Kellie Alexander
Fellow
The Patterson Foundation

Originally from Northern Indiana, Kellie Alexander graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2021 and an accelerated master’s degree in spring of 2022. She simultaneously completed a minor in community health, an academic certificate in fundraising, and a Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from The Fund Raising School. Kellie served in development and event roles at Carteret Community College Foundation in Eastern North Carolina, the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in Central Indiana. During her undergraduate degree, she experienced the opportunity to live and attend global development courses at the University of Derby, England, through a study abroad program. Kellie is thrilled to join The Patterson Foundation and begin working alongside passionate individuals and communities to implement innovative change and catalyze impact before launching into a career in philanthropy. Kellie currently resides in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband, Caleb, and rescue dog, Lyla.

Juan Diego Amado
Senior Collective Impact Associate
Miami Connected
The Miami Foundation

Juan Diego Amado is the Senior Collective Impact Associate for the Miami Foundation and part of the Miami Connected Initiative. Prior to joining The Foundation, Juan Diego worked in several non-governmental and non-profit organizations focused on human rights and humanitarian aid. He has a BA in Political Science and recently completed a Masters in Disaster Management. Since he was a child, he has felt the need to help others and fight for justice. Being born in Venezuela taught him the importance of citizens taking a step forward for their community. Juan Diego shares a passion for fil, history, and preparedness.

Malai Amfahr
Senior Program Officer, Constituency Outreach and Engagement
Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

Malai Amfahr has over 20 years of experience working in advocacy and community engagement in the nonprofit sector, primarily focused on youth. She is currently the Senior Program Officer for Constituency Outreach and Engagement with the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR). In her role, she supports macro-level systems change within the education sector across CGLR’s 380+ coalition communities across the nation. This work involves supporting community backbone agencies with deeper engagement and learning opportunities around CGLR’s shared agenda to ensure more hopeful futures for children with literacy as the primary driver. Prior to her role with CGLR, Malai was with United Way of Story County (UWSC) where she provided oversight of UWSC’s work in education. She has served on several committees and non-profit board of directors focused on youth. Her current board appointments include Raising Readers in Story County and ArtForce Iowa. Malai is a Fellow in Cohort 2 with Mid-Iowa Health Foundation’s HealthConnect Fellowship and served as co-chair of the state’s Equity Advisory Committee with Early Childhood Iowa. She has facilitated workshops and conducted presentations at national, state, and local conferences.

Liz Bahl
Chief Operating Officer and Director of Program Implementation
The Learning Alliance

Liz Bahl has over 25 years of experience in a broad array of industries including bank marketing public relations, financial software, and retail management. She joined The Learning Alliance in 2014 and has established leadership in all aspects of the organization, including fundraising, volunteer management, program design and implementation, data and documentation, and is currently the Chief Operating Officer. She holds a BA in Communications from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Kate Bennett
Community Impact Officer
Early Childhood & Education Success
United Way of Central Iowa

Kate Bennett began her career at United Way of Central Iowa in 2002 as the Executive Director for Polk County Early Childhood Iowa. In that position, Kate worked to create a collaborative system for government and local nonprofits to support at-risk children from ages 0-8 and their families. The outcome of that work was a much more collaborative system and higher quality early childhood services in central Iowa. Kate has served as the Community Impact Officer, Education Success since 2012. She spearheaded the 2020 goals to raise the graduation rate in Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties from 83.4% in 2008 to 93.6% in 2019. This increase of 10.2% means 6,300 more students graduated opposed to if the graduation rate remained at the 2008 statistic. For the last two years, Kate has been a part of the team who created the United to Thrive framework, which UWCI officially launched in May 2021. This framework maintains a strong education focus while looking through an equity lens and COVID recovery. Kate is the staff lead for two volunteer cabinets who guide this work: Early Childhood Success and Education Success. Kate is looking forward to this next exciting chapter in central Iowa.

