Meet Kristin!

Kristin Walega

Director of Recruitment & Alumni Affairs

Hometown: Washington, DC

Education: BA in Political Science from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and a MPA in Non-Profit Management from George Washington University

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Recruitment and Alumni Affairs Director. I am responsible for recruiting young leaders from diverse backgrounds for a demanding year of full–time community service at CYDC. I work with the Recruitment and Alumni Affairs team to build partnerships with colleges, high schools and community partners in the DC region to help spread the word about City Year. I am also excited to work with our Alumni Association, as a city Year Alum I understand the impact our alumni can have on our work and look forward to developing new ways to engage the area alumni.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is my first year with City Year Washington, DC in an official capacity. I have been working for City Year HQ out of the DC office for the past three years and I am entering my 13th year with City Year. I was a corps member and senior corps member with City Year Greater Philadelphia in 1998 and 1999. I serve because the work we do is important to improving the lives and future of our children and cities. Change only happens when people take action and commit to making a difference.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am excited about the growth CYDC is planning on undertaking over the coming years and the impact we will have on the children of DC with more corps members in service. I am also excited about all the amazing experiences the corps members will have this year as a corps member. My corps year was so special. I learned so much about myself and developed relationships that will last forever and I hope this corps has the same type of experience.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? It is so hard to pick a favorite moment. There have been so many over the course of my lifetime. But the moments all have the same three things that have made them stand out in my memories: making personal connections with those you serve that help define the person you are, getting out of your comfort zone and challenging everything you have ever thought or felt, and of course impact – the ability to see or understand the difference you are making.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I love crime shows on TV and mystery novels.

Meet Maria Aurora!

Maria Aurora Frijas

Recruitment & Alumni Affairs Manager

Hometown: West Covina, CA

Education: University of California, Riverside; B.A. History/Law & Society

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am currently the Recruitment and Alumni Affairs Manager. I am responsible for recruiting young leaders from diverse backgrounds for a demanding year of full–time community service at CYDC. I also help lead the site in engagement opportunities for City Year alumni as volunteers and civic leaders.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I have been with CYDC since August 2009 after serving two years at City Year Los Angeles, firstly as a corps member on the Civic Engagement Team and then as a senior corps member for Recruitment and Visitor Program. I continue to serve with City Year because I have seen the change and transformation that City Year brings to the communities we work in as well as the inspiration that touches those who interact with our corps members.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am most excited about recruiting and talking to young people in the local areas – VA, MD, and DC areas that I am very new to, as well as the projected growth of CYDC in the upcoming years and the tremendous work we are going to do in the city.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? I am a big fan of physical service and my last service project as a senior corps member was a Care Force trip that included a few of my fellow senior corps members right after graduation. It was bittersweet in that it was the way we began our senior corps year and it was how we were ending our senior corps year with Care Force. It was so much fun, our volunteers were AMAZING; the projects were completed, and we all truly enjoyed our time.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I am a big fan of Bollywood movies and music.

Get to Know Harry!

Harry Cheema

Admissions & Alumni Affairs Manager

Hometown: Norwalk, Connecticut

Education: BA in Psychology from the University of Connecticut, 2005

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Admissions and Alumni Affairs Manager so I handle the majority of the admissions process and help with our Alumni Association activities.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I served as a corps members from 2006-2007, a senior corps member from 2007-2008, and have been a staff member since July of 2008. I served originally to make a difference and to learn more about who I really am and to find what my passion is. I think I’ve accomplished both of those tasks.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I’m most excited about how the corps this year does in their service. This is the first corps that I’ve had a major hand in recruiting and admitting so I hold them in a special regard. I’m excited about the growth of our site and the possibilities that will emerge from the corps this year.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? My favorite moment was actually the entire year of my senior corps year. Being able to lead a team and then seeing the corps members develop and become truly changed individuals was very inspiring and ultimately led to me coming back as a staff member in the recruitment department.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I am a huge anime fan and my anime collections totals over 100 DVDs.

Meet Allison!

