Harry Cheema | Audra Clark | AnnMaura Connolly | Betsy Cotton | Allison Felder
Tina Fernandes | Jeff Franco | Maria Aurora Frijas | Mathew George
Lauren Jarema | Mona Khajawi | Nicole Lucas | Jennifer Ney | Kerriann Peart
Christina Sedney | Joel Shuherk | Michael Stevens | Patricia Vargas | Stefanie Vestal
Kristin Walega | Tammy Whyte
Harry Cheema, Admissions and Alumni Affairs Manager
Harry Cheema graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2005 with a degree in Psychology. Upon graduating, he joined City Year Washington, DC serving as a first year corps member on the drug education team (DECYDE) in ’06-’07 and as the senior corps member for the DECYDE team in ’07-’08. Cheema now works as the Admissions and Alumni Affairs Manager for City Year Washington, DC where his duties include providing support in the recruitment and admissions process for all DC corps members, as well as coordinating alumni engagement activities for City Year alums in the Metro-DC area.
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Audra Clark, Deputy Director of Development
Audra Clark has a B.A. in Communication and Business Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and a Masters of Public Administration from The George Washington University, where she concentrated in non-profit management. Prior to coming to City Year, Clark served a year in San Antonio as a marketing and fundraising AmeriCorps*VISTA with ACCION Texas, the nation’s largest nonprofit microlender. Clark joined the City Year family in August 2004. As Development Director, she is responsible for all areas of fundraising, including media relations, donor engagement, proposal writing, external communications, and event planning. Clark’s motivation for fundraising for City Year stems from her desire to ensure that other young people have the same opportunity she had to serve as an AmeriCorps volunteer.
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AnnMaura Connolly, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President, City Year, Inc.
AnnMaura Connolly joined City Year as Chief of Staff in 2000 and then served as Senior Vice President for Global Initiatives and Strategic Partnerships. In 2009, she was named Chief External Affairs Officer. As CEAO, AnnMaura directs City Year’s public policy and public affairs work, manages relationships with national and international leaders and organizational partners, and oversees City Year’s international work. She also works closely with the CEO on a wide range of policy and strategic advancement issues and serves as a member of City Year’s Senior Leadership Team. In addition, AnnMaura serves as a co-convenor of ServiceNation, and oversees the day-to-day work of Voices for National Service, a coalition of hundreds of service organizations that work together to advance citizen service policy.
AnnMaura has worked to expand opportunities for young people to serve since 1989. After graduating from college, she served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Southern California. As a Jesuit Volunteer, she helped to create and lead a counseling program for refugees from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The program offered counseling and other assistance to victims of domestic violence, recent arrivals experiencing adjustment problems and young people with behavioral and emotional issues.
After returning to Washington in 1987, AnnMaura spent two years directing a national grants program and managing special projects at Very Special Arts, an international organization dedicated to increasing opportunities in the visual and performing arts for people with disabilities. In 1989, she joined the staff of Youth Service America, where she held several senior positions, and helped to create a series of new programs, including National Youth Service Day, the New Generation Training Program, the Social Entrepreneurs Program and the National Service Seminar. AnnMaura served as a member of the senior management team of Youth Service America for more than five years, during which her responsibilities included project development and management, policy, fundraising and communications.
In 1995, she joined the Corporation for National Service, where she served as Deputy Director, Independent Sector in the Office of Public Liaison. AnnMaura was responsible for managing relationships between the agency and foundations and national nonprofit organizations. In addition, she worked closely with the CEO on a variety of special projects, including the Presidents’ Summit on America’s Future. After leaving the Corporation in 1998, AnnMaura was an independent consultant to a variety of foundations and nonprofits, including the Grantmaker Forum on Community and National Service, Atlantic Philanthropies, the AmeriCorps Anniversary Committee and the Corporation for National Service. She joined City Year as Chief of Staff in 2000.
AnnMaura holds a B.A. in political science from the College of the Holy Cross. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Taproot Foundation, the Advisory Board for the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program at Brandeis University and the Steering Committees for the Civic Mission of Schools and Voices for National Service.
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Betsy Cotton, Development Manager
Betsy Cotton is a graduate of the University of Rochester (2005) with a major in Psychology and a minor in Mathematics. Upon graduating, she joined City Year Washington, DC where she served on the HIV/AIDS education team (HOPE). After her year of service, Cotton worked as a Research Assistant and Analyst at the consulting firm ICF International. Cotton returned to City Year in the summer of 2007 and now works as the Development Manager. Cotton is responsible for many day-to-day aspects of City Year’s development department, including website maintainence, e-newsletter production, sponsorship programs, database managment, donor identification, and assisting in the coordination of annual events such as CYDC’s Idealism In Action Gala.
