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| 150 Court Street, 2nd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel 718-923-1400 Fax 718-923-2869 |
| sonja okun |
Founder/Executive Director Ms. Okun has over fifteen years experience working with youth, and extensive experience designing, growing and managing programs for court involved youth, including several years in nonprofit management. exalt evolved out of Ms. Okun's work developing and directing the Career Exploration Project, a best-practice designated internship program for youth offenders she founded in 1997 at CASES (Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services). After founding and directing that program for several years Ms. Okun obtained an MBA so she could increase and more effectively direct resources towards education and workforce development for our most at risk youth, as well as develop her ability to manage a nonprofit that provides these services. After business school Ms. Okun returned to CASES where she managed all its youth Intellectual and Career Development programs, including the Career Exploration Project which won three national awards and grew to capacity under her direction. After being asked for years "how come I have to get locked up to get this program?" Ms. Okun left CASES in early 2006 to launch exalt, which is designed to serve youth at all junctures along the spectrum of criminal justice involvement. Ms. Okun has consulted to some of the city's leading nonprofit agencies on their Department of Education funded Learning to Work internship programs. Ms. Okun holds both a BA in African American Studies and an MBA from Harvard University. email: sonjaokun@exaltyouth.org
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| lynnee denise bonner |
Director of Programs & Services Lynnee Bonner brings to exalt a significant amount of experience in developing programs and curricula for disconnected young adults around the country. Originally from Los Angeles, California, she first discovered a passion for youth work while studying for a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Sociology at the historic Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. While attending school, Ms. Bonner collaborated with local community based organizations to provide tutoring services for residents of local public housing projects. It was here where she discovered her profound interest in community building and youth development. She later consulted for several after-school programs and taught at City College San Francisco while pursuing a Master's Degree in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University. In 1998, Ms. Bonner moved to Atlanta, Georgia and worked as a Program Coordinator for Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers, Inc. After completing her Masters Degree Ms. Bonner relocated to New York and worked as a Program Coordinator for the Career Exploration Project at CASES (Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services) - the program model exalt evolved from. Lynnee spent nearly two years with CASES before accepting an opportunity to expand her role as Program Director at exalt. Ms. Bonner incorporates a rare mixture of pop culture knowledge and social-political awareness to promote academic, professional, and personal development in young people. email: lynneebonner@exaltyouth.org |
| james schaffer |
Finance & Operations Consultant James Schaffer founded Semantic Management LLC to work with creative small business and non-profits to develop sustainable, successful enterprises using operational efficiencies, excellent data collection and sophisticated analysis and projection tools. Over 50 clients in the NYC area have utilized the company's consulting and bookkeeping services to analyze performance, improve outcomes and plot strategic development. From 2004 to 2006, James was one of two elected global directors of a major international youth education group. His responsibilities included devising and implementing long-term organizational development goals and conducting leadership training workshops in China, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Thailand and the U.S. James is a graduate of Harvard College, where he received his degree magna cum laude with highest honors with a joint concentration in Classics and Literature. He lives in Brooklyn. email: @exaltyouth.org |
| asadullah muhammad |
Program Coordinator Asadullah Muhammad is deeply committed to youth and community development. He graduated from Hampton University with a B.S. in Business Management and in 2002 joined the Teach for America program serving as a 4th grade Atlanta public school teacher. Along with his teaching career, he worked with a student community organization, and wrote a proposal gaining acceptance into the Hands on Atlanta Social Entrepreneur Awards program. Originally from New York City, Asadullah returned and began working at the Juvenile Justice Project at the Correctional Association of New York. As the Youth Training Coordinator, he led the youth leadership program Each One Teach One and co-developed a social justice curriculum. During his four years at the Juvenile Justice Project he recruited and trained New York City youth in juvenile justice advocacy work focused on developing and promoting healthy alternatives to youth incarceration, and ending the school-to-prison pipeline. For three years, he worked with Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy in Brooklyn serving as a teacher consultant in the I Am My Brother Rites of Passage program. In 2008 Asadullah helped to launch New Orleans Charter Science and Math Academy in New Orleans as the Director of Business and Operations. Asadullah is excited to bring his passions, poetry, and valuable experiences to exalt, and looks forward to contributing to the continued success of the organization and the youth it serves.