Allison Felder

Whole School Whole Child Program Manager

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa

Education: BA in Psychology from University of Missouri-Columbia

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am a Program Manager for the Whole School Whole Child Team at Malcolm X Elementary School.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is my first year at CYDC. I serve because I want to challenge and inspire more young people to be actively engaged in their communities.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am very excited about all of the new WSWC initiatives and the impact they will have on the schools we work in. I am also excited to see the site grow and be able to reach out to so many more students in the DC area.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? It’s very hard to pick just one! My first year at City Year I was mentoring all 8th grade boys because they were the students City Year could have access to during lunch. I didn’t feel like I was getting through to one student Dominic very well at all. We had a decent time and conversation over lunch but not much more than that. Dominic is an extremely bright kid who was getting in trouble mainly because he was bored in school. I tried to get him to join Young Heroes, but he was dragging his feet, so I pretty much gave up on the idea. However he was working behind my back and surprised me by showing up to the first YH service event. He helped me paint a mural all that day and came to YH every week after, going on to win the PURPOSE award. Seeing him that first day, and seeing him use his head to manipulate other corps members into surprising me was amazing.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I am a complete klutz (make sure I do not fall on my face!!), but know how to juggle.

Get to Know Nicole!

Nicole Lucas

Whole School Whole Child Program Manager

Hometown: Salem, Oregon

Education: BA in Psychology from Willamette University

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am a Program Manager for Whole School Whole Child. I directly supervise two school based service teams, and facilitate their service experience and professional development. I also lead the school partnership with those schools and the programmatic aspects.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is my second year as a staff member. I did two years of service with AmeriCorps NCCC in the SE Region of the United States. I serve because I passionately believe in the positive catalyst National Service and Education start not only in the students and communities, but also in the young adults who serve.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am excited about the growth of the teams and the amazing service they will provide their schools and communities. I am also excited about the growth of our program and the potential of the impact we can have in the DC Public Educational System.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? My collective favorite moments are when random youth approach me in the city while I’m in uniform. Even though they don’t know me personally, they recognize the uniform and identify I am someone they can talk to.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I was a serious athlete growing up and ran high hurdles in college.

Meet Kerri!

Kerriann Peart

H.O.P.E. Program Manager

Hometown: Montego-Bay, Jamaica

Education: BS in Biology from Emory University with graduate work in Public Health, Rollins School of Public Health

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Program Manager for the HIV/AIDS Outreach Prevention Education; HOPE project. I manage a team of eleven corps members involved in delivering interactive and age appropriate HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy prevention education to youth in the DC Public School system. The team will be engaged in several other programs and events outside of the classroom that include, HIV testing drives, health fairs and serving with local organizations that work with HIV infected and affected members of the DC community.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is my second month with CYDC and it has been a pleasure to work with a staff and group of service oriented youth who share similar goals, of community development and growth through service. I serve because it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was raised in a family of service oriented individuals and as such, working with and for my community has been a large part of my life. I am particularly called to service in the HIV/AIDS arena due to my personal interest in research and education on the issues of youth and HIV/AIDS globally.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am excited about the HOPE team and the impact that it will have in the upcoming months within the communities we serve and the youth we engage both in and outside of the classroom. From these experiences I am looking forward to the continuing growth of the HOPE program at CYDC as it becomes a key resource for the DC community, but also for the City Year network at large. Being the only HIV/AIDS program within the City Year network it is a challenge but also an exciting prospect to serve other communities via the larger City Year network.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? So far I have not done much service with CYDC but I am excited to do the all team HOPE event of AIDS Walk DC 2009. This should be a great service event as other members of the CYDC family will be taking part in the day’s program

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? Despite my clumsy ways and sometimes quite blunt attitude, I am very passionate about my work and enjoy simple pleasures like family, friends and food!

Meet Rae!

Rachael Alexander Education Manager

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Education: BA in International Studies and Spanish from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo Michigan; Teaching Certification in English and Art Education for Secondary Ed from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Education Manager for CYDC. I develop the training programming for our Whole School, Whole Child corps members and work with them throughout the year to maximize their service and impact in the schools. I also get to pour through all of the multi-leveled data that we collect from service partners and stakeholders in order to constantly celebrate and improve our service. The last thing I get to do (and in my opinion, the coolest thing!) is get to know our WSWC corps members and have great discussions with them about all-things-school-related. It’s really fun to use my experiences as a teacher to help our corps and the kids of DC.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I am just a few months into my second year with City Year; I came to CYDC originally with the idea that teaching was one of the most valuable forms of public service. After working with so many amazing people and seeing the kinds of impact we have on the community—and the less expected but equally important impact that the community has on us as individuals—I realize that my feet are grounded and standing on so many shoulders of people who served before me. I want to “be the shoulders” to others!

