FORUMFYI.ORG - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Executive Assistant to the President
With nearly a decade of experience in the areas of arts education, administration, and management, Abby is thrilled to join the Forum and focus her administrative efforts towards youth development. She was previously the Executive Assistant to the Chairman and Program Coordinator for Capacity Building Programs at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, where she oversaw the Chairman's daily workflow, project managed the delivery of strategic plans and consulting services, and coordinated capacity building and training programs for arts organizations and their executive leaders.
Additionally, Abby has served a variety of arts education non-profits as both administrator and educator, with specialized interest in the early childhood and early arts exposure space. Proudly hailing from the upper Midwest, Abby holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the University of North Dakota.
Job Titles:
- Director, Statewide Quality Improvement Systems
With an enthusiasm for details, Adrienne provides training and technical assistance to partners across the country engaged in continuous quality improvement.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Internal Services Associate
Alexis is an associate with the internal services staff, providing support to the internal services team and the Forum as a whole. She has experience working with young people in school and summer enrichment settings, including teaching social and emotional learning skills to students in DC public schools.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research and Evaluation Specialist
Alice Anderson is a Senior Research & Evaluation Specialist at the Forum's Weikart Center, where she supports clients and partners in leveraging data to optimize decision making and increasing impact. She enjoys collaborating with informal educators through playful, empathetic and data-centered dialogue.
Alice has a particular interest in the power and potential of media-rich designed environments such as museums, makerspaces and movies. She began her career in research as a Research Assistant at the Center for Children and Technology, where she supported projects studying the impact of digital media resources and professional development programs and in formal and informal learning settings.
Prior to joining the Forum, Alice was the Manager of Audience Research & Impact at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. In that role, she supported internal colleagues in understanding what visitors think, feel and learn. She also collaborated with museums across the country on research initiatives on the topics of empathy and belonging. She also worked as a Research & Evaluation Associate at the Science Museum of Minnesota, studying the impact of museum interactives and makerspaces on young people and their families.
Before becoming interested in research, Alice was trained as a museum educator in the methodology of Visual Thinking Strategies and was an educator at the Jewish Museum in New York City and intern at the Children's Museum of Minnesota.
Alice is pursuing an Ed.D. in Out-of-School Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds an Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a B.A. in Art History from Grinnell College. She lives with her family on the ancestral homelands of the Dakota people in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Amanda is a skilled digital communicator and content creator working to amplify the Forum's message and role in advancing youth-serving systems.
Job Titles:
- Senior Continuous Quality Improvement ( CQI ) Specialist
Job Titles:
- Certified Professional Coach
- Field Consultant
bob maureen is a Certified Professional Coach, skilled facilitator, speaker and the founder and CEO of Coaching Leaders. bob spent the last 25 years shifting youth spaces so young people can reach their potential. bob has worked with local community centers, marginalized communities, outreach, outdoor and inner-city school programs, nationally affiliated programs as well as local community-based programs throughout the USA and Canada. In addition, she has spent the last 12 years coaching and facilitating workshops and conversations among leaders and organizations to help grow their intercultural competencies and leadership skills. It's not uncommon for people to walk out of one of bob's trainings saying, "That was the best; everyone needs to have this experience!" For more information on bob's work, visit www.WeAreCoachingLeaders.com.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Board Chair / Executive Director, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
- Executive Director of Chapin Hall at the University
Bryan Samuels serves as the Executive Director of Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, one of the nation's leading research and policy centers focused on improving the well-being of children and youth, families, and their communities. Under Samuels' leadership, Chapin Hall has continued to build its reputation as a center for excellence in data analysis, innovative research, and policy expertise. His tenure has been marked by a commitment to furthering the rigor and depth of Chapin Hall's research, and by fostering connections with partners around the University of Chicago, within Illinois, and throughout the nation. He has also helped establish Chapin Hall as a national leader on issues ranging from child well-being to youth homelessness. Before joining Chapin Hall, Samuels was appointed by President Barack Obama as Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF), making him from 2010-2013 the highest-ranking federal child welfare policymaker in the country. As ACYF Commissioner, he emphasized the importance of child well-being and the use of data-driven approaches to improve the welfare of vulnerable children and youth. Samuels has over twenty years of experience in child welfare, including having served as the Chief of Staff of Chicago Public Schools under Arne Duncan and as Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. He was also a lecturer at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration from 1997 to 2003. He has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame and a master's from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Field Consultant
Clarke Hill is a non-profit consultant with over 20 years of experience and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Her areas of focus as a consultant are non-profit organizational development, youth development, quality improvement, and data-driven DEI. She has worked with organizations across the country such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Neighborhood House, and Washington Charter Association.
