OUR STAFF

Siobhan (pronounced sha-von) is a Bay Area native who has worked as an educator, political community organizer and non-profit fundraiser. She aligns deeply with the mission of Generation Citizen and has spent the majority of her career working to support young people in developing the skills and resources needed to become transformative change-makers and leaders in their community.

Siobhan believes all people, especially those from undervalued and underrepresented communities, have the power and ability to influence our democracy. Siobhan was raised by a strong-willed single mother who taught her at an early age the importance of utilizing her voice to advocate for policy change. In college, Siobhan studied to be a high school History teacher with the goal of using stories of past social and political movements to inspire young people to become active and engaged citizens. Simultaneously, she began cutting her teeth as a community organizer, working on local and national equity and justice issues, which taught her more tactics for influencing those with power.

Since then, Siobhan has spent several years organizing and training low-income youth, youth of color, and lgbtq students and community members to use their voice and personal stories to advocate and fight for policies that support their communities. Siobhan has trained hundreds of young people with political organizing and leadership skills. She has supported all levels of civic engagement- from helping first time voters participate in federal, state and local elections, to teaching students how to lobby their state legislators on issues ranging from street safety to affordable housing, to helping LGBTQ community members successfully demand more inclusive and protective policies. Throughout her work, she has been inspired by young people who are identifying and pushing for meaningful solutions to the pressing issues that directly impact their communities.

Siobhan is excited to be a part of the Generation Citizen family and looks forward to continuing to support the development of the next generation of engaged and motivated citizens.

When not working, Siobhan can be found traveling the world, cooking spicy food, dancing around the house, meditating by the ocean or hanging with her “Jazz” kitties, Louie and Mingus.

Leah Graniela, M.A., is a mission-driven educator who believes in equipping young people with the tools to transform their schools, communities, and our democracy.

Originally from New York City, Leah learned about the tremendous power young people have early in her career. Leah brings over 15 years of experience in non-profit training, youth empowerment, and curriculum development, and has worked to create innovative programs for youth in public schools and non-profit settings as well as the adults who work with them. Working in New York City public schools, she partnered with high school students to create programming to develop their analysis of social justice issues and take action in their schools and the broader community. She then began her focus on supporting adult learning at the Planned Parenthood of New York City Training Institute, where she built up a strong training program that taught educators and youth workers how to teach effective sexuality education. Through her time at Girls Inc. of Alameda County, Leah developed curriculum focusing on social-emotional learning, job-skills, and social justice, and trained program staff in principles of youth development, Growth Mindset, and more. Most recently, at La Clínica de la Raza, Leah trained both front-line and upper management staff to improve their leadership and communication skills.

Leah recently completed her M.A. in Education with a Concentration in Equity and Social Justice from San Francisco State University and holds a B.A. from Wellesley College. In her spare time, Leah loves taking road trips, exploring local hiking trails with her stepkids, and building with the amazing and beautiful folks in her community.

Bianca joined Generation Citizen as an Americorp VISTA in 2016 and is now a Senior Program Associate for the Bay Area. During college, Bianca interned with the TransBorder Institute where she developed a deep understanding and appreciation for the judicial system. Her work primarily focused on asylum advocacy and femicide in Mexico; she spent countless hours learning about US-Latin American relations and the role that civic engagement can play in international and domestic politics. Her frequent travels to Mexico and her time studying abroad at Queen Mary’s University of London exposed her to various forms of participatory democracy, and fueled her interest in civic engagement.

Bianca earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in International Relations & Ethnic Studies from the University of San Diego. As an ethnic studies major, she gained valuable tools to discuss and explore issues of racism, inequity, and self-determination. She was drawn to GC because the advocacy hourglass encourages students to identify the root causes of an issue affecting their community and helps them identify ways to address those causes. Bianca believes that GC’s emphasis on community and youth self-determination can improve the state of our participatory democracy.

Bianca grew up in both the East Bay Area and Las Vegas. She loves strong coffee, scrolling through pictures of dogs on Instagram or Mexican food, and cheering on the Golden State Warriors.

Meredith came to Generation Citizen straight from the classrooms it serves. For four years, she worked as a middle and high school history teacher in San Francisco, CA and Boston, MA. Influenced by her experiences in community engagement as a high school student, her teaching was driven by the idea that student empowerment was the key to educational equity. She dedicated her classroom career to helping her schools build capacity for engaging with young people’s voices through student-centered program and curriculum development.

Starting as a teacher with GC in the Bay Area in 2013, Meredith continued her GC partnership at her school in Boston. Three years, two schools, and four action civics projects later, she can talk for hours about the power, passion, and real world learning that the program brought to her students. From bus safety in San Francisco to Social-Emotional Learning in Boston, her proudest moments as a teacher were watching her students advocate for the change they cared about. Her passion for student-driven learning has now brought her back to her hometown of Austin, Texas, as the Executive Director for GC Central Texas.

Meredith received her BA in International Studies from American University and a MA in Urban Education: Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University. She loves Tex-Mex, strong coffee, and traveling.

Megan came to Generation Citizen in 2018 straight out of the classroom, having taught 9th grade Social Studies at Colorado River Collegiate Academy, an early college high school in Bastrop, TX. She played an integral role in GC coming to her campus after learning more about the program through a 2016 civic workshop held at the White House. Through her time working as a GC teacher, she saw her students truly understand the important role they play in their local community. Serving as the civic education leader in her district, she provided students additional opportunities to be active changemakers through partnerships with the University of Texas and the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. A few of her career highlights include being awarded the 2016-2017 Bastrop ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year, receiving the first-ever TX GC Teacher Change Maker award in 2017, and watching her well-deserving students receive the 2017 GC Class Change Maker award.

Megan’s passion lies in providing underrepresented youth with opportunities to lead and succeed, working with one of her GC class projects on starting a youth advisory council with the City of Bastrop. She feels that GC opens doors for students who may have historically had them closed and she’s excited to bring her civic and classroom knowledge to her Regional Program Manager position.