Hedy Chang
Executive Director and President
Attendance Works

Hedy Nai-Lin Chang is the founder and Executive Director of Attendance Works, a national and state level initiative aimed at advancing student success by addressing chronic absence. A skilled presenter, facilitator, researcher and writer, she co-authored the seminal report, Present, Engaged and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades, as well as numerous other articles about student attendance. Deeply committed to promoting two-generation solutions to achieving a more just and equitable society, Hedy has spent more than three decades working in the fields of family support, family economic success, education and child development. She served as a senior program officer at the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and as co-director of California Tomorrow, a nonprofit committed to drawing strength from cultural, linguistic and racial diversity. In February 2013, Hedy was named by the White House as a Champion of Change for her commitment to furthering African American Education.

Cheri Coryea
Digital Access for All, Initiative Manager
The Patterson Foundation

Cheri Coryea’s public sector experience spans over 30 years, and while a majority of it has been in Manatee County, Florida, the nature of the work has allowed her to build bonds regionally and nationally with thought and management leader networks. The last 14 years of Cheri’s public sector work included roles as county administrator, deputy county administrator, and first department director of the Neighborhood Services Department for Manatee County Government. Highly regarded as a trusted and effective relationship builder among all aspects of the community, Cheri spent the bulk of her public sector work in the human services and community services field. Cheri served as the first Children’s Services Coordinator for the county, bringing to life the Children’s Services dedicated millage programs in 1990. Today, the Children’s Services programs target children ages 0-17 and their families who live in Manatee County through the grant work of over 100 different nonprofit agencies. These programs serve at-risk and economically disadvantaged children subject to abuse, neglect, and abandonment. In 2016, Cheri led the charge to change the county grant funding process from funder to investor. To date, more than $150 million has been provided to local nonprofit agencies that yield significant results to improve children and family outcomes. In 2007, Cheri was tapped to create the Neighborhood Services Department. In 2014, she facilitated the merger of two departments— Neighborhood Services and Community Services—focusing on programs from infants, neighborhood planning, behavioral health, and low-income medical services to County Indigent Burial. Over 2,400 different neighborhoods are now engaged with their local government through various virtual tools, neighborhood action plans, newsletters, and libraries. Citizens now feel they are making a difference. Her strategic planning expertise led to the first Economic Development Division in the County, focusing on job creation, retention, and incentives for all business types. With the motto of “At Your Service,” Cheri helped cut through the red tape and developed an expedited environment of business-friendly government that has added over 4,600 high-wage and high-skilled jobs in Manatee County since 2009. She continues to strive to positively impact ALICE through her involvement with the United Way Suncoast. While county administrator, Cheri recognized the large portion of potential retirees in the upcoming years and emphasized the development of young professionals to enhance the county’s workforce. With a few talented county-employed young professionals, Cheri built the Manatee Millennial Movement (M3) into a nationally recognized force to be reckoned with, increasing Manatee County’s millennial workforce from 17% to 27% in four years. Adding a project-driven county internship program in three seasons has allowed the county to advance the use of technology, GIS planning, energy efficiency, parks, preserves, and citizen engagement while attracting and retaining highly motivated students to the area. Cheri and her husband raised their two girls along with their four-legged furry and equine family members locally. Their daughters have grown up to become successful professionals.

Andy Gail
Executive Director
Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area

A resident of Winchester, Virginia, Andy Gail is the Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area (LVWA), a non-profit focused on improving literacy in the community. A philanthropist and active community member, Andy also sits on the board of numerous non-profits, including Fremont Street Nursery, The Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Top of Virginia Regional Chamber and Project Freda. Andy was recognized by the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber as its First Emerging Leader Award recipient. This award recognizes a leader under 40 who shows leadership potential and a commitment to the community. Andy joined LVWA after 10 years in corporate America. LVWA is the backbone organization for the local Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, leading the coalition of over 20 organizations.

