YNPN-NYC is run by a working, all-volunteer board of young nonprofit leaders.YNPN-NYC is an entirely volunteer run organization and we depend on people like you to help plan, organize, and execute programs. YNPN-NYC committees are where programmatic and strategic plans come to action. Please let us know if you are interested in sitting on any of the following committees.
Erin Roberts – Co-Chair
Erin Roberts has worked in the non-profit sector for six years, with a focus on using media and communications to make the world a better place. Currently, as Deputy Director of Strategic Development at Public Health Solutions, she conveys the mission and work of one of the largest nonprofits in New York City to a wide variety of stakeholders through events, publications, and fundraising campaigns. Previously, she has held positions at WNET/Channel Thirteen, the Paley Center for Media, Platform Learning (an after-school program provider), and Court TV. She earned her MA at the Newhouse School for Communications at Syracuse University and her BA at Yale University.
In her spare time, Erin is an avid Crossfitter, studies American Sign Language, sings a good deal of karaoke, and occasionally performs cabaret. And one of these days, she will get around to writing the Great American Novel.
Christopher Chavez - Co-Chair
Christopher Chavez believes we all can do more with the support of a community. For the past six years, Chris has worked with communities located in areas as remote as the countryside of Ethiopia and as urban as the concrete jungle of New York City. His experiences have connected him with communities affected by HIV-AIDS, individuals living with the scourge of landmines, and families working to build a better future for their children. Chris currently works at Catchafire.org, a social enterprise that asks professionals to give pro-bono to build the capacity of social mission organizations. Going supernova is his motto.
Danielle Wessler- Secretary
Danielle is currently the Associate Director of Interventions at Achievement First (AF), a non-profit that manages and supports K-12 public charter schools in Brooklyn and Connecticut. In this role, she specifically works to support all AF schools with implementing academic interventions for below-proficient scholars. This is Danielle’s sixth year in education: in her first job, she was a Bilingual/English Language Arts 6th grade teacher in the Bronx and in Brooklyn. Danielle was also a Coro Fellow in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, a year-long, graduate-level fellowship that
immerses fellows in the dynamics between the various sectors (public, non-profit, corporate, labor and electoral) in New York City. In this program, Danielle experienced first-hand the power of collaboration and innovation both within and across sectors–one of the main reasons she is thrilled to be a part of the YNPN community. Danielle holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a Masters from Pace University’s Graduate School of Education. She is a lover of mountains and biking, a passionate Red Sox fan and a (very) amateur photographer.
Justine Wu – Treasurer
Justine currently works on the Investments team at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a not-for-profit organization with over $5 billion in assets that makes grants in the areas of higher education and scholarship, museums and art conservation, performing arts, conservation and the environment, and scholarly communications and information technology. She previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Justine graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and a minor in Chinese.
Allison Jones- Communications Co-Chair
Allison Jones is a Brooklyn based blogger and advocate for millennial leadership in public service. She blogs at allisonj.org on the future of nonprofit leadership and her work has been featured in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Daily News, and more. Allison is currently the External Affairs Manager at Explore Schools, a network of high performing public schools in Brooklyn where she helps coordinate the organization’s fundraising and marketing efforts. When not blogging or working, you can find Allison getting lost in the city or in her kitchen.
Jessica Hammerman – Partnerships Co-Chair
Jessica graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in Economics. Through the American Jewish World Service’s World Partnerships fellowship, she then spent a year in India with Econet, a capacity building NGO working with rural communities in the Indian state of Maharashtra. During this time she analyzed survey data and created data displays for Econet and its partner organizations on the availability and use of Non Timber Forest Products in the region.
Upon her completion of the fellowship, Jessica headed to New York and began working at Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street. As the Assistant Project Manager in Sesame’s Educational Outreach department, Jessica is responsible for managing several initiatives focusing on a range of topics from food insecurity to financial education to military deployment. In this role she manages the distribution of over 3 million topic driven resource kits for families with young children around the country. In her free time, Jessica enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and running.
Diamond St Thomas – Partnership Co-Chair
Diamond St. Thomas is an avid supporter of Arts Education and is currently working as a Program Director for the Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation (SASF). After graduating from the New School University with an M.S. in Nonprofit Management she joined Young Audiences New York (yaNY) which provides Arts Education to public schools. Through this experience she was able to work one on-on-one with school administration to make arts an integral part of their school community.
In conjunction with her work as Program Director with SASF, she is part of the Programming Committee at Arts for All. While maintaining partnerships within the arts community she helps to provide additional support and continue her passion for Youth Development. When outside of work she enjoys meeting new people and forging relationships with young professionals in New York City.
Kamille James – National Liaison
Kamille received her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance with a concentration in International Business from Saint John’s University in Queens, NY and her M.B.A. from the School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences at Long Island University. In her professional career, Kamille has worked in various industries affording her a wide range of experiences. As a nonprofit program manager, she has developed educational programming and events geared towards inspiring inner-city youth to succeed beyond their dreams.
Outside of work, Kamille continues her commitment to youth and community development; mentoring high school students to earn admission and transition into top colleges and universities. Kamille currently serves on the board of directors of the New York Metro Chapter of the National Black MBA Association, Assistant Treasurer and fundraising committee member of the East Kings County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and board member of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of New York. In her free time, Kamille enjoys traveling and photography.
