Speakers and workshop presenters for the May 29 and 30, 2008 conference. Thank you for volunteering your time.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the May 29 and 30, 2008 conference, which was held at the
Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL. I hope
you'll continue to share ideas and network, using the online forums of the Tutor/Mentor Connection.
If you would like to speak at a future conference, submit handouts or host a display table, email
tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Dates that these people will be speaking are indicated by a T (Thursday) or F (Friday)
Keynote Speakers
Thursday, May 29, 9:00 am - Welcome
Children & Family Justice Center, Northwestern University School of Law
Thursday, May 29, 12:500 pm - 1:15pm
Daniel F. Bassill, President, CEO, Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection
(Ms. Pritzker, Chair of the Zohar Education Project Incorporated and President and Founder of WomenOnCall.org, http://www.womenoncall.org , our originally scheduled speaker, has had to cancell and will be part of a future Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference.)
May 30, 2008 - 9:00 am to 9:20 am - Keynote Speaker
Marilyn King, Two-Time Olympic Pentathlete and founder of Beyond Sports, http://www.waybeyondsports.com
Marilyn King is a two-time Olympian (Munich 1972 & Montreal 1976) in the grueling five event Pentathlon. Her 20-year athletic career includes five national titles and a world record. An automobile accident in 1979 rendered her unable to train physically for her third Olympic Team. Using only mental training techniques she placed second at the Olympic trials for the 1980 Moscow Games.
This extraordinary experience prompted Marilyn to give up her head coaching position at the University of California, Berkeley to explore the field of exceptional human performance. Her discovery of the three elements that are always present when ordinary people do extraordinary things led to the development of Olympian TechnologyTM.
Over the past 25 years Marilyn's message of unlimited possibility has inspired thousands worldwide. Her techniques have been incorporated by businesses seeking to empower employees, embrace change and provide global leadership. Her corporate clients include AIG, Apple Computer, AT&T, Genentech, General Motors, Hewlett Packard, IBM, IKEA, Microsoft, Nokia, Starbucks and Sun Microsystems.
Marilyn has also presented at over 200 national and international education conferences with academicians and researchers who are designing schools of the future. She is currently featured in numerous articles and books including “Enlightened Power- How Women are Transforming the Practice of Leadership.” She appeared on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and on NPR’s New Dimensions Radio. Her most pioneering work, a joint Russian-American venture called the Peace Team prompted two invitations to speak at the United Nations.
Note: Ms. King will also present a workshop on Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. titled Olympian Thinking™ for Everyday Life,
Friday, May 30, 2008 - 12:50pm to 1:15 pm -
Glen "Max" McGee, Ph.D., President, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, http://www.imsa.edu
Dr. Glenn “Max” McGee is recognized as a dynamic leader, speaker and writer on critical issues in educational leadership and legislation. He is President of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, which educates the top math and science students in Illinois and is active in statewide outreach programs. Dr. McGee is a former Illinois State Superintendent of Education who recently published The Perfect School, coauthored with Jim Burgett and Jim Rosborg. His mission is to make an enduring difference in the lives of all children, and share his passionate commitment and enthusiastic support with Illinois’ educational leaders.
Workshop Leaders
Kathy Anderson, Executive Director, Wicker Park Learning Center
http://www.wickerparklearningcenter.com/ T
Kathy Anderson founded Wicker Park Learning Center in 1989. Prior to that she taught special education students for four years. At the time Anderson began the Wicker Park Learning Center in the Wicker Park community of Chicago there were no tutoring centers in that area Sylvan and Huntington were the only centers that existed and they were very costly, far too expensive for the families in the Wicker Park area. The were also located in the suburbs and too far for the families to get to. The Wicker Park Learning Center started out at 1309 N. Ashland, the basement of the Centrum Hall building. It eventually moved to other locations in Wicker Park and in other neighborhoods. The Center currently works closely with Chicago Public Schools and has three sites at 3300 N. Whipple, 3259 N. Elston (Brands), and 6330 S. Stoney Island (Southside YMCA). Anderson also tutors students at local libraries near their homes and hopes to offer services at other Chicago neighborhoods in the upcoming school year.
