Joemese

Tyrec Grooms

Ty Grooms is a public policy professional specializing in workforce and education policy, with broad experience across federal, local, nonprofit, and consulting environments. He currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the DC Department of Employment Services, where he supports strategic initiatives to strengthen the city’s workforce system and expand equitable access to jobs and career pathways.

Ty previously served as a Biden-Harris Appointee at the U.S. Department of Labor, advancing initiatives related to occupational safety and workforce equity. His federal experience also includes consulting roles at the Department of Energy, where he supported policy and communications on national energy infrastructure security, and at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where he contributed to strategic communications for critical infrastructure programs.

In the nonprofit and education sectors, Ty has held roles with the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP), supporting college access programs nationwide, and The Education Trust, where he contributed to efforts expanding college and career readiness for underserved students.

A native of DC and a Horton’s Kids alum, Ty is committed to creating pathways to opportunity for children, youth, and working families. He holds a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Virginia.

Rayshonna Hill
Sr. Advisor, College, Career & Alumni Programs

Rayshonna Hill is a native of Brooklyn, New York and is the Senior Director of Youth Programs with Horton’s Kids. She holds a BS from Delaware State University, and has spent her career in Washington, D.C. as a youth advocate. She strongly believes that development is only meaningful when young people are given access to opportunities and services to shape their future. She comes with 10 years of experience with DC Public Schools and most recently served as a Site Manager with DC Department of Parks and Recreation. During this time, Rayshonna has strengthened opportunities to engage young people in high-quality enrichment, academic support, and social-emotional development. She has work extensively with the community and stakeholders to create safe spaces for young people to learn and grow. When not at work, Rayshonna spends time playing flag football and has won 7 national championships.

Norman Bailey

As Chief Creativity Officer, Norman brings over 35 years of experience at the intersection of creativity, leadership, and organizational transformation to House. Drawing on decades of experience building high-performing teams, developing talent, and shaping environments where true creativity can thrive.

A trusted advisor to some of the world’s most iconic artists, Norman has played a deeply personal role in helping them unlock their creative potential while navigating the complexities of the entertainment industry. His rare ability to blend strategic insight with emotional intelligence has earned him enduring trust and influence across creative and executive circles alike.

In addition to his work at House, Norman has served for more than 20 years as Board Chair of the In a Perfect World Foundation, advancing youth empowerment, equity, and artistic expression globally. His career reflects a lifelong commitment to nurturing human potential, cultivating purpose-driven leadership, and building cultural movements that matter.

Rahaman Kilpatrick
Chief of Staff

Rahaman “Kil” Kilpatrick joined the Horton’s Kids staff in August 2012. Kil is originally from Philadelphia, PA and earned his B.A. at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland in telecommunications. Kil has worked with youth in Southeast Washington, DC for more than 20 years & lives in Waldorf, Maryland with his wife, Tanya, and daughter, Naomi. When he’s not working with youth, Rahaman is a music producer, relationship coach, and screenwriter.

Nadine Wilson
Director of Human Resources

Nadine Wilson, PHR, SHRM-CP, is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and has over a decade of experience managing and leading HR departments in various industries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources Management from St. Leo University and is dually certified as a Human Resources Professional with HRCI and SHRM.  As a result of her educational background and hands-on training, she has been able to effectively manage employee relations, benefits administration, performance management, compensation, and the acquisition of diverse talent. Her passion is putting the “Human” back into Human Resources through collaboration, empathy, and inclusivity. 

During her career, Nadine has committed herself to establishing a positive and inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and promotes employee engagement. She is pursuing a Master Herbalist Certification with plans to incorporate a holistic approach by encouraging self-care and work-life balance to avoid burnout among employees, management teams, and external partners. 

In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering in her community and cheering her kids on at their various activities and sporting events. 