Her motivation for social impact work comes from a belief that all people have value and dignity just by virtue of being human, which led her to a career working to disrupt systems of inequity. During her experience working with youth, she has seen firsthand the way societal issues impact our systems as a whole and humans as individuals. She uses this experience to assist social service organizations in fulfilling their commitment to their communities.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director for Cross
- Senior Director, Cross - Systems Consulting
Dana Levine Kunzman is a Senior Director for Cross-Systems Consulting. She comes to the Forum with extensive experience in the public and philanthropic sectors coordinating cross-system initiatives that test innovative approaches to improving outcomes.
Prior to joining the Forum, Dana served as the Interim CEO and Vice President of Strategic Innovation at the PA State System of Higher Education Foundation, where she partnered with Chancellor and System universities to accelerate student success and workforce development initiatives. She helped build industry-education-workforce collaboratives across sectors that fostered strong connections and career pathways in Pennsylvania's workforce ecosystem.
Dana has also worked at the county level, serving as a consultant to Montgomery County Recreation Department and the Collaboration Council for Children, Youth & Families, managing department strategic planning, building a youth workforce pipeline and professional development system, and conducting program evaluation across departmental initiatives
At the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Dana provided policy leadership and launched and managed multidisciplinary projects and was the Education Liaison to the PA Department of Education coordinating efforts to support school stability for children. Throughout her career, Dana has contributed to shaping strategies focusing on the integration of systems, incorporating research-based practices, measuring impact, and increasing organizational effectiveness.
Dana holds a BA from Goucher College and a Master's in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- Director, Economic Policy Investments and Grantmaking, U.S. Jobs and Economic Opportunity, the Rockefeller Foundation
Job Titles:
- Director of Design & Innovation
Dave returns to the Weikart Center as the Director of Design & Innovation with more than 20 years of experience in youth development and facilitation.
Sheely Mauck
Director, Equitable Quality Improvement Systems
Sheely is the Director of Equitable Quality Improvement Systems for the Forum for Youth Investment.
Job Titles:
- Business Systems & Engagement Specialist
Job Titles:
- Learning & Development Specialist
Edgar Gomez provides trainings and coaching as the Learning & Development Specialist here at the Weikart Center. For the last 10 years, Edgar has worked in the field of youth development, education and community organizing. He has spent most of his career advocating for youth voice and leadership within organizations, schools, and community. In his career, he has trained youth to become youth organizers to address education injustices within their school systems. Edgar enjoys facilitating in groups of any size but also values one on one relationship building.
Edgar's passion stems from his ideology that all youth regardless of their background deserve equal opportunities in their education and in life. His career journey has given him the opportunity to work with people of different backgrounds and identities. Edgar graduated from the University of Michigan - Dearborn with a bachelor's degree in Sociology.
Emet Bergman brings their passion for positive youth development and background in dynamic clinical intervention to their work as a school social worker and facilitator. Trained in clinical social work, Emet has been providing clinical services and therapy, as well as training and facilitation with youth programs for several years. Emet's commitment to active learning and engagement balanced with supportive counseling and safe environment coalesced at the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory and continues to grow throughout their career in the field.
