Staff
Program Managers:
JASON MARTINEZ
Program Manager, New York
Born and raised in the South Bronx, Jason earned his Bachelor's Degree in both Theatre and Sociology at Northwestern University. It was during his four years at N.U. that Jason learned the value of education and community. After graduation, he took his educational aspirations further by becoming a Senior Corps Member with CityYear Chicago: a non-profit organization working with urban youth in a school setting. In 2005, Jason returned to New York City where he worked as a NYC Teaching Fellow and earned his Master’s of Science in Urban Education from Mercy College in 2007. After six years working as a Special Education teacher, Jason joined the Reading Partners team in 2011. Email Jason: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
TIFFANY ZAPICO
Program Manager, New York
Tiffany Zapico in a native of New Jersey and has a B.A. from Montclair State University. In 2006 she joined AmeriCorps NCCC and completed two terms focused on disaster relief, youth development, and environmental restoration in California, Oregon, Utah, Mississippi, and Louisiana. After spending a year on Teach For America staff in Washington D.C. as an Executive Assistant she joined the national teaching corps in New Orleans, LA. Tiffany has worked as an elementary and high school special education teacher and interventionist in resource, self-contained, and inclusion classrooms in public and charter schools throughout New Orleans. She was one of ten candidates selected nationally to cultivate strong relationships with local leaders in politics, business, media, faith-based, and the service community to promote national service through a non-profit called ServeNext. Tiffany is very excited to be a part of the first year of Reading Partner's NYC as she gets to combine her two passions, service and the fight for educational equity. Email Tiffany: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
AmeriCorps Program
Outreach Team
Site Coordinators
JEREMY EXELL
AmeriCorps Specialist
Jeremy is a proud graduate of Michigan State University, where he received his BA in history in 2006. Following college, Jeremy joined AmeriCorps, serving with the AmeriCorps NCCC Atlantic Region campus, first as a Corps Member in 2008 then as a Team Leader in 2009. In 2010 he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Martinsburg, WV where he worked with a local community organization. Following the completion of his VISTA year, Jeremy moved to DC where worked with AmeriCorps Alums managing member outreach. He is very excited to continue working with AmeriCorps members and helping expand the service of Reading Partners! Email Jeremy: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
TABITHA BLACKWELL
Outreach Manager
Email Tabitha: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
EMILY BAILEY
Outreach Coordinator, New York
From Buffalo, NY, Emily Bailey loves working with children and is excited to spend another year helping to improve the education system in New York City. Her future plans include attending graduate school for Urban Studies or Education, and possibly pursuing a career in teaching. Email Emily: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
LANORA HAYDEN
Outreach Coordinator, New York
LaNora Hayden is a graduate of Buffalo State College where she majored in Public Communication with a minor in Theatre. She has studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is a performer and an educator who loves to use her skills to give back to her community. She is an avid supporter and practitioner of enhancing literacy through performance art. She has spent the last two years promoting literacy at a community center in her college town. She is overjoyed to be joining the team at Reading Partners. Email Lanora: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
CHELSIE BAKEMAN
Site Coordinator, Democracy Prep
Chelsie Bakeman has a passion for education and working with youth. She believes that working at Reading Partners will allow her to combine those interests while also serving the NYC community in a positive way! Chelsie has a BA in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from SUNY Cortland. She is certified to teach Birth-6th grade in NYS and is currently pursuing a MS in TESOL (K-12) at Queens College. She is eager to begin her year with Harlem Democracy Prep and is looking forward to being apart of a program that will enrich the lives of so many students. Email Chelsie: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
EMMANUEL CAMPOS
Regional Site Coordinator, New York
Emmanuel Campos was born and raised in the South Bronx. After graduating from Humanities Preparatory Academy in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, he attended The City College of New York where he earned his degree in English with a concentration in Literature. Since 2006 Emmanuel has worked for various organizations that service the educational needs of children. These organizations include Say Yes to Education, The Peter Westbrook Foundation, and The Recess Enhancement Program at Asphalt Green. During his time working for these organizations, he was able to recognize the importance of quality educational services in New York City. Because of this, Emmanuel finds himself happily beginning his service with Reading Partners! Email Emmanuel: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SHAMIKA GODDARD
