André Augustine

Born and raised in the Bronx, André Augustine attended Lawrence University through the Posse Foundation scholarship. He majored in History and minored in Ethnic Studies. Right out of college, he interned at the Get Schooled Foundation, a nonprofit that engaged, empowered, and offered young people the educational tools they need to succeed. André also worked at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (or SEO Scholars), which focused on getting low-income NYC public school students into college. An avid traveler, he visited countries such as France, Italy, England, and New Zealand. He plans to visit many more in the future.

Carly Avezzano

Carly graduated from Macalester College with majors in International Studies and French. During college, she worked at Macalester’s Civic Engagement Center, volunteered as a literacy tutor with youth, and studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco. After graduation, she spent a year teaching English in Montpellier, France through TAPIF and a year coordinating service learning experiences for high school students in Boston with buildOn.

At Global Kids, Carly has worked as a Senior Trainer at  High School for Public Service, High School for Global Citizenship and Global Kids citywide programs including Human Rights Activist Project, Girl Hack, and US in the World Summer CFR Institute. Currently, Carly works as the Assistant Director for Practice & Impact with a focus on GK’s global education initiatives. She is pursuing her Masters of Social Work at Hunter College.

Diamond Butler

Diamond Butler is a New York native dedicated to youth and community development. Her interests in international affairs sprouted while interning at the International Rescue Committee. After graduating from Cheyney University with a degree in political science, Diamond worked on various political campaigns while teaching workshops for the 181st Beautification Project. She then became the Director of Youth Programming and Internships at the United Palace in Washington Heights for several years. She also worked with the YMCA of Greater New York Global Teens program where she had the opportunity to lead students on service-learning trips to California and South Africa. Butler served in the Peace Corps as an English teacher in Comoros while working on various community projects. Diamond is a proud Community School Director for Global Kids at Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists (BSSWA).

Dominique Jones

Dominique R. Jones has dedicated her twenty-four-year-long career to ensuring that all New York City youth have access to opportunities that enable them to chart a path towards future success. Dominique served for over six years as Executive Director of Boys & Girls Club of Harlem. She also held senior leadership roles at Food Bank of New York City and NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Her achievements include the development and opening of the organization’s flagship clubhouse; the expansion of programming into NYC Department of Education schools; and raising over $6 million in government and private funding to support these programs.

In the last year, Dominique has received the National Herman Prescott Award by Harlem Boys and Girls Club and recognized as one of the Women Power 100 by City & State. Ms. Jones received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Spelman College and a Master of Science in Urban Policy & Management from the New School, where she was both a Public Policy/International Affairs and Child Welfare fellow.

Jacqueline Joseph

Jacqueline Joseph is committed to equity and access work and serves as the Community School Director at Bronxdale High School. Previously, she worked within the education equity and youth development nonprofit sector to engage young people and families around school transitions, focusing on the middle school to high school application and transition process in NYC. She earned a BA from Loyola University New Orleans and has a certificate in Nonprofit Management through Partnership for Afterschool Education and Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College for Emerging Leaders in Nonprofit Management. In addition, Jacqueline volunteers as an officer within her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega overseeing operations within the northeast region, and volunteer her time as an NYS Democratic Fellow and few nonprofit organizations to rebuild homes following natural disasters.

Jean Ralph Germain

Ralph Germain spent the past 11 years working with underserved youth from inner-city neighborhoods in the education sector. After graduating from Saint Peter’s University with a BA in business, he began working with a transfer high school in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He spent 5 years as an advocate counselor and then promoted to Internship Coordinator. Following his time there, he became the Assistant Director of another transfer school in Red Hook, Brooklyn. After 4 years of service, he delved into the world of NYC Community Schools as the Director for a Middle school in the Bronx, working closely with school leadership on efforts to remove the school off of the NY State Renewal List. Ralph has also spent time working with the Arches Mentoring Program & the NYC Department of Probation to mentor teens on probation and prevent recidivism. He also worked with the Black Male Initiative’s mentoring program and Young Life of New York. His dedication and commitment to youth development and closing the achievement gap for the underserved youth of New York and all over the world is at the core of his professional passion.

Joel Elam

Joel Elam comes to Global Kids with over 22 years of general accounting experience in a variety of corporate environments, including more than 15 years in the nonprofit arena working for companies such as United Way of New York City and Collaboration for Restoring Families, Inc. “Although accounting is a back office operation, I have always taken joy in the fact that what I do facilitates the works of program staff and therefore, affects the clientele we strive to help.” Joel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Maryland as well as Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Theology from the United Christian College of New York.

Leticia Lee

Leticia Lee is a Korean-Brazilian, raised in Sao Paulo, who received a B.S. in Mathematics with Economic Policy emphasis from the University of West Florida. Coming from a developing country, Leticia understands that education is of utmost importance to empower people and reduce social gaps. She is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and communicates in Korean.

