NLC Institute Fellows » 2011 » New York City

A resident of Harlem, Kari Cooke is a CUNY LEADS Counselor at the Research Foundation of CUNY. She specializes in transition services, focusing on increasing career outcomes for students with disabilities at The City College of New York, and LaGuardia Community College. Prior to working at the Research Foundation, she interned with the Institute for Community Living. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kari was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and received her B.A. in Sociology with Distinction. After earning the Rehabilitation Services Administration Fellowship, she went on to receive an M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Northern Illinois University, becoming a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. A staunch advocate, she has served in multiple capacities, most notably as a community organizer serving kids in Champaign-Urbana, a student leader and campus activist, and as a mentor for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students using American Sign Language. She has continued her work with the Deaf Community by serving as the youngest Board Member for the New York City Chapter of National Black Deaf Advocates. She also finds time to continue her passion for combining advocacy, awareness, and education by working as a guest lecturer for local colleges on the topic of Disability and Society.

Steph Herold is currently a Social Media and Communications Strategist for Trust Women as well as a reproductive rights social media consultant. She has been a reproductive justice activist and has worked in direct service abortion care and reproductive health advocacy. Steph founded the website IAmDrTiller.com to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Tiller, and honor the stories of abortion providers. She also founded the blog AbortionGang.org as a space for young people in the reproductive justice movement. She holds a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and hopes to pursue an MPH in the future. Steph's writing has been published on blogs such as RHRealityCheck.org, Jezebel.com, and CampusProgress.org as well as the online edition of The Nation and On the Issues magazine. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Abortion Access Fund and a volunteer at the Haven Coalition. In 2009, she was one of 20 recipients of the first ever Our Bodies, Our Selves Women's Health Hero awards. She tweets from the handle @IAmDrTiller and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Gennady Kolker is the Director of Publicity for The Nation magazine.

Formerly, Gennady was the Online Communications Manager at Demos: Ideas & Action, a national policy organization that combines the analytical innovation of a think tank with the outreach strategies of an advocacy group. At Demos he oversaw a variety of online outreach, engagement, and media relations efforts. Gennady also serves as the web editor for Demos.org, the Ideas Action Blog, and affiliated Demos websites. In his three years at Demos, Gennady has helped to advance Demos' mission using a combination of traditional and new media strategies online and in print.

Prior to joining Demos, Gennady interned in Demos’ Economic Opportunity Program, New York City's Citizens Union, the Brennan Center for Justice, and in the Office of then Senator Hillary Clinton.
He graduated cum laude from NYU with a degree in Political Science with concentrations in economics and media studies.

He was born in the former Soviet Union, in what is now the Ukraine. At the age of four, Gennady immigrated to the United States, growing up in California's San Francisco Bay Area. He currently lives in New York City.

Erika Lindsey currently works as an Urban Planner for the Manhattan Borough President’s Office focusing on land use issues affecting Northern Manhattan. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design, Masters in City and Regional Planning program. While at the University of Pennsylvania, Erika worked as part of a team of students to develop a proposal for a new high-speed rail service system between Washington D.C. and Boston. She and her team members presented the proposal to several key transportation stakeholders, including United States Vice President Joe Biden. While in graduate school, she taught ArcGIS mapping software to New York nonprofit leaders and conducted mapping analysis for an environmental justice nonprofit based in New Delhi, India. Prior to graduate school, Erika worked as a consultant on a Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Neighborhood Networks Initiative. As a consultant, she led community center staff through a series of capacity-building exercises and managed fifteen community center consortia. Erika is also an alumnus of the Greenlining Institute’s Leadership Academy and the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship.

Jorge I. Montalvo serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at the State of New York’s Consumer Protection Board, where he crafts testimony to various committees and regulatory bodies regarding a credit card practices, information privacy, and other policy issues. Montalvo created and oversees the State’s Safe Toy NY toy testing program in collaboration with a number of agencies including the Department of Agriculture and Markets, Department of Health and NYS Wadsworth Laboratory. His recommendations for improving food access in underserved communities became the cornerstone of the Governor’s Healthy Foods/Healthy Communities initiative.

Montalvo also serves with economic and environmental justice groups, industry, State and local agencies, and the members of the State legislature on the New York Council on Food Policy. He is the policy advisor to the Council on Youth Violence and Interactive Media.

Prior to his appointment with the State, Montalvo was a public affairs officer for NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s economic development office and managed the New York City’s 2012 Olympic Bid’s corporate relations and volunteerism efforts. He also volunteers to teach weekend classes to foster children in the South Bronx. Montalvo graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in chemistry.

