Our City Year New Hampshire staff is a dynamic group of leaders who are passionate about service and supporting our community. Every member of our staff has dedicated themselves to making a difference in Manchester, with many members participating in local community groups and initiatives to promote service and civic engagement.
Jini Rae holds a B.A. and an M.Ed, both from Plymouth State University, and an M.Ed in Educational Leadership from Columbia University's Klingenstein Center where her research included developing metrics for determining levels of inclusion based on alumni, student, and parent feedback loops and competencies to support BIPOC adults, students, and communities within schools.
She is a Texas native who found her home in the mountains of New Hampshire with her wife, Courtney, and their French bulldog, Oggie. When she isn’t engrossed in a book, she is likely cheering on women’s sports or feeding the people she cares about.
Nikki grew up in Dover, New Hampshire and attended the University of New Hampshire, earning a degree in psychology and educational studies. After graduating from college, she served as a corps member at City Year New Hampshire in Henry Wilson Elementary School. She went on to complete a second year of service with City Year Washington D.C. on the civic engagement team and served as an Impact Manager. She is excited to be back in her home state to support the great work happening in the Manchester community. Outside of City Year, Nikki enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing/watching sports, reading nonfiction books, bringing her dog on adventures, and being in nature.
Niki was born and raised in New Hampshire and attended the University of New Hampshire. Her first time working with students was through science outreach and engagement with local elementary schools. She served with City Year New Hampshire for two years at Henry Wilson Elementary School and then stayed in Manchester for an additional year by working as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Hillside Middle School.
She went on to pursue her M.Ed and teaching certification through the Donovon Urban Scholars program at Boston College. Niki worked as a 7/8th grade history teacher in Boston Public Schools before returning to New Hampshire and City Year. Through her different educational roles, Niki is inspired and impassioned about education for liberation, student mental health, and urban education. In her free time, she likes to head to the beach during all seasons with her partner and pup, read historical fiction, get together with friends and family, and try out new salsa recipes!
Dana arrived to the United States in 2010 as a refugee from Iraq and has dedicated her career to supporting and providing services to immigrants and refugees. She studied at Middlesex Community College in 2018 and received her associate degree in liberal studies. She went to obtain her bachelor’s degree from UMass Lowell where she double majored in peace and conflict studies and political science and minored in Arabic. She has worked with various organizations including the Rian Immigrant Center and the International Institute of New England (IINE). Dana recently obtained her master’s degree in international legal studies and humanitarian aid and humanitarian security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
Outside of City Year, Dana loves growing and tending to her plants and to her dog, Loquito!
Hawa grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Brandeis University, earning a degree in English Literature and African and African American Studies (AAAS)! After graduating from college, she went back to her alma mater Codman Academy Charter Public School serving on the Development team as a Development Assistant and later Development Associate. Hawa went on to do Development/Advancement in higher education and transitioned to Boston University as a Foundations Relations Associate. Her passion for education has guided her back to working in the classroom as a Long-Term Substitute teacher at James F. Condon Elementary School. Having been a witness to the transformative impact, additional support in the classroom had on her students and her teaching has led Hawa to pursue City Year as an Impact Manager!
Now Hawa serves as an Impact Manager for City Year New Hampshire to help schools receive the support they need for student success!
Oscar was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. when he was 9 years old. He grew up in Lowell, MA and attended Middlesex Community College, UMass Amherst, and UMass Lowell. With a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences History, Politics, and Global Studies Concentration, he started his education career as an Administrative Assistant at Lowell Catholic High School and was involved in the Early Child Development Program. After 2 years, Oscar moved on to teach at Burlington High School. There, he worked with ELL/ESL students from Central America with a partner program, the Simon Youth Foundation. The program's mission is to help the high school students reach the goal of completing all high school curriculums for them to be able to graduate on time. At BHS Oscar taught U.S. History and ELL and assisted in translating from English to Spanish.
Oscar’s passion is to give back to the community by helping the youth. Previously, Oscar has followed this passion by volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club coaching basketball and 7th/8th AAU traveling team. With City Year Oscar would like to be an advocate for those students who have limited resources and provide a voice for them and be represented. Oscar is a husband, father to two daughters, and has a Golden Doodle named Brooklin. Fluent in English and Spanish, his hobbies are spending time with his family, playing sports, traveling, going to the movies, out to dinner, and to church.
Jen (Hallee) Little has over 15 years of experience in non-profit management, event planning, and community engagement. After two years of AmeriCorps service with City Year New Hampshire, serving in Dover and Nashua, Jen stayed on staff to help improve service capacity and volunteer engagement throughout New Hampshire. She then worked at Southern New Hampshire University in Institutional Advancement helping to grow the alumni community and engage them in giving back to the university. Most recently, Jen was the Executive Director of Calling All Crows, a non-profit working to bring service and activism to live music events by engaging fans through outreach at shows, pre-show service projects, and alternative break trips along tours. Jen returned to City Year New Hampshire initially to serve as the Development Director, leading on fundraising, event planning and external affairs, and is now the Chief of Staff.
Jen has an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and a BA in biology/biochemistry from Colby College. Jen lives in Concord with her wife and three kids, and loves spending time with friends and family, building Legos, playing games, being outdoors, and cheering on her kids at sporting events.
Heather Petro joined City Year New Hampshire in March of 2024 as the Development Director. She is thrilled to be part of an organization that lifts up young people through support and service. Heather graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Humanities and a minor in Women’s Studies. She went on to receive her MBA from Rivier University. Heather began her fundraising career working at the United Way where she first learned about the impact City Year was having in Greater Boston. She later worked as the Director of Development for a family service agency in Lawrence, MA. More recently, Heather was a major gift office working in higher education. Heather is a lifelong activist who believes in the power of giving back and making a difference in the world. She was instrumental in advocating for access to public kindergarten in her local community.
A New Hampshire native, Heather is the proud mother of three children. When she isn’t teaching or practicing yoga, she can be found reading a good book or hiking in the mountains with her husband.
Gaby Sanchez is both a first-generation American and college graduate from Southern New Hampshire University holding a degree in Healthcare Management. Raised in New Hampshire for the entirety of her life, she remembers the ‘red jackets’ from her elementary school days at Henry Wilson Elementary. As the youngest of 3 siblings of diverse age gaps she learned through their experiences. Her passion for education has led her to use her Human Resources and Recruitment skills to serve the non-profit space by joining City Year, and she is dedicated to making a meaningful impact in the BIPOC community and advancing children's education. On her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and trying new restaurants.
David Todisco first joined City Year as the Operations Manager for CYNH in July 2022. Born and raised in central Massachusetts, David later attended Colorado College where he majored in Asian studies and Japanese language. Having since worked in a number of supportive roles in schools in Japan and Massachusetts, David is excited to now be a part of the Manchester community and the City Year New Hampshire team. Outside of City Year, you can find David immersing himself in worlds of fantasy, either with a book or around a table with friends playing Dungeons & Dragons.