Darrin Aase, Communty Building Tutors NFP, http://cbtutors.org T
Darrin has been working with CBT for a year as a consultant and volunteer. He is a doctoral student at DePaul University for Clinical and Community Psychology, and has considerable experience working in community and educational settings, as well as with evaluation methods.
Karina Ayala-Bermejo, Executive Director, SunTimes Judge Marovitz, Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth Program, http://www.lawyerslendahand.org T
Karina Ayala-Bermejo, Executive Director, Sun-Times Judge Marovitz Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth Program (Lawyers Lend-A-Hand Program), is also Director of Community Services, for the Chicago Bar Association (CBA). Prior to joining The CBA, Ayala-Bermejo was an assistant attorney with the Chicago Board of Education. In 2006, she was instrumental in securing a $2 million CyPres award from the Chicago Sun-Times for the Lawyers Lend-A-Hand Program.
Ayala-Bermejo has been active in a variety of community service activities in Chicago for more than 15 years and received Mayor Daley’s Leadership Award as a law student. In March 2003, she was awarded the Latino Law Student Association Distinguished Alumnus Award and honored along with Senator Barack Obama. She is a fellow of both Leadership Greater Chicago and Metropolitan Leadership Institute. In 2004, she founded JD Mentors, a three-tiered mentoring program that matches Hispanic college students interested in attending law school with Hispanic law students and attorneys. In 2005, she was featured in Chicago Lawyer for her role in mentoring the next generation of Hispanic lawyers and in JD Bliss for her career dedicated to helping others.
Ayala-Bermejo is the General Counsel of the Hispanic National Bar Association. (HNBA). She is a former president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, former National Vice President and Regional President for the HNBA. She currently serves on numerous boards and tasks forces including, Southeast Development Commission, Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Board of Trustees and Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation. She is graduate of St. Michael’s Elementary School, Seton Academy, Loyola University Chicago and DePaul College of Law. She, her husband Frank, and three children Liam, Elijah and Abbey Rose and long-time residents of South Chicago.
Daniel F. Bassill, Tutor/Mentor Connection T F *
Dan Bassill has spent more than 30 years, mostly as a volunteer, leading organizations that connect workplace volunteers with youth living in inner-city neighborhoods like Chicago's Cabrini-Green. He and six other volunteers formed Cabrini Connections in 1992 and the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) in 1993. Through the TMC, and the Internet, Bassill leads a global learning strategy intended to draw needed resources to all volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs, including Cabrini Connections, in Chicago and other major cities. Bassill was appointed to be a Commissioner on the Illinois Commissionon Volunteerim and Community Service in 2001.
Visit http://www.tutormentorconnection.org ; http://www.cabriniconnections.net and http://tutormentor.blogspot.com
Genevieve Boesen, Executive Director, South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium, http://www.SouthMetroEd.org T
For the past six years, Genevieve Boesen has been the Executive Director of the South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium which is a collaboration of 15 colleges and universities in the south and southwest suburbs of Chicago. The Consortium is directing several programs that are focusing on college access and retention for minority and first generation students. One program, Brother2Brother is a peer mentoring program specifically geared toward minority males. Project Exito is geared toward Latino students and their families and concentrates on providing college information for Latino parents.
As part of her work with the Brother2Brother program, Boesen is interested in bringing together the mentoring programs in the south and southwest suburbs and building a network of support similar to the collaborative efforts of the Consortium. She says, “By convening a group of mentoring programs and sharing our contacts we can develop an entity that is larger than the sum of its parts.”
Early in her career Boesen worked in pediatric nursing and then shifted into informatics (then called data processing!) She spent more than 15 years in health care information systems prior to her work in higher education.