Hattie Quarnstrom is currently Deputy Director of Performance Financing in the Department of Policy and Planning at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), where she manages performance based initiatives and conducts evaluation of programs affecting foster care in New York City. Through this work, she works closely with many community organizations that provide services for children and families. Prior to ACS, Hattie taught first grade at P.S. 48 elementary school in the Hunt’s Point section of the Bronx through Teach for America. Additionally, she interned with the Clinton Foundation in New York, and in the Office of United States Senator Carl Levin in Washington, DC. Hattie graduated with a BA in Political Science from Barnard College, holds a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University, and a Masters in Teaching from Fordham University. In her spare time, she mentors high school students with the Syracuse University Mentor Mentee Alliance and tutors elementary students. Hattie grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii and attended high school in Japan. She lives in New York City.

Zachary Townsend is an accomplished statistician and researcher who works as an Associate at Bennett Midland LLC, a management consulting firm. The firm works exclusively with public agencies, not-for-profits, and other civic organizations. Zac specializes on engagements involving quantitative analyses, data organization, and research design. His past clients have included NYC's Administration of Children's Services, NYC's Department of Education, the City University of New York, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Atlantic Philanthropies. He is also a partner at Blueline Campaigns, a political consulting firm, and has worked on NY State Senate, NY State Assembly, NYC Comptroller, Congressional, and Presidential campaigns. Previously, Zac interned with the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre. A former co-chair of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking, he has conducted state, national and international policy analysis on many facets of human trafficking. Growing up in Neptune City, New Jersey, Zac went on to earn a BA with honors in applied mathematics-economics and public policy from Brown University. He is currently studying part-time for a Master of Public Administration from NYU's Wagner School of Public Service.

As Chief Operating Officer of DoSomething.org, Aria Finger oversees the marketing, programming, financial and business development activities at DoSomething.org, the national not-for-profit that empowers teenagers to take action around causes they are passionate about. With her cause-related marketing experience, Finger manages initiatives with Staples, Aéropostale, Clean & Clear, HP, Sprint, and other top youth brands. She has spoken at numerous marketing conferences, including What Teens Wants, The Youth Marketing Mega Event, Sustainable Brands, and the YPulse Mashup. Aria earned a BA in economics and political science from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She reads economic theory for fun, and thinks that "After Innocence" should be required movie-watching for anyone interested in social justice. She hopes to use her energy and enthusiasm to reach even more young people who want to change our world. Aria currently serves on the board of NYC-based not-for-profit, Care for the Homeless. Born and raised in and around New York City, she will tell anyone willing to listen why Brooklyn is currently the best place to live.

Ansaf Kareem works at McKinsey & Co. and graduated from Stanford University in 2010. Ansaf is the co-founder of IDEAS, an international non-profit organization focused on creating awareness for environmental issues in the developing world. Ansaf’s past work experiences include working for one of the largest renewable energy law firms in the US, a clean-tech start-up in Silicon Valley, a non-profit working on civic participation, social media director for a state assembly race, and a research position at the Hoover Institution examining the role of emerging information technologies in mobilizing political efforts and citizen voice. Ansaf was also selected to serve as a Fellow at the Interfaith Youth Core and served in various leadership positions at Stanford, including the Board of Directors of the Stanford Alumni Association and as President of the Class of 2010. He wrote his senior honors thesis under sponsorship from CDDRL based on field research conducted in Pakistan during the summer of 2009. In 2010, Ansaf was recognized by Secretary Hillary Clinton as one of seventy Muslim-American leaders under the age of 30. Ansaf has been accepted for deferred admission to Harvard Business School, and will begin his graduate studies in Fall of 2012.

Mediha Kosovrasti is a Liscenced Social Worker (LMSW) employed at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygine. In this position, she provides intervention and brief therapy to patients who visit the Central Harlem Health Clinic. Mediha provides crisis and short-term counseling regarding suicide assessment, relational concerns, domestic violence, eating disorders, substance abuse, and trauma including sexual assault and physical and sexual abuse. Mediha's main interest is helping young people achieve their potential, and her goal is to impact youth through mentorship, counseling, and education. She has worked in the NYC public school system as a Social Worker, and also in the non-profit setting at the American Conference on Diversity as a Program Manager, where she worked with student leaders, teachers and administrators to create and implement student-run Action Plans aimed at combating prejudice in schools. Mediha holds an MSW from Columbia University and a Bachelor's in Political Science and Women and Gender Studies from The College of New Jersey. Mediha is also a founding member of APEN, a non-profit organization that aims to promote and support the social, economic, and professional development of the Albanian community in New York City.

Currently, Scott Martella is an elected Board Trustee in Smithtown Central School District. His passion for progressive politics was born from his experiences in Washington, D.C. while serving as an assistant to the Political Action Committee Director of Boston Scientific Corporation. After graduating from Boston University in 2008, with a B.A. in International Business and Economics, Scott worked as a Regional Field Director to help elect Brian X. Foley to the New York State Senate. He remained with the Senator as a Policy Advisor, helping him mold his education and property tax reform agenda. His interest in the quantitative and qualitative elements that shape our nation’s education policy was the impetus behind his candidacy for School Board Trustee to Smithtown Central School District. In 2009, Scott was inaugurated the youngest Trustee in Smithtown’s 333 year history. He continues to promote reforms to New York’s education system, in an effort to make a quality education more accessible and affordable to New Yorkers. Scott is a native Long Islander, and a devout New York Yankees and Giants fan.