Site Coordinator, PS 33Q-Edward M. Funk
Living in San Antonio as the eldest of four children, Shamika was deeply affected by her large family's meager living and saw education as the vehicle to both success and a richer life. She graduated from Stanford University after receiving humanities credits from Bard college and a certified nursing license in Illinois. Looking forward, Shamika continues to hold to her truth of education as a necessity and is considering several Ph. D. programs. In the interim, she looks forward to serving her community. Email Shamika: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
MICAELA LARA
Site Coordinator, Achievement First Brownsville
Micaela Lara was born and raised in Porterville, CA. As a child of Mexican immigrant farm-working parents, she became the first in her family to pursue higher education. During her undergraduate studies at UC Santa Cruz, Micaela followed her passion into the field of social change. In 2009, Micaela conducted a six-month ethnographic research in NYC focusing on the culture and academic performance of NYC Mexican youth. Her research provided a ground-breaking contribution to literature and was presented at EOP’s 2010 Faculty Mentor Program Colloquium. Micaela holds a BA in Community Studies and a Minor in Education with an emphasis in community and youth empowerment. She plans to pursue a Master’s in Social Work in the near future. She is beyond enthusiastic about producing life-changing results for RP’s first year in NYC. Email Micaela: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
ASHLEY PAYNE
Site Coordinator, PS 154X-Jonathan D. Hyatt
Ashley Payne is a second year Reading Partners AmeriCorps member who started working in Oakland and is now serving in New York City. She had a great first year helping students improve their reading skills and change their mind about themselves as learners. She wants to bring the same energy to a new region and deepen her knowledge of public education in America. Ashley studied Fine Arts as an undergraduate at Amherst College and Political Science at New York University for her pending Master’s Degree. Email Ashley: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
ANA SANCHEZ
Site Coordinator, PS 188-Island School
Ana received her BA from Stanford University where she majored in French language and literature. As she pursued her literary studies, she also developed an interest in education and community outreach programs. For the past two years, she was one of three Student Coordinators for Project W.R.I.T.E., a creative writing program taught at Stanford for East Palo Alto high school children. After experiencing the amazing impact after-school programming can have on children’s lives and education, she decided that she wanted to incorporate education into her post-graduate career plans. She is excited to work with Reading Partners, as she has always loved to read. During her first year, she hopes to motivate and encourage young children to read and enjoy literature as much as she does. Email Ana: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
NICOLE STEVENSON
Site Coordinator, Metropolitan Lighthouse Charter School
Nicole Stevenson was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating at 16, she started her first college semester at Marist College. At 17 she enlisted in the United States Navy and quickly rose through the ranks making E-4 Petty Officer in two years. Nicole received an honorable discharge from active duty on November 10, 2001 and returned to New York. She went on to complete an Associate of Arts degree in Psychology and graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. She went on to do various volunteer work in the community and work for S.E.S programs in the Bronx. Her love and passion to help others made her decision to work in the education field an easy choice. She is currently working towards completing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Next year she plans to pursue an MBA and continue her service and dedication to helping others. Email Nicole: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
IBRAHIM TRAORE
Site Coordinator, PS 242-Young Diplomats
Ibrahim was born and raised in the Ivory Coast of West Africa and came to the United States at the age of 11. In the 10th grade he attended Trek for Knowledge to build a school for a village in Mali, West Africa. Since then, Ibrahim always knew that working with children to further education is something he was really passionate about. After graduating from Buffalo State College he worked at Target as an Executive Team Leader. In September of 2010 he joined Harlem Children’s Zone as a Peacemaker because he wanted to give back to the same community that had invested so much in him. Ibrahim is excited to join Reading Partners and looks forward to making a difference in the lives of children one book at time. Email Ibrahim: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