She has lived in Iowa, Tennessee, and Texas, currently residing in the Dallas area. She received a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, both from Middle Tennessee State University. Megan also has 8 years of community college teaching under her belt, working in both TN and TX. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 rambunctious daughters (Sophia & Chloe), hunting for new flavors of kombucha, and planning her next international adventure!

Alejandra comes to GC by way of the San Antonio Independent School District, where she taught 1st grade and coached middle school soccer. Alejandra knows that change is possible in Central Texas. Her belief in the potential and power of our kids is informed first and foremost by her experience as a teacher, where she taught primarily low-income students in Central San Antonio. Her time in SAISD fuels her conviction that access to opportunities are key to empowering students to achieve their potential and is why she believes that engaging kids in the democratic process will empower them to lead, share their ideas, and drive change in their communities.

Prior to teaching in San Antonio, Alejandra helped lead recruitment initiatives for Teach For America, with a focus on engaging the organization’s alumni base in recruitment efforts. Alejandra graduated from Boston University with a Bachelors in Business Administration & Management where she played DI soccer. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, exploring Texas’ many national and state parks, and sampling the newest flavors at Amy’s Ice Cream in Austin. Alejandra was born and raised in Fresno, CA.

​Arielle developed a love for civic engagement early in life when her high school offered civic action opportunities inside and outside of the school day. She was personally empowered and realized the importance of youth voice but saw that many youth did not have access to these experiences and when they did were often marginalized from having real decision-making power. Arielle believes that our schools have a civic mission to fulfill to teach young people how to be life-long civic actors. Arielle is particularly excited to be part of Generation Citizen because of its dedication to high quality programming​​ and its voice in the national movement to see action-based civics in every classroom.

Arielle​has been working in the nonprofit and civic engagement field for ten years. She ​earned her master’s degree in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from The George Washington University with a minor in ​​human ​services. Early in Arielle’s career, she worked with nonprofits in Boston and Washington DC addressing issues of food insecurity, homelessness and ex-offender workforce re-entry. It was ​t​here she realized the importance of ​underrepresented voices taking ​political action ​to create long-term change around ​issues that affect them. She has since worked in ​K-12 ​schools and universities promoting youth voice and civic action ​both domestically and in the U.K.
When she is not working, Arielle enjoys walking her dog, playing soccer, listening to This American Life, and traveling​.

Carra has always understood education to be a vehicle for social justice, and she is thrilled to apply that ideology to her work in actions civics. A former teacher, Carra loves that her role as MA Program Manager at Generation Citizen allows her to exercise her passion for the empowerment of young people and still lets her focus on curriculum development and meaningful, student-centered learning.

Before joining Generation Citizen, Carra spent five years teaching English literature and one semester as a program manager at the nonprofit Tutors for All, which aims to defeat the achievement gap in Boston public schools. While teaching in a large, diverse high school in the greater Boston area, she also spent two years coaching Model Congress students beyond the classroom and into civic engagement. Carra was continuously awed by what her Model Congress students accomplished when they combined passion with thoughtful action. Working at GC means expanding these efforts, beyond those students with a natural proclivity for political action, to all students, especially those who don’t see a place for themselves in civic engagement.

Carra is originally from central Connecticut and received both her BA in Secondary Education and English Literature and Ed.M in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College. When she’s not pondering the future of our democracy, you can find her with her nose in a book, on her yoga mat, or walking her dog Scout on the beach.

Samantha’s enthusiasm for civic advocacy stemmed from studying abroad in South Africa. During her time at the University of Cape Town, South African university students sparked the #FeesMustFall movement calling for an end to outsourcing and student fee hikes as well as the decolonization of the university. Witnessing youth mobilization and the capacity to be a change agent first-hand led Samantha toward Generation Citizen. She is truly empowered by GC’s student-centered approach that flips the narrative to demonstrate how youth can make a difference through action civics.

Samantha graduated from Emory University majoring in History and African American Studies. At Emory, she was heavily involved in Alpha Phi Omega co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi co-ed business fraternity, and Pipeline near-peer mentoring program. She also served as one of eight Orientation Captains, designing the transfer student curriculum and training college leaders. Her exposure to relationship building and direct service coupled with large-scale planning contributed to her passion for local advocacy.

Samantha also involved herself in civics at the state and federal level. Samantha canvassed for state political races and interned at both the MA State House and her U.S. Senator’s Boston office. More recently, Samantha continued her interest in civics through interning in Washington D.C. at the U.S. House of Representatives and previously at the U.S. Supreme Court.

A native of Marlborough, MA, Samantha is thrilled to be a part of GC as the FAO Schwarz Fellow and Senior Program Associate. In her spare time, Samantha is an avid biker, enjoys hiking with friends and watching Lost on Netflix.

As a former high school educator, Jason deeply cares about underrepresented young people receiving more meaningful and purposeful educational experiences. He believes students transform their lives when they are given spaces to engage their passionate voices through project-based learning. Too often, Jason witnessed our most vulnerable young people lacking opportunities to take charge of their own learning through topics that mattered to them, and he thinks this is where the real learning and growth occurs. He is very enthusiastic to be part of Generation Citizen because he believes when students have a chance to genuinely and actively engage in civic issues in their school and community, then young people are empowered to strengthen our democracy and develop their capacity for self-actualization.

For over a decade, Jason taught at Brockton High School and Cambridge Rindge & Latin School prior to becoming Program Director at Generation Citizen. He has earned his master’s degree in the Language and Literacy program at Harvard Graduate School of Education and his master’s degree in English and education at University of Massachusetts–Boston. Since the beginning of his career in education, Jason has stressed the importance of students feeling excited, challenged, and deeply-involved in their learning. He believes Generation Citizen will play an integral role with providing more students with these types of experiences in school.

When Jason is not working, he enjoys hiking and traveling with his wife and daughter, playing guitar, and having moments to just sit and be still with a good book while listening to his eclectic taste in music.