Evan is an alumnus of Teach For America, and entered the NYC TFA corps in 2007. He has been teaching 6th and 7th grade English and social studies at his placement school in the South Bronx for the past four years. During his time in Teach For America, Evan was hired to train the 2008 and 2009 corps and also was also recognized as a Finalist for Teach For America’s Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Award, an award which recognizes the top 2nd year corps members. Evan graduated from Connecticut College in 2007 with degrees in Government and Economics. At Connecticut College, Evan served as SGA President, founded the club basketball and debate teams, and was a member of the track and field team. He earned his Masters in Education from Pace University in 2009 and is currently applying to business school. Originally from the small town of Belchertown, Massachusetts, Evan enjoys living and working in New York City. He volunteers for several organizations including the Posse Foundation, Prep For Prep, Minds Matter, The Giving Project, and Educators 4 Excellence.

Nicholas E. Smith, JD, is the editor of SmithonPolitics.com, and the founding Executive Director of EraofChange.org, a 501(c)(4) progressive civic action group.

Smith was the first African American student to lead the Commission on Labor for the City of Berkeley, California, where he served from 2004 to 2007. As chair, he co-authored three laws, including a ban on sweatshop procurement. He worked on several successful union organizing campaigns, conveying employee demands to management and drafting supportive City Council resolutions.

He was also the Mayor's appointee to the Housing Advisory Commission, where he fought for increased affordable housing. He and his fellow Commissioners submitted budget recommendations that allocated $3.4 million dollars in federal Community Development Block Grants. These grants went to deserving non-profit organizations, including affordable housing developers, addiction treatment facilities, and job training centers.

In 2002, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recognized Smith for launching a social networking portal, NetFriendsOnline.com, at the age of 14.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley (2007), and a law degree from St. John's University School of Law (2010). He and his twin sister, Nichole, are originally from Inglewood, California.

Aaron Walker is a portfolio director at The Fund for Public Schools, a 501(c)(3) that attracts private investment for school reform for the New York City Department of Education. Aaron came to The Fund from Allen & Overy, where he worked as an attorney, focusing on mergers & acquisitions and restructuring. Prior to becoming an attorney, Aaron was a ninth grade English teacher in Philadelphia through Teach For America.

Aaron has a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In law school, he was Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and Social Change, and he published an article for the Journal of Business Law. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Latin American Studies. While at UVA, Aaron worked for the Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership as a Research Analyst. Aaron has also earned certificates from the Wharton School and the Penn Graduate School of Education. Aaron is originally from South Orange, New Jersey.

Beyond his professional experience, Aaron is on the board of directors at Horizon’s at Brooklyn Friends, an organization dedicated to combating “summer slide” by providing summer enrichment to students from low-income families in Brooklyn.

Jennifer M. Gómez is currently a legal fellow at the Institute for Policy Integrity at the New York University School of Law, where she promotes the incorporation of sound economic analysis into governmental decision making. She is also a member of the Public Health Association of New York City's Policy and Legislative Committee, and a contributing author for the Wagner Food Policy Alliance blog. Prior to joining Policy Integrity, she worked as a litigation associate in the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she represented both domestic and international clients in various stages of arbitration and litigation. At Simpson, she also served as pro-bono counsel in several areas, including housing discrimination and child custody matters. She holds a B.A. cum laude from Mount Holyoke College (2005) and a J.D. (2008) from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. While in law school, she served as Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review, and as a legal representative for both the International Human Rights Clinic and the California Asylum Representation Clinic. Jennifer is a native New Yorker. She enjoys studying languages and traveling.

Nick Kelly is currently Deputy Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Before joining Schumer’s office, he served as a Press and Legislative Aide for City Council Member Margaret Chin and as a fundraiser for both State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh. Nick graduated from Columbia University in 2009 with B.A. in Political Science, where he wrote his thesis on the ethics of democracy promotion. While at Columbia and studying abroad at Oxford, he attempted to translate his studies in political philosophy into political journalism for the Columbia Political Review and the Oxford Student. Nick also contributed to the latest edition of the Encyclopedia of New York City, and he served on the board of the Columbia College Democrats. He has volunteered for Congressman Barney Frank, conducted research for Americorps, and worked for the UK-based charity Oxford Development Abroad. During college, he hosted a weekly jazz radio show and played in jazz and funk groups. A native of Brookline, Massachusetts, Nick currently lives in Brooklyn, New York where he enjoys running when he isn't working.