Elizabeth Burns, AmeriCorps volunteer with City Year Chicago, http://www.cityyear.org/local_ektid218.aspx
Elizabeth Burns is serving her second year as a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer with City Year Chicago. As a Senior Corps Member Burns leads a team of seven volunteers in their work at North Kenwood/Oakland (NKO) Charter School on the south side of Chicago. At NKO corps members provide literacy tutoring for elementary students and run a service-learning and leadership development after-school program for 6-8 graders. Burns also served as a mentor in City Year's weekend civic development program for middle school students, Young Heroes.
Bobby Capulong, Horizons for Youth, http://horizons-for-youth.org
Bobby Capulong leads the recruiting and retention efforts for more than 200 Horizons for Youth volunteers. He has served as the Volunteer Coordinator since July 2007 and also volunteers as a Big Sibling (since the 2004-2005 school year).
Horizons for Youth is a community committed to helping children recognize and achieve their full potential. In partnership with dedicated families, Horizons for Youth provides need-based scholarships, one-on-one mentoring, and enrichment programs.
Angel Diaz, Midtown Educational Foundation, http://www.midtown.org
Angel Diaz is a program manager for the Midtown Educational Foundation. His one-on-one tutoring and mentoring program for 4–6 grade boys is designed to help students in academic and character development. Operating a volunteer-based tutoring program, Diaz is responsible for recruiting and managing over 100 student-tutor pairs during the school year, which includes overseeing parent participation. In his fourth year as program manger, he is focusing on training and volunteer leader development to maximize the value exchange between volunteers and his organization. He plans to receive his Master’sManagement in Nonprofit Administration degree from North Park University in December. He credits his studies for helping him gain a better understanding of his role as a leader and agent of change in the social marketplace.
David DuBois, Ph.D., Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
Dr. DuBois is a professor in the School of Public Health at the
University of Illinois at Chicago. He has published extensive research
on mentoring relationships and programs and is lead editor of the
Handbook of Youth Mentoring (Sage Publications, 2005). His research on
mentoring has been supported by private foundations as well as the
National Institutes of Health. Currently, he is a Distinguished Fellow
of the William T. Grant Foundation and in this capacity is working
directly with mentoring programs and organizations on both local and
national levels. Web site.
Rebecca Estrada - Erie Neighborhood House
http://www.eriehouse.org/
Erie Neighborhood House empowers Latino and diverse low-income
communities to reach their fullest potential with a range of
award-winning educational programs for all ages. Its mission is
to promote a just and inclusive society by strengthening low-income,
primarily Latino families through skill-building, access to critical
resources, advocacy and collaborative action.
Joshua Fulcher, Education Programs Coordinator for Erie Neighborhood House's Youth Options Unlimited Program. http://www.eriehouse.org T
Joshua
Fulcher is a graduate from the University of Notre Dame with a
Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Education.
Fulcher has taught at a parochial junior high and high school in
Montgomery, Alabama. He has also taught in the UNO Charter School
Network at Octavio Paz in Garfield Park. He has taught almost
everything in grades 6 through12th. He is very passionate about
providing opportunities for all youth to be able to learn and fulfill
their potential and has dedicated his professional life thus far to
that end.
In his current position, Fulcher coordinates the TEAM ES and the TEAM
SS programs, as well as organizing and running various educational
workshops. These programs include about 80 volunteer mentors and about
90 students from 8th grade through 12th grade. Since 1984 Erie House's
TEAM program has empowered high school students to ensure their own
future success. A model mentoring program, TEAM's weekly one-on-one
sessions focus on improving academic performance and educating
participants in life skills and life choices. These sessions broaden
each student's exposure to career possibilities, guide them through the
intricacies of college admissions and financial aid, and assist them
with homework assignments. Mentors represent professionals from various
fields and serve as positive, dependable role models. Team students and
their mentors participate in regular dialogues on self-esteem, goal
setting and career planning. For the past 10 years, TEAM has achieved a
100% graduation rate and a 98% college placement rate for its graduates.