Ellie comes to GC from working with various urban education-based non-profit organizations, including three years at Jumpstart as a Corps Member and a Team Leader, where she led a group of college students in providing targeted and intentional supplemental curriculum to preschool children. After graduating, she invested a year of service with City Year Boston, where she spent a year growing and fostering various initiatives at a first-year turnaround elementary school in Dorchester, MA. As a Corps Member, Ellie created, delivered, and evaluated a wide array of services to students in an effort to support their academic success and inhibit the high school dropout crisis.

Ellie is inspired by Generation Citizen’s mission to provide urban youth with the adequate resources to engage with the democratic system, so that they can become active citizens and leaders. Her passion stems from her experiences with education as a low-income youth from a primarily Latino/a community in Los Angeles. She firmly believes that our democracy can grow, benefit, and change for the better through empowering youth to become advocates for their communities. She is excited to both grow with, and be an asset to the development of Generation Citizen through her role as Program Associate, and her fellowship with the FAO Schwarz Family Foundation.

Ellie hails from El Monte, CA. She graduated from UCLA where she earned a B.A. in English Literature. In her spare time, she likes to check-out local breweries, play rugby, and spend hours trying to figure out what to watch on Netflix.

DeNora is a native New Yorker and passionate advocate who over the last decade has fought to improve our democracy at the national, state and local level.

Like many of GC’s students, she was in high school when she had her “light bulb moment” about the importance of being a strong advocate and how to mount an advocacy campaign to seek change.

DeNora attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Fordham University School of Law. She cut her teeth working on local democracy and government reform for former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Throughout her career, DeNora has shaped state and local policy on a host of reform issues, including as Campaign manager & Legislative Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Policy Director for then-Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Policy Director at Citizens Union, Legislative Director at the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and Legislative Attorney for the New York City Council’s Governmental Operations Committee. She has worked to modernize state voting and campaign finance laws; increase government accountability and transparency; improve New York City’s education and social welfare systems; and enhance police accountability and oversight. During her democracy and social justice travels, DeNora has contributed to the New York Times’ City blog, Huffington Post, the Des Moines Register, Newsday, and Gotham Gazette.

DeNora values giving back to her community. She serves as a board member of Union Settlement and Planned Parenthood NYC Votes. She also volunteers with the New York Junior League and with the Greater New York Chapter of the Links, Inc., where she works to improve outcomes for and provide opportunities to underserved young adults.

DeNora is a mother of three who lives on New York’s Upper West Side with her husband, Mark. In her non-existent free time, DeNora enjoys traveling to relaxing beach destinations, reading, and trying random fitness classes.

Joie Golomb has committed her career to elevating the voices of young people through teaching, creative expression, and advocacy. She earned her undergraduate degree and teaching certification in Theater Education from Emerson College in Boston. Since then she has worked as a manager and teacher for after-school youth programs, in-school residencies, festivals, special events, school break programming and adult education, implementing creative approaches to empowering communities towards effective collective impact.

Joie received a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from The New School, where she pursued coursework to not only strengthen her skills in leadership but also to broaden her knowledge in fostering empathy, inspiring motivation, and building movements to effectively engage people in advocacy work. She is committed to advancing progressive change and social justice, as well as, generating, managing and sustaining nonprofit success. Her approach to management, teaching, and performance is with a strong emphasis on community and ensemble building, encouraging collaboration while allowing opportunities for diverse perspectives.

Joie has worked for nonprofits that partner with both the public and private sector. She was the Education Manager for Brooklyn Arts Exchange, a community cultural arts center. Then the Programs Outreach & Engagement Manager at ENACT, an organization that delivers social-emotional skills through a unique method of creative theater and drama therapy. As a Student Success Network Fellow, she developed continuous improvement strategies to lead organizational change and improve student outcomes.

In her spare time, Joie enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking and playing the guitar. She is obsessed with Gene Kelly films, movie musicals and classic films in general, American History, historic home tours, and historical fiction.

Helena is a passionate advocate for youth agency and civic action who has spent the last four years refining her skills in facilitation, leadership, and youth development. She remembers being a high school student and wanting to act on her developing political consciousness, but feeling powerless to make a difference as a young person. In many ways, this experience still motivates her to bring young people the knowledge and resources she lacked in order to support civic action.

Helena began her career in education and youth development as an undergraduate at NYU, volunteering with Peer Health Exchange (PHE) to teach sexual health workshops to ninth graders. She soon took a leadership role with PHE leading, training, and supporting other educators, and became rapidly interested in social innovation and organizing. While interning with the youth engagement team at GLAAD, she was inspired to organize a panel on LGBTQ, health equity with NYU PHE to engage her volunteer network more deeply with social impact work and the campus queer community. She pursued this interest further through an internship with Live Out Loud during her final year of university. There, she coordinated and facilitated programs that both connected queer and trans youth to role models and introduced them to civic action and community organizing. Helena has long been inspired by the power and momentum of advocacy by young people and was moved by her experience with Live Out Loud to focus her career on empowering youth to engage in social impact work and self-advocacy.

Helena’s favorite way to spend her free time is with friends, often exploring new places (and foods) across the city. She also loves to read and write and is a published poet, as well as an amateur hair colorist. There’s a good chance she’s stopped you on the street to pet your dog.

Jonathan is a native New Yorker who has worked in advocacy as a student at Hunter College. His time working for the City University of New York (CUNY) and as a student exposed him to the different levels of action civics. Fighting for the Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) and College Discovery (CD) programs helped develop his passion for action civics.

Before joining Generation Citizen, Jonathan spent his time advocating for the SEEK and CD programs. By joining the United Leaders of CUNY (ULC), he developed an understanding of local government structures and built a network focused on supporting opportunity programs in higher education. As he progressed from chairing the student-led organization to eventually becoming the University Advisor tasked with supporting them at an administrative level, Jonathan continued to stress the importance of voting and working with both community-based organizations and local officials. Jonathan was inspired by his experiences empowering fellow SEEK and CD students with advocacy training to join Generation Citizen and empower our young people.

During his spare time, Jonathan enjoys Olympic style weightlifting, cooking, and watching the San Antonio Spurs.

