Comcast NBCUniversal Leadership Awards 2014 |
The Comcast NBCUniversal Leadership Awards recognize outstanding City Year alumni
who are continuing their commitment to strengthening community,
inspiring,
mobilizing, and empowering others, creating
and developing sustainable solutions for social change and who exemplify
the core values of City Year.
Congratulations to this year's Comcast NBCUniversal Leadership Award recipients:
For his tireless advocacy of under resourced communities and devotion to improve educational outcomes for children in Arkansas, Ohio and Mississippi. Alen’s pathway into education began as a corps member with City Year Columbus where he tutored third grade students whose average reading levels improved 1.3 grade levels. After three additional years of AmeriCorps service with Public Allies and Teach for America, he oversaw a discipline and rewards system as the Dean of Students at Lakeside High School in Lake Village, one of Arkansas’ lowest performing schools, and increased in-school time for students by 1100 hours and decreased discipline referrals by 44 percent. In his “off” hours, he is committed to redefining what is possible for communities. He is Co-Founder of Delta Horizons that has raised more than $150,000 for educational international and domestic student trips, initiated the first city-wide internship for minority students in Greenville, MS, and served on founding committee of the Mississippi River Marathon - creating $750,000 in economic impact.
For her exceptional commitment to reducing childhood hunger and increasing access to nutritious meals in the City of Cleveland, OH. Since starting as an intern with The Cleveland Foodbank more than ten years ago, Thea – now Vice President of Programs - has been instrumental in building the core outreach programs, operations and community partnerships to increase the number of meals served to children from 100,000 to more than one million annually. Through her entrepreneurial leadership of the Children’s Nutrition Initiative, she oversees a staff of six that directly impacts more than 11,000 children through creative food distribution – weekend Backpacks, Library Snacks, summer feeding programs and Kids Café, which started with two sites six years ago and now provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to children at 60 sites in three counties. Recently, Thea launched a mobile school pantry to increase access fresh produce and engage children and families through cooking demonstrations, nutrition information and exercise activities. Thea deeply believes in the power of teamwork and collaboration to achieve well-being for all.
For her ten years of service with City Year and outstanding leadership to expand City Year New York’s and Baton Rouge’s impact in schools and communities. Laura’s commitment to public service was sparked as an undergraduate at Louisiana State University and deepened through two years of a service as a corps member with City Year New York. Since returning to her home state and joining City Year Baton Rouge as its Executive Director and Vice President in 2011, Laura has grown the number of corps members serving in East Baton Rouge schools by 60 percent and increased the site operating budget from $1.4M to $2.5M. During the 2012-2013 school year, all four City Year Baton Rouge schools were removed from the state’s Academically Unsatisfactory Status list. Laura embodies the value “Students First, Collaboration Always” and together with the Deputy Superintendent, she has adopted the motto “every student moves forward, whatever it takes”. ![]() Jay Thompson City Year Philadelphia '03 For his inspiring leadership in building the beloved community and expanding the national service movement across the country and the world for more than a decade. Whether mentoring corps members, building relationships with external champions or leading City Year’s expansion into a new community, Jay’s influence is felt at all levels of the organization. In leadership roles that span Deputy Director of Program and Service, Start Up Director, Interim Executive Director and Senior Director of New Site Operations, he has inspired dedicated champions and led staff and corps members to establish four new sites – three US sites in Milwaukee, Jacksonville and Tulsa, and City Year’s second international affiliate in London, UK. As the Interim Executive Director for City Year Jacksonville, Jay manages a $2M budget, drives strategic partnerships, leads the site board and oversees Development, Operations, Program and Service departments. He personifies dedication to a cause greater than self and his commitment to excellence stems from his passion for students to be prepared to learn every day. Please contact Amanda Smidt, National Manager of Alumni & Career Services, at asmidt@cityyear.org with any questions.
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