Program Director, Praxis
Ditra is the program director of The Praxis Project, a nonprofit organization helping communities use media and policy advocacy to advance health justice. Ditra is also the deputy director of Communities Creating Healthy Environments (C-CHE), an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support policy advocacy to advance healthy food outlets and safe places to play in communities of color nationwide.
Prior to coming to Praxis, Ditra served as a consultant in partnership with the Hill-Snowdon Foundation, The Center for Applied Research and Technical Assistance, Inc. (CARTA) and The Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO). From 1999 to 2005, Ditra Edwards was on the staff of LISTEN, Inc., serving as Executive Director from 2002 to 2005. Under Ditra's leadership, the organization grew tremendously. LISTEN secured and managed the National Roots Initiative - a two-year partnership with the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing. Ditra also won multi-year funding to secure the infrastructure of LISTEN and core support for grass roots organizations in their national network.
As director of Training and Youth Development at LISTEN, Ditra was responsible for the design and implementation of the Global Exchange Program, which supported youth activists from the United States and their counterparts in other countries to learn about leadership and democracy. Ditra was also the catalyst for the content and framework of the organization's leadership and youth development curriculum.
Ditra has served on the boards of the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing, and the Columbia Heights Shaw Family Support Collaborative. Ditra was the recipient of the Salzburg Seminar Fellowship, Session 366 on Urban Youth and the Smithsonian Institute Museum Leadership Award
Kim Ransom is the inaugural director of the University of Chicago Collegiate Scholars Program (CSP), a three-year enrichment program committed to preparing promising Chicago Public Schools high school students for admission and success at top-tier colleges and universities.
Kim has been responsible for building CSP including its student body, organizational structure, programming, financing, development, local/national marketing, admissions and staffing. Under Kim’s leadership, 295 CSP alumni successfully matriculated into 86 colleges across 26 states. Over eighty five percent of CSP graduates gain admission to top-tier universities and over seventy percent decide to attend. One hundred percent of graduates attend four-year colleges. Spanning over 40 Chicago public high schools, fifty three percent of CSP students are the first in their families to attend college.
Kim began working with young people 15 years ago as a mentor/volunteer for Elliott Donnelley Youth Center (EDYC) on Chicago’s Southside. Since this time, Kim has been committed to empowering young people to realize and reach their full potential. Kim is a published author, poet and holds a Master’s Degree in English Literature from DePaul University, Chicago. She is a Chicago native and Chicago Public School graduate. She is a recipient of the New York University Women of Color Policy Network Lead the Way Fellowship (2010) and a 2011 Chicago Community Trust Fellow for Emerging Leaders.
Michael G Bennett, Ph.D., J.D., is an Associate Professor of Law at the Northeastern University School of Law. His research focuses on intellectual property policy, public understanding of science and technology, and the integration of contemporary art and scientific research. He studied law at Harvard Law School, physics and mathematics at Florida A&M University and the philosophy of technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Michael has served on several occasions as an expert reviewer for the National Science Foundation, consults with several limited-resource academic institutions on matters of federally funded research and technology transfer, and is a board member of The Gallery at the Piano Guild, a non-profit art exhibition space in Boston’s South End.
Steven Rasmussen is president of KCPT Technologies and currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator on KCPT’s NSF funded, Introducing Dynamic Number as a Transformative Technology for Number and Early Algebra project. He is Co-founder, Publisher and “Advocate for Change” at Key Curriculum Press where he has worked for four decades on software and textbook development.
He has authored workbooks and has served as Principal Investigator on two previous NSF projects.
Mr. Rasmussen has degrees in mathematics and mathematics education from Temple University. He taught secondary mathematics for seven years in Pennsylvania and California.
Mr. Rasmussen serves on boards and advisory boards of many organizations, including his local Emery Education Fund, the Massachusetts-based Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP), Women and Mathematics Education (an NCTM affiliate), Business for Science, Math and Related Technologies Education (an education advocacy organization in California), the Young People’s Project, the Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum, and the Friday Institute at NCSU.
Mr. Rasmussen has given hundreds of workshops and talks on mathematics teaching at national and international professional meetings and has worked on projects throughout Asia.
Sammie is a native of Jackson, MS. He is currently studying Criminal Justice with Penn Foster College. In the 8th grade he became a Co-Founder of YPP. Sammie has always been passionate about reaching people in his community and displays this by organizing functions designed to bring together and build members of the Georgetown community and surrounding areas.