Maria Jose Mares is a proud Chicana who was raised in the heart of El Barrio in New York City. She received her Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science from Baruch College of the City University of New York. While at Baruch she received the Lizana y Parrague Social Justice Fellowship through which she was able to conduct research on the impact of immigration status on the educational attainment of NYC youth. Through her research, she was able to gain insight into the socio-economic barriers millions of students face while trying to receive higher education.

Prior to joining Generation Citizen as a Program Associate, Maria Jose worked in workforce development at a community-based organization in Washington Heights. There she was able to connect low-income New Yorkers with education and employment opportunities.

As a product of the NYC public school system, Maria Jose’s firsthand experience cultivated her keen understanding and passion toward granting quality and accessible education to all. She views education as an essential stepping stone for everyone’s advancement, and she hopes to incorporate her passion for justice and equity in all her work.

In her free time, she enjoys binge watching The West Wing, singing along to show tunes, and coloring. She also loves cooking and trying new cuisines, but her two true loves are Mexican food and iced coffee.

Prior to joining Generation Citizen, Martin spent seven years in the classroom as a middle school Social Studies teacher in The Bronx.  During his time there, he was an advocate for his students and believes that every child deserves an education that provides them with the skills, experiences, and knowledge to create a better future.

Through his work in the classroom and a special focus on the connection between education and social justice, Martin fostered youth engagement in politics and in their communities.  Outside of work, he has channeled this passion into an involvement in advocacy work with Organizing for Equity, NY (OFENY), a community-organizing group which aims to create a more equitable education system for the children of New York City through political and social action.

As a teacher, Martin used his classroom as a student-centered place to connect the past to many issues facing his students and the world today. He is excited to expand upon his work within and for the New York school system in his role at Generation Citizen.

A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Martin is originally from Atlanta but has called New York his home for the past seven years.  When he’s not in the office, you can find him eating his way around New York City, going to concerts, and exploring the city by bike.

Karla joined Generation Citizen’s NYC team as a Program Associate in 2018 although her involvement with GC began almost a year and a half earlier. Thanks to an intriguing yet vague email flier about GC’s Democracy Coach position, Karla took a leap and decided to apply. She saw the DC position as an amazing mix between two of her greatest passions: education and politics.

After a successful semester as a DC, Karla stepped into a leadership position at the newly created Baruch Chapter of GC as a Chapter Director. She worked her way up to Chapter Executive Director with the mission of cementing GC as a fixture on Baruch’s campus. As a CD she not only lent support to Baruch DC’s but also centralized efforts to ensure new CD’s were equipped with the tools to keep the chapter going.

While at Baruch, Karla was an advocate for better transitional support for incoming students via “First-Year Seminar,” which she facilitated as a Peer Mentor. She was active in student-led campaigns that demanded more resources and transparency from the College and ultimately aimed to leave Baruch better than she found it.

Karla was born in Queens and raised in the Bronx, a product of the NYC educational system. It is for this reason she is excited to work for and with NYC youth to empower them and revitalize our democracy. She is steadfast in her belief, which is also probably scientifically proven, that New York City is truly the best place on Earth.

Neha’s introduction to politics and social advocacy occurred when she was a high school student volunteering with a local organization, focusing on political advocacy for young women and girls from asylum seeker backgrounds. Through this experience she became acutely aware of how an underrepresentation of the diversity of citizens could influence the political paradigm and prove harmful to a functional and inclusive democracy. Since then, she has channelled her passion and energy into youth engagement in the space of politics and social justice.

Neha acquired her Master’s in International Development from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), during which time she worked with the Oaktree Foundation in Australia. During her time at Oaktree, Neha worked closely with her state team to recruit and train college volunteers to implement within schools and colleges a national political advocacy plan geared towards lobbying the federal government to increase foreign aid investment. Further, she worked extensively to develop, implement and integrate a diversity and inclusion strategy within the organization’s internal practices. Following her time at Oaktree, Neha undertook a professional placement at Global Citizen in New York where she co-led a pilot program – ‘The Global Youth Advocates Symposium.’

Neha is passionate about fostering a pathway for the next generation of diverse youth activists and leaders. She is excited to come on board with Generation Citizen to further this mission by empowering young people through action centered civics education and cultivating a more citizen representative democracy.

Born in San Francisco, but raised in Melbourne, Australia, Neha decided to take a leap by moving her life to New York in 2016. In her spare time, you will find Neha eating her way through New York or at every hip hop music festival or concert, engaging in a never-ending mission to run into her favourite celebrities, in the big apple.

Brooke has spent her career working in education and community outreach in New York City as well as South America. After graduating from Brown University in 2005, Brooke spent three years living in South America where she worked with Amnesty International and TransformeArte, researching human rights violations and organizing events and campaigns to raise awareness.

She returned to the United States and started working at Read Alliance, a nonprofit that pairs teen tutors with kindergarten and first-grade students who are struggling with reading. During her time at Read Alliance, Brooke created strong relationships with schools in all five boroughs of New York City and managed program quality which resulted in student growth in reading skills in addition to a positive change in the confidence and motivation levels of students and teen tutors. Most recently Brooke has been managing the daily and strategic plans for the operations of charter and parochial schools which has allowed her to create systems that maximize efficiency.

Brooke is excited to use her background in program management to continue to enhance programming at Generation Citizen in New York. She believes that every student needs the knowledge, skills, and support to use their voice to create a better future and reach their full potential.

Brooke enjoys being active and trying new activities such as surfing. She is constantly planning her next trip and believes that traveling is the best way to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone.

Becca joins GC after two years of service in public schools through AmeriCorps. She learned about Generation Citizen through her work as a City Year Corps Member in a 6th/7th grade English Language Arts classroom at Del Sesto Middle School in Providence, RI. She continued working directly in schools the following year at PS 158 in East New York, Brooklyn, where she worked as a Site Coordinator with Reading Partners, providing literacy intervention for K-3 students. Her experience doing direct service in schools showed her the importance of operations and other behind the scenes work in non-profits, motivating her to join GC NYC as an Administrative Assistant to support the students in the region and its astounding growth.