Dawn Gerundo
Director of Development and Engagement
Valley of the Sun United Way

Dawn Gerundo received Bachelors of Liberal Studies in Early Childhood Education and Business Management from Charter Oaks State College. She has 34 years of experience working in education and has been working as a Community Impact Director for Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW). She is a strong advocate for education, with a passion for early childhood. Dawn is involved in working on breaking the cycle of poverty for children and families in Maricopa County. Her professional interests focus on school readiness, early literacy, and community/family engagement. Her current projects include facilitating Read On Avondale, serving on the executive committee for Read On Phoenix and leading early grade and school readiness initiatives for VSUW. She oversees all the VSUW funding partnerships through grants and contracts for children. In addition, she serves as an advisory board member for Catholic Charities Westside Head Start program and has served on the Arizona State Board of Education K-3 Literacy Ad Hoc.

Rosie Grant
Executive Director
Paterson Education Fund

Rosie Grant is the Executive Director of the Paterson Education Fund (PEF), where she also served as Program Director for a combined 24 years. PEF’s programs are specifically designed to engage a broad cross-section of stakeholders in the improvement of Paterson Public Schools. Rosie has a background in accounting, grant writing, program management and nonprofit management. In her work at Paterson Education Fund, she has trained over 1,000 students and adults to be workshop and conversation facilitators. She also trained Paterson teachers to be facilitators in the Paterson Pathways Program, a personalized advisory curriculum that helps students with academic improvement; planning and goal setting; career and college preparation; community service learning and leadership; and basic life skills. Over ten thousand Paterson children have participated in this program. She has done extensive training in leading multicultural and anti-racism public dialog.

Elizabeth Hansen
Executive Director, Grinnell-Newburg School Foundation
Program Coordinator for Collective Impact,
Office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research,
Grinnell College

Elizabeth “Liz” Hansen serves as the Program Coordinator for Collective Impact in the Office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research. She is also the Executive Director of the Grinnell-Newburg School Foundation. Her duties include collaborating with community partners on the focus areas of equity, family engagement, digital equity, and literacy. Working closely with Grinnell Education Partnership (GEP) partner Jill Harris, they design training and convene the GEP Summer Learning program. Before joining the staff in 2017, Liz completed a 32-year career teaching high school English and speech in the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District. A graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in speech and theatre, she also holds a master’s degree in education from Viterbo University.

Jill Harris
Project Coordinator,
Grinnell Education Partnership
Grinnell College

Jill Harris is the Project Coordinator for the Grinnell Education Partnership (GEP). Jill’s duties include assisting Grinnell College to fulfill its backbone role for the GEP by making connections and collaborating with partner organizations to identify emerging needs. She also initiates project planning, assesses and moves relevant partner projects towards sustainability, supports equity alignment, and assists with communications pieces. Before joining the staff in this capacity, Jill was a public educator for 32 years. After retirement, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA Skills Gap Taskforce Coordinator for GEP. As a retired teacher, Jill continues to advocate for equitable and excellent educational opportunities for children from cradle to career. Jill graduated from William Penn University with a bachelor’s degree in music education.

Liza Khan
Senior Programs Manager,
Children’s Services Council of Broward County

Liza Khan is currently a Senior Programs Manager with the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, Florida, where she has worked since 2016. The CSC’s mission is to provide leadership, advocacy, and resources necessary to enhance the lives of the children of Broward County and empower them to become responsible, productive adults through collaborative planning and funding of a continuum of quality care. Liza’s focus is on the afterschool and out-of-school time programs as well as Early Learning and Literacy. For the last five years, Liza has been an integral part of the Broward Reads: Campaign for Grade-Level Reading team leading to a number of Pacesetter Honors and BrightSpot Honors around the impact areas of School Readiness and Grade-Level Proficiency. Prior to COVID, Broward had improved to 60% proficiency in 3rd-grade reading scores, which was an increase of 8% since implementing Broward Reads. With the new State testing in Florida, and the programs that have been put in place to strengthen early learning and grade-level reading, Liza is looking forward to seeing Broward continue to rebuild from the COVID slide and continue to work towards all children succeeding.