Lindsey Giacherio, Working in the Schools (WITS), http://www.witsontheweb.org F
Lindsey Giacherio is an Americorps Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator at
Working In The Schools (WITS), a literacy organization that increases
the reading proficiency and learning capacity of low-income, minority
students in Chicago Public Schools. She is responsible for managing
volunteer programs and the recruitment of new volunteers. She is a
recent graduate of the University of Michigan.
Mark Gesner, Program Specialist, Center for Community Partnerships (CCP) University of Wisconsin - Parkside.
T
Mark
Gesner is the Youth Development and Evaluation Director at the Center
for Community Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin at
Parkside. He has conducted research around the issues of
educational attainment and mentoring, and he serves as the Board
Chairperson of Mentor Kenosha & Racine, http://www.mentorkr.org. Mark's work also encompasses being the Youth Team Leader at the Racine County Workforce Development Center.
The Center for Community Partnerships provides data collection,
analysis and consultation services to schools, local governments,
nonprofit organizations and businesses in Kenosha and Racine counties.
The Center is particularly interested in partnering with community
agencies on efforts that respond to local community needs and
priorities.
David Ginsburg, Chief Academic Officer, Community Education Alliance of West
Philadelphia, http://www.cea-philly.org F
Community Education Alliance of West Philadelphia (CEA) oversees two
community-based charter schools serving grades Pre-K through eight in
the Belmont neighborhood of West Philadelphia. CEA targets students'
academic, social and emotional needs though intensive, individualized
academic support, as well as school-based social services and
after-school programs.
Prior to joining CEA in 2007 as Chief Academic Officer, David Ginsburg
spent 13 years in the Chicago Public Schools as a teacher and
instructional coach, while also teaching education courses at Chicago
State University and National-Louis University, and serving as a
consultant to various organizations including Teach for America. It was
David's experience as a volunteer with the Cabrini Green Tutoring
Program and Cabrini Connections that inspired him to become an urban
educator after 11 years in business.
Mary Jon Girard, Director of Project SOAR, McGaw YMCA, Evanston, Il., http://www.mcgawymca.org
Mary Jon Girard came to the McGaw YMCA in Evanston five years ago as
director of the Project SOAR mentoring program. SOAR serves over
70 mentor/mentee pairs and has enjoyed YMCA sponsorship for more than
17 years. Two years ago Girard became director of McGaw’s
Youth & Family Services department and is responsible for a
portfolio of 12 youth and family programs.
Girard has more than 40 years of experience of working with youth and
adults. She has taught in pre-school through junior college. Over the
years she has worked with many volunteer organizations, directed an ESL
program and participated with hospice. She came to Evanston IL from
Memphis TN where she and another friend formed their own non-profit in
order to facilitate literacy workshops in Memphis City schools.
“Go Kid Writer” was developed for the classroom but also
evolved to include Teacher Training and Parent Workshops.
Girard feels that all her previous experience informs all that she does
in her current position as Director of Youth & Family Services at
McGaw YMCA.
Kaleen Healey, Communty Building Tutors NFP, http://cbtutors.org T
Kaleen Healey has been involved with Community Building Tutors for two
years, as part of the Curriculum Development Task Force and Program
Committee. She has worked as a public school teacher and program
director at a youth service agency. Currently, she is a doctoral
student in the Human Development and Social Policy program at
Northwestern University.
Betsy Hill has more than 25 years of general management and marketing experience in both consumer and business-to-business channels. Prior to joining LEC, Hill served in multiple management and marketing roles for The NutraSweet Company, Illinova Energy Partners (energy information services), and the viaLink Company (Internet-based supply chain services). She has also had her own consulting firm.
She received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Master’s in Teaching from Northwestern. She teaches strategy and critical thinking at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, and is chairman of the board of trustees of Chicago State University.