Prior to her work at GC and in the non-profit world, Becca graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in History. She believes that understanding the past and how we got here is essential to participating in democracy and solving problems in the present. Originally from the Bay Area, Becca has personal connections to many of GC’s locations and is excited to help the organization do great work in NYC and beyond.

In her free time, Becca enjoys running and playing sports (hopefully outside!), reading books for her book club, and trying the newest flavor of ice cream at Ample Hills in Brooklyn.

Tom came to Generation Citizen in 2012 after working in politics for a number of years. He joined Generation Citizen to help young people learn how to be engaged and powerful advocates for themselves and their communities. While participating in Generation Citizen, students in Rhode Island have used their voices to lobby for crosswalks to be painted, state legislation to be introduced, and rules within their school district to change. Working alongside young people to help them understand how to impact the political process is what Tom loves most about Generation Citizen.

Tom grew up in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and graduated from the University of New Hampshire with degrees in political science and history. He has worked in public and private lobbying in Washington, D.C. and Rhode Island for good government organizations, education nonprofits and healthcare institutions. He also served as the Finance and Campaign Director for a Maryland state campaign for Comptroller.

Tom currently lives in Providence, and loves working with Generation Citizen in his home state. He enjoys running, Crossfit, being out on Narragansett Bay and hiking in the woods with his dog.

Lauren joined Generation Citizen in August 2018 as a Brown University AmeriCorps VISTA Fellow. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Lauren grew up with a close-knit family in a home abundant with cats and dogs. In May 2018, Lauren graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC) with her Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Affairs with minors in Environmental Studies and Middle East & South Asia Studies. While attending university, Lauren was deeply committed to working alongside the Office of Sustainability and the Student Organization for the Advancement of Refugees. Lauren’s involvement in these organizations fostered a passion to pursue a career that addresses social and environmental justice issues.

One of Lauren’s most impactful experiences as an activist occurred while studying abroad with SIT’s (The School for International Training) Sustainability and Environmental Action program in Australia. The program invited Lauren the opportunity to work with the Australian Greens at the Parliament of New South Wales where she met dozens of local grassroot activists coming together to dismantle ongoing regional and national social injustices. Lauren found her experiences to be invaluable, as she learned how profoundly rewarding it is to be a part of a larger community of impassioned global citizens.

Lauren has also spent many hours working alongside middle and high school students. In Winston-Salem, NC, Lauren dedicated herself to working at an after-school program for students enrolled in the ESL program. As a foreign language tutor herself, Lauren found beauty partaking in classroom discussions through the lens of many languages. Overall, Lauren was overjoyed to witness the students excel in the classroom, and she has since discovered her desire to continue her work with students. Lauren is very excited to work with Generation Citizen, so as to empower students to become the next wave of activists.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys road biking, reading, hiking and finding any excuse to spend the day at the beach.

Miriam joined Generation Citizen in 2018 after a year teaching English with Fulbright in South Korea. She attended Haverford College, where she majored in Comparative Literature. She has spent the last year reading thematically about the meaning of homeland, belonging, and nationhood. Let her know if you have reading suggestions!

In college, Miriam’s most meaningful experiences were in on-campus activism and affinity groups. Some of her fondest memories include a campaign to increase the diversity of her college’s administration and board, and working with other students to create a dedicated space on campus for Asian and Asian American students. She is passionate about working towards solidarity and examining the ways in which we unintentionally harm each other.

Miriam is excited to work with Generation Citizen because she believes that respecting young people and investing in education is key to building a world we can be hopeful about.

Miriam grew up mostly in western Massachusetts and a little in eastern Tennessee. She spends her free time sewing, pining after dogs she does not own, learning languages, and stir-frying vegetables.

Kara joined Generation Citizen in 2018 after serving with Brown University’s College Advising Corps for two years, where she served as a College Adviser at Hope High School in Providence. As a College Adviser, Kara helped low-income, first-generation high school students with the college application process while also guiding them with other post-secondary aspirations. This work helped Kara deepen her love for equity, education, and justice.

Originally hailing from Winchendon (Massachusetts) as the daughter of Lao Refugees, Kara moved to Providence and attended Providence College on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. In 2016, she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies with a minor in Public and Community Service. Her studies and involvement as an undergrad have allowed her to work with various Providence-area schools and organizations and reinforced a sense of commitment to community engagement.

Throughout her community work, Kara found the utmost joy in working with young people as a mentor. She has extensive experience in mentoring both young people in the Providence community and undergraduate students. She also co-facilitated multiple courses at Providence College and in Cape Town, South Africa on community organizing, social justice, and international education. Kara’s greatest passion in life is helping other people find their own passion. She is excited to work with Generation Citizen as she helps students find their voice to pave a path to achieving their goals, especially if those goals include uplifting and empowering their communities.

In her spare time, Kara loves traveling the country and world often in search of the best noodle or dessert dish, reading, and shopping for things she does not need. When she needs to feel inspired, she often thinks about students who she’s met and worked with in the past or watches Beyonce performances/concerts online.

Kristina is a licensed social worker in Rhode Island with over seven years of nonprofit and youth development experience.  She has dedicated her educational goals and career path to providing youth with an array of advocacy, career, and educational opportunities through leadership development and mentorship.

After earning her B.A, in Sociology from Bryant University, Kristina dedicated a year of service through the City Year program, mentoring and tutoring in a sixth-grade classroom at DelSesto Middle School in Rhode Island. She then went to Boston University and earned her Master’s in Social Work with a focus on macro practice.

She continued her passion to elevate the power of youth voice working as a youth community organizer in Boston, MA advocating for summer youth employment opportunities, environmental justice, and affordable public transit.  She then spent three years working for Year Up Providence, supporting young adults on their journey into the corporate workforce by providing social services, access to community resources and mental health counseling.

In joining Generation Citizen in Rhode Island, she is excited to continue to foster these community relationships and uplift the youth voice through Action Civics.  In her free time, she loves trying new foods, playing soccer and running.