email: asadullahmuhammad@exaltyouth.org
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| jolanda porter |
Program Coordinator Jolanda's passion for youth development blossomed through her studies at Tufts University where she explored the influence of the arts on the academic achievement of young Black and Latino men at the Frisoli Youth Center in Cambridge, MA. After graduating in 2006 with degrees in Clinical Psychology and Music, Jolanda was given the opportunity to instruct "Ethnic Minds" at the S.M.A.S.H. (Summer Math and Science Honors) Academy at U.C. Berkeley, a social psychology class developed from her undergraduate coursework. Following S.M.A.S.H., Jolanda returned east to serve as the Teen Education and Career Development Coordinator at the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston, MA. While at W.E.H.B.G.C. Jolanda continued to strengthen her youth relation and facilitation skills, while designing a mentorship program, M.E.M.O. (Molding Educators through Mentorship Opportunities), and developing and directing an all-female youth choir called the "Hummingbirds." In September 2007, Jolanda made the transition to NYC for an exciting opportunity to work as a Program Coordinator for the TeamWorks division of Harlem RBI, a non-profit in East Harlem that believes the combination of athletics and the power of teams can motivate youth to play, learn, grow and realize their full potential. Jolanda is thrilled to join the inspiring mission of the exalt team and expects to continue growing from, creating with and impacting young people as an educator and musician.
email: jolandaporter@exaltyouth.org
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| alessandra de almeida |
External Partner & Alumni Liason Born in New York City to Brazilian immigrant parents, Alessandra split time between Queens and Brazil throughout her childhood and attended High School in Italy for three years. After graduating Skidmore College with a B.A. in Government and Latin American studies Alessandra worked for CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) as a fundraiser and organizer. While at CISPES she began to work with other NYC native activists to develop NYC Summer, a six-week popular education curriculum for youth activists whose goal was to strengthen the indigenous leadership of young peoples of color within NYC communities. In this program she facilitated workshops on globalization and anti racism and coordinated internships pairing youth and professionals in community grassroots organizations. After leaving CISPES Alessandra spent time in Mexico working with CASA (Centro Para los Adolescentes de San Miguel de Allende) where she wrote and edited the second edition of a Spanish-language training manual on topics including reproductive health and advocacy in pedagogical format. She also assisted youth educators in facilitating workshops in rural communities on family planning, STDs and sexuality. Prior to joining the exalt team Alessandra worked as a community organizer for unions working to advance worker justice, immigrant rights and community services. Alessandra believes that there are too few spaces for youth to express themselves and participate in their communities and that the social stigmas of youth and incarceration debilitate and oppress the part of our community that most needs our encouragement and attention. Alessandra is thrilled to join the exalt team and support youth in building on their strengths and working to be active members of a community—fundamental elements of building a better one.
email: alessandradealmeida@exaltyouth.org
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| richard jeffery |
Graduate Assistant Richard Jeffery graduated the exalt Internship Program in September 2008 and has continued to pursue his educational and employment goals. With help from staff he enrolled in college at New York City College of Technology for the Spring 2009 semester and in January 2009 was hired as a Graduate Assistant with exalt. Richard has remained dedicated to the exalt mantra "commit to change" and continues to build upon the four core skills exalt focuses on: communication, resource management, creative problem solving and critical thinking. Richard has spoken at two of exalt 's fundraisers, their Third Annual Fundraiser at Gradisca Restaurant in January 2009, and at exalt's summer rent party at the MoCADA Museum in June 2009. As exalt's Graduate Assistant, Richard assists Program Coordinators facilitate new program cycles, works with program alumni through planning and facilitating alumni activities and conducting outreach to graduates, provides critical administrative support to the organization, researches curriculum tools, and represents exalt youth by providing feedback to staff on the effectiveness of various program components. |
| karelia jo moore |
Communications Consultant Karelia received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2004 from the University of Arizona. In 2008, she graduated from Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia, with a graduate certificate in Design and Art Direction, and moved to New York City to find ways to merge design with advocacy. As such, Karelia easily found herself at home at exalt after witnessing first-hand the transformative nature of the program. She loves working with the dedicated staff and helping to visually translate the mission of the program. She enjoys best working for organizations, companies, and artists who are socially-minded. She has worked with Janelle Monae and the Wondaland Arts Society and most recently, Soho-based Worldstudio Inc., a marketing and design firm with a unique focus on creating socially-minded projects for corporate clients. As an ardent proponent of the belief that design-thinking can and should be used as a means of addressing and finding solutions for serious social issues, she is a relentless supporter of promoting design as a viable career path for youth—especially those from disadvantaged/disenfranchised backgrounds and communities of color. She believes this would be beneficial not only to them but to their communities as well, to instill the powerful premise of design as a problem-solving activity, nurture their growth in the arts and give them the tools they need to one day create solutions to problems they are faced with on a daily basis. You can find her work at theory143.com |
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board of directors |
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