Meghan McCamis
Senior Director of Community & Family Programs

Meghan oversees our community and family engagement, as well as health and wellness initiatives. Meghan holds a Master of Social Work degree from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from George Mason University. Meghan previously worked as a Project and Content Manager at the Interaction Institute for Social Change, supporting clients in building collaborative capacity around social justice and racial equity. Prior to obtaining her master’s in social work, Meghan spent nearly four years with Horton’s Kids working on our youth development and community engagement teams. She rejoins Horton’s Kids with extensive experience in managing and developing youth and family programs and strives to create opportunities that deepen learning, relationships, and sense of community.

Lizzie Majewski 
Institutional Giving Manager

Lizzie is a native of Northern Indiana and holds an MA in English Literature from Wake Forest University. She moved to DC ten years ago and fell in love with the local nonprofit sector and the essential work she saw being done in her community. She brings over seven years of fundraising experience in the youth development space to Horton’s Kids. She previously held positions at Elevate, a DC based grant writing firm, and at Teens Run DC, a nonprofit that served 500 middle school students through mentoring, SEL programs, and running. She is passionate about using her writing to tell stories about the needs of her local communities. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling, reading, and exploring DC with her husband and daughter. She is also a cat mom of three.

Ellica Church
Senior Director of Individual Giving

Ellica brings nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit development and marketing, journalism and public relations to her role at Horton’s Kids. She joined the development team in March 2022 to help strengthen and expand the network of individual donors engaged with Horton’s Kids.

Ellica has a passion for storytelling and making a difference – philanthropy allows her to do both while building relationships with supporters and the community. She has spent 15 years working with human services, environmental and health advocacy nonprofits to grow their fund development programs and create greater impact. She most recently served as Director of Individual Giving for Goodwill of Greater Washington.

Ellica is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and is excited to join the Horton’s Kids team to build a stronger future for children and families in Southeast DC. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. When not at work, Ellica enjoys spending time with family, DIY projects, photography and crafting.

Andrew Hullinger
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Andrew comes to Horton’s Kids as the next step in a career dedicated to the financial and administrative management of non-profit organizations in the DC-area, with a special affinity for those that serve children, youth, and their families. Most recently, he served as the vice president and chief financial officer at Youth For Understanding USA. Prior to that, he worked for a variety of organizations, including Alexandria City Public Schools, Washington National Cathedral, and Children’s National Hospital, with a particular focus on long-range strategic and financial planning. A Wisconsin native, Andrew has called DC home for over 30 years, having moved here shortly after graduating from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s of science in Industrial Engineering. An urban farmer in his spare time, Andrew maintains several garden plots around town, keeps bees at a local apiary, and tends to a flock of chickens at the neighborhood elementary school. A lover of nature, Andrew delights in finding the extraordinary that hides in the everyday ordinary.

Mary Ellen Chandler 

Mary Ellen Chandler a Senior Director of Philanthropy at Year Up, a national non profit that offers young adults – no matter their background, income, or zip code – access to economic opportunity. Throughout her career, Mary Ellen has served in varying roles leading fundraising, business development and communications efforts. Her career began in international business development at Tiffany & Co. in New York where she managed Tiffany’s international expansion in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific markets.- Mary Ellen received a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Virginia and M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business focused on International Business and Marketing.

Tanya Lombard

Tanya Lombard is a widely respected government relations and public policy executive with decades of professional experience and leadership in government and the private sector. Tanya currently serves as the Head of Multicultural Engagement and Strategic Alliances at AT&T. Her core areas of responsibility focus on creating, promoting and managing the company’s brand messaging to minority communities and women through the development and stewardship of tactical community-based relations, strategic policy initiatives and special projects. Tanya is a native of New Orleans and is recognized as a confidante to leaders at the highest levels of government, business, entertainment, national, civic and professional organizations.

Tanya is active in several professional and civic leadership organizations. In addition to Horton’s Kids, she currently serves on the NAACP Foundation Board, and the Board of Directors for the National Action Network, ColorComm, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation. In recognition of her community and civic leadership, Ms. Lombard has received numerous honors and awards.