Hector was born in El Salvador and moved to Cambridge MA at the age of 6. While attending Cambridge Public Schools he thrived in the classroom and inspired his peers as well as his teachers to always work hard. Hector is Hamilton Posse 4 Alum, graduating in 2008. With a background in community organizing, Hector founded The Young People’s Project at Hamilton, which encourages youth civic engagement while teaching mathematics to underprivileged middle school students in Utica NY. As an alumni Hector is a firm believer in the importance of community building and "changing the way change happens" while helping others build community around them. Hector is currently working on replicating the Young People’s Project at Hamilton model at other College campuses.
Sharese Bullock-Bailey is an educator, producer and strategic consultant and global youth media expert. Previously pioneering Strategic Partnerships at global youth media network Listen Up!- www.listenup.org, she has written about global youth media and culture, curating and jurying youth media festivals and presenting youth media to new audiences globally for the past 10 years. Sharese has led service and international education programs, including filmmaking and animation training for young producers throughout the United Kingdom with the “Experiment in International Living” (2005, 2006) and in India with Adobe Youth Voices (2006).
Sharese is the Producer of “Off and Running,” a feature documentaryproject a co-production of The Independent Television Service that aired on PBS series P.O.V. in 2010. Bullock led the multi-platform outreach and distribution for "Youth Speak Out on Education" (PBS, 2004) and Beyond Borders(Independent Film Channel/Peabody Award, 2006). She currently teaches through Teach For America in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY and serves as a film mentor for PBS/POV and Adobe Youth Voices Project VoiceScape.
Dean, City Year
Boston, MA
Charlie Rose has been a youth worker, organizer and entrepreneur in Boston for nearly 30 years. As a founding board member of City Year and then staff member who has played myriad roles, Charlie has helped build the organization into a national model for youth community service organizations. In addition, Charlie has also been a founding board member for seven other organizations including YouthBuild Boston and has served the community through his work
with organizations such as Youth Outreach Program, Citizens for Safety, National Toxics Campaign, United Labor Unions Local, Urban Edge and as a VISTA volunteer. Prior to joining City Year’s staff, he was the Director of Youth Services for the City of Boston’s Community Centers.
Charlie co-founded the City of Boston's nationally recognized violence and gang prevention program - Safe Streets, as well as the Boston Youth Olympics, Boston Peer Leadership Program, the Festival of Hope, the Citywide Youth Congress and the Youth Worker Alliance. Over the past 20 years Charlie has helped build City Year into a national model for youth community service organizations and has been involved in all aspects of organizational development.
He currently serves on the Board of Urban Edge and MYTOWN. He is the co-founder and co- owner of a Boston neighborhood restaurant (Bella Luna) and entertainment complex (Milky Way Lounge and Lanes). The for-profit venture was started as a community economic development project in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston. He is currently Vice President and Dean of City Year USA and the father of two children.
Engineer, Proctor and Gamble
Cincinnati, OH
http://www.typp.org/arielflemmingsstory
In high school I took two different buses in order to get to Brinkley after school so I could continue to be in YPP. I was in the International Baccalaureate program (IB), which again took me away from the AP and YPP way of thinking back to a more traditional style of learning. Being in YPP helped me to stay connected to the learning strategy, which also helped me in school. Some of my IB teachers asked me to be a peer teacher in class and after school because of what I had learned in the AP and in YPP, and one of my math teachers would occasionally ask me to help her teach a topic in class.
In 2005 I Graduated from Tennessee State University with a degree in electrical engineering. Since then I have been happily working with Proctor & Gamble in a number of leadership and managerial roles. One thing I have really enjoyed is when I am able to make a difference in someone’s career and professional development by helping them learn new methods of thinking or problem solving to help them move to the next level.
When I first started working as a direct line manager of electrical technicians and doing troubleshooting, I would find myself always going back to the 6th grade, and the “Make Do” exercise we did. I would think, “Something is not working, what’s the short term fix, what’s the long terms fix, and how can I execute it.” Based on this thinking I introduced a new troubleshooting process to my employees. Now people in my old groups tell me that they still use the methods I introduced, even with the new managers that have come.
I started working at Proctor and Gamble at the age of 22, and my direct reports aged in range from 25 to 56. This took me back to YPP when I was in the 8th grade and facilitating to teachers. My desire was always to make them feel that I was trying to help them rather than tell them what to do. Now I’m seen as a great communicator and a great collaborator. I think in part this comes from what I learned in YPP about how to help people navigate through a process that enables
them to develop their own solutions, rather than telling them the answer or how to get it. In YPP I also learned how to teach and help people of different age ranges and with different learning styles and I apply this knowledge in my daily work. The needs of a 25 year old technician who learns by trying out the equipment with minimal instructions are different from the needs of a 50 year old technician who learns by reading an instructional manual and blueprint. I am almost able to sense a person’s learning style by talking to them and then can relay a task to them in a way that matches their learning style.
