For Immediate Release: September 26, 2017


The National Afterschool Matters 2017-2019 Fellowship Begins

The National Afterschool Matters Fellowship (NASM) launched its second national cohort of fellows in late September, bringing together 25 passionate and dedicated out-of-school-time (OST) and youth development professionals selected through a competitive application process, who, over two years, will engage in reflection, inquiry, and writing activities that position them to inform and contribute to the quality of programs, practice, and the broader field.

The 2017-2019 Fellows gathered with NIOST and NWP staff during the kickoff retreat.Building on a strong partnership between two experienced national leaders—the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) at Wellesley College and the National Writing Project (NWP)—fellows will experience dynamic professional development in the program; funding is provided by the Robert Bowne Foundation.

"Over the past two years we worked with an enormously talented and enthusiastic group of fellows who honed their leadership, research, and critical thinking skills related to out-of-school time," said Georgia Hall, Ph.D., NIOST senior research scientist and WCW associate director. "We are so pleased to welcome this new cohort and are confident that they, too, will become leading voices that build quality of out-of-school time experiences for children and youth. I’m confident that the Fellowship will help these emerging leaders take their work to the next level, benefiting their communities and the field nationally.”

The professional development and leadership training program provides direct, hands-on inquiry-based research, learning, and writing, under the guidance of experienced mentors. The 2017-2019 NASM launched with a fall retreat on the Wellesley College campus, Wellesley, MA. Fellow Trina Dorn, assistant director of AfterSchool Programming for LearningWorks in Portland, ME, said, “I am honored to be amongst such innovative, passionate professionals. I have no doubt I will learn and grow in ways that both challenge and inspire me as both an educator and leader in OST!”

The 2017-2019 NASM fellows include:

• Kourtney Andrada, Girls Inc. of Alameda County, Oakland, CA
• Maria Arteaga-Beltran, Youth Speak Collective, Northridge, CA
• Melvina Banti, Episcopal Community Services, Philadelphia, PA
• Marie Benson, Tanque Verde Extended Care Program, Tucson, AZ
• Alicia Christensen, Denver Zoo, Lakewood, CO
• Trina Dorn, LearningWorks, Portland, ME
• Chris Dudley, YMCA of Greater Rochester, Fairport, NY
• Connor Durham, City of Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle, WA
• Amy Franks, Orange County Schools, Durham, NC
• Leah Golubchick, AMNH, Brooklyn, NY
• Sabriyah Hassan, Disability Rights Maryland, Baltimore, MD
• Brandon Hutton, Kansas Enrichment Network, Lawrence, KS
• Janice Manfredi, Boston Public Schools, Newburyport, MA
• Lizette Martinez, Department of Youth and Community Development, Brooklyn, NY
• Patricia McGuiness-Charmichael, Tenacity, Dedham, MA
• Keith Miller, Jr., The Deep Center, Savannah, GA
• Marisela Montoya, Foundation Communities, Austin, TX
• Abby Nash, YMCA Of Greater San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
• Carla O'Donnell Rizzo, Completely KIDS, Omaha, NE
• Shawn Petty, Westat, Boeme, TX
• Kate Porter, Michigan After School Partnership, Manchester, MI
• Anthony Pound, New 42nd Street Inc., New York, NY
• Katie Svaicer, Youth Guidance, Riverside, IL
• Emily Ustach, New Urban Arts, Providence, RI
• Andrea Wilson, Casa Guadalupe Center, Phillipsburg, NJ

An OST program director from The Deep Center in Savannah, GA, fellow Keith Miller, Jr. is looking forward to “being able to be with like-minded OST practitioners who may be confronting similar yet different challenges in the field. [I’m] so excited to share best practices from the blood, sweat, and tears from our work, while energizing one another through shared problem-solving.”

The NASM Fellowship Program is part of the larger Afterschool Matters Initiative at NIOST, which also includes publication of Afterschool Matters Journal, a peer-reviewed journal that is produced semi-annually and highlights the work of OST researchers, NASM Fellows, OST practitioners, and other related professionals.

For 38 years, the National Institute on Out-of-School Time has moved the OST field forward through its research, education and training, consultation, and field-building. Much of NIOST’s work has encompassed projects of national scope and influence, several representing “firsts” for the field and many focusing on building OST systems. NIOST's mission is to ensure that all children, youth, and families have access to high quality programs, activities, and opportunities and that these experiences are essential to the healthy development of children and youth, who then can become effective and capable members of society. Learn more at www.niost.org.