Antwain Franklin
Facilities Coordinator

Antwain Franklin joined the Horton’s Kids team in 2015, first as a volunteer at the Community Resource Center. As a Program Assistant, he works at both the Community Resource Center and our evening tutoring program. He is truly a favorite of all the children in the neighborhood, and makes sure that every child’s needs are taken care of. He is the father of six children, three of whom are current Horton’s Kids’ participants. Antwain enjoys reading and research in his spare time.

antwain@hortonskids.org

Kaamilah Mitchell
Health & Wellness Manager

Kaamilah is our Health and Wellness Manager. Prior to joining Horton’s Kids, she worked with various nonprofits in the DC area teaching kids about healthy eating/gardening and writing about the latest nutrition scientific research for the everyday consumer. She oversees our health and basic needs distribution for our students and families, as well as the nutrition and physical activity programming. Kaamilah holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from Howard University and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Nutrition from George Washington University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and working on her various crochet projects.

kaamilah@hortonskids.org

Dan Walsh

Dan Walsh is a 21-year Horton’s Kids veteran, having first volunteered in 1997. In the years since, he has served as a volunteer, officer, board member and Board Chair. In his professional capacity as a partner in the lobbying firm Farragut Partners, Dan provides strategic advice and direct advocacy to a range of clients, primarily in the entertainment space. Over his career, he has represented television networks, movie studios, satellite television providers, live entertainment companies and competitive telecommunications carriers among others. He has extensive experience in the areas of communications and copyright law, and strong relationships with policymakers in that area.

Dan worked on Capitol Hill from 1989-1998, first as Legislative Assistant to Rep. Jack Buechner (R-MO) and later Legislative Director to Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD). In the latter role, he was on the founding staff steering committee of the moderate House Republican organization, the Tuesday Group.

Neesa Sood

Neesa Patel Sood is a partner in the Asset Management Department at Willkie, Farr and Gallagher. She counsels registered funds and their independent board members, as well as investment advisers, across a wide range of complex regulatory, compliance, fund governance, operational and transaction-related matters. She regularly provides advice regarding the structuring, launch and day-to-day operations of registered funds, including innovative products and structures. Neesa also has significant transactional experience, regularly counseling clients on fund restructurings and adoptions as well as merger and acquisition transactions. She regularly advises on industry and legal developments. Neesa was named Independent Counsel of the Year at With Intelligence’s 2023 Mutual Fund and ETF Awards and recognized by The Legal 500 (2023) as a “Next Generation Partner” for Investment Fund Formation and Management: Registered Funds, where she is praised for the “depth and breadth of her 1940 Act knowledge, combined with her excellent business judgment.” She is also nationally recognized in the area of Registered Funds by Chambers Global (2023) and Chambers USA (Nationwide) (2022-2023), where she is commended by clients for “always looking for ways to strengthen our processes while giving suggestions to solve problems.” Neesa was also named a “Rising Star” at Fund Intelligence’s 2021 Mutual Fund and ETF Awards

Ellen Palmer

Ellen Palmer is a passionate and mission-driven leader with experience in strategic planning, fundraising, and complex program management. She currently is the Vice President of Corporate Engagement at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Previously, Ellen served as a consultant to community based non-profits as well as national and international organizations advising on fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational effectiveness. She works with non-profit organizations to build plans and organizational cultures that achieve public interest goals. She has more than 20 years of experience managing and implementing programs and providing strategic planning advice to complex organizations.

Prior to her consulting work, Ellen worked with Horton’s Kids to create an effective strategy to drive positive educational change in the lives of children, and served as an Executive Coach to senior staff and program directors to develop their managerial, leadership, and presentation skills. Earlier in her career, Ellen held senior administrative roles focused on the development of strategic communication and client expansion plans, along with executive and business development coaching for partners and business units. She also served as the manager of International and Graduate Professional Development at Georgetown University Law Center where she drove marketing and program development, served as a career coach, and lectured in the US and abroad on developments in the graduate-level legal employment market.

