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 MONIQUE ACHUEducation Associate machu@CommonCents.org Originally from Dallas, Texas, Monique’s love for youth, education, and philanthropy brought her to Common Cents in September 2007. Prior to joining their team, Monique worked for Urban Assembly, where she cultivated and sustained partnerships for an all girl math and science school in Brooklyn. No rookie to the non-profit world, she also provided logistical and programming support to an organization in Boston working to eliminate family homelessness in Massachusetts. Monique is a small business owner whose interests include acting, reading and writing short stories. She obtained her bachelors from Southern Methodist University and her master’s degree from Boston University.  SHARON ALEXANDERDirector of Finance and Administration salexander@CommonCents.org Sharon joined Common Cents in September 2008 with extensive years in non-profit financial management. She has years of service with top non-profits such as the Boys and Girls Club, Flowers Day Care and several other youth programs funded by FEGS, the New York State Agency for Children's Services and the NYC Department for Youth and Community Development. This, along with other types of non-profit management experience, housing, education and multi-generational programs, has cultured a sense of financial and developmental insight. Sharon earned her degree at Columbia University where she studied economics and political science. She has developed a passion for child and youth development with a focus on social enrichment and financial literacy.  LASHON ALLENPersonnel and Administration Associate lallen@CommonCents.org Lashon, a recent graduate of St. Joseph's College, started at Common Cents as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. She has worked with Penny Harvesting schools and Student Roundtables in Queens and Brooklyn. Currently, she is a part of the administration team and helps with daily office management. She is thrilled to see the continuous growth of the program, while it maintains its mission to empower students to help their community.  PATRICIA L. BATISTAProgram Operations Fellow pbatista@CommonCents.org Patricia L. Batista joined Common Cents in August of 2008. As the Program Operations Fellow and fellow New Yorker, Patricia anticipates working with others toward the common goal of youth empowerment and outreach. Patricia recently graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Development. Her work with non profits and youth related groups includes Sunday School instruction in Queens, working with special needs adults in Esopus, NY and counseling in a summer youth employment program. Her experience with logistics ranges from floral administration in a catering hall to event planning as a marketing intern at Binghamton General Hospital. Patricia’s long term aspirations are to continue working and growing within non-profit organizations and plans to receive a Master’s degree in Public Administration.  ANTHONY BERTHELIT Manager aberthel@CommonCents.org Anthony has worked for Common Cents since August 2002. Prior to that, he was an IT assistant for Leadership for Environment and Development International, a program run by the Rockefeller Foundation. His expertise includes Network management, PC repairs, software and hardware installation and upgrades, and many other computer related skills. Development and External Relations Associate
Andi Dube joined the Development and External Relations team at Common Cents in December 2007. He is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University where he studied communications and business administration. A gifted writer and photographer, Andi has an uncanny ability to craft and weave together strong visual and written narratives. He is currently a graduate student in the Media Studies program at The New School University. In his spare time he volunteers and explores ways to connect with whatever community he is living in. Andi was born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
 TEDDY GROSSExecutive Director tgross@CommonCents.org Teddy Gross is the founder and executive director of Common Cents, a national not-for-profit educational organization, which specializes in designing citizenship programs for children and young people, and supporting their work in schools throughout the country and across all demographic divides. The organization started in 1991, and grew out of the desire of a four-year-old child to help a homeless man in New York City. As the girl’s father, Teddy responded by developing the Penny Harvest, which has continued to evolve over 17 years, and is now a robust year-long program that uses philanthropy the service-learning to teach the skills of democratic participation, moral reasoning, and community building to children during their first decade of school. Under his leadership, a lab at Common Cents continues to pilot new models and programs in civic development. Teddy's interest in innovating social justice programs is the natural outgrowth of a lifetime's work as a journalist, newspaper editor, children's book author, and playwright. He has served as the editor in chief of The Phoenix, a Boston weekly paper. His career as a playwright began at the prestigious Eugene O’Neill National Playwright Conference, where he was a resident for two summers, and continued with many plays and productions, both in regional theatres across the country and off-Broadway. He is also the author of a children’s book, and a frequent speaker at national and international conferences on service-learning and civic engagement. Under Teddy’s leadership, the Penny Harvest has become the largest child-philanthropy program in the United States, helping to nurture a new generation of caring, informed and capable young people.  KYLIE GURSKYNational Program Associate kgursky@CommonCents.org Kylie, new to New York, joined Common Cents after working with Penny Harvest Seattle/King County as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. Through that, and a year as an AmeriCorps literacy tutor in Mt. Vernon, Washington, she developed her passion for service-learning and youth empowerment. She received her BA at Western Washington University in 2005 where she studied philosophy, political science and economics.