Based in Chicago, Learning Enhancement Corporation develops and markets tools that build the mind's capacity to learn by combining the latest brain science with entertaining and motivating video-game technology. LEC received the EdNET Rookie of the Year Award in 2006 as the company most likely to have a significant impact on education in the coming years.
LEC's first product, BrainWare Safari, won a Parent's Choice Award in 2006 and was named a finalist for Software and Information Industry Association Codie Awards in 2007 and 2008. BrainWare Safari is the most comprehensive and affordable program available to develop the basic mental procesing (cognitive) skills most critical for learning.
Dan Hogan, Mentoring Program Coordinator at Circle Urban Ministries in the Austin community.
Circle's One-to-One Mentoring Initiative (http://circlerockmentoring.googlepages.com) serves 4-8 grade students on the west side and its Alumni Follow-Through Encouraging Resolve (AFTER) program supports mentoring matches as previously matched students go through high school. Hogan is married, and is the proud dad of two sons.
LaMarr Johnson, Labor Market Outreach Specialist, IL Department of Employment Security, http://www.ilworkinfo.com/ F
LaMarr Johnson is a Public Service Administrator for the Economic
Information & Analysis Division and has served as Occupational Wage
Program Manager and currently Labor Market Outreach Specialist. His
responsibilities include dissemination of Illinois Labor Market
Information, provide presentations, staff exhibits and One Source
Training Workshops.
Sporty King, President, R. King & Associates, http://sportyking.com T
Sporty
King began his 18-year career at The Wall Street Journal in January of
1975 as a messenger. He served his final six years at the Journal
as an advertising sales manager, before retiring to pursue his
oratorical gift. A Chicago Public Schools registered vendor and
ISBE Certified Provider for CEU/CPDU credits, King is consistently on
the program at places where he can enjoy a hands-on influence in the
lives of young people. That influence is fueled by King's belief
that we touch children's lives by re-educating and refreshing adults.
Thus his message is well received with parents and auxiliary
organizations.
Kurt Kittner, Former University of Illinois and NFL Quarterback T
Kurt Kittner (born in Schaumburg, Illinois) is member of the Tutor/Mentor Connection Board of Directors, and an advocate for volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring. Kittner most recently played quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Prior to playing professional football, he was a record-setting quarterback for the University of Illinois, leading them to the 2001 Big Ten Championship. Kittner currently resides in Chicago. He works for Staubach in Chicago doing commercial real estate. In July 2007, Kittner was named the color analyst for University of Illinois football radio broadcasts, replacing long-time analyst Jim Grabowski.
Sarah Kremer, Program Manager for Friends for Youth's Mentoring Institute, http://www.friendsforyouth.org T F
Sarah Kremer received a Master’s in Art Therapy from the School
of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked with adolescents in
mental health, probation, alternative school and mentoring programs.
Her essay, "Mentoring Through Photography," appeared in First
Exposures, published by SF Camerawork (2006). She authored the
Mentoring Journal, published by Friends for Youth in 2007, and trains
programs on Best Practices.
Mr. Willie L. Lewis, Jr, Vice President of MTL Educational
Consulting, Inc. http://www.mentoringleaders.info F
Willie
Lewis is an award winning former Chicago Public School teacher and
former executive director of a resident management corporation of the
Chicago Housing Authority. He was Deputy Director of the Department of
Planning for the Chicago Housing Authority. Mr. Lewis was also a HUD
Trainer and consultant. Lewis has a Bachelor’s in
African-American Studies and Education from Tougaloo College; a
Master’s of Library Science from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison; a Master’s of Public Administartion from the
Illinois Institute of Technology; and a Master’s of Educational
Supervision and Administration from Roosevelt Univerity.
Anita Ortiz Maddali, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor of Law with the Children and Family Justice Center of Northwestern University School of Law. T
Anita Ortiz Maddali teaches a clinical course within the law school, "Women and Youth Asylum” Law and represents women and children who are fleeing violence and abuse in their home countries. Maddali's particular area of focus is non-citizen youth who also are in trouble with the law.