Connie Lee is pursuing a master’s degree at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in Urban Planning. She was selected as a 2010-2011 Community Planning Fellow for the Fund for the City of New York and in partnership with the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. Her fellowship includes working with Manhattan Community Board #2 on zoning/land use recommendations and resolutions.

She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Global Studies and Asian American Studies in 2005. Prior to moving to New York, she worked on several local, statewide, and national campaigns based in Los Angeles—including work on Tamar Galatzan for LA Unified School District, CA’s Measure R, Betsy Butler for CA Assembly District 53, Kamala Harris for CA Attorney General, Hillary Clinton for President in CA, TX, and DC headquarters. Her responsibilities varied from managing and organizing advance, field, finance, and political operations. While traveling different cities and states on the campaign trail, she recognized the need for better urban planning implementation. To combine her passion for politics, community empowerment, and urban planning, Connie came to New York to learn urban planning in one of the greatest metropolitan cities.

Marisa is currently a Senior Analyst at Eduventures, a research and consulting firm serving the higher education sector. Specializing in adult and online education, Marisa advises colleges and universities serving non-traditional learners across the U.S. on key issues facing the continuing education and online markets. In a particularly challenging period for higher education, Marisa works with postsecondary leaders to identify unrecognized revenue opportunities, overcome strategic and tactical challenges, and increase operational efficiencies. Eduventures’ mission-driven philosophy of improving higher education is important to Marisa, as she is an aspiring business owner and one day seeks to build her own mission-driven organization. An avid volunteer in education and health-related causes, Marisa also leads Eduventures’ community outreach committee where she organizes volunteer activities for employees and their families. Prior to joining Eduventures, Marisa participated in Northeastern University’s cooperative education program and explored three very different fields: law, broadcast journalism, and financial services. As a full-time co-op, Marisa worked at a downtown Boston law firm, within the investigative reporting unit at WBZ-TV, and at Merrill Lynch in Manhattan. Marisa graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in economics and journalism, and is originally from Upton, MA.

Joseph Puma recently joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) as a paralegal. Prior to LDF, Joseph served as an intergovernmental liaison and policy analyst for the NYC Office of Management & Budget, and as a community liaison for the New York City Council. Joseph is an active member of Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), a neighborhood housing and preservation organization, and he serves on its Board of Directors. His working-class upbringing in the Lower East Side, and his passion for the past, present, and future of the community where four generations of his family have called home fuel Joseph’s involvement with GOLES. A lifelong public housing resident, Joseph has been involved in the Housing Justice Movement, a national coalition public and subsidized housing residents, of which GOLES is a founding member. Through the Housing Justice Movement, Joseph has co-facilitated meetings between resident-leaders and the Obama White House, participated in public and private meetings with HUD and members of Congress, and delivered Congressional testimony. Joseph holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, secured a Certificate in Legal Studies from Hunter College, and he plans to pursue law school.

Jennifer Suh is the Managing Director at HeadCount, an organization that registers voters at concerts and connects young music fans with relevant political information. She has extensive experience working in the non-profit sector with a focus on youth development and civic participation. For two years she served as the Operations Manager and Assistant to the Executive Director at the League of Young Voters and League of Young Voters Education Fund. Prior to that, she interned with Young People For (a program of People for the American Way) and served as the State Director of Michigan for Music for America during the 2004 presidential election. Jennifer also has broad experience working in socially conscious media including print, web and radio. She also interned with investigative journalist Wayne Barrett at The Village Voice, and worked for Air America Media. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in English and African American Studies. Currently, she lives in Brooklyn, New York and is an organizer for the Downtown Brooklyn chapter of Drinking Liberally.

Elon James White, editor-in-chief of ThisWeekinBlackness.com, is a Brooklyn-based comedian, writer & host of the award-winning web series This Week in Blackness, a satirical look at race, politics and pop-culture in a so-called “post-racial” America. White has been a featured commentator on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, VH1's “Black to the Future” & “The Great Debate.” His commentaries on race and politics have been featured on CNN.com, Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, Giant, Alternet, & The Root. Praised as "The perfect comedian for the Obama era, talking race while exploding racial stereotypes" by Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry on Politco.com, & as "Precise, thought provoking and hilarious" by Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead, White continues to win accolades from critics, academia and audiences alike.

White was the recipient of four 2009 Black Weblog Awards, including Best Video Blog and Blog of the Year. He has been featured in The NY Observer, NY Post, Gothamist, Newsweek, and Gawker and has appeared on ComedyCentral.com & Sirius Satellite Radio. White’s festival appearances include the 2010 SF Sketchfest, 2010 Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, 2010 NC Comedy Arts Fest, 2009 LA Comedy Festival, and more. He is currently on a Post-Racial College Tour and is a featured contributor on Salon & Newsone.