Jennifer Chen – Professional Development Chair
Jennifer brings expertise in strategic fundraising, communications and public relations, and organizational management to YNPN’s Board of Directors. As the Development & Communications Associate at the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), a nonprofit lending institution focused on advancing access to and strengthening the role of primary health care, Jennifer engages external stakeholders, including donors, Board members, funders and clients in PCDC’s story. She leads crucial projects leading up to the organization’s annual springtime gala, as well as four annual intimate cultivation events; manages PCDC’s website and social media platforms; and performs other critical functions for the organization’s development and external affairs teams.
Prior to joining PCDC, Jennifer served as a team member of Koszyn & Company, where she helped direct fundraising campaigns and execute development strategies. She previously worked at the Council on Foundations, the premier membership organization for nonprofit foundations. She helped manage a national accreditation program, led a website content revision project, and directed member and client relations. Jennifer graduated from Boston College with a BA in psychology. She is fluent in French and Fuzhou, a southern Chinese dialect.
Lindsay Dembner – Professional Development Co-Chair
Jason Everitt – Memberships Co-Chair
Jason Everitt believes that all challenges can be overcome by the right combination of individuals and ideas. Currently he connects highly-skilled individuals offering pro bono services with incredible nonprofit organizations as a Service Officer for Catchafire. Previously, he has served as a communications consultant and coalition-builder for a number of San Diego’s leading non-profit organizations. Jason was a member of the inaugural class of the Clinton Global Initiative University and the San Diego chapter of the New Leaders Council. He holds Masters Degrees in Public Administration and International Relations from the University of Southern California and a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Yana Geyfman – Memberships Co-Chair
Yana Geyfman is a Trainer and College Access Counselor for Options Institute, Goddard Riverside Community Center where she is responsible for facilitating over 60 workshops for college advisor professionals on topics ranging from good fit colleges, to financial aid to transition to college. Before joining the nonprofit world, she worked as an Admissions Officer at Allegheny College (Meadville, PA) and DePaul University (Chicago, IL) recruiting prospective high school students, supervising a wonderful team of tour guides and advising college student groups that included Hillel and Model UN. She also volunteers extensively at Let’s Get Ready, Step Up Women’s Network and Young Women’s Leadership Network.
Yana holds a BA in International Relations from Simmons College (Boston, MA) and a Master’s in Multicultural and Organization Communication from DePaul University.
Joshua Winata – Communications Co-Chair
Joshua Winata is a Corporate Relations Officer for New York Cares, the city’s largest volunteer organization, which runs volunteer programs for 1,200 nonprofits, city agencies and public schools. He previously worked as an External Affairs Fellow for the Taproot Foundation, the nation’s leading pro bono consultancy, where he was involved in developing marketing and storytelling campaigns and implementing a rebranding of the organization.
In 2009, Josh served a year with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in the Western United States. During this time, he was certified as a Type II wildland firefighter and completed fuel reduction projects with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Other projects included building homes with Habitat for Humanity in Wyoming, cultivating urban forest areas with the Sacramento Tree Foundation, and revitalizing camp grounds in northern California. Prior to that, he also volunteered as a disaster relief volunteer in Galveston in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Josh graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Communications and worked for two years as a newspaper reporter in Texas. Outside of work, he is an avid photographer and enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking and camping.
Katie Chisholm – Social Co-Chair
Katie Chisholm is a native Vermonter who moved to New York City after graduating with a degree in Psychology Based Human Relations from Connecticut College. She graduation she has worked in Human Resources in the public sector, she has taught English in Thailand and Ecuador, worked on farms in Chile and Bangkok and most recently assumes the role of Manager of Human Resources for the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club. At the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club she wears many hats as an HR professional, working to bring a dynamic group of professionals together as a unit. Throughout her entire life she has been the social coordinator within her professional and personal realm. Working to help save and enhance the lives of others, particularly those at risk, is her true passion in life.
When not in the office you can find Katie traveling, taking photos, exploring the nooks and crannies of the city, experimenting with her Food and Wine magazine and playing a variety of sports.
Sabine Blaizin – Social Co-Chair
Sabine Blaizin is currently the Director of Alumni Relations & Community Engagement at Public Allies NY. As an alumna ’01 of Public Allies NY, Sabine has continued the mission to advance leadership to strengthen communities, nonprofits, and civic engagement over the past 11 years. She has worked in various capacities in the nonprofit sector such as directing after-school nutritional and cultural arts programs. She is New School University graduate and is a member of the New School Alumni Association. In her spare time, Sabine is a dj/producer specializing in house, afrobeat, and good ‘ole funky beats!
Nicole Kindred – Technology Chair
Nicole Kindred is the Project, Communications, and Technology Coordinator for the Social Impact Exchange – the signature initiative of Growth Philanthropy Network (GPN). She has worked and volunteered for a variety of non-profit organizations around the world that are dedicated towards environmental, social, and economic change and has a great deal of interest in the potential of social media and online tools in sharing and growing non-profits. Prior to joining GPN, she worked in Vancouver, BC with an organization dedicated to networking and bringing together non-profit organizations and individuals interested in international development. She also volunteered extensively with Oxfam Canada as the Advocacy and Outreach Campaign Coordinator and is currently the Co-Leader of Oxfam Action Corps NYC.
Nicole holds a BA in International Relations from Boston University and a Master’s of International Development and Environmental Analysis from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
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