Scott is the Chief Executive Officer of Generation Citizen.  He co-founded the organization at Brown University with fellow student Anna Ninan during their senior year in 2009, and has worked the last seven years to build up GC’s programming and work to expand action civics throughout the country.

Scott’s passion for the importance of youth political engagement stems from his experience growing up abroad. After his father joined the State Department, Scott lived throughout Latin America and Africa, learning about diverse cultures and peoples. In 2002, Scott served as an observer in the first truly democratic elections in Kenya’s history, where he began to recognize the transformative potential of democracy. He also witnessed a coup in Ecuador in 2005, and met with opposition members during run-off elections in Zimbabwe in 2008.

During college he served as the Student Director of STAND, a national student anti-genocide coalition. STAND worked with over 800 high school and college chapters to advocate US action to prevent and end genocide, and create a permanent student anti-genocide constituency. Scott also helped lead successful campaigns to divest Brown University, the City of Providence, and the State of Rhode Island from companies conducting business in Sudan.

Scott was named an Echoing Green Fellow in 2010, and a Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow in 2012.  He continues to write on subjects ranging youth political engagement to African politic to sports, and has been published in the Christian Science Monitor, New York Daily News, Huffington Post, San Diego Union Tribune, Sports Illustrated, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Providence Journal.

In his spare time, Scott enjoys running, traveling, and religiously following his hometown teams: the San Diego Padres and Chargers.

Josh has over 15 years of nonprofit management experience working with national education and youth development nonprofits, including Teach For America, Youthbuild USA, and Peace First. He led the launch of a national fellowship program for young leaders at Peace First, scaled up Teach For America’s alumni giving and volunteerism programs, and managed technical assistance to over 100 YouthBuild programs.  Josh received his BA from Williams College and his MBA from the Yale School of Management.  Josh was also chair of the Young Nonprofit Professional Network’s national board during a period of rapid expansion, and led the Development and Search Committee for The Food Project.

A lifelong follower and debater of politics, nationally and locally, Josh is excited to support Generation Citizen’s mission of engaging young people in fashioning solutions to community challenges in partnership with local and state government.  His experience working with youth from diverse backgrounds in each of his roles, and seeing how their voices broadened the conversation, grounds his commitment to ensuring that our civic institutions are representative and responsive to all of their constituents.

Josh grew up in Guilford, Connecticut and lives outside Boston with his wife and newborn son. In his free time he enjoys hiking, coffee snobbery and wine tasting.

Jessicah joined Generation Citizen in 2016 as the Senior Director of Development. She leads fundraising and communications for the organization nationwide as a member of the leadership team. Prior to GC, Jessicah established her nonprofit career at Per Scholas, a no-cost technology job-training organization, where she spent several years helping build the organization. She established the organization’s communications department, corporate partner model, diversified its fundraising streams, and lead a number of efforts to raise the organization’s profile and fuel its expansion into new markets across the country. Jess brings a tremendous amount of experience to GC that will advance its growth and deepen its work in its destinations old and new. Prior to her career in nonprofit, she worked in advertising at Team One, an agency of Saatchi & Saatchi.

Raised in the heartland of America in Winfield, KS, she is a graduate of the University of Kansas and has been a transplant in New York for the past decade. Not a total novice to community organizing, Jess is energized to follow the GC student’s lead and push herself to become a more engaged citizen and active member in our democracy through this work. She will be keeping tally of her participation in local elections from this point forward.

When taking a break from running fundraising campaigns and building HONY-worthy stories, she has no shame in touting her love for creating custom Halloween costumes, finding solitude in coloring books (she claims being ahead of the trend), and choosing a new destination on the globe for disconnected R&R far away from the concrete jungle.

As Senior Director of Programming, Sarah manages Generation Citizen’s program quality, evaluation, and pilots across the country. She joined the team in 2011 to help launch GC’s New York City site and served as NY Program Manager and NY Site Director before stepping into her current role.

Sarah is driven by a lifelong curiosity about how communities influence their residents and how residents influence their communities, from the scale of a classroom community to a national democracy. Her sense of social justice is grounded in how well communities support this balance – offering access to and promoting the agency of their members.

Before coming to Generation Citizen, Sarah taught high school math in rural Mississippi, planning and leading lessons, tutorials, and even prom at her one-hallway school, working to help students gain the confidence, skills, and requirements they would need for graduation and beyond. She was drawn to Generation Citizen by its power to encourage students in developing not only academically but as advocates for themselves and their communities.

At GC, Sarah grew the NYC program from a small pilot to partnering with teachers in serving more than 2,000 students per year, developed a NYC advisory board and grew local fundraising efforts, and co-led a successful campaign to amend state legislation to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to serve on local NYC community boards. She has published numerous articles on and has led workshops across the country about GC’s work and the potential and pedagogy of youth civic engagement.

Sarah grew up in Houston, Texas and received a B.A. in Geography and Plan II Honors and a certificate in Social Inequality, Health, and Policy from the University of Texas (hook ‘em!). She now lives in Brooklyn and spends her free time consuming obscene amounts of bagels and iced coffee, going to comedy shows, and giving tours of Grand Central Terminal as a volunteer docent with the Municipal Arts Society.

Andrew Wilkes serves as Generation Citizen’s Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, where he leads GC’s thought leadership, coalition building, and policy initiatives as a part of the national leadership team. Andrew comes to this role with nearly ten years of experience in public policy, advocacy, and community organizing, particularly among congregations and community-based organizations. Prior to joining GC in 2017, he served as the executive director of the Drum Major Institute, a social change organization founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In that capacity, he executed public affairs events in Dallas, TX and Washington D.C. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act; established the Beloved Community Initiative, a national resource on spirituality and social justice for faith communities; and relaunched the nationally renowned Marketplace of Ideas Forum – a forum for bringing policy ideas to an audience of changemakers, policy professionals, and nonprofit leaders.

As a Senior Grants Manager at The American Red Cross of Greater New York, he worked with elected officials, public agencies, and community stakeholders to administer a $45 million budget for Superstorm Sandy recovery in New York state and Connecticut. Before that, he worked at Habitat for Humanity – New York City, where he mobilized 140 faith communities across the city to serve, donate, and advocate for affordable housing.