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Allison Felder, Whole School Whole Child Program Manager
Allison Felder graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2007 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Biology and Spanish. After graduating Felder joined City Year San Antonio and served on the Gates Academy Whole School Whole Child Team. Allison returned the next year to City Year San Antonio to serve as the Team Leader for the Casey Family Programs Youth Outreach Team working with youth who had aged out of the foster care system. This year Felder will work as the Whole School Whole Child Program Manager for City Year Washington, DC with the Malcolm X Elementary Team.
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Tina Fernandes, Program Director
Originally from Massachusetts, Tina Fernandes graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2001. Fernandes served as a City Year Washington, DC corps member in 2001-2002 and returned the next year as a Senior Corps Member to manage the site-wide leadership development program for corps members. After serving as a City Year corps member for two years, Fernandes became a Special Education teacher and went on to work as a Development Assistant for New Community After School and Advocacy Program. She returned to City Year in 2006 as the Senior Program Manager for the HIV/AIDS Outreach, Prevention, & Education (HOPE) Team and now serves as Program Director.
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Jeff Franco, Executive Director
As Executive Director, Franco is responsible for raising the site's $3.1 million budget and oversees the program's service, recruitment, training, and evaluation components. He comes to City Year with extensive experience in the business development and management arena and has a successful track record of implementing corporate business/non-profit development plans. Prior to joining City Year, Franco served as the Director of Global Business Development and Project Manager at Voxiva, a technology company specializing in disease surveillance systems for HIV-AIDS, SARS and Avian Flu in developing world countries. Franco helped develop Voxiva’s corporate strategy, analyzed market entry conditions and evaluated new opportunities in Latin America, Africa, and the US. Over the past 12 years, he has also worked as a Senior Consultant at BearingPoint Consulting, Associate Director of Marketing and Sales at Corporate Executive Board, and a Consultant at the International Finance Corporation.
Outside of his professional work, Franco dedicates a great deal of his free time to various communities. He served on his church’s Steering Committee for young adults and has led efforts on a variety of volunteer endeavors in the community. Franco is a member of DC’s Hands on Housing, So Others Might Eat (SOME), and Net Impact, an international nonprofit organization that seeks to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of new leaders who use business to improve the world. Franco graduated from Fairfield University in Connecticut with a B.A. in Political Science, Pre-Medicine, and Spanish. He has a Masters in International Affairs and an M.B.A. from American University in Washington, DC.
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Maria Aurora Frijas, Recruitment and Alumni Affairs Manager
Maria Aurora Frijas is a Los Angeles native and a graduate of the University of California, Riverside with a B.A in History/Law and Society. She was always involved with service throughout her school and community and when the opportunity to give back with City Year came along, she knew it was what she was looking for. Maria Aurora served on the E! Entertainment Civic Engagement Team as a corps member and then as the Recruitment & Visitor Program senior corps member at City Year Los Angeles. After her two years at City Year Los Angeles, she joined the 2009 Summer Academy Team and then transitioned to City Year Washington, DC in August 2009. She is excited to begin another chapter in her City Year journey as the Recruitment and Alumni Affairs Manager, in which she will be recruiting young adults to join City Year as part of the national service movement as well as coordinate events for local alumni in the Metro DC area.
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Mathew George, National Mobilization Manager, City Year, Inc.
Originally from Richmond, VA, Mathew George studied History and German at The Ball State University in Muncie, IN. After graduation, he served for over three years with the Peace Corps in the southern African country of Zambia, training rural community members to become teachers in locally run schools and advocating on behalf of such teachers at government offices. Additionally, in his third year, he worked with officials at Zambia’s Ministry of Education headquarters to create standard guidelines for community schools. In this role as national partnership liaison, he also built and strengthened relationships with Peace Corps/Zambia’s national-level counterparts in the government and civil society. As the National Mobilization Manager for City Year, he works with the other members of the Public Policy team to manage relationships with current and prospective partners in national service, including members of the Voices for National Service coalition, for which he administers the website and email account, distributes eNewsletters, and leads membership campaigns.
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Lauren Jarema, Events and Communications Associate
Lauren Jarema graduated from University of Delaware in 2008 with a B.A. in Mass Communications and Women’s Studies. After college Jarema pursued her passion for service in the Public Allies Delaware AmeriCorps program, as a Development Associate for the National MS Society. Prior to joining City Year’s team, some of her favorite experiences include working at an overnight camp, taking service trips, captaining a dodgeball team, playing rugby for University of Delaware, and coaching a high school team. As a member of the Development Department Jarema’s responsibilities include managing media outreach, website maintenance, brand awareness, e-newsletter, and serving as the development staff lead for external events, including Opening Day, Graduation, corporate service days, MLK Day, and Breakfast of Champions.
