BUILD Metro DC

Danielle joined BUILD Metro DC in the Fall of 2020 and serves as the hub of all development operations for the Metro DC team. This includes, but is not limited to helping to manage fundraising, coordinating social media/communication, and supporting the Executive Director. Danielle’s background is in events and fundraising, having worked both for political agencies and education nonprofits. She has always had a passion for youth empowerment and an entrepreneurial mindset, believing in the power of education as a pathway to closing the opportunity gap in underserved communities. Danielle graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.A. in International Relations, with a focus in diplomacy and political communication.

Karleton Thomas is a social entrepreneur and workforce development practitioner who has spent much of his career developing opportunities for marginalized communities. After nearly a decade of engaging vulnerable populations and witnessing the myriad of barriers to effective programming, Karleton is poised to deliver on the “dream” and provide sustainable solutions to the students, residents, and parents of our communities.

Quincy is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Kentucky State University with a B.A. in Business Administration in 1995. He is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Quincy began his career as a financial advisor, but was soon called to the social services field. He moved to the DC area in 2001, where he worked for years in the foster care arena as a Case Manager and Crisis Intervention Specialist. Quincy then began to work as a college access advisor in DC Public Schools. In this role, Quincy worked with all students to include athletes, honor roll, special education, parents, and international students, advising and assisting them on all aspects of college and career planning.
Quincy’s most recent roles includes piloting and managing a peer leader focused program in low-income high schools in D.C., Prince Georges County, MD, Detroit, MI, West Virginia, and Cincinnati, OH. In this program, Quincy fostered relationships with school districts and high schools to enhance the college-going culture and train student leaders and teachers. Before beginning his career as the Program Director of Build Metro DC, Quincy worked to improve the college and career going culture in some of the most challenging high schools in Baltimore City. Quincy holds a M.S.A (2009) from Trinity University, in Organizational Development and a Master’s in Higher Education Leadership for Student Success, from Walden University (2015). Quincy is a proud husband and father of three beautiful children.

Rayna Landa is originally from Springfield, NJ and is a recent graduate of the Pennsylvania State University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Public Policy with a minor in Sociology. She is thrilled to join the incredible BUILD DC team as this year’s Avodah fellow. Avodah is a Jewish non profit organization whose mission is to develop lifelong social justice leaders. As the Program Associate at BUILD DC, she facilitates mentoring and helps to aid the student experience. This year, she is excited to have the opportunity to live, learn, and work in D.C. with other members of the fellowship, creating a mindful and impactful community. .

Shawn worked as a professional chef straight out of high school before landing his first real office job in international development. In that role, Shawn spent several years working with government clients from Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam, and came to appreciate just how much need there is for community support initiatives around the world. In 2005, Shawn and his wife, Eva, moved to Washington, DC from New Zealand. After working at both the New Zealand and Canadian Embassies to the U.S., Shawn left government work to join the world of social good. Over the past decade, Shawn has worked with several nonprofits to help connect individuals and companies to the causes they most deeply care about. If Shawn’s fundraising experiences were written up as a novel, he believes that the donors and corporate partners would be the heroes of the story – after all, it is they who through their generosity help make change possible.

Shawn holds a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies form Massey University in New Zealand and is blessed to have two amazing children: Anna (6) and Owen (3).