Andrew is a graduate of Hampton University, Princeton Theological Seminary, the CORO public affairs fellowship, and is a doctoral candidate in political science at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He also serves on the board of directors for the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State and Habitat for Humanity – New York State.

Isa joined Generation Citizen in 2017 as Finance Manager. She spends her time building and refining GC’s financial management systems, from budgets to audit and beyond. Prior to GC, Isa worked in operations at Venture for America, a nonprofit startup where she wore many hats – finance, HR, amateur IT support, and more. She got her start as a campus organizer with the California Student Public Interest Research Group, recruiting and training students to run campaigns to promote clean energy and increase youth voter turnout. Her time as a community organizer cemented her passion for youth civic education, and she’s excited to be part of building GC’s operational infrastructure as the program scales.

Isa grew up in Vermont and received her B.A. in politics from Pomona College. When not buried in a spreadsheet, she can be found hiking, camping, and exploring new neighborhoods in the city.

Megan came to Generation Citizen in 2018 straight out of the classroom, having taught 9th grade Social Studies at Colorado River Collegiate Academy, an early college high school in Bastrop, TX. She played an integral role in GC coming to her campus after learning more about the program through a 2016 civic workshop held at the White House. Through her time working as a GC teacher, she saw her students truly understand the important role they play in their local community. Serving as the civic education leader in her district, she provided students additional opportunities to be active changemakers through partnerships with the University of Texas and the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. A few of her career highlights include being awarded the 2016-2017 Bastrop ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year, receiving the first-ever TX GC Teacher Change Maker award in 2017, and watching her well-deserving students receive the 2017 GC Class Change Maker award.

Megan’s passion lies in providing underrepresented youth with opportunities to lead and succeed, working with one of her GC class projects on starting a youth advisory council with the City of Bastrop. She feels that GC opens doors for students who may have historically had them closed and she’s excited to bring her civic and classroom knowledge to her Regional Program Manager position.

She has lived in Iowa, Tennessee, and Texas, currently residing in the Dallas area. She received a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, both from Middle Tennessee State University. Megan also has 8 years of community college teaching under her belt, working in both TN and TX. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 rambunctious daughters (Sophia & Chloe), hunting for new flavors of kombucha, and planning her next international adventure!

Clara graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sociology and Legal Studies. Clara joins GC after several years in the legal profession, working as a paralegal in both the public and private sector. As an avid follower of American politics, as well as a native of the Bronx, Clara believes fostering a democratic spirit among urban youth is paramount, and is deeply committed to Generation Citizen’s mission.

Clara is obsessed with the Knicks and New York Giants, and enjoys reading in her spare time. She is also a first-generation American whose parents hail from Nigeria.

Dana’s background is in research and innovation consulting.  She has helped policy makers better understand their constituents in order to design instrumental policies, and helped big brands to better understand their consumers to develop and improve products to better meet their needs.

She completed her MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, studying decision-making and the processes underlying human behavior. Her dissertation examined intergroup empathy in the context of racial equality activism. She has her B.A. in Media Studies and Political Science from Vassar College.

As Advocacy Director at Generation Citizen, she is excited to combine her professional and academic experience with her passion for social justice, developing a strategy for action civics demand building. She hopes to propel the movement so that all students across the country have access to effective civics education – and the empowerment and agency that comes along with it.

Dana is a born and raised New Yorker who loves eating delicious and interesting foods and exploring new and interesting places.

Brandon was a New Sector Alliance Summer Fellow in 2015 and graduated from American University in 2016. He previously worked as a Health Educator with the nonprofit Peer Health Exchange, leading workshops on mental health for ninth graders in Washington, DC. He also has experience in federal government relations, focusing on health policy. Brandon believes that voting is a cornerstone of democracy, and loves working with young people around the country to advance the Vote16USA campaign.

Brandon grew up in Minnesota and loves pick-up basketball and good books.

Bonnie first joined Generation Citizen in 2016 as a New York City Program Associate and is now the Manager of National Program and Partnership Development. During her time on the New York City team, Bonnie helped to create systems for tracking and organization and contributed to program growth by helping recruit, train, and support the largest cohort of Democracy Coaches in GC history. She also contributed to curricular resources by co-creating and authoring a post-election 2-day lesson packaged entitled “Beyond the Ballot” to get teachers and students equipped and motivated to continue participating after the election. Bonnie has now transitioned into her new role as a Manager of National Program Development where she is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue expanding Generation Citizen’s national programming through curriculum updates, the creation and implementation of teacher professional development, and supporting new partnerships for teacher-led and remote programming.

Bonnie first developed her passion for student action driven education programs while in college studying Secondary Education Social Sciences at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. (War Eagle!) Her studies and training focused on utilizing the social sciences to help students become analytical thinkers who apply their knowledge and participate proactively in the world around them.

Prior to working with GC, Bonnie spent 5 years as a public school teacher in Nashville, TN. Early on she worked with students with learning differences in a variety of academic subjects, but she spent the majority of her teaching years educating high school seniors in American Government and Politics. In addition to classroom instruction, she led students in mock national and international governments through Model United Nations and Youth in Government programs. Watching young adults first begin to develop their own independent beliefs as well as their power and role in the political process was inspiring and a motivating factor for Bonnie in coming on board with GC.

In addition to her passion for civic engagement, Bonnie enjoys reading historical fiction, taking road trips, cooking pad thai, and drinking bubbly water. #Lacroix4Life Though Bonnie and her family spent the last year in the lovely New York City, she is excited to be back in her home state of Tennessee where she hopes to engage her community in action civics and keep building demand for this important work!

Juanita joined Generation Citizen in 2017 after teaching 8th grade Social Studies for five years. She taught GC classes for three years at Roger Williams Middle School, which was known for their strong GC projects, polished Civics Day presentations, and being the winningest school in the state. Juanita’s classes brought home awards every Civics Day, and in a single semester, she earned both the coveted Class Change Maker and Teacher Change Maker awards. Her passion for GC led to an invitation to the Rhode Island Board, which she continues to serve on, and collaboration on several curriculum-based projects. Officially joining the GC team only seemed natural!