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Mona Khajawi, Education Manager
Mona Khajawi holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University in Education Policy. Prior to joining City Year, Mona pursued her passion for education and service in several capacities. After graduating from college, she served with AmeriCorps as a Volunteer and Service Learning Coordinator at Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Maryland. After completing her term of service, Mona supervised an AmeriCorps program based out of the Latin American Youth Center, in Washington, D.C., where members served as educational aides in underserved elementary schools, providing in-school & after school support as well as summer camps. Afterwards, she decided to join the Peace Corps, and enjoyed teaching English to high school students in a rural village in Crimea, Ukraine. During graduate school, she was fortunate to gain an internship with the Academy for Educational Development, where she assisted with an evaluation of the Gates-funded schools in New York City. In her role as education manager, Mona evaluates the impact of the services provided by the City Year Corps members, in order to improve their quality to affect the greatest difference possible in the lives of children in Washington, DC. She also assists with training the Corps members, to equip them with the necessary skills to serve students effectively.
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Lisa Lerma, Operations Manager
Lisa Lerma graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University in 2005 with a B.A. in English and Political Science and a minor in Business Administration. In 2006, Lerma joined City Year where she served on the HIV/AIDS Outreach Prevention and Education Team (HOPE Team) and returned the following year as a Senior Corps Member for Civic Leadership where she planned retreats, lead the leadership development program, and taught community/civic awareness. Lerma now works as the Operation Manager for City Year Washington, DC where her primary responsibilities include finance, IT, human potential, and office management.
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Nicole Lucas, Whole School Whole Child Program Manager
Nicole Lucas graduated from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, with a degree in Psychology. Prior to coming to City Year, Lucas served two years with AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps, providing relief after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and serving public school systems both as a corps member and support team leader. Afterwards, Lucas came to Washington, DC and worked for KaBOOM!, a national non-profit that builds playspaces for children through a participatory community-build model. Lucas’ passion for education and national service brought her to City Year, and this is Lucas’ second year as Program Manager of Whole School Whole Child. Lucas is responsible for leading two teams of corps members and helping to develop the program at the Washington, DC site.
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Jennifer Ney, Director of Public Policy, City Year, Inc.
Jennifer Ney joined the City Year family in May 2002. As Director of Public Policy, she is responsible for maintaining current knowledge of national service legislation and directing policy initiatives that expand access to quality service opportunities for all Americans. Prior to City Year, Ney worked for seven years in the office of Senator Charles Robb (VA), with whom she worked extensively on legislation to protect the civil rights of minority farmers. In addition to working on Senator Robb’s legislative team, Ney directed Robb’s scheduling and advance operation and coordinated his speaking and media opportunities. In 2001, she was special assistant to the CEO/President at Dittus Communications, a full-service public relations and issue advocacy agency. Ney graduated from the University of Virginia where she majored in American Government and minored in Sociology. Outside of work, Ney serves on the Board of Directors for Capital Rowing Club, the largest community-based rowing organization in DC. Ney is committed to Capital Rowing Club's mission of diversifying the sport of rowing and making it an accessible, affordable activity for all DC residents.
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Kerriann Peart, HIV/AIDS Outreach Prevention and Education Program Manager
Kerriann Peart graduated from Emory University in 2005 with her B.S. in Biology. After attending Rollins School of Public Health, where she focused on Global Health and Health Education issues, Kerriann worked with minority populations in the Atlanta area participating in evaluation studies and education workshops regarding HIV/AIDS. Her interest in the epidemic is a long standing one, particularly with regards to youth awareness and advocacy. Upon moving to Washington D.C. in 2008, Kerriann integrated her HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment education with Reproductive Health matters. She used her experience to educate and lead teen women in advocacy and awareness around, teen pregnancy, relationships and sexual health responsibility. She joined City Year DC in the summer of 2009 as the Program Manager for the HIV/AIDS Outreach Prevention Education (HOPE) program. HOPE works within the DC community; schools and with local agencies/organizations to increase education and awareness about HIV/AIDS in the District. The HOPE program in partnership with Metro TeenAIDS, delivers classroom facilitation and engages in several service projects throughout the year including, AIDS Walk DC and World AIDS Day.
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Christina Sedney, Special Projects Assistant to the Chief External Affairs Officer, City Year, Inc.
Christina Sedney graduated from the University of Virginia in 2007 with a B.A. in Art History and French Language and Literature. Upon graduating, she joined City Year Boston as a Whole School Whole Child corps member, serving in a local middle school. She continued on at City Year Boston as a Senior Corps member in the External Affairs Department, managing the site’s communications and Visitor Program. In August of 2009, Christina joined the City Year Headquarters staff at the Washington DC office as the Special Projects Assistant to the Chief External Affairs Officer and Senior Vice President. As the Special Projects Assistant, Christina manages the administrative needs of the Chief External Affairs Officer and supports City Year’s Public Policy Department. Her work at City Year is inspired by the organization’s innovative approach toward volunteerism.