Emet is particularly committed to using trauma informed principles and practices that attend to social location and intersectional oppression in supporting equitable best practice for all youth. Emet believes that SEL is deeply human and universal for adults and youth alike, and is committed to using clinical skills and knowledge to contribute to a more equitable world in which all youth have access to high quality school day and out of school time programming. In their free time Emet enjoys cycling, gardening, engaging in community initiatives, baking, boxing, boating, and participating in revolution.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow Within Annie
- Senior Fellow, Annie E. Casey Center for System Innovation
Felipe Franco is the Senior Fellow within Annie E. Casey Center for System Innovation with a focus on supporting best cross-system practices for system-involved young adults. He also serves as a member to the New York City Board of Corrections, with oversight responsibility of standards of care over New York City jails.
Before Casey, Felipe held the position of Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Youth and Family Justice within the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS). Under his tenure the number of youths in detention and in placement decreased by over 45%, and 65% respectively and the Close to Home program demonstrated that it was possible to safely support youth close to their families and reinvest in the community by closing youth prisons. In 2019 Felipe Franco oversaw the transfer of all 16- and 17-year old's out of Riker's Island to NYC juvenile facilities.
Prior to overseeing juvenile justice in New York City, Franco served as Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Juvenile Justice and Opportunities for Youth at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services where he oversaw the full juvenile justice continuum of care and implemented reforms that lead to the closure of 26 youth prisons by investing in family and community supports.
Gerod manages the development of policy programs, agendas, & various campaigns focused on decreasing the Opportunity Gap & furthering the mission of the Forum.
Isabel Gastulo is a Senior Accountant with over 15 years of public accounting experience specializing in serving nonprofit and other business enterprises by providing Controllership and CFO support services, including maintenance and oversight of internal controls, transactional processing, financials analysis and reporting, audit support, and related accounting services.
She works with clients in developing and monitoring key performance indicators and implementing process improvements.
She has extensive experience with financial statement preparation, financial analysis and reporting, technical analysis and research.
More importantly, she has learned how to work with and understand different personalities. She enjoys adapting to different work environments and different situations.
Isabel is a Licensed Certified Accountant from the University Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in Peru.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President, Cross Systems Consulting
Jason Callahan is the Executive Vice President, Cross Systems Consulting and leads capacity-building efforts for state systems change to improve outcomes for young people across education, workforce development, human services, child welfare, and juvenile justice. Prior to joining the Forum, Jason served as the Assistant Secretary of Student Pathways and Opportunities, at the Indiana Department of Education. While at Indiana Department of Education, Jason led the implementation of the state's first PK-Career Data Dashboard, the state's first longitudinal data infrastructure that captures clear outcome goals for the K-12 education system. Jason led the reorganization of five offices at the state education agency, integrating school accountability, school support and transformation and the ESEA Title programs, including Title I, which serves low-income students. Through this reorganization, the alignment allowed for the development of high-quality work-based learning experiences, credentials of value and additional community support services to improve the outcomes for students. Jason also led the National Governor's Association's Policy Academy to Advance Youth Apprenticeships, as a lead state agency, drawing from his experience in Indiana that led to increased youth apprenticeship opportunities. Jason started his career as an English teacher before serving as Superintendent of Wabash City Schools for nearly a decade, served on the Indiana Governor's Workforce Cabinet and as the Chair of the Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne Regional Board of Trustees. Jason earned his B.S. in English, Master's in Administrative Education, and Ed.S at Ball State University.
Jason Callahan is Executive Vice President, Cross Systems Consulting & leads capacity-building efforts for state systems change to improve outcomes for youth.