Senior Managing Consultant PFM Chicago
Chicago, IL
Bennett J. Johnson III is currently the Senior Managing Consultant at PFM’s Chicago office. Mr. Johnson recently joined the firm to assist with project management and development of PFM’s Chicago based Financial Advisory and Asset Management practice. Bennett Johnson brings over 20 years of experience in municipal finance, strategic management and new business development to his position at PFM. He served as Principal at EKI, responsible for refining and implementing EKI's development strategy, on both the local and national level. He worked closely with EKI team members and trusted partners to expand and enhance existing business as well as developed new business relationships for EKI as when he established the firm’s New York office and in challenging economic times helped the company achieve its best year ever. He formalized the sales strategy and built internal structure and processes as to make the company a leading contender in the IT and management consulting marketplace.
Before joining EKI, Bennett served as the City of Chicago’s Budget Director in the Office of Budget and Management (OBM). As Budget Director, Bennett was responsible for preparing and executing the City’s annual $6 billion operating budget and the $8 billion capital budget for over 40 departments with more than 35,000 employees. Bennett was also charged with overseeing the City’s performance management initiative which allows OBM to evaluate the efficiency and efficacy of all City operations and drives management reforms that improve the City’s fiscal condition and increase taxpayer value. Additionally, he supervised federal, state and private grants and was the spokesperson and lead communicator with City Council and the Mayor on Chicago’s finances and management issues, along with providing input on various high priority projects.
From 1997 to 2007, Bennett served as a Managing Director for A.C. Advisory, Inc. / Alta Capital Group. While at Alta, Bennett was charged with the execution, documentation, pricing and closing for over $34 billion of municipal bond issues. Bennett was responsible for researching and advising on innovative financing strategies to enable clients to reach their fiscal and corporate goals. Additionally, Bennett built databases to analyze statistical trends from collected data and provided strategic and risk management consulting for municipal and corporate clients. From 2000 to 2003, Bennett served as the City of Chicago’s Assistant Comptroller. As Assistant Comptroller, Bennett managed the Oracle application implementation for the Human Resources, Payroll, Accounts Receivables, Payables, Purchasing and General Ledger systems. His specific duties included chairing the reporting committee, leading user training efforts, overseeing Oracle subcontractors, and developing change management strategies.
Prior to beginning his career with the A.C. Advisory, Bennett served as a Database Manager for the Chicago School-to-Work Program. As Database Manager, Bennett was responsible for
developing and sustaining computer and database systems. Bennett speaks extensively across the country and has chaired special committees on various topics from business process improvement to the environment to information technology. He serves on the boards of the Center for Neighborhood Technology and the Civic Federation of Chicago. Bennett received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering Sciences from Harvard University, where he played varsity men’s volleyball for four years, was president of the Winthrop House Film Society, and was treasurer of the Harvard Black Man’s Forum. Bennett received his master’s degree in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the London School of Economics.
Executive Director, Support Children’s Advocacy Network
Harlem, New York
Lewis Zuchman joined SCAN in 1987 as Executive Director. He holds a Master Degree in Social Work from Columbia University (1974). Under Zuchman’s stewardship, SCAN funding has increased from $750K to $20M and the number of clients has grown from 150 families and 300 children to 400 families and 5000 children.
Prior to joining SCAN, Zuchman was Associate Executive Director at Edwin Gould Services for Children. He serves on the Board of several community organizations, including the Human Service Consortium of East Harlem (founding President and current Co-Chairperson) and has played a prominent role in empowering New York’s City's Latino communities, including serving as a consultant to PROGRESS (Puerto Rican Organization for Research, Education and Self Sufficiency). He is an Adjunct Professor at Hostos Community College (a division of CUNY in the Bronx). As a nineteen-year old University of Bridgeport student, Lew was arrested on July 16, 1961 in Jackson, Mississippi for his participation in a Freedom Ride from Nashville, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi via Greyhound. Zuchman was a founder of the Bridgeport, Connecticut chapter of CORE. As one of the original 1961 Freedom Riders, Lew has been recognized for his significant contributions to the civil rights movement in recent books, including “Breach of Peace” and “The Freedom Riders”. Zuchman’s Freedom Rider experience and professional career addressing the needs of inner city African-American and Latino young people is being highlighted in a documentary film currently in production.
YPP Founder
Cambridge, MA
Dean, NYU Stern School of Business
New York, NY