Kathleen Knudsen
Facilitator
Metro-Omaha Raise Me to Read

Kathleen Knudsen leads the Metro-Omaha branch of Raise Me to Read, a Campaign for Grade-Level Reading initiative, whose backbone organization is the Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium. Her work includes collaboration with community entities and school districts regarding attendance, trauma informed mental health, and early literacy. Kathleen serves on a team recently assembled to align early childhood goals and outcomes in Omaha with the support of the National League of Cities. Critical community engagement work has begun on the Omaha Urban Thinkscapes Project in partnership with University of Omaha (UNO) College of Education Health and Human Sciences, and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Connect GO. Creation of two Thinkscapes sites in underdeveloped neighborhoods and a Play Ecosystem Suite will support playful, equitable learning opportunities, and encourage adult-child engagement. A 6th generation Nebraskan, Kathleen has earned degrees from UNO and has worked as a teacher and school administrator. Her greatest achievements are her marriage to her husband and their two sons.

Melissa Litwin
Early Childhood Program Director
The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation

Melissa Litwin is the Early Childhood Program Director at the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, where she supports a vision where all New Jersey third graders are skillful learners, equipped to thrive and contribute throughout their lives. They are nurtured by stable and supportive families, high-quality education, vibrant and healthy communities, and systems and policies that promote equity. Literacy is both a necessity for school success and a benchmark of general wellbeing, thus grant projects include everything from healthy pregnancy to quality childcare access, to family support. The Foundation’s long held interests are in strengthening community, enhancing education, and supporting health research. Litwin has worked as a Senior Consultant at The Whelan Group in New York City where she provided strategic, business, and fundraising expertise to nonprofits in the arts, education, and human services. She has experience in museum management and operations in settings ranging from Pacific Science Center in Seattle to Artists Space in Manhattan. Litwin received her undergraduate education from the University of Washington where she graduated Cum Laude with an honors B.A. in English and a B.S. in Psychology. She holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, at the University of Pennsylvania. Litwin lives in South Orange, New Jersey, with her husband and child, a high school student.

Cecelia Leong
Vice President of Programs
Attendance Works

Cecelia Leong is the Vice President of Programs at Attendance Works. Since joining Attendance Works in 2011, she has helped expand the technical assistance resources available to communities across the country. In addition to providing high quality professional development through webinars and online learning, Cecelia works closely with the Attendance Works team to identify emerging technical assistance needs in reducing chronic absence and creating innovative tools to address those needs. Prior to joining Attendance Works, Cecelia worked for a variety of organizations that focus on district and school reform initiatives such as Pivot Learning Partners and Berkeley Policy Associates. Cecelia has an AB from Harvard University and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Katelyn Orloski
Principal of Wildflower Elementary School
Avondale School District

Katelyn Orloski is the Principal at Wildflower Accelerated Academy in the Avondale Elementary School District, located in Goodyear, Arizona. She will be entering into her third year as Principal and previously served as Assistant Principal and an Instructional Coach. Wildflower is a public Title 1 school that serves approximately 700 students. Orloski spent her years as a classroom teacher in 5th grade and 1st grade teaching in both Virginia and Arizona. In addition to her work as a Principal, she also works for Western Governors University as an Evaluator in the Teachers College and for EdReports a Foundational Skills Curriculum Reviewer. She received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Penn State University followed by earning her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from West Virginia University. She completed her Principal Certificate from Northern Arizona University. Orloski lives in Buckeye, Arizona with her husband.

Siobhan O’Loughlin Reardon
Auerbach-Berger Senior Fellow
Everyday Places and Spaces Initiative
Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

Siobhan O’Loughlin Reardon has been the Auerbach-Berger Senior Fellow for the Everyday Places & Spaces (EDPS) Initiative of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading since February 2021. She serves on the Philadelphia Education Fund Board of Trustees as Treasurer, the Irish American Business Chamber and Network as Secretary, and a member of the Satell Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility Advisory Board. She is a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania and led the Free Library of Philadelphia from 2008 – 2020. Reardon held leadership positions in corporate and non-profit organizations, including Executive Director of the Westchester County (NY) Library System, Deputy Executive Director of the Brooklyn (NY) Public Library, Budget Director for the New York Public Library, and finance positions in the Borden and Pinkerton companies. She has a BA in Political Science from Purchase College (NY), an MS-LIS from Long Island University (NY), and an MA in Economics from Fordham University (NY).

