Pinkerton Senior Leadership Network (PSLN)

Originally from South Carolina, Ashley is a self-identified G.R.I.T.S. — Girl Raised In The South! Prior to moving to New York City, she received her MFA from Louisiana State University. Ashley is Deputy Director at Drama Club, a nonprofit organization that brings theater arts programming to incarcerated and court-involved youth. Ashley’s career motto is “Advocacy Is Access.” She brings her empathy, compassion, and love of arts to her work as a program director, educator, and advocate. Her mission is to provide underserved and underrepresented demographics with access to the power of theater arts.

Jason Alleyne is the new Chief Program Officer at Exalt and is responsible for the oversight, strategic leadership, and development of the organization’s program department, as well as spearheading the organization’s scaling strategies. He has 15 years of leadership experience in various youth development and workforce development organizations around New York City, including Harlem Children’s Zone, DREAM, The HOPE Program, and Friends of the Children. Jason holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Africana Studies from Drew University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Advocacy from NYU Steinhardt.

Deborah is the Chief Program Officer with overall responsibility for the oversight and effective implementation of all of The Fresh Air Fund’s summer and year-round programs. Deborah has been with The Fund since October 2009 during which she has served in various positions of strategic importance to The Fund’s reputable profile of supporting young people and their families.

Prior to joining The Fund, Deborah served as a Counselor/ School Social Worker in the Summer Youth Readiness Program at The International Rescue Committee’s Resettlement Office. She worked with and supported newly arrived refugees from war-torn countries, providing critical individual and group therapeutic services to the youth, focusing on social and emotional support, cultural competency/ assimilation, self-actualization, case management, and crisis management.

Before joining the IRC (International Rescue Committee), Deborah worked with the Andrus Children’s Center, where she provided therapeutic services to youth in a residential setting with dual diagnoses. She also worked with the Addictions Recovery Services, providing youth and adults individual and group therapeutic services.

Deborah is a licensed social worker with a Bachelor of Arts in International Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an MSW from Silberman School of Social Work.

Diamond is the Senior Director of Practice and Impact for Global Kids Inc., an organization that serves students across New York and Washington D.C. to take action on critical issues facing our world. She is the past recipient of the Peace Corps Franklin H. Williams Award. Through her work with a partnering organization, Black Birthright, an immersive program that takes high school students from across the United States for travel to Senegal, she is a program facilitator and chaperone. Diamond serves as a board member of Statement Junky, a non-profit organization that gifts girls of color their passports. She is a National Board Member and Manhattan Section President for the National Council of Negro Women Incorporated. Diamond is a graduate of Cheyney University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in political science.

Michael Clarke joined The Fresh Air Fund in 1999 as a member of the Community Outreach Department, where he was responsible for recruiting and registering 3000 plus children for Fresh Air Fund summer camps. He became the Manager of the Secondary Schools Connection Program in 2000. In the summers of 2002 and 2003, Mr. Clarke served as Assistant Director of Camp Hayden-Marks Memorial and Camp Mariah, respectively, and immediately following, the Director of Camp Mariah and Hayden-Marks. He moved on to become the Director of the Sharpe Reservation, overseeing the operations of all FAF properties.

Mr. Clarke is a graduate of Kean University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications and Secondary Education (History) and holds a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy and Non-Profit Management from Long Island University.

Born and raised in Queens, Kathleen Elie is the Chief Operating Officer of Urban Arts. With a passion for empowering youth, Kathleen has focused her career on serving organizations that open pathways for BIPOC students. With a strong educational background in finance, Kathleen has honed her skills at various education-based nonprofits, such as Prep for Prep, where she was the Assistant Director of Finance, and Bronx Community Charter School as the Founding Director of Finance.

Building on her expertise, Kathleen has held several key leadership roles and successfully steered organizations through diverse financial challenges, such as rebuilding finance departments after prolonged deficits and implementing internal controls and processes. When Kathleen isn’t crunching numbers, you can find her exploring new cuisines because this COO has an unapologetic love for good food! Kathleen holds a BA in Sociology from the SUNY at Stony Brook and a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College.

Elizabeth Garcia has worked with young adults in various capacities for over twenty years. She began her social service career at Covenant House New York in 2002, working with youth experiencing homelessness, and graduated from their Executive Management Training Program in 2006. In 2009, Elizabeth joined Good Shepherd Services as the Program Director for their transitional living program, the Chelsea Foyer. In 2012, she began directing GSS’s second supportive housing program, the Edwin Gould Academy, and launched the Street Outreach Program. In 2015, she took on the oversight of GSS’s first-ever Cure Violence program and was promoted to Division Director. Through the years, Elizabeth has also helped support GSS’s Employment Initiatives, the Trauma Informed Practice team and was a founding member of the Leadership, Equity, Accountability, and Diversity Council. Elizabeth was promoted to Chief Program Officer of GSS’s Community Based Division in 2022.

Elizabeth graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Psychology and New York University with an LMSW. She also obtained a Certificate in Business Excellence through the Columbia University Senior Leaders Program for Nonprofit Professionals. Elizabeth is a passionate advocate for the needs of youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

Mark Hall, Chief Enrollment and Academic Officer at Oliver Scholars, is a passionate advocate for equitable education. A first-generation public school graduate and Amherst College alum with degrees in English and Spanish, Mark’s journey in education began as a teacher at Westminster School and Thayer Academy, where he also coached varsity basketball and track.

After a decade of service as Dean of Students and Director of the PREP 9 program, Mark joined Oliver Scholars from Ascend Public Charter Schools, where he directed the Teaching Fellows Program. There, he initiated a program to recruit and train urban educators.