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? Whole School Whole Child is blowing UP this year! Our corps has been so energetic and inquisitive already and we haven’t even gotten into service yet. I’m just looking forward to empowering our corps and the students in the schools of DC.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? If there’s one thing that people I work with know about me, it’s that I claim EVERYTHING to be “my favorite,” so choosing a favorite moment is nearly impossible. Recently, though, I was at RFK Stadium for the 9/11 National Service Day and we helped piece together quilts for Operation Kid Comfort. It was such a great service day, and such an important project—and I know my mom would be proud of me showing off my sewing machine skills!

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I am obsessed with music and art…especially of the hip hop variety! Ooooh and I also have what some might consider an unhealthy obsession with ROBOTS.

Get to Know Stef!

Stefanie Vestal

Heroes Program Manager

Hometown: North Haven, Connecticut

Education: BS in Information Design and Corporate Communications from Bentley University in Boston

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Heroes Program Manager. I manage a team of corps members that plan and run Saturday service-learning programs for 125 middle school and 75 high school students.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is my fifth year with City Year and fourth with CYDC. I serve because, ‘why not?’ I believe that everyone has something to share with others and we should all do what we can to improve our communities and world.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am excited this year to be running a full City Hero program, as opposed to last years pilot program.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? I love everything to do with Young and City Heroes. However one memorable moment for me was being the mascot at Camp City Year 2007. I got to act really silly and play games all day with the campers!

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I have a tattoo! It is a half sun/half moon

Meet Joel!

Joel Shurerk

Civic Engagement Program Manager

Hometown: Temperance, Michigan

Education: BA in Mass Media Communications from Michigan State University

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Civic Engagement Program Manager. I will be leading a team of corps members and one senior corps member in the development and implementation of physical service projects throughout DC.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I have been on staff at CYDC for a month. Before DC, I served in Louisiana and on Team Care Force.
I serve because I believe in the National Service Movement’s role in building and strengthening our communities.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am excited about working with my corps members, learning from each other throughout the year and growing personally and professionally. I am also excited about the growing partnership between DCPS and CYDC, and how that will contribute to our ability to reach as many students and communities in need as possible.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? I worked as a Project Coordinator for the NBA All-Star service in New Orleans. I got to tell some well-known players, such as Dwayne Wade and Ray Allen, what to do. Yeah, it was awesome.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I had a lip piercing in college and have played guitar since I was 12 years old.

Get to Know Tammy!

Tammy Whyte

Whole School Whole Child Program Manager

Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Education: BS in Movement Science from the University of Michigan

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am a Whole School Whole Child Program Manager. I manage two teams of corps members: one team at Stanton Elementary and one team at Browne Education Campus.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I have been with CYDC for two months, so this is my first City Year. I serve because I want to make a difference in the lives of others and work towards a positive change in the world.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am excited to work with my corps members and see them grow and develop as leaders this year. I’m also excited for the future of CYDC and the growth and impact they will have on the students of DCPS.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? I haven’t had the opportunity to do any service projects yet with City Year, but the best moments so far in my work have been making connections with the administrators that I will be working with this year.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? Although I seem pretty serious, if you know me really well, you’ll find that I am actually really silly at times.

Get to Know Mike!

Michael Stevens

Whole School Whole Child Program Manager

Hometown: Rochester, New York

Education: BS in Sociology & Criminal Justice from Keuka Collge in NY.

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am a Whole School Whole Child Program Manager. I manage and support two teams, one at Turner @ Green Elementary School and another at Ferebee Hope Elementary School. I provide coaching for my corps members and help maintain the relationship between them and teachers and administrators.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I have been with CYDC for three years. I also served in New Orleans as a City Year corps member. I serve because I feel that you are suppose to.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am excited to not only see how successful my corps members are in the future but also to see what the work they start now has grown into in five years.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? As a corps member in New Orleans in 2006, I was responsible for coordinating service in a FEMA trailer park. So twice a week our team facilitated open mic night to engage the youth in the park and help them deal with their issues as well. And my favorite moment was when one of our regular attending middle school boys got up and read a personal poem. He had never spoken up and I didn’t even no he was a writer. It was amazing I was so moved and felt like what we were doing really was making a difference in their lives.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I am fearfully shy!