Adam Gluck

n his role as Head U.S. and Specialty Care Corporate Affairs, Adam Gluck leads the Sanofi U.S. and Specialty Care Corporate Affairs teams and aligns the activities of our Communications & CSR, Public Affairs & Patient Advocacy, Government Affairs, and Reimbursement & Policy teams to drive value for Sanofi and the patients we serve. He has more than 25 years of experience in the policy, advocacy and healthcare industry and spent his career primarily in Washington, D.C., as well as Europe and Asia, working alongside public servants advocating for people and ensuring they have access to the best healthcare opportunities. He brings this patient-first perspective to his current role where he ensures that Sanofi’s innovation reaches the people who need it the most.

Adam joined Sanofi from Biogen, where he was most recently the Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs & Patient Advocacy. In this role, Adam led the U.S. federal, state, policy, and patient advocacy teams. During his nine years at Biogen, Adam served as the company’s lead federal lobbyist and was responsible for designing and building their European Public Policy & Government Affairs organization.

Prior to joining Biogen, Adam was a Senior Managing Director at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP (now Dentons LLP), where he led the Public Law and Policy Strategies public health practice team. At Sonnenschein, Adam represented a diverse range of patient advocacy organizations and corporations before the U.S. Congress and Executive branch. His career also includes close to 10 years on Capitol Hill working for four Congressional Members, including working as senior health policy advisor to Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and legislative director for Congressman Gene Green (D-TX). Adam was also the Senior House Legislative Liaison for the Children’s Defense Fund. Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Nicole Taylor

A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nicole has lived in Washington D.C. for three years. Throughout her career, Nicole’s work has centered around identifying and mitigating risks to an organization. She currently works as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP. As an Enterprise Risk Management practitioner, Nicole helps government and public sector entities identify, assess and respond to risks that may impact their ability to achieve their mission. Prior to her career at Deloitte, Nicole previously worked for U.S. Bank in various risk and compliance roles. She also spent several years as a Crime Prevention Specialist at the University of Minnesota, where she implemented the University’s visual identification program and conducted security assessments to help protect faculty, staff, students and research animals from crime.

Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Minnesota, and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. Cloud State University. Nicole is a mentor to two Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars. She is also a Horton’s Kids mentor.

Natalie Rance

Natalie Rance is a senior communications lead and consultant for a Global IT sector at Cargill, Inc. With more than 20 years of experience in strategic planning and communications, she brings extensive knowledge of marketing, public relations, and stakeholder engagement. Natalie is a thought leader whose passion for communications centers around understanding interpersonal relationships and organizational goals by incorporating thoughtful messaging and analysis into her strategic initiatives.

A graduate of Howard University and Colorado Technical University, Natalie has proven her capabilities throughout her career. Some of her past ventures include providing communications expertise to the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, AARP, Hilton Hotels, Proctor & Gamble, General Mills, MGM National Harbor Casino, and the DC mayor’s office.

Natalie has dedicated her life to helping enrich her community. Her passion for education and children led her to Horton’s Kids, where she has served as a tutor since 2016. Her continued support has helped her establish long-running relationships with administrative and program teams, which has afforded insight into many areas of the organization. In addition, she is a member (and former president) of the Howard University Alumni Club of Greater Washington DC; 12 Days of Christmas, Inc.; and Junior League of Washington DC—where she currently serves as vice-chair of communications for its annual women’s leadership breakfast.

In her spare time, Natalie enjoys going to the theater, dining at new area restaurants, watching documentaries, traveling abroad, home decorating and salsa dancing. A residence of Washington, DC since 2010, Natalie resides in Northwest DC with her husband Michael.

Erik Olson

Erik Olson is a Principal at Venn Strategies, LLC a nationally recognized, full-service government affairs and public affairs firm. Prior to his private sector career, Erik worked for Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) for 14 years serving in a variety of campaign and policy roles, including overseeing his operation as Chief of Staff. As a seasoned campaign strategist and policy analyst for the Chair of the moderate pro-business New Democratic Coalition in the House of Representatives and senior member of the House Committee on Ways & Means, Mr. Olson brings years of political and policy expertise in the areas of tax, trade and health care.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Philosophy, and Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Erik was raised in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He is a long-time Horton’s Kids’ volunteer.

