Our BOARD

Michael holds the Senior Program Manager role for the Los Angeles region.  He brings with him over 15 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations dedicated to youth development.  Having grown up in a Boys & Girls Club, he understands the importance of empowering young people through quality programs and engaging mentors.  His personal mission is to support the creation of collaborative communities that generate opportunities for youth to thrive.

Born and raised in Southern California Michael is excited to expand BUILD’s programs in the Los Angeles area and to bring Spark Skills to the area’s diverse student population.

A Los Angeles native, Jaren has dedicated his career to community engagement and working with disenfranchised populations. Prior to joining BUILD, Jaren served as the Director of Casa Esperanza, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on gang intervention and prevention activities for Latinx youth and their families. He has also held senior positions at Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles, CASA of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Animal Services, and Union Station Homeless Services.

He earned a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco, and a Master of Public Administration, with a focus on public policy, from California State University, Northridge.

Raised in East Oakland, Jasmine graduated from Lionel Wilson Prep High School as a BUILD student. Throughout high school, Jasmine spent a lot of her time volunteering at a variety of organizations, such as OUSD and The Red Cross. Jasmine attended Holy Names University, where she received her Bachelor’s in Business Marketing in 2018 and her Master’s in business administration in 2019.

Throughout her college experience, she continued volunteering with different organizations and often remembered BUILD for the knowledge and benefits it brought her. As an alum, Jasmine greatly believes in the BUILD program and the doors it can open for students, which is why she decided to come back to the organization and work with high school freshmen and sophomores. As the Bay Area Program Manager, Jasmine is regularly visiting our partner schools. She attends class sessions to work directly with our 9th and 10th grade students preparing them for showcases and ensuring they are receiving the most from the BUILD program.

Jasmine strives to provide students with the same benefits BUILD provided for her. She loves to get to know our BUILD students closely and aspires to be a positive influence in their lives.

Anthony Walker is an entrepreneur from San Diego, CA. He is a Licensed Life Insurance Agent based in Oakland, CA and the founder of Finance Friday, a financial literacy platform. Anthony has been an educator, as well as the Founder and Director of National Elite LLC, an organization focused on summer football camps for youth in Oakland and San Diego. Anthony received a bachelor’s degree from Whittier College and a master’s from Saint Mary’s College in Sports Management.

Stephanie comes to BUILD with almost a decade of experience as a college access and success practitioner across several schools in her hometown of Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants.

As a college success practitioner, she helped develop programs to support predominantly first-generation BIPOC youth in Los Angeles to prepare for their postsecondary education and careers. She is excited to join the LA team to support teachers and students in becoming the CEO of their own life. Stephanie is also an entrepreneur supporting digital media and the operations of her family business. She enjoys traveling, dancing, and event planning in her free time. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Women’s Studies with a Minor in Education Studies and a master’s from California State University, Long Beach.

Mariana Lopez-Sutherland joins the BUILD Bay Area team with experience working in the education sector, primarily in economically disadvantaged communities. Through her work as a tutor and substitute teacher Mariana has helped several students reach their academic goals. As a first-generation immigrant from Venezuela, she is very passionate about social justice and education equity. She is excited to join BUILD Bay Area to start her career in the nonprofit sector, and to further her work helping the youth thrive. Mariana also loves arts and crafts, being a dog parent to a little Chiweenie called Maya, travelling, and finding new spots to eat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Economics from UC San Diego.

Ryan Oliver serves as Regional Executive Director for BUILD Bay Area and Los Angeles, holding primary responsibility for leading growth initiatives and directing strategy. Ryan brings twenty years of experience as an innovative educator, leader, and program designer in urban schools, from Boston and Pittsburgh to Los Angeles and East Oakland. Previously, Ryan served as Founding Program Director for BUILD Boston. A Bay Area native, Ryan has lived, learned, and worked on both coasts. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in Education from California State University Monterey Bay, and Principal Certification from University of Pittsburgh.