Katheryn McCabe, Executive Director, Cluster Tutoring Program, Chicago
For seven years, Kathryn McCabe has been the director of the Cluster Tutoring Program, which provides free one-on-one tutoring and mentoring to more than 70 students in the Austin community. Prior to joining Cluster, McCabe was a tutor and chair of the volunteer board at the Partners in Education Tutoring Program at Fourth Presbyterian Church.
Michael McGrone, Sr., Dean of Students at Ace Tech Charter High School and the President of MTL Educational Consulting, Inc. http://www.mentoringleaders.info F
Michael McGrone is a former Chicago Public Schools high school teacher and former Department of Children and Family Services caseworker and supervisor. He conducts groups and provides mentoring for at-risk male students and acts as an advocate for the underserved, underrepresented population groups-especially high school age African American males. McGrone has a Bachelor’s from Northeastern Illinois University and will receive a Master of Arts from Chicago State in 2008 with a concentration in special education.
MTL Edcational Consulting, Inc. is a corporation whose primary function is to provide supplemental educational and social support to under-performing inner city high school students. The organization's purpose is to proactively address the academic, social and emotional constraints that impede student achievement and that minimize motivation by helping to create environments within schools and in the communities surrounding them that encourage and influence students to assume personal responsibility for their success.
Willie Mickell, Assistant Director of Admissions at Northern Illinois University T
Willie Mickell is the assistant director of admissions at Northern Illinois University with an interest in educating students, families and counselors about how to better prepare students for transitioning from high school to college. He has been an admission counselor for two years and has traveled to many high schools and community colleges throughout the Chicago area to speak to students about attending college. Mickell also has experience in event planning and promotions. He previously worked as an event coordinator for three years at Northern Illinois University’s Convocation Center planning various events such as concerts, banquets, fairs, parties and different sorts of sport camps. He holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational/corporate communications, master’s degree in adult and higher education and a master’s in sport management. While Mickell works full-time as an a admissions recruiter, on his free time he runs his own business --WorthyOne Promotions -- which includes planning and consulting others about how to effectively and strategically plan an event.
Steven Miller, President, Legacy Home Mortgage Corporation T
Steven Miller is owner of several succesful southside real estate-based businesses averaging $6 million per year in revenue. Born in Chicago, he was raised in Palos Heights, Il. In 1988 he graduated from the University of Illinois and created Legacy Home Mortgage, Inc. He is a member of the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection Board of Directors and Olympia Fields Country Club.
Jenne Myers, Executive Director of Working in the Schools (WITS), http://www.witsontheweb.org F
Jenné Myers is the current Executive Director of Working in the Schools (WITS), a literacy organization that increases the reading proficiency and learning capacity of low-income and minority students in Chicago Public Schools. Responsible for managing a $1 million budget and a staff of eight she is the primary fundraiser for the organization increasing strategic partnerships and streamlining program development.
Former assistant to the Chair of the Chicago Cultural Foundation, Myers served as the first point of contact to city department heads, and an indispensable member of the planning and execution team of After School Matters’ fundraising event. Prior to her tenure at the Chicago Cultural Center, Jenné worked for the City of Chicago, Advance to the Mayor. A graduate of Michigan State University, she currently resides in Chicago’s south loop.
Katherine Moone, East Village Youth Program, http://www.evyp.org
Katherine Moone is the program director at East Village Youth Program (EVYP), a college readiness program that supports and encourages low-income youth to go to college. EVYP works with students on the north side of Chicago in grades 6-12 offering after-school programs, tutoring, mentoring, parent programs and outreach workshops. All students who graduate from high school can earn a scholarship of up to $10,000 to attend college, and EVYP continues to work with these students throughout their college experience. EVYP also recently began an alumni association. Moone runs the mentoring, parent and alumni programs as well as the 11th grade program. Her background is in education; she attended the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a minor in Spanish. She worked for two years in a bilingual school in Mexico City as a fourth grade classroom teacher, and since returning to Chicago four years ago she has been working at EVYP.