Issac McLaughlin

Issac is a Horton Kids Allum who attended CheneyUniversity in Pennsylvania. Issac’s first tenure with DC Government began in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) working with the Department of Health (APRA) as a team leader. A short time after, Issac began to work full time as a program assistant for the District. In 2011, Issac took part in DCHR’s One City Fellows Internship Program, in which the Office of Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining selected him to intern with their agency. Following the program’s completion Issac was offered a position as clerk with OLRCB and gladly accepted.

Currently, Isaac serves as OLRCB’s Program Support Specialist.

Angel Jones

Don Irwin
Capital Campaign Co-Chair

Fernanda Fisher

Adele Fabrikant

Dolores Cole

David Catania

David A. Catania is the Managing Director of Georgetown Public Affairs, LLC. His practice focuses on health care, education, and autonomous technology. David is a former Member of the Council of the District of Columbia. While on the Council, he chaired numerous Committees, including Health, Education, Public Services, and Local and Regional Affairs. In addition, David served as a member of the Committees on Finance and Revenue, Judiciary, Human Services, and Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. During the eight years he chaired the Council’s Health Committee, David was widely credited with leading the transformation of the District’s healthcare infrastructure. He is well versed on publicly funded health insurance programs.

Jana Barresi

Jana Barresi serves as the Head of Washington, DC office for Lowe’s Companies, Inc. In this role, Jana leads federal government affairs strategies for Lowe’s. This includes working closely with company leaders, key legislative and executive branch officials, and industry and trade associations on policy issues and initiatives relevant the company’s stakeholders, including customers, associates, and communities.

Prior to Lowe’s, she served on the government affairs team at Walmart with increasing levels of responsibility during her tenure, most recently as Sr. Director, Federal Government Affairs. Jana’s professional experiences also included roles in policy and public affairs at the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting and equity research analysis for Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. Jana began her career in Washington, DC as a staffer for Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), serving in a range of capacities, including as a Legislative Assistant for telecommunications, banking, insurance and some tax issues.

Koki Adasi

Washington, DC native and Realtor Magazine ’30 under 30′, Koki Adasi has passion for three things in life: family, basketball and real estate. Koki is a graduate of Magruder High School and Mount Saint Mary’s University, and he currently resides in Chevy Chase, DC.

Koki has been an active member of the greater DC real estate industry for 14 years. In addition to his service as past GCAAR President in 2019, Koki is also an active member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), served on the Risk Management Committee, Commitment to Excellence Committee, as well as the YPN Advisory Committee, Diversity Committee, and as Co-Chair of the Meetings and Committee.

Outside of real estate, Koki’s time is spent with his family, in volunteer activities or on the basketball court. He served on the Board of Directors for YMCA Youth & Family Services for almost 10 years, was recognized the Greater Capital Area YMCA as Philanthropist of the Year in 2011, and supports numerous local organizations including Student-Athletes Organized to Understand Leadership (SOUL), Horton’s Kids and the Kindred program at Garrison Elementary School.

Liz Dougherty

Liz Dougherty is General Counsel at Business Roundtable. Previously, she was a member of the Labor and Employment Practice at Jones Day, as well as a Shareholder in the Washington, DC office of Ogletree Deakins, where she chaired the firm’s Airline and Railway Practice Group and was active in the Government Affairs Practice Group.

Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Liz served as Chairman and Board Member at the National Mediation Board, an independent agency that oversees airline and railroad labor relations and administers the Railway Labor Act. As one of three Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees on the Board, her responsibilities included oversight and mediation of collective bargaining, conducting and investigating representation elections, and oversight of the grievance arbitration program.