Jennifer Harris has over 25 years' experience in the field of out-of-school time programs. She has worked in direct service for the Alaska Council of Camp Fire USA, served as the Special Projects Coordinator for School-Age Projects with Arkansas State University, Chair and Network Coordinator for the CS Mott funded afterschool network in Arkansas, and most recently as Director of the Denver Afterschool Alliance. Jennifer has experience working with national organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America to scale their capacity to support program quality at clubs across the country and most recently served as project lead for the implementation of the CQI system as part of the IES National Study of Continuous Quality Improvement to Inform the 21 st Century Community Learning Center (21 st CCLC) Program. In her work she strives to transcend the efforts of traditional, siloed institutions and to instead create comprehensive supports for out-of-school time programs. A true "systems-thinker" at heart, Jennifer is committed to ‘modeling the message' in her work with colleagues and clients - and brings a tremendous energy and expert facilitation skill to her work. Jennifer holds a Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership from the University of Alaska.
Job Titles:
- Training Program Associate
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President of the Forum for Youth Investment
- Executive Vice President, Youth Program Quality
Kimberly Howard Robinson, Ph.D., is executive vice president of the Forum for Youth Investment and the managing director of the David. P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality. Prior her to role Robinson served as Program and Evaluation Officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, one of the largest private philanthropic institutions in the U.S. Her work focused on developing and implementing continuous improvement processes to support programmatic strategy and effectiveness. Prior to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Dr.Robinson served as Interim Chief Accountability Officer as well as the Director of Research for Baltimore City Public Schools. Prior to Baltimore, she served as the Director of Data and Analytics for the New York City Department of Education.
She holds a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in Developmental Psychology and has more than fifteen years of experience conducting applied research on schools, children and families.
Kim works to strengthen programs and practices that nurture the potential of youth with continuous improvement approaches that marry research and practice.
Job Titles:
- National Activist & Engagement Coordinator, Opportunity Youth United
Kimberly Pham is a national activist focused on improving the conditions of young people across America. She is focused on reshaping the narrative and culture of how young people engage in processes of driving positive change in their community. Kimberly is a member of the Project U-Turn Collaborative, which focuses on learning and implementing best practices and strategies for opportunity youth in the City of Philadelphia. She is a junior student attending Temple University majoring in social work, who has interest in public policy and social justice transformation.
Kimberly has been recently appointed by Mayor Kenney to serve on the Education Nomination Panel to assist with identifying members for Philadelphia's new local school board. She is a member of the National Council of Young Leaders, which founded the movement Opportunity Youth United. Opportunity Youth United is a movement which is focused on increasing the number of young people who have access to solution-based leadership opportunities. OYU provides a platform where young people cannot only stand-up for the issues they care about, but they can speak up and strategize around solutions that alleviate or eliminate barriers they may be facing in their community and country.
Job Titles:
- Learning & Development Specialist
Leah provides coaching, training, and technical assistance to Weikart Center clients around the country.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President, Strategic Growth & Resource Development
Lisa Danaczko serves as the Vice President, Strategic Growth & Resource Development, with the Forum. In this role, she engages youth champions to support opportunities for young people to thrive within their schools, careers, and communities. With more than 13 years of nonprofit experience in the arts, higher education, out-of-school-time (OST), and youth development fields, Lisa is dedicated to ensuring every learning experience is joyful.
Job Titles:
- Senior Continuous Quality Improvement Specialist
Job Titles:
- Youth Program Quality Associate
Brook Trejo is the Youth Program Quality Associate. Brook graduated from the University of Michigan- Dearborn where she obtained her bachelor's in Communications and Human Resources. Prior to her role at the Forum, Brook worked at a grassroot non-profit community organization that focused on youth development and education. There, she oversaw all communication matters and led community engagement events in her community.
Brook prides herself in being a first-generation college graduate. Being the daughter of immigrants, her parents instilled in her the importance of education. She uses her voice to advocate for others especially children, immigrants, women of color and her community.
Megan Grimaldi serves as the Vice President, Strategy leading the Forum's Project Management Office (PMO) that manages the implementation of our five-year strategic plan, tracking progress and ensuring accountability against goals. Prior to joining the Forum, Megan was a Senior Strategist at North & Main Strategy, advising national clients in strategy, change management, and program planning and improvement
She has spent over fifteen years within the national nonprofit and academic organizations leading and contributing to a breadth of initiatives, building departments, processes and systems; driving strategic efforts and cultural change; and encouraging leaders at all levels to dig deep in pursuit of their own learning and development. At Communities in Schools (CIS), she launched their inaugural Project Management Office (PMO) and DEI initiatives after serving as their Director of Research. Prior to CIS, she served as the Research Associate at the University of Pittsburgh at their Learning Research & Development Center.