As a former Political candidate, Criminal Justice Reform Program Director & CEO, Educational Administrator, and also an established transformational leader in both the private and public sector, Lamar Blackwell joins BUILD as the Founding Director with a plethora of relevant relationships and invaluable experience. Lamar has had an amazing track record of reforming broken communities through administrative duties. He attended the 9th-ranked dual-degree graduate and law school program in the United States, Georgia State University. Lamar also received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in 2016. Lamar has mastered the ability to maximize equity through creating, influencing, and operating policy that justly allocates resources to under-served residents, students, and communities. He is an accomplished professional with extensive experience advocating and campaigning to mitigate injustice for individuals by leading social justice organizations, schools, and social service agencies. The unmatched ability to connect community partners, potential funders, and regular people to a product has helped Lamar Blackwell establish himself as a “widely-recognized” dynamic leader throughout the region.

Mr. Blackwell was born and raised in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the Northeast; at one point he attended one of the lowest-performing schools in Pennsylvania, Peabody High School. He states “of all the friends I grew up around, I’m the only one who is currently walking the streets free. Half are dead, half are incarcerated, but it started from the time we were students.” Lamar realized that being born into an unsatisfactory environment, with little resources would lead many to a life of self-destruction. He noticed that many of the friends he grew up with were struggling due to the fact that they were not connected to the work they were doing and didn’t have a chance to create opportunities for themselves. At that point, Lamar dedicated himself to fighting for equity and opportunity for those who are unable to fight for themselves.

Lamar has served numerous low-income communities and transformed the minds of many speaking professionally to over 900,000 people and raising millions of dollars for low-income residents and nonprofit organizations. Lamar has created strong networks, working alongside diverse groups of people, ranging from troubled minority students to formerly incarcerated individuals. Lamar looks forward to serving BUILD and helping change the trajectory of the lives of students through informal education.

Emily joins BUILD with experience as Manager of Career Development Programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania and a former Career Coach serving high school students placed in corporate internships in the greater Pittsburgh area. With expertise in personalized learning, program development, and youth and volunteer recruitment, Emily’s tools workforce development includes Project Based Learning and Human Centered Design. Emily is an AmeriCorps Public Ally Pittsburgh Alum and a yoga instructor. She received her RYT-200 Certification from YogaRoots on Location’s Anti-Racist Yoga Teacher Training in 2018. Emily’s yoga and career-mentorship practices utilize trauma-informed care and restorative practices.

Emily believes that engaging, real-world workforce development training for young people is the key to social, economic, and educational equity. For fun she enjoys travel, food, music, reading, playing with dogs, laughing with friends, and encouraging self-compassion and accountability. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Theatre Dance from the College of Wooster.

Alex Laser joins the BUILD Greater Boston team with over 12 years of experience in secondary education and project management in high schools around the country, including DC, Chicago and Greater Boston. It was during his early tenure teaching English in DC that Alex became a Year 1 BUILD teacher, igniting an enduring passion for community building and project-based learning. At every opportunity, he opened the four walls of his English classroom to guest speakers and field trips, partnering with an array of local teaching artists, theater companies, recording studios, even public television and radio programs. True to the BUILD spirit, Alex loves to provide students platforms to share their stories, topple dominant narratives about their communities, and pitch their vision of a better world.

In his most recent roles, Alex co-founded and facilitated the Boston-based group PARC (Practicing Anti-Racist Collegiality), a coalition of White educator allies and BIPOC educators engaging in tough conversations on race, matching community activism with rigorous inner work. He has several years of experience writing anti-bias curriculum and training educators in DEI and culturally responsive teaching practices. During COVID, he also organized Edubabble, an eZine showcasing the creative voices of educators outside the classroom, and Coffee House, a virtual monthly meetup and writing space for educators seeking self-care and community through communal art and storytelling. Alex holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from George Washington University. He is excited to serve BUILD Greater Boston students and teachers in realizing their entrepreneurial dreams!

Angela Stokes joins BUILD with varied non-profit experience across education, mentoring and corporate engagement. She is also a proponent of National Service, having served two years in AmeriCorps, solidifying her desire to give back to the community. Moving to Boston over a decade ago, Angela hoped to connect better to the community by becoming a mentor and pursued being a Big Sister. This experience has now helped her call Boston home. She is excited to join the BUILD team to continue connecting with students, maximizing their potential and engaging awesome mentors to do so too. In her spare time, Angela enjoys music, cooking and exploring parks with her toddler.

