in 2007, John spent more than 15 years in the for-profit world, working in the US and overseas for telecom and Internet companies. John’s association with Hogar began in 2001 when he became the volunteer Site Coordinator of an adult ESL program in Falls Church. He went on to volunteer for six more years before accepting a full-time position with Catholic Charities. John was awarded a Bachelor’s in International Politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and an MBA from New York University. Originally from North Carolina, John now calls Virginia his home. He lives in Arlington with his wife, Nancy, and their two young children.

Mirna (Lupi) Quinteros-Grady, Latin American Youth Center / Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers

Lupi Quinteros-Grady is currently the Deputy Director for the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers (MMYC). MMYC is a division of the Latin American Youth Center, a nonprofit organization serving minority and immigrant youth by providing comprehensive, culturally sensitive programs in education, employment, and social services. She provides executive management expertise in the oversight of three sites in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties serving over 1,000 young people annually. She is an appointed Commissioner serving on the Governor’s Commission of Service & Volunteerism. She has worked in the field of youth development for 13 years and has implemented a variety of programs such as Upward Bound, Workforce Programs and AmeriCorps. She is a graduate of The George Washington University where she received a Master’s in Bilingual & Special Education.

Michael Rubin, Jewish Foundation for Group Homes

Michael Rubin is the Director of Operations for Jewish Foundation for Group Homes (JFGH) in Rockville, Maryland since 2006. His responsibilities include property management, information technology, office administration, and finance. Prior experience includes software development management in the private sector for Fidelity Investments and several software startups, as well as 7 years of program experience with JFGH. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Jews United for Justice and is active in a variety of interfaith activities in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Michael has a BA in History from the University of Maryland, College Park and an MBA in Nonprofit Management from the Heller School at Brandeis University.

Allison K. Stearns, The Center for Adoption Support and Education

Allison K. Stearns, Deputy Director at The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland. She has more than 15 years experience in leading programs and initiatives that serve children, youth and families in community and school-based settings. Prior to joining C.A.S.E. in 2008, Allison spent four years as the Director of Kensington Wheaton Youth Services, a program of the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Montgomery County, and previously, she served as the Administrative Coordinator of substance abuse, violence prevention, and student anti-bias education programs for Prince William County Public Schools from 1996-2004. Allison holds a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Boston University and a Master of Public Health from The Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of the Leadership Montgomery Class of 2010.

Ashley Stewart, National Summer Learning Association

Mr. Ashley B. Stewart directs the Baltimore City Comprehensive Community Initiative to Advance Summer Learning with the National Summer Learning Association. In this role, Stewart works to expand access and participation for low-income youth and families in summer programs through increased political support, alignment and sustainability of resources, enhanced knowledge and data sharing practices, and improved program quality. Prior to joining the Association, Stewart was as a Foreign Service officer serving in Mexico and the Dominican Republic where he administered public awareness services and developed innovative practices to strengthen U.S. border security. He also worked at the U.S. Department of Education as a speechwriter to the Secretary and has direct-service experience in education and after-school and summer programs. He earned a master’s degree in public policy with a concentration in education policy and leadership from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College.

Karen A. Szulgit, DC Primary Care Association

Karen A. Szulgit is the senior communications specialist at the DC Primary Care Association. Previously, Karen worked at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Earthjustice, and the Coast Alliance. In 2006, Szulgit served as the co-chair of the Democracy and Voting Rights Working Group for Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty’s e-Transition Team. She also served as secretary of the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition and was a top signature-gatherer for Measure #59, the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1998. Karen is a co-administrator of the FREE DC Defense Fund, a fundraising advisor for the independent documentary film, The Last Colony, and an election day poll worker. Szulgit has been published in The Washington Post, The Washington Times, and The Sunday Eagle-Tribune. She is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo.