Get to Know Audra!

Audra Clark Deputy Director of Development

Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas

Education: BA in Business and Communication from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and MPA in Non-profit Management from George Washington University

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Deputy Director of Development, which basically means I am responsible for making sure that each year we fundraise enough money to cover our expenses. The Development team achieves this through a number of different strategies, including individual meetings, fundraising events such as breakfasts and dinners, mailings, and submitting proposals to corporate, foundation, and government sources. I also oversee branding, communications, media, and the implementation of site-wide events such as Opening Day and Graduation.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is the start of my sixth year with City Year Washington, DC. I originally came to City Year directly after finishing a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA with ACCION Texas in San Antonio, where I had worked on fundraising efforts. Before my year of service, I thought I was going to go into for-profit marketing. As a VISTA, I discovered the field of non-profit fundraising and decided I wanted to spend my career helping non-profits raise money. My year of AmeriCorps service had such a profound impact on my career path that I was attracted to working at City Year because I knew it was a place that gave other young people like myself exposure to the non-profit sector and all of the opportunities available in the sector. I continue to serve at City Year because I truly believe corps members are positively impacting the lives of thousands of DC kids every year, and improving their own lives in the process.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am really excited about Whole School, Whole Child and the continued implementation and refining of the model. I think there is real power in having corps members work with the same kids every day through the entire school year and I have loved watching the program develop and grow. We just got back the standardized test results from our first year of implementing the program in DCPS and the results are VERY encouraging. Corps members are making a real impact on kids’ academic performance and that’s really exciting to me. I think the program will only get stronger from here and I am excited to see how it is strengthened this year.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? Hmmmm…that’s a hard one…maybe that I don’t like any drinks that are carbonated…but people would probably guess that. More surprising is probably that my two favorite things to watch on TV are American Idol and any sort of real-life murder mystery show (as long as it doesn’t get too scary).

Get to Know Heidi!

Heidi Bluming

Events & Communications Associate

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Education: B.A. in Sociology and Writing/Linguistics from Georgia Southern University

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Events and Communications Associate. I am responsible for website management, brand management, events, the e-newsletter, working with corps members for external speaking engagements, and media outreach.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I have been with City Year since 2007, serving as a corps and senior corps member in Boston. I joined the staff in DC in August 2009. I served and continue to serve because I believe education is the most powerful tool for social change, and because I hope all young people have positive role models in their lives.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I'm most excited for the growth of CYDC and for so many young people to have the chance to serve and grow as leaders.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? My favorite moment of service was Serve-a-thon in Boston, May of 2009. I worked with a team for several months to make sure it was great. When it all came together, the service day was the biggest and best in a long time, I was so proud of what we had done.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I have always loved singing and been in choirs my whole life. I wanted to be a singer when I grew up but my stage fright put an end to that!

Meet Cristina A. Gomez!

Cristina A. Gomez Development Associate

Hometown: Sharyland, Texas

Education: University of Houston, BA Public Relations & Creative Writing

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Development Associate and I work on a team with 5 fabulous women to help raise over $3 million for City Year Washington, DC. I am directly responsible for the annual appeal process, grant writing and reporting, and the Combined Federal Campaign. With the other members of the Development Team I assist in planning events, communications, and other fundraising activities. It takes a lot of coordination to raise over $3 million dollars!

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I served in Boston in 2006-2007 on the Civic Engagement Team. I loved it so much I came on board at CY Boston as the Civic Engagement Program Manager the following year. In 2008, I came to CYDC to work on the Development side of City Year and am going on my fourth year with City Year.
I joined City Year to make a difference in underserved communities. I continue to serve because it is personally really important to me that I set a positive example for Hispanic youth, especially my younger siblings.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am really excited to see the City Year Washington, DC 2009-2010 corps in action. Every year the corps gets better and better. There is so much potential here in DC. I can’t wait for their service to begin!