Bethany Thomas is the Executive Operations Manager of BUILD Boston. Before coming to BUILD she worked as the Director of Sales of Taste Buds Kitchen which helped her strengthen the multi-tasking, calendar organizing, and team-leading skills she now brings to BUILD. Although she has over 10+ years of volunteer experience, working for BUILD Boston fulfills her lifelong dream of working professionally in the Nonprofit world. Bethany has a B.A in both Journalism and Philosophy from The University of Massachusetts Amherst. She enjoys spending time with her loved ones, traveling the world, and hiking with her rescue pup, Moose.

“I BUILD because I know firsthand the powerful effect the right help can make for under-resourced youth. I believe in the ability of one single, caring person to help change the course of multiple lives.”

Jennie Woo is a nonprofit fundraising professional with over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector. In her various roles at Bottom Line, she has developed the organization’s individual giving program, deepened relationships with key corporate partners, supported the implementation of cross-regional communications and giving campaigns, and executed signature annual events for the Massachusetts region. Before Bottom Line, Jennie has supported donor communications, major gift cultivation and stewardship, and donor database management.

Jennie is passionate about increasing access to opportunities for the next generation and is excited to join the team at BUILD Boston to connect the visions of young entrepreneurs with supporters in Greater Boston. As an active member in her community, Jennie also serves as a Town Meeting member for the town of Norwood and a member of Progress Norwood, a community action group that informs, organizes, and participates in events that are aligned with progressive and inclusive values. In her spare time, she likes to cook and be active with her family, including Bobby Furmino, their energetic lab mix. Jennie graduated cum laude from Rutgers University with honors in Art History.

Len joins the BUILD Boston team with nine years of experience in education and youth development work. He has most recently worked at the Pingree School outside of Boston, as the Dean of Students for six years. In addition to his role overseeing student life, Len has taught social studies and coached basketball at Pingree. He also serves as a workshop presenter and conference facilitator on the topics of social justice in education and student motivation. He offers professional development webinars for educators in school districts across the state through the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth and works alongside a diverse group of educators from around the country to deliver social justice curricula for high schoolers at the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

As a volunteer, Len supports nonprofit organizations around Greater Boston, including serving on the board of directors of Aaron’s Presents, a service-learning program for kids in under-resourced communities on the north shore. His joy in working with young people was sparked after college, while playing pro basketball overseas and coaching local youth teams. Whether it’s on the court, in the classroom, or in life, Len is excited by the process of experiential learning and believes wholeheartedly in the power of a growth mindset. He earned a B.A. in Sociology from Amherst College and an M.Ed. in K-12 Learning and Instruction from Northeastern University.

Shannon Hayes joins the BUILD Boston team with years of experience in youth development and K-12 education in Boston. As former Interim Executive Director of Expanded Learning Opportunities & Partnerships and Director of Expanded Learning Opportunities at Boston Public Schools, Shannon worked with community-based organizations and school leaders to plan and execute summer and vacation week programs across the city that offered students academic support and enrichment opportunities. Prior to that, she was the Afterschool & Summer Learning Program Manager at Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA), overseeing the implementation of arts-integrated, experiential learning programs for English Learners in Boston’s South End.

Shannon is excited to join the team at BUILD Boston to support and develop strong school partnerships and high quality teacher and volunteer training for our school partners in Boston. Shannon is a licensed educator and holds a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University and a bachelor’s in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, yoga and cooking, and is currently learning ASL.

Toiell Washington joins Build with several years of experience in the nonprofit sector. As a Boston native, she has worked with a number of different organizations in the city doing violence prevention work, such as Casa Myrna and Mothers for Justice and Equality. While working with this demographic, she found a love for community building.  In more recent years, she has become involved in education-based organizations centered around mentoring and empowerment, including Strong Women Strong Girls Boston.