She began her career as a public school teacher on the US-Mexico border. As a woman in the education and nonprofit sectors, Megan discovered a passion for advancing equity and inclusion within people and systems. She cares deeply about health and wellness and strives for a future where professionals are able to prioritize self-care in a way that allows them to impact their communities while nurturing themselves.
Megan is currently pursuing her International Coaching Federation coaching certification through Presence-Based Coaching. She has a Master's in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, a Bachelor's in Music Education and Spanish from Central Michigan University, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. In her free time, she loves to bake, run, practice yoga, and hike in the woods with her husband and son.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, State Policy
Meghan earned her B.A. from Colorado State University and a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law. She is a licensed attorney in the state of Colorado, where she lives with her 1-year-old puppy Pivo.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Leader
- President
- President & CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment
Mishaela Durán is the President & CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment. Previously, Mishaela was Director of the Office of Regional Operations at the US Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF), where she served as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary on state relations, cross-cutting strategic initiatives and public-private partnerships.
Mishaela Durán President & CEO Mishaela serves as President & CEO of the Forum.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst
Mostafa Hashemi serves as the Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst at the Forum for Youth Investment's Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality. He applies his knowledge in analytical tools like SPSS, MySQL, Stata, and R Studio to assist in data querying, cleaning, and various types of analyses, including diagnostic, descriptive, and predictive. Additionally, he has some experience in creating interactive data visualizations using Tableau, presenting information through interactive dashboards and worksheets.
Mostafa's work mainly centers on evaluating programs, with a particular interest in improving student performance and retention rates. He actively engages in thorough literature reviews in the motivation field, designs and conducts surveys through Qualtrics, and leads focus groups, along with coding qualitative data.
Mostafa holds a master's degree in program evaluation and research from West Virginia University. He currently resides in Richmond, VA, where he finds a balance between his professional commitments and personal interests. In his free time, he enjoys activities like hiking and practicing yoga.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Social Advocates for Youth, San Diego
- President and CEO of Social Advocates for Youth
Nancy Gannon Hornberger (she/her) is President and CEO of Social Advocates for Youth, San Diego (SAY San Diego), a youth, family and community strengthening organization. She joined SAY San Diego in 2013 as a nationally recognized leader with three-plus decades of experience in social justice and equity, public policy and system reform, education, and human services.
Neil is an experienced senior non-profit executive focused on financial and operational management, talent management, board governance, and strategic planning.
Job Titles:
- Director of Knowledge Management, Casey Family Programs
Ora is a Staff Accountant, working on accounts payable, accounts receivable, and many other financial matters for the organization.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Business Systems
As the Manger of Business Systems at the Forum, Paul oversees our online systems and provides guidance to the users of those systems.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Research & Evaluation
Job Titles:
- Senior Learning & Development Specialist
Job Titles:
- Director, Equitable Quality Improvement Systems
Stephanie brings her expertise in event management and her passion for fostering meaningful connections to her role as the Events Manager at the Forum.
Job Titles:
- Managing Member, Change Dynamics, LLC
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair / President & CEO, Prime Time Palm Beach County
Job Titles:
- Learning & Development Specialist
Tay's work centers around delivering training and technical assistance in support of continuous quality improvement.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Strategic Communications
- Investment 's First Executive Vice President
Job Titles:
- Research and Evaluation Specialist
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs
Tralonne R. Shorter Executive Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs Tralonne oversees the Forum's strategic policy development, alignment, and engagement at the federal, state & local levels to improve outcomes for young people.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Philadelphia Youth Network
Job Titles:
- Grants and Contracts Manager