Previously in her career, Liz served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for Domestic Policy where she advised the President on labor and transportation policy issues, and as Chief Counsel to the United States Senate Subcommittee on Employment, Safety and Training. Before entering Government service, Liz practiced labor and employment law with a large national firm in Washington, DC and, earlier, general litigation with a large national firm in New York, NY.

Michael Vu

Michael Vu is a Principal with Artemis Real Estate Partners, a real estate fund manager based in metropolitan Washington DC. Michael is a member of the Investment Committee and is responsible for developing and implementing the Acquisitions and Asset Management priorities of Artemis. Michael was a founding member of the Artemis team and has participated in the acquisition of over $2.5 billion of real estate nationwide. Previously, Michael was a member of the U.S. Real Estate acquisitions team at the Carlyle Group, and was previously an analyst at Lazard Freres & Co, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions within the real estate group in New York. Michael attended Princeton University, where he graduated magna cum laude. Michael is also a board member of the Maya Angelou Public Charter School in Washington DC. He lives in Washington DC with his wife and two sons.

Simmy Jain

Catherine “Simmy” Jain is a Washington, DC, native and is currently working in the Agriculture Global Practice at the World Bank as a senior climate and finance specialist. She has expertise in sustainable development, responsible investing, capital markets, and strategy and analysis. Simmy held prior roles at the World Bank in climate change and transportation practices. She previously led the ESG research team at Calvert Research and Management, a responsible investing firm based in DC, while also serving as a senior analyst overseeing proprietary modeling and research of companies across equity and fixed income asset classes. Originally a civil engineer, she designed bridges at AECOM in New York City after her undergraduate degree. Simmy holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in sustainability management from Columbia University.

Melanie Holland-Orr
Director of Program Quality & Operations 

Melanie is a dedicated professional who drives high-quality Horton’s Kids programming through comprehensive evaluation and assessment models, streamlined operational processes, and the cultivation of well-trained part-time staff and volunteers. Having joined Horton’s Kids in 2017, Melanie brings with her a rich background of five years in education non-profits across South Carolina, New York City, and Washington, D.C., where she specialized in social-emotional programming. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, Politics, and Advocacy from NYU, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the College of Charleston. Beyond her work, Melanie finds joy in reading, hiking, and attending stand-up comedy shows.

melanie@hortonskids.org

Caroline Malone
Corporate Partnerships Manager

Caroline is excited to be growing her career with Horton’s Kids as the Corporate Partnerships Manager after establishing relationships with many of the organization’s existing Corporate supporters as she’s transitioned from Development and Volunteer Coordinator to Senior Development Coordinator into her current role.

In her role, Caroline seeks to build relationships with Corporations and Organizations in the greater DC area who share Horton’s Kids’ commitment to providing resources to children and families living in DC’s most under-invested communities. Caroline is excited about aligning the interests of our Corporate Donors with the organization’s needs through Event Sponsorships, General Donations, Volunteer Experiences, and In-Kind Support.

Originally from Seattle, Caroline has been in DC since 2016 and received a B.A. in Human Services and Social Justice from The George Washington University in 2020. With roots in DC now, outside of work, she enjoys exploring DC’s unique neighborhoods, reading, and cooking.

caroline@hortonskids.org

Treyshawn Curry
Senior Coordinator of Finance

Treyshawn is a native Washingtonian. She received her Associate Degree from the University of Phoenix. Treyshawn has five years of Finance Administration experience, and she is excited to expand her knowledge. In her spare time, she likes to read and participate in outdoor events with her teenage daughter.

treyshawn@hortonskids.org

Chelsea Eley
Family Engagement Coordinator

Chelsea is our Family Engagement Coordinator. Chelsea holds a BS in early childhood education and family studies from North Carolina A & T State University. She has spent the last 4 years working in both the social service and education field. She believes in approaching youth development from a holistic, individualized lens for each child and family. In her free time, she likes trying new foods, spending time with family, and roller skating.

chelsea@hortonskids.org

LaToya Hackett
Health & Wellness Program Assistant

Latoya is our health & wellness program assistant. She is a devoted mother to her son and daughter, both Horton’s Kids participants. Her calm and patient personality helps her work with the children during after school meals and programs.