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? When I was a little girl I was determined to be a professional canal cleaner. I know, weird.

Get to Know Betsy!

Betsy Cotton Development Manager

Hometown: Birmingham, Michigan

Education: BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Development Manager at City Year Washington, DC. I help with all the fundraising for the site, which includes writing grant proposals, meeting with past, current, and potential donors, running events, and spreading the City Year message.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is my 3rd year on staff, but I served as a corps member with the 2006 City Year Washington, DC corps, I serve because City Year changed my life and I want to make sure that more and more young people have chance to do City Year in the future.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I’m excited about our continued partnership with DC Public Schools. I think City Year and DCPS can work together to improve DC schools.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? My favorite part of my corps year was running Camp City Year. The other camp director and I got along and worked well together to put on an awesome camp. Also, he just happens to be my fiancé now!

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? That I have a secret love for really bad reality tv (did someone say “real housewives?”)

Get to Know Tina!

Tina Fernandes

Program Director


Hometown: Brockton, Massachusetts

Education: B.A. in sociology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst

What is your position and what do you do here at CYDC? I am the Program Director for City Year Washington, DC. I work with the HOPE, Heroes, and Civic Engagement teams. I am responsible for supporting the leadership development of the corps, managing aspects of the site’s programs and managing all disciplinary actions for the corps members.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? This is my sixth year at City Year Washington, DC. I served as a Corps member in 2001-2002 and returned the next year as a senior corps member for civic leadership. I then taught special education HS students before I returned to CYDC as the Program Manager for the HIV/AIDS, Outreach, Prevention and Education (HOPE) Team in 2006. One of the biggest reasons I serve is to have the opportunity to be a part of a corps member’s development during their service year and beyond.

What are you most excited about this year and or the future of CYDC? I am really excited about the corps! They have amazing energy and experiences that will make this one of our best service years. I have been able to talk to a number of them and can’t wait for the service year to start.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? I have so many favorite moments (especially on the HOPE team). But one of my favorite moments were part of an initiative we designed to engage the corps in DC culture and history with a weekend museum tour group. Staff and corps members would visit different museums around DC once a month. It was a great way to interact with the corps outside of service.

What is something most people don’t know about you and wouldn’t guess? I have a twin brother…who just gave me a nephew/godson!

Get to Know Jason Holton!

Jason M. Holton deputy director of program and service


Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Education: B.A. in History and African Studies at Lake Forest College in Illinois.

Who is Jason Holton? I am the Duputy Director of Program and Service. As Deputy Director, I am responsible for all components of the CYDC service products and goals, corps member leadership development, and service partner relationships.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you serve? I have been the Deputy Director in DC for a little over a year now. I previously served as the National Recruitment Director for City Year Headquarters in Boston. And I serve simply because it is the right thing to do.

What are you most excited about this year and/or the future of CYDC? I'm excited to work with the great staff team we have in order to provide support to our 100 corps members throughout their year of service.

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? One of my favorite moments every year is opening day and seeing the new corps members in their uniforms and red jackets for the first time. You can always sense the excitement of starting a powerful year of service.

What is something most people don't know about you and wouldn't guess? I have ten nieces and nephews!

Meet Mr. Franco!

Jeff Franco executive director

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Education: BA in Political Science, Pre-Medicine and Spanish from Fairfield University; MA in International Affairs and MBA from American University in Washington, DC.

Who is Jeff Franco? I am the Executive Director of City Year Washington, DC. I'm responsible for managing the site, raising the site's $3.1 Million budget and overseeing the program's service, recruitment, training, and evaluation components.

How long have you been with CYDC and why do you servce? I have been with City Year for about a year and a half now. I serve because I believe that young people have the power, energy, and idealism to really change the world.

What are you most excited about this year and for the future of CYDC? I'm excited about our 100 corps members this year, which is the largest corps in City Year Washington, DC history!

Tell me a short story about your favorite moment in service? One of my favorite moments was at a service project in a Southeast neighborhood, Barry Farms, which seemed to truly empower the community. People that lived in the neighborhood came out and served with us and were so vocal with their gratitude throughout the day. It was a very inspiring moment to witness.

What is something most people don't know about you and wouldn't guess? I'm half Dominican and half Polish!