Debra Natenshon, CEO, The Center for What Works, http://www.whatworks.org
Debra Natenshon brings extensive professional experience in organizational development, project management, sales and client services. She functions as a social entrepreneur engaged in creative problem-solving for the organization. In her executive role since early 2004, Natenshon has successfully built the organizational infrastructure, developed sector-wide research and created strategy and professional relationships to ensure successful outcomes. Within the capacity-building program of WhatWorks, Natenshon designed a performance measurement toolkit and she leads training workshops several times a month to assist nonprofit organizations, foundations and consultants to the sector in identifying and implementing appropriate measurement processes. T
El Da' Sheon Nix, Administrative Coordinator, Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Program T
EL Da’Sheon Nix is a former football player and a 2004 graduate of Northwestern University who majored in Human Development and Psychological Services and has a Bachelor’s in education and social policy. Due to a career ending knee injury, Nix’s football career ended prematurely. Following graduation from Northwestern, Nix worked for two years as the Lead Mental Health professional at the Rice Child and Family Center which is a residential treatment facility in Evanston, Ill. that provides services for adolescents with mental and behavioral disorders. Nix then began working as a Youth Development Worker at the Youth Organization Umbrella in Evanston, Ill. A little over a year later Nix was offered and accepted the Director of Social Services position at the Evanston Community Defender Office where he provided individual and group counseling services to Evanston adolescents and their families. In Nix’s new role as the administrative coordinator he is in charge of coordinating the Cabrini Connections program and continuing to connect the Cabrini Green youth to the necessary resources in an effort to prepare them for successful careers in the future. http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/newsCenter/inquiry/?issueSelect=18&category=4
Joel Newman, President, Illinois LeaderCorps, Mentoring Outreach Coordinator
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley
Joel Newman serves as the Big Brothers Big Sisters program director for a five-county territory stretching from Mercer County to LaSalle County. He is serving his second year as an AmeriCorps and LeaderCorps Member and is Currently representing 32 other members of LeaderCorps as their President. He was in the education field before coming to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley in October of 2006. He received his Bachelor’s from Western Illinois University Macomb, Ill. in 2004. He is also a member of the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network.
Bart Phillips, Founder and President of the Board, Community Building Tutors, NFP, http://cbtutors.org T
Community Building Tutors is a small non-profit organization that creates tutoring programs using high school and college students as tutors and local grade school students as young learners. The organization was established in 2005 and has provided more than 1000 hours of free tutoring in three distinct communities of Chicago. The organization is run by working professionals and thus, a secondary purpose of the organization, is to engage working professionals to be more directly involved in their communities. Professionally, Bart Phillips is an independent consultant providing a research and analytic service to hospitals and healthcare providers.
Debbie Potts, State Coordinator for Thinkfinity. Verison Foundation, http://www.ioes.org/thinkfinity.cfm
Debbie Potts is an educator with more than 35 years of teaching, mentoring and facilitator experience. She is currently the coordinator for Thinkfinity services in Illinois. The Verizon Foundation is the owner and sponsor for all Thinkfinity resources that are made available free to educators, parents, tutors and mentors.
Reverend Regi Ratliff , Founder & Executive Director of Eternal Light Community Services in Maywood. http://www.elcsministries.org/ T
Rev. Ratliff has more than 20 years experience in community organizing. Since 1997, Mr. Ratliff has served as a minister at Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Maywood, Ill. where Marvin E. Wiley is senior pastor. He is the Director of Prison Ministries, a member of the Prayer Warrior Ministry, and teaches various finance and community courses at the church.
Recently, Rev. Ratliff was honored as the recipient of Operation Uplift’s (Maywood) 2007 Dream Weaver Award and the Shore Bank Community Impact Award Nominee. These awards give recognition to an individual, who is making a positive impact and changing lives in the Maywood and Chicago-land community.