Kevin Franklin
Youth Development Program Assistant

Kevin joined the Horton’s Kids staff as a Program Assistant in 2017. He is also a very engaged father of two current and two former Horton’s Kids participants. Kevin is well-known in the community and has close relationships with many of the children we serve. In addition to working at Horton’s Kids, Kevin works a full-time job in construction and is an avid Washington Commanders fan.

kevin@hortonskids.org

AJ Topps
Elementary Youth Development Coordinator

AJ serves as Horton’s Kids’ Elementary Youth Development Coordinator where he oversees the implementation of enrichment opportunities and SEL curriculum. His previous experience includes serving as an AmeriCorps member at City Year New Hampshire, and more recently as a Youth Development Professional at the Boys and Girls Club in Charlottesville, VA. AJ found his passion for developing SEL skills in youth while studying at the University of Virginia. In his free time, AJ enjoys finding new music, watching documentaries, and most of all playing sports.

aj@hortonskids.org

Tera Bee
Middle School Program Coordinator

Tera serves as the Middle School Coordinator at Horton’s Kids. Prior to working at Horton’s Kids, Tera was a K-3 STEM Teacher for DC Public Charter Schools in Ward 8. As the Middle School Coordinator, Tera will oversee the Middle School Program and ensure program delivery. Tera attended Bowie State, where she studied Psychology.

Ashley Ceron
Senior Manager of Academics

Ashley works as the Senior Manager of Academics for grades K – 8th. She graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a BA in Sociology and received a MAT from Relay Graduate School of Education. For the last 6 years, Ashley taught elementary and middle school students at KIPP DC. She values creating meaningful relationships with students in order to build trust and to cultivate growth. Ashley hails from the Bronx, NY and enjoys trying new restaurants and spending time with family and friends.

ashley@hortonskids.org

Rachael Sheehan
Senior Manager of Academics

Rachael Sheehan works as the Senior Academic Manager. Before her time at Horton’s Kids, she served the Jacksonville community as a City Corps member and then transitioned to being a STEM teacher. She recently graduated from American University with her masters in Education Policy and Leadership.

rachael@hortonskids.org

Joh’nita Johnson
Senior Manager of College & Career Readiness

Joh’nita joined the Horton’s Kids staff in 2016. She currently works as the Senior Manager or College and Career Readiness. She manages all college & career readiness programs including weekly CCR discussion groups, 1:1 CCR Coaching, Summer Youth Employment Program, and the Alumni Assistance Program. She worked in College and Career Readiness for 7 years. She holds a BA in Sociology from UNC-Greensboro and an M.A in Education Administration & Policy from Dakota Wesleyan University. Joh’nita is a Washington, DC native who enjoys cooking, baking, and traveling.

johnita@hortonskids.org

Kiana Lee
Volunteer & Partnership Coordinator

Kiana serves as the liaison between volunteers and staff at Horton’s Kids. She oversees volunteer recruitment, retention, training, and creates opportunities for the greater DC community to connect with our organization. Originally from Massachusetts, Kiana graduated from The George Washington University in May 2021 with a B.A. in Organizational Sciences. Previously, she was a Volunteer Coordinator with Jumpstart at GW and has supported program implementation for various nonprofits in DC. Outside of work, Kiana loves spending quality time with friends, making Spotify playlists, and receiving mail.

kiana@hortonskids.org

Claire Levy
Data & Evaluation Specialist

Claire oversees all evaluation work for Horton’s Kids’ academic, youth development and health & basic needs programs. She has over 15 year of experience as a policy analyst with the RAND Corporation, conducting policy analysis and quantitative work. Prior to joining Horton’s Kids she spent 10 years working extensively with several direct service non profits in a volunteer capacity. She enjoys travel and is an avid Nationals fan. Claire has an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a Masters in Economics from Virginia Tech.

claire@hortonskids.org