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Joel Shuherk, Civic Engagement Program Manager
Joel Shuherk went to college at Michigan State University, and in December 2006 he earned a degree in Mass Media Communications. The following summer, he went on to serve as a Senior Corps Member with City Year Louisiana, and then moved to Boston a year later to serve with City Year’s Team Care Force. After serving as a member of the 2009 City Year Summer Academy Team, he joined the City Year Washington, DC staff in August 2009. Joel currently works as CYDC’s Civic Engagement Program Manager, and is responsible for leading in the development and implementation of physical service days and additional projects throughout the service year. He is a longtime guitar player and enjoys the band Umphrey’s Mcgee.
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Michael Stevens, Whole School Whole Child Program Manager
Originally from Rochester, New York, Michael Stevens served in the Inaugural City Year Louisiana Corps in 2006. After his time with City Year, Stevens became an AmeriCorps member with Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville. There, he engaged potential homeowners, community associations, and corporate partners in powerful service. Following that, Stevens returned to Rochester to complete an internship doing research on nationwide best practices around community policing and community/government collaboration. Stevens came to City Year Washington, DC in 2007 and served as the Program Manager for the Civic Engagement (CE) Team where he was responsible for creating & implementing transformative physical service projects that bring together DC residents of all backgrounds in the common experience of service. Currently, Stevens serves as a Whole School Whole Child Program Manager where he is responsible for leading two teams of corps members and helping to develop the program in the DC Public School system.
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Patty Vargas, Deputy Director of Program and Service
Patty has joined City Year Washington, DC as the new Deputy Director of Program and Service. A native of Bridgeview, Illinois, Patty received her B.A. in International Politics and her M.A in Education & Human Development from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Patty previously co-founded a non-profit organization called CARAS of the Americas, which provides opportunities for individuals to travel to Latin America to participate in a cross-cultural learning exchange and work on a sustainable service project. Patty also served as a Micro-Enterprise Development & Community Tourism Volunteer for Peace Corps Bolivia from 2005-2007 where she received a grant to train local high-school students to develop a local tourism association.
As a member of the City Year Miami start-up team, Patty served as Program Director for 82 founding corps members. Most recently, she occupied the role of Director of Service & School Partnerships where she strived to ensure that Miami delivered in terms of high impact service, and the partnerships with service partners and the Miami-Dade County Public School District were strong and effective. Patty likes to play softball and badminton, is a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, and is very excited to join the CYDC team.
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Stefanie Vestal, Young Heroes Program Manager
Stefanie Vestal graduated from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Information Design and Corporate Communications. Having always been involved in service through Girl Scouts of the USA and Circle K International, she knew she wanted to continue to work with children. Immediately upon graduation, she joined City Year Rhode Island as the Senior Corps Member for Community Events where she planned large-scale service projects and week long vacation camps. Vestal decided to make her way south to City Year Washington, DC for the 2006-2007 year and became the Senior Corps Member for the Young Heroes program. There she worked with a team of corps members to plan and execute a Saturday service-learning program for middle school students. In the summer of 2007, Vestal became a full staff member and now serves as the Program Manager for The Case Foundation Young Heroes Team. When not working on City Year projects, Vestal is a member of the DC Young Professionals Kiwanis Club, plays softball and basketball and enjoys reading.
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Kristin Walega, Director of Events for City Year Inc., & Recruitment and Alumni Affairs Director
A native Washingtonian, Kristin Walega graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and a Masters of Public Administration from The George Washington University, where she concentrated in non-profit management. After graduating from Villanova, she joined City Year Greater Philadelphia as a corps member in 1997. She has remained on staff since the completion of her second term of service.
Since 2003, she has led the planning and implementation of cyzygy. In 2006, she expanded her responsibilities as the Director of Events for City Year, Inc. where she oversees the network-wide management of the Visitor Program and events, including Opening Day, MLK Day/Young Heroes Opening Day, and Graduation in addition to planning large-scale national events.
As the City Year Washington, DC Recruitment and Alumni Affairs Director, she is responsible for all areas of recruitment, including outreach and admissions of the City Year corps. She is responsible for the local City Year Alumni Association and works in partnership with the Alumni Association Board to engage the area alumni. She is committed to the mission and vision of City Year which is her motivation for recruiting dedicated and idealistic young people to give a year of service to the DC community.
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Tammy Whyte, Whole School Whole Child Program Manager
Tammy Whyte graduated from the University of Michigan in 2005 with a B.S. in Movement Science. Before coming to City Year, Whyte taught middle school science with Teach For America in Eastern North Carolina. She taught for a total of four years. She recently joined City Year in July of 2009 as a Program Manager for the Whole School Whole Child program. As a Whole School Whole Child Program Manager, Whyte will be responsible for leading two teams of corps members and helping to develop the program in the DC Public School system at the Washington, DC site.