 NUR IBRAHIMResearch Associate nibrahim@CommonCents.org Nur first worked at Common Cents in 2003 as a school support intern while obtaining her B.F.A in Dramatic Writing from New York University. After completing that degree, she decided to pursue a master's degree from Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy. She received her M.S. degree in Non-Profit management in May 2008. Nur is excited to be reconnecting with the organization as it expands its program base.  JOCELYN LUCAS ROSENBERGDirector of External Relations jlucasrosenberg@CommonCents.org Jocelyn is a strategist and creative who has worked in advertising and marketing for the past 20 years. She spent significant time in Silicon Valley during the boom where she worked on the launches of numerous leading Silicon Valley clients in online music, data hosting, software and online banking She has created integrated campaigns for: EMusic, Coke, Intuit, Anheuser Busch, Visa, UNICEF, Westin Hotels and Perceptual Robotics. This early immersion into technology coupled with her rich background in film and advertising has resulted in a unique perspective and ability to nurture and create innovation and integration. Her main areas of concentration are emerging technology and marketing and the new thinking and markets this combination has created. Jocelyn was born in Toronto, Canada and is the holder of multiple passports.
.JPG) GRACIE RIFINOSenior Youth Leadership Fellow grifino@CommonCents.org Gracie joined Common Cents in August 2007. She graduated in the fall of 2006 from Binghamton University with a B.S. in Human Development and minors in Spanish and International Studies. Gracie was drawn to Common Cents by her desire to help youth discover their full potential. Gracie obtained experience in the human services field while working in several youth centers during her college career, where she facilitated lessons to youth ranging from ages 5 to 21. In addition, she has had experience in the daily operations of youth-serving agencies; both in government and community based. Her hopes for the upcoming year are for her students to have a memorable and successful Penny Harvest!  MELISSA ROZONSenior School Partnership Fellow mrozon@CommonCents.org Melissa was born and raised in New York City and is a former Penny Harvester herself. She joined Common Cents in August 2007 after graduating from NYU with a degree in psychology. At NYU, she assisted a team of researchers at the Center for Research on Culture, Development and Education in a project on adolescent perspectives at public middle schools in New York City. For the past year, she has been working as an after-school program counselor for Manhattan Youth to provide educational and recreational activities for students. She plans to pursue a career in school psychology and is committed to enriching the lives of children by helping them realize their sense of self-worth both at school and in life. She is excited to be part of an organization that values every child’s potential to make a difference.  ADAM SEIDELNYC/Metro NY Program Director aseidel@CommonCents.org Since his involvement in youth development programs as a teenager, Adam has sought to create similar opportunities for others. He’s worked directly with middle and high school students and has extensive experience supervising various youth programs. Adam joined Common Cents in January 2004 as the Community Development Fellow. After a year and a half in this position, he took over the oversight and operations of the NYC/Metro NY Penny Harvest. He is a graduate of Oberlin College.  NATALIE ZUCKERMANCommunity Development Fellow nzuckerman@commoncents.org Natalie graduated from NYU in the spring of 2008 with a B.S. in Applied Psychology. During her time there she worked with a professor who studies identity formation and school engagement among immigrant youth. She later had the opportunity to conduct her own research on perceived discrimination and civic engagement among immigrant adolescents. Natalie is passionate about discovering ways to increase civic engagement, especially among youth, and was drawn to Common Cents because of her desire to empower young people to create changes within their communities. In her future she hopes to pursue a career in community psychology and public policy. |
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