Libby Hill

Libby Hill received a BA in International Studies and Political Science from Muhlenberg College and is an MA candidate at the SIT Graduate Institute in Conflict Transformation with a focus on Youth Programming. During college, she volunteered and worked with various youth-serving organizations and schools to provide arts education and globally-focused enrichment. For three years, Libby attended the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and worked with delegates to document the proceedings. Libby moved to New York City after college where she worked with high school youth to provide afterschool and summer programs for elementary students. Following her graduate coursework in conflict and social justice, she facilitated peacebuilding dialogues and activism workshops for youth participating in exchange programs from all over the world. Most recently, before joining Global Kids, she managed a teen center for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, FBR Branch @ THEARC. She has traveled and studied throughout Europe, Eastern Africa, and Southern Africa.

Logan Blouin

Always taking an interest in the world outside of his own, Logan has worked in educational environments in hopes of promoting equity for youth and families. Logan, a first-generation college student, graduated from Western Oregon University and the New School’s Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs. A firm believer that “together we succeed,” he began working with Grand St. Settlement Beacon Center, SONYC programs, and later with Diversity Scholars at Western Oregon University. In addition to his work in education, Logan is an avid swimmer.

Matthew Cowan

A native New Yorker, Matthew has worked in a variety of educational environments with the common goal of advancing educational and social equity. These organizations include, among others, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, The Children’s Aid Society, Project Reach Youth, Working Playground, NYCHA, and iMentor. Matt graduated from Wesleyan University and Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. In addition to his work in education, Matthew writes fiction and non-fiction.

Olympia Wilson

Olympia Wilson has been working in the youth development field for almost 10 years. She has a passion for working with youth in New York City’s underserved communities. Olympia has invested her time over the year into creating quality programming that will give students the opportunities they need to be successful in life. Olympia received her MBA in Financial Management from North Central University, Phoenix, Arizona graduating Magna Cum Laude. She is now serving as the Associate Director for Middle School Programs at Global Kids. It is her belief that the youth we service will be tomorrow’s leaders.

Randy Then

Randy is a New Jersey native who received a B.A in Information Systems from Ramapo College of New Jersey. During his years in college, he was deeply involved with the campus community working as a resident assistant and orientation leader for incoming students. Randy also served as secretary for Brothers Making a Difference, treasurer for Organization of African Unity and member of the Organization of Latin Unity. After college, he worked with an array of students at Kumon North America where he served as a corporate trainer. In 2010, he coordinated programming with NFL players through the Care Africa Program. At Global Kids, he is the Community School Director at Careers in Sports High School in the Bronx.

Shaneek James

Shaneek holds a BA in Mass Communication from Northern Caribbean University. Before joining Global Kids as a Trainer, she worked as a producer and production coordinator developing and producing video content for magazines such as Vogue, Glamour, Allure, Self, W and Bon Appétit. Shaneek believes everyone is a storyteller, “whether it is the baby who cries, telling the story of his hunger, the teenager who rebels, telling the stories of their discontent, or the wife who rushes home to tell the details of her day; the stories of our lives reveal the platform of our identities.” Her passion is to create avenues and platforms for people to tell their stories. At Global Kids, she hopes to help young people develop and tell their stories through the path of global awareness, community, and self-discovery.

Steven Deonarain

Steven Deonarain is a native New Yorker, born and raised in the borough of Queens. He earned an A.A. in Humanities & Social Science from Nassau Community College. Steven previously worked as the Operations Associate at The Hunts Point Alliance for Children, a nonprofit located in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx.

Todd Narasuwan

Todd is a Digital Marketer who has worked for non-profits since 2007. He previously managed and developed the social media channels for the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), while growing their online community. Having trained high school and college students at NYSCI makes Todd a leader who can guide and mentor the youth. Plus, his years of public speaking and communication skills make him an excellent ambassador for the community. He is a photography enthusiast, who enjoys helping others by having a strong positive mental attitude. Todd graduated from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in 2016 with a B.B.A in Marketing and minor in Sociology.

Wida Amir

Wida Amir is a nonprofit leader working in social justice, youth development, program management, coalition building and public policy fields for over 11 years. Wida was the Immigrant Rights Program Director at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF). She lead NAPAWF’s gender-based national immigration campaign that successfully shifted political narratives to include immigrant women’s issues as a central issue in the latest Congressional legislative proposals. Prior to her public policy work, Wida was the Program Director at South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!) where she played a key leadership role in the organization’s growth from a single-site program to a nationally recognized multiple-site agency serving over 500 immigrant youth and families annually. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, and two management certificates from the Institute for Nonprofit Management at Columbia Business School.

Young Sook Na

Young Sook has been involved in the nonprofit sector since 1996, primary focusing on advocacy & community organizing, civic participation, and social services. Prior to joining Global Kids, she served as the Administrative Director for MinKwon Center for Community Action, Inc., Korean-American community-based organization, overseeing administrative functions as well as facilities to ensure efficient and consistent operations. She started volunteering at the MinKwon Center as a high school student and then became an intern and participated in the DREAM Act campaign to grant amnesty for undocumented students, realizing the importance of community service activities while learning the harsh realities of the immigrant community. Young Sook holds B.B.A. in Accounting from Baruch College.