Lyndsey Vierra, DC Scores

Lyndsey holds an undergraduate degree from American University in American Studies, and is also a graduate of Public Allies DC, a nonprofit apprenticeship program. Originally from Arlington, Virginia, Lyndsey first joined DC SCORES through Public Allies DC and has been with the organization since 2002. As deputy director, she oversees the elementary and middle school programs, including program evaluation, program quality, and staff development. Additionally, Lyndsey serves as the operations manager for DC SCORES. Lyndsey currently serves on The Point Foundation’s Board of Regents, helping to launch their national Alumni Association.

Juan Pablo Vacatello, Mi Casa

A native of Argentina, Juan Pablo Vacatello came to the Washington, DC area after completing his degree in Business Administration at the University of Buenos Aires. At Mi Casa, Inc. he works with low and moderate income families to help them access equal opportunities in housing, education, and other sectors of society. He is responsible for managing four coop conversion projects with a total of 200 units and development cost of $33 million. He is a graduate of the Housing Development Finance Professional Certification Program™ and serves as a Member of Housing Committee for the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development.

Artherelle K. West, East River Family Strengthening Collaborative

Artherelle K. West is a licensed social worker in Washington, DC and an active member of the National Association of Social Work. Ms. West graduated from Elizabeth City State University with a Bachelors of Art in Sociology/Pre-Social Work in 1979. In 1982 she received her Master in Social Work from Howard University. Ms. West is currently the Resources Development and Special Initiative Director at East River Family Strengthening Collaborative where she has been employed since January 2004. Ms. West is a community advocate and committed to invoked positive change in the Ward 7 community. She actively participated in the Ward 7 Core Team Meeting, and Far Southeast Weed and Seed Advisory Committee. Ms. West has been employed in child welfare for twenty-four years in various capacities, which include Adoption, Foster Care, Early Child Care, Youth Development, and Community Capacity Building. From 1983 through 1991 she was employed at various Consortium of Child Welfare Agencies as a social worker; assessing families and children in the areas of Adoption and Foster Care. In 1991 through 1992 she was the Supervisor of Group Homes at Family and Child Services were she provided staff supervision and program over site. From 1992 through 1998 she worked at the Child and Family Services Agency as an Adoptions Social Worker. From 1998 through 2001 she worked as the Director of Family Child Care and Youth Development for Family and Child Services of Washington DC and Nations Capitol Child and Family Development Organization. In this capacity she was responsible for the hiring and training of staff who worked with children and youth, program development and supervision of family Childcare Homes and After School Care Centers. In 2001 she joined the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative where she was employed as the Community Services Director. She works in this Ward 7 community based organization to increase the capacity of its residents and children to empower them with the knowledge and tools to become self sufficient. Self sufficiency was addressed by providing the community with the opportunity for voluntary case management, housing assistance for the homeless or those who had fallen behind on their rents for some unforeseen family crisis. In addition, families were provided training; youth and adult financial literacy, parent training and advocacy training via the organizations Advocacy and Outreach Apprenticeship Program. Youth programs were developed particularly during summer months by providing Mini-grants with local Ward 7 organizations and residents or individuals and/or organizations serving Ward 7 residents. In 2006 Ms. West became the Youths Services Director where she was responsible for program development and supervision of the Second Responders Program which is funded by the Mayor Youth Initiative and all Youth Services programming at East River Family Strengthening Collaborative. Effective October 2008 Ms. West assumed the position of Resource Development and Special Initiatives Director at East River Family Strengthening Collaborative.

Jasmin Witcher, Carpenter’s Shelter

A graduate of Frostburg State University, Jasmin Witcher holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications and has worked in the nonprofit sector for nearly a decade. Jasmin currently serves as Director of Development and Strategic Alliances at Carpenter’s Shelter in Alexandria, Virginia. In this position, Jasmin manages a comprehensive development program based on a formalized Development plan. With the help of a robust 15-member Development Committee, she assures that adequate funding for programs, services and special projects by securing financial resources from foundations, corporations, individuals and congregations. Prior to becoming Carpenter’s Development Director, Jasmin served for three and a half years as Carpenter’s Director of Volunteers, managing 1,000 + active volunteers. Jasmin recently completed the Executive Certification Program in Nonprofit Leadership through the Center for Social Leadership.

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