Outside of her work as a nonprofit leader, she is the founder and creator of The Master Tools, a game company that starts conversations around systems of oppression. Toiell is committed to exploring and introducing topics in social justice education in a non-traditional way. Both her experience in the nonprofit field and work as a social entrepreneur make her a great fit for BUILD. She believes it is important that we, as a collective, are accommodating all different kinds of learning styles and encouraging the younger generation to be creative.

Toiell also runs a community organization and digital platform called Black Boston to keep young Black people in the city politically engaged. As someone heavily involved in her community, she has been recognized for her leadership in many different capacities. In 2020, she was the recipient of the Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us Award. She was also awarded Best Social Justice Advocate of the year by Boston Magazine in 2021.

Kenya is a dynamic community organizer and youth developer committed to the transformation and upliftment of youth, young adults and their families.  She currently serves as Program Director with BUILD NYC. Prior to build, Kenya spent over a decade with University Settlement,  a nonprofit that provides services throughout University Settlement.

As Community School Director, Kenya led a team of professionals in planning and implementing enrichment programs for youth, young adults and families, building relationships with stakeholders in the community, and raising funding to sustain and propel youth development forward.

Kenya holds a B.A. in psychology from Barnard College, a Masters of Social Work from Hunter College.

Pam has spent the majority of her career in the financial services sector where she worked at a range of boutique and bulge bracket firms including Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Mogavero, Lee. Her diverse experience encompasses investment banking, institutional sales and marketing. She has always been passionate about educational equity and child and family welfare and has served as a mentor and nonprofit board member for over twenty years. In 2017, Pam joined the BUILD NYC team where she is responsible for all fundraising activities. Pam graduated from the University of Virginia with Highest Distinction and received her MBA from Columbia Business School.

A graduate of Howard University with a background in Communications. Decota was born and raised in the Bronx by way of Jamaica. Hailing from a single parent home and growing up in one of the most disenfranchised communities in New York City, Decota has experienced the affects of living and surviving in an under served community. Working with students that look like her and live in the same area she grew up in brings joy to Decota’s heart knowing she can share her experience with others. It is for this very reason she BUILDS. Combining nine years of experience in communications in the entertainment, arts, and lifestyle space and five years in community engagement. Decota joined the BUILD NYC team as its Community Engagement Manager, and is now the Director of Strategic Partnerships, NYC .  In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, grounding, traveling and experiencing all the world has to offer. She would ultimately like to create safe spaces for students in under-resourced communities to fully exercise their potential and be given the same opportunities as their counterparts.

Timothy Ruffin joins the BUILD NYC team after years of classroom and curriculum writing experience at the high school, college and non-profit levels. As an entrepreneur and educator himself, Timothy believes that success in the 21st century will be achieved by those students who have learned the essential skills to develop their own businesses, while constantly pursuing academic achievement because they will be able to adapt to life’s challenges regardless of any societal issues. As a person who was able to overcome the many pitfalls of growing up in an underserved community, Timothy is committed to ensuring that every BUILD student has the opportunity to grow, prosper and make systemic changes in their communities. Timothy holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in African American history and two master’s degrees, one in the social sciences and the other in education.

Residing in Harlem, New York by way of Benin, West Africa. Justin Lokossou has spent the majority of his life in the service to students. As a curriculum designer, educator, academic advisor, and fencing instructor, Justin has worked with students from grades K through 12, and has since focused his passion towards working with high school students. He enjoys long walks on the beach, riding his bicycle, judo, lying about enjoying walks on the beach (he and sand do not get along, the sand knows what it did), and writing amusing biographies about himself. This is amusing bio #8. Justin hopes to bring his love of writing, poetry, fantasy fiction, music and comic culture into designing an engaging curriculum for BUILD that will help students not only see themselves in their lesson, but fulfill and exceed their own expectations of how great they can become. 

Naya Samuel is a native New Yorker, experienced community organizer and writer. She joins the Build NYC team with over a decade of experience working across performing arts and digital media industries, including positions at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Intercept, Field of Vision, TOPIC Studios, and more. She’s regularly contributed to Sports Illustrated via Empower Onyx, covering the stories of Black women in sports; and manages the community music collective CORPUS Family, focusing on free community programming, youth initiatives, local artist support, and overall fundraising, through the lens of music education in NYC.