Juanita is highly versed and trained in project-based learning, culturally responsive teaching, activities-based learning, and question formulation techniques. Through Generation Citizen, her students founded a Student Council, met with district officials to discuss strategies for increasing teacher diversity, and testified to the Superintendent and School Board about closing the achievement gap between English Language Learners and their peers. What has made Juanita truly most proud is the long-lasting impact GC has made on her students.

Juanita lives in Providence with her two fantabulous kids, Lydia and Elias, her grandpa, mother, sister, and niece because it takes a village to raise children (plus Benji, an adorably fun-loving adopted Lhasa Apso). As a proud Rhode Islander, she spends time exploring the many gems the Ocean State has to offer with her family and friends. Juanita loves taking walks through historic Roger Williams Park and experimenting with new recipes.

Nivetha joined Generation Citizen in October 2018 to further her professional goal of providing opportunities and tools for young people to direct their own learning and have more of a voice in decisions that affect them. Her background is in fundraising for education in the international development and humanitarian aid space, most recently with the nonprofits Children in Conflict and Seeds of Africa. Prior to that, Nivetha earned her MA in International Education Development at Columbia University, concentrating in Peace and Human Rights Education. While in graduate school, she assisted with research and writing on a UNESCO toolkit to support educators and policymakers across the world in integrating global citizenship education into their policies, curricula, and classrooms.

A passionate advocate for youth-led social change, Nivetha first became aware of the issues with top-down education policy through her experiences going to school in the midwestern US and southern India, where she felt the curricula and pedagogy didn’t always reflect the needs, experiences, or interests of the students. Her convictions about the need for global education reform were further strengthened by volunteering at orphanages in India as well as tutoring in low-income schools across New York City.

When not daydreaming about a peaceful global society built on ideals of social justice and educational equality, Nivetha spends her time reading literary fiction, playing with her lab retriever Petey, and ranking the best ramen noodle shops in New York City.

Caitlin joined Generation Citizen in 2014. Prior to GC, Caitlin was a Senior Program Coordinator at the San Francisco Education Fund, where she was able to learn the ins-and-outs of the SF public school system, design and deliver community volunteer trainings, and build partnerships with teachers and school leaders throughout the city’s southeast neighborhoods.

Caitlin was drawn to Generation Citizen because it is an organization that fundamentally believes in the power and voice of young people. She is excited to work for a program that gives students the tools and opportunity to become agents of change in their own communities. She also loves that her job requires getting involved in local politics and mentoring a diverse group of college student leaders.

Before moving to the Bay Area, Caitlin spent two years teaching English at a primary school in rural northern Thailand, where she first developed a passion for youth development and education (as well as spicy food and motorbikes).
Caitlin grew up in San Diego, and earned her B.A. in Anthropology and a Certificate in American Studies from Princeton University. She has been a proud Oakland resident since 2012. In her free time, you can find her spending time outdoors (preferably dog-friendly places) and working towards her goal of reading 15 books a year.

Chelsea’s experience has predominantly focused on policy, advocacy, community organizing, civic engagement, and government reform. After serving on Generation Citizen’s New York City Associate Board for three years, she officially joined the GC staff in the spring of 2016.

Prior to joining GC, Chelsea managed public affairs and communications at leading government reform organizations including Citizens Union, Common Cause New York, and The Fund for the Public Interest Research Group. She also worked for the startup Nextdoor, bringing innovative community engagement tactics to hyper-local neighborhoods throughout New York City. She graduated from The New School for Public Engagement with an M.S. in Nonprofit Management in 2013 and in 2009 she received her B.A. in Political Science and English from the University of North Florida.

Chelsea developed her passion for youth civic engagement early on as a high school student who wanted to better understand power systems, politics, and the complexities of our democracy. She felt if she could only better understand these systems, she could make an impact.  Because of this, she feels personally connected to GC’s mission: giving students the education and the tools to better understand the power structures that govern them and to empower them to create social change.

An energetic ex-Floridian, Chelsea loves cooking new things, riding her bike, puppies (of course!) and getting people pumped about youth civic engagement!

Amy joined Generation Citizen in 2016 in furtherance of her professional and personal passion for empowering youth and providing opportunities through education. She began her career with Project Transformation, a community oriented summer day camp focused on building literacy among elementary-aged children from Oklahoma’s low-income urban neighborhoods. Long a community volunteer in a variety of capacities, she currently chairs an organization which operates a food pantry and provides no cost eye care (and other services) to Oklahoma City’s working poor.

Amy is proud to be at the forefront of Generation Citizen’s expansion to the Sooner State. Perpetuating the optimism and resilience of her pioneer forebears, she believes teaching Oklahoma’s youth to engage civically will improve their lives and equip Oklahoma with a new generation of leaders.

Amy holds a B.A. in Letters from the University of Oklahoma and a Masters in Religious Education from Oklahoma City University. She enjoys adventures with her husband and two boys, knitting, cooking dinner with friends, and cheering on the OKC Thunder.

Elizabeth joined Generation Citizen in 2017, as Oklahoma Senior Program Associate. She has cultivated her passion for a civically informed and engaged Oklahoma through collegiate teaching, local advocacy, and working the polls. Elizabeth has seen Oklahoma’s low voter turnout first-hand, and believes that empowering young people to speak for themselves and their communities will sustainably strengthen our state.

Because creative problem solving and critical thinking are fundamental pieces of lasting civic engagement, Elizabeth is proud to be a member of and volunteer with a number of Oklahoma City’s arts sector projects. Through professional and personal commitments, she strives to always celebrate human agency by celebrating human diversity and creativity.

Elizabeth holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Oklahoma Baptist University and an M.S. in Applied Anthropology from the University of North Texas. As an adopted Oklahoman, Elizabeth digs the state’s music, art, food, and long vegetable-growing season.