Ralph Smith
Managing Director
Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

Ralph Smith is the managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, an effort to increase rates of third-grade reading proficiency for children from low-income families that includes a network of more than 350+ communities, representing 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada — with 5,200 local organizations and more than 500 state and local funders (including over 200 United Ways). Previously, as Senior Vice President for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Smith led the Making Connections initiative, a comprehensive effort to help communities improve outcomes for children by strengthening families and neighborhoods. Smith served on the Foundation’s Senior Leadership Team from 1994 through 2016. Smith taught Corporations and Securities Law and Education Law and Policy as a member of the Law Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania for two decades, during which time he also served as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer for the School District of Philadelphia. and as a senior advisor to Philadelphia’s mayor on children and family policy. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Council on Foundations from 2000 to 2010 serving as board chair from 2008 to 2010. In addition, Smith has served on the boards of the Foundation Center, Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, Venture Philanthropy Partners, the Clinton Center on Community Philanthropy and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. His private-sector board service includes Leapfrog Enterprises, Nobel Learning Communities and BookNook. Among Smith’s recent honors are the Fred Rogers Leadership in Philanthropy Award from Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Family and the Jane Addams Distinguished Leadership Award from the United Neighborhood Centers of America.

Rachel Stine
Director of Book Abundance
Book Harvest

Rachel Stine is the Director of Book Abundance at Book Harvest, a North Carolina non-profit based in Durham. Rachel leads the strategy and oversees the portfolio of Book Harvest’s book access, book ownership, and community-wide literacy programs. She has developed innovative programs growing them from the pilot stage to widespread implementation. She is a founding member of Durham’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and services on the Campaign’s Everyday Places and Spaces initiative. Rachel is a graduate of Westmont College and holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California.

Cheryl Werner
Community Impact Coordinator
United Way of Central Iowa

Cheryl Werner joined United Way of Central Iowa in August 2017. She works closely with Kate, UWCI colleagues, and community partners coordinating UWCI’s initiatives while supporting education goals & strategies to maximize the collective impact in Central Iowa. She began her career in education as a classroom teacher and coaching girls’ basketball and softball. Cheryl’s classroom experience spanned grades 2, 3, 4, & 6 before becoming a learning resource center teacher (technology, library, and GT). Her leadership experiences included serving as an instructional coach and finally as Dubuque Schools K-12 District Coordinator of Gifted & Talented, Advanced Placement, Measures of Academic Progress, and the Arts. Cheryl also coordinated the UD for Kids Summer Enrichment Program for the University of Dubuque. Cheryl was an instructor through the Keystone Adult Learning program. She ended her school career as a principal in Waterloo. Cheryl earned her BA at Loras College and her MAE in the Education of Gifted and PK-12 Principalship, Director of Special Education from the University of Northern Iowa.

Inika Williams
Associate Director of Policy
Attendance Works

Inika Williams is the Associate Director of Policy for Attendance Works. Inika’s career has focused on the intersection of education and community collaboration to promote improved opportunities for children and youth. For over 15 years, Inika has worked in youth development, grant acquisition and management, and building community support for quality education. Before joining Attendance Works, Inika served as a champion for access to higher education as State Director of the College Reach-Out Program at the Florida Department of Education and Director of Pre-Collegiate Programs at Florida State University. In these roles she provided operational oversight of TRIO programs, which offer federal outreach and student services for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2020, Inika was the chief grant writer for the acquired $1.3 million that funds the operations of a TRIO Talent Search program in four rural counties across northwest Florida. Prior to her role in administration, she was a teacher, special education district leader and school counselor. Inika holds a B.S. in elementary education from Florida A&M University, a M.S. and Ed.S. in Counseling, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership and administration.

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