Mark’s strategic expertise is evident in his remarkable 98% placement rate for scholars in selective high schools. His collaborations with public schools and nonprofits have been pivotal in identifying ideal candidates and achieving successful student outcomes. With graduate coursework from Teachers College and Columbia University and a wealth of educational experience, Mark is well-prepared to engage diverse communities and uphold Oliver Scholars’ commitment to its constituents.

Cameron King is a results-oriented professional dedicated to advancing racial and economic justice through impactful nonprofit work. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from Georgia State University and a Master of Public Administration specializing in Advocacy and Political Action from New York University, Cameron possesses a strong academic foundation.

With a robust background in development, strategic planning, and partnership building, Cameron is currently spearheading the development program at Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC); Cameron has been pivotal in securing gifts from diverse funding sources. As a strategic leader, Cameron streamlined reporting processes and fostered a data-driven decision-making culture. Earlier experiences at The Shed and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights honed Cameron’s fundraising skills, showcasing a talent for building mutually beneficial partnerships and increasing impact opportunities for nonprofit organizations.

Ray López is the Chief Program Officer and Founding Director of Environmental Health Services at LSA Family Health Service, a community-based organization in East Harlem, New York City. Ray leads and supports all LSA programs and initiatives that focus on many of the primary social factors of health. Ray also leads a team of Community Health Workers who focus on asthma prevention using a holistic, hands-on approach, which includes conducting home assessments, remediating asthma triggers, training households to improve housing conditions, and developing community leaders. Ray is a leader with Metro IAF’s Manhattan Together, and their efforts, in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, and other law firms, achieved a landmark federal court settlement with the NYC Housing Authority, Baez v NYCHA, which aims to protect residents exposed to mold conditions that exacerbate asthma. Ray has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Law and Economic Justice since 2017.

For over two decades, Priya Mohabir, has been an integral part of the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), embarking on a remarkable journey from her role as an Explainer to her current position as the Senior Vice President of Youth Development and Museum Culture. Priya’s trajectory within NYSCI reflects her commitment to transforming STEM education into an exciting and accessible endeavor for youth. As a leader, she extends NYSCI’s mission, overseeing programs that present STEM as a viable career path for NYC’s youth and conducting research on the short- and long-term impacts of their involvement.

As part of NYSCI’s leadership team, Priya works to build a positive internal work culture characterized by open communication, continuous learning, and recognition of diverse talents. Priya Mohabir is a formidable advocate, championing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) practices and promoting distributed leadership as central tenets of successful institutions.

Dorkys Ramos is the deputy director for Uptown Stories. She is a bilingual writer, editor, artist, and teacher born and raised in Washington Heights/Inwood. Her work has appeared in a variety of digital and print publications, including Travel + Leisure, BET.com, Time Out New York Kids, Parents Latina, the Syracuse Post-Standard, and the Manhattan Times, among others. She currently teaches writing and art to elementary, middle school, and high school students in Washington Heights and Inwood. She graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she studied Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism.

Currently the Senior Director of Advocacy and Capacity Building at the Hetrick Martin Institute (HMI), Alayne Rosales (she/her) began at HMI in 2016 in the New Jersey location and rose to become the Director over the next five years. She provided professional development workshops, managed multi-year government contracts and multiple service sites, and organized agency fundraisers. In 2021, Alayne became the Senior Director of Youth Services at HMI NYC. In 2022, she moved into her current role, where she is focused on expanding HMI’s visibility as a leading LGBTQIA+ Youth Advocacy organization while leading professional development offerings and consultation services. Alayne received her B.A. from Rutgers University and a Master of Social Work (MSW) in Leadership and Macro-Practice from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service, where she later served as an adjunct instructor. Today, she works as an Advisor to MSW students at Columbia University’s School of Social Work.

Theory Thompson is the Chief Program Officer (CPO) of Education and Vocation Programs for Good Shepherd Services (GSS) and has been with the organization for 17 years. In addition to serving as the CPO for GSS, he is also one of the co-chairs of the Bronx Opportunity Network (BON), which is a collaborative partnership of seven Bronx community-based organizations that aims to increase CUNY college access and persistence for young adults in the Bronx.

Theory earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in African American Studies from Morehouse College, a Master of Arts degree in African and African American Studies from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Social Work degree from the City University of New York (CUNY) at Hunter College.

Rebecca Williams-Fishburne joined The Alex House Project {TAHP} in 2017 as the Director of Programs. The Alex House Project {TAHP} is a non-profit organization based in Brooklyn that serves expectant and parenting moms aged 25 years and under.

In 2022, Rebecca was promoted to the position of Deputy Director and, in this role, oversees the planning, development, and services for the participants. Rebecca ensures that program protocols are followed by working closely with program staff and evaluators to ensure outcomes, evaluations, and unique features of our programs are documented. Rebecca also ensures that programs meet contractual and budgetary goals and objectives. In her current role at TAHP, Rebecca connects participants to support services internally and externally as needed or requested.

Rebecca brings a youth development background; I also serve as our family worker/case manager. Rebecca’s expertise as a family worker is accredited by the New York City DYCD {Department of Youth and Community Development}.

Latasha Wright, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, received her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from NYU Langone Medical Center. She continued her scientific training at Johns Hopkins University and Weill Cornell Medical Center. She has co-authored numerous publications and presented her work at international and national conferences. BioBus enables Latasha to share her love of science with a new generation of scientists. Latasha spearheaded the creation of the first BioBase community lab, the BioBus internship program, and the Harlem expansion. Every day that Latasha spends teaching students about science in this transformative environment helps her remember that science is fun. She loves sharing the journey of discovery with students of all ages.