She works with a vested interest in the intersections of Black culture and liberation locally and globally; hyper-local community organizing and amplifying the next generation of New Yorkers; and emergent strategies that mobilize and empower marginalized groups, especially Black femmes, and trans and queer youth. She’s excited to join BUILD to provide tangible access and resources, help young people re-imagine and refine their own skill sets; and to create truly intersectional, intentional spaces for young folks to foster their own communities. She also loves traveling, reading, cooking Trinidadian food, and spending time with her dog Roti.

Sarah Malonda was born and raised in Queens, New York, and was the daughter of Indonesian immigrants. She graduated from CUNY Hunter College with a degree in Political Science. She’s interested in local politics and community organizing  — and has been participating in outreach events like getting people registered to vote, informing folks about upcoming elections, and visiting local businesses to pass out PPE and other resources. She is committed to helping under-resourced communities such as her own and she is a strong advocate of student engagement in school, so she truly believes in the work BUILD NYC is doing.

Maria Raftelis has more than a decade of fundraising experience in education. Before joining BUILD, Maria served as Associate Director of Foundation Relations at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. In this role, she oversaw fundraising for the Center of Radiological Research (CRR) and worked with medical faculty across the College to raise funds for research. Prior to Columbia University, Maria served as Grant Writer at the City College Fund, the fundraising organization of the City College of New York (CCNY). During my nine year tenure at the City College Fund, Maria expanded the College’s portfolio of institutional donors to double institutional giving. 

Maria resides in the Bronx with her husband and son. A graduate of the New York City public school system, Maria believed every student should have access to an excellent education that inspires them to dream and achieve their full potential.

Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Individualized Studies from New York University and a Master’s degree in Social Science from the University of Chicago.

Felipe Duran is excited to join BUILD Los Angeles as the Community Engagement Manager. Felipe is an experienced non-profit professional having worked with disconnected youth and youth experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area. In his prior experience designing and leading holistic youth programs, Felipe has applied research-based mentoring tools and developed various community partnerships to support youth in their personal and professional development.

Having grown up and still currently living in Northeast Los Angeles, it is his mission to support youth in his community. He looks forward to leveraging his experience to support a network of mentors for student entrepreneurs. In his spare time, Felipe enjoys watching professional football, playing golf, and going on walks with his wife and daughter.

Betsy Neptune comes to BUILD with over 15 years of experience in community economic development in Latin America and the U.S. She is passionate about creating a world in which everyone can have a job that they love and one through which they can grow and develop in order to have a positive impact. In her most recent role as the Chief of Economic Development for the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, she led economic recovery and resilience efforts for 101 cities and towns in Greater Boston. During her tenure, she expanded the work of the team beyond traditional economic development efforts, to include workforce development, digital access, and other strategies to advance wealth creation with a focus on reducing the racial wealth gap. Over the past year, her team played a key role in COVID response and recovery efforts throughout the Greater Boston region.

Prior to that role, she led the Small Business Technical Assistance program for the City of Boston, after serving as the Executive Director of Egleston Square Main Street, an organization in Jamaica Plain/Roxbury whose mission is to support small businesses. This work was shaped by her experiences working in community economic development for several years in Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

Betsy has a heart for teaching, coaching, and entrepreneurship, so BUILD is a perfect fit. She has taught high school and graduate-level classes and also coaches existing and emerging entrepreneurs through her coaching business. She is a graduate of Trinity College with a degree in Anthropology and has certificates in Nonprofit Management and Corporate Social Responsibility. She received her MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and lives in Boston.

Gregory Williams joins the Build Metro DC team with years of experience as a Special Educator in the Washington D.C area. As a former Program Coordinator with the College Steps Program, Greg provided customized college support for students with learning and social challenges.

He is excited to join BUILD DC and transition back into High School Programming. Greg is most excited to continue to make a positive impact on the empowerment of our students. He often enjoys spending time with his family and friends and serving his community as a local Football coach in his spare time. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Johnson C. Smith University.

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.