Judy Rosen - Village of Mt. Prospect Mentor Program
http://www.mountprospect.org/services/human_services/mentor.html
Judith E. Rosen, MSW, LCSW, is a Police Social Worker for the Village of Mount Prospect. She is the Coordinator of the Village of Mt. Prospect Mentor Program which has been in existence for 17 years. She is also Chair, Board of Directors Northwest Center against Sexual Assault.
Sara Sawtelle, Ph.D., Director of Scientific Affairs, Learning Enhancement Corporation, http://www.MyBrainWare.com F
Sara Sawtelle has more than 16 years experience in education and technology, particularly in professional and academic training in the application of technology in office and educational settings. Prior to joining LEC, she was the instructional technology coordinator at The Culver Academies. She also taught Chemistry at Culver, as she did previously at the University of Memphis and Saint Mary's College in Indiana. Sawtelle has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Boston College, and is a member of the International Society of Technology in Education.
Tracey A. Stuckey-Mickell, educational technologist and learning specialist T
Tracey A. Stuckey-Mickell is an educational technologist and learning specialist with interests in learning technologies, academic success, and adolescent/young adult development. She has been a college educator for more than nine years and has worked with ethnically and socio-economically diverse student groups at both four-year and two-year institutions. She has served as a volunteer workshop facilitator/coach in many different areas, such as adult technology literacy, college entrance preparation, studying/learning skills and sexual assault/abuse awareness. She also has experience as a higher education administrator for a program serving first-generation, minority and at-risk college students. She holds the bachelor's degree in psychology, master's degree in educational psychology and is completing dissertation work in the area of educational technology. She is currently an instructor and elementary school technology liaison at Northern Illinois University.
Bob Szybist, After-School Director, Community Education Alliance of West Philadelphia, http://www.cea-philly.org F
Bob Szybist graduated with a Bachelor’s in elementary education from Penn State University and holds a Master’s in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. The founding director of an environmental education summer camp, Szybist has taught students from grades K-12 both in the United States and the United Kingdom. He has been developing innovative educational and mentoring programs for K-8 students in both the private and public sector since 1999 including after-school. Over the last three years and in his current capacity of Director of Program Development, Szybist develops and oversees auxiliary programming for the Community Education Alliance of West Philadelphia.
Vivian Taylor, Executive Director, Southside Educational Center, Chicago, Il. T
Vivian Taytor is the founder and executive director for Southside Educational Center. She is also the founder and facilitator for The Parent-Child Connection training program. Vivian is known as an advocate for children with a deep concern for parent involvement. She has spent the past 20 years teaching adults the role they play in the lives of children in addition to motivating and inspiring hundreds of youth to believe they can achieve. Taylor was highlighted on Channel 7 News with Harry Porterfield as "Someone You Should Know.” She also received a Community Partnership Award from Top Ladies of Distinction Chicago Chapter. Taylor is very passionate about sharing her knowledge and experiences with others.
Nicole White, Tutor/Mentor Connection Research and Networking Coordinator T
Nicole White is the Tutor/Mentor Connection Research and Networking Coordinator for the Tutor/Mentor Connection. She joined Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection in July 2007 through the Northwestern University Public Interest Program Fellowship, which matches graduating seniors from Northwestern with non-profits in the Chicagoland area for one year. She took on the T/MC role in April 2008. In her new role, White will be working to establish and maintain relationships between Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection and the 400 tutoring and mentoring sites in the T/MC Database. She will also be working to rebuild the August/September Volunteer Recruitment Campaign so that by September 2009, 50 tutoring and mentoring organizations in the Chicagoland area will be a part of a push to recruit volunteers to be tutor/mentors. White graduated from Northwestern in June 2007 with a Bachelor’s in French and International Studies. Read her blog at http://nicolecabrini.blogspot.com. Read Nicole's Blog.
