Building a Courageous Community in which All Youth Can Succeed
Board of Directors
Citywide Youth Coalition has a small organizational structure with a broad community impact. The strength and action of this coalition depends upon active community stakeholders. The following are brief bios of the members of Citywide's Board of Directors. You can also read more about our Staff Members.
Rachel Heerema, Executive Director
Rachel Heerema is the executive director of Citywide Youth Coalition, with
over 15 years of non-profit management experience and strong ties within
the greater New Haven
nonprofit community. Rachel holds a Masters
degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors degree in Psychology. Rachel Heerema may be reached at
203-464-7838, and via email.
Lydia Bornick, Treasurer
Lydia Bornick is a non-profit consultant specializing in
special event fund raising planning and donor development. Ms. Bornick has
previously been Executive Director of the New Haven Public Education Fund and
The Volunteer Center of Greater Bridgeport. Ms. Bornick has Bachelor of Arts
degree in Education, and a Masters Degree in Elementary School/ Education Child
Psychology. She has a long career in positive youth development and advocacy. Ms. Bornick has served on a range of
community efforts addressing issues related to the health and welfare of children,
youth and families in the greater New
Haven region.
Carol Cangiano, Board Member
Carol Cangiano is a FIVE STAR Award-winning real estate agent in New Haven County. She also runs a consulting company,which focuses on strategic planning, process re-engineering, project management. business analysis, organizational design & restructuring, staff development & coaching, high performance team development, performance measurement system development, and the development of operating metrics and executive dashboards for both for and nonprofit organizations. Carol is affiliated with many of the non profits in the region.
Katherine Jones, Secretary
Katherine Jones is the Access to Care Coordinator and AmeriCorps Program Assistant at the Community Health Center, Inc of Middletown. She currently resides in Hamden and is an active AmeriCorps Alum serving as the Chapter Leader for Connecticut. Katherine served two years of service with AmeriCorps, splitting her time between Public Allies of Connecticut and Community HealthCorps at her current health center. As an Ally she served as a Program Assistant at Easter Seals Goodwill Industries working with the Youth as Leaders after school program supporting ages 9-15 in the Hill Neighborhood of New Haven. Additionally, Katherine serves as the Field Organizer for New Haven, CT with ServeNext.org advocating for National Service in the state of CT.
Jennifer Just, Board Member
Jennifer
Just recently served as Deputy Field Director for
the Friends of Rosa DeLauro campaign and was Connecticut's first State Director
for Organizing for America. Previously she was a TV producer and magazine
editor and writer and has a strong background in writing and editing. She is
President of the F. Ward Just Scholarship Fund and also serves on the Inland
Wetlands Agency in Woodbridge. She has two teenaged sons and lives in
Woodbridge, CT.
Fernando Muñiz, Board Member
Fernando Muniz
is the Program Director of Planning and Best Practices for the
Department of Children and Families (DCF). In this capacity, he
oversees the Connecticut Comprehensive Outcomes Review, the Risk
Management Unit and serves as the state's Child and Family Services
Review (CFSR) Coordinator. Prior to his role in in Planning and Best
Practices, he served as Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of
DCF. As Executive Assistant, he provided leadership to projects across
the Department's various bureaus and facilitated the development of the
strategic plan for Riverview Hospital, the state's only public child
psychiatric hospital. Before joining the Department of Children and
Families, Fernando worked in the not-for-profit field. Most recently,
he worked for two years as Executive Director of the Connecticut
Juvenile Justice Alliance where he helped advocate for reform of the
state's juvenile justice system. Prior to joining the Alliance,
Fernando served as Deputy Director of ASPIRA of Connecticut where he
assisted the Executive Director in managing the agency's statewide
programs for Latino youth. Fernando holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Psychology from Fairfield University and a Master of Public
Administration degree from New York University.
Seth Poole, Board Member
Seth Poole is a devout New
Haven native who currently serves as the Program Director at the Boys &
Girls Club of New Haven. Seth previously worked as the Alumni Advisor at the
Achievement First flagship school, Amistad Academy. He also serves his
community through his efforts as the Chairman of the Whalley/Edgewood/Beaver
Hill Community Management Team in New Haven, CT. Since his humble
beginnings as a Junior Counselor with the L.E.A. P. Program, Seth has been a
tutor, a coach, mentor, and a friend for the children and families of New Haven.
Seth is a proud graduate of Wilbur L. Cross High School and he holds a B.A. in
Asian Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.
Monique Turner-Lopez, President
Monique Turner-Lopez is the Director of Service
Development for Easter Seals Goodwill Industries (ESGI). In her role, Monique
oversees children and family services for the agency, and spearheads multiple
initiatives related to ESGI's current and future services. Monique brings
over twenty years of experience in the fields of youth development, human
services and education. A seasoned administrator and a former Peace Corps
Volunteer, Monique is fluent in Spanish. She holds a BS Degree from Georgetown
University and an MS degree in Human Service Administration from Springfield
College.
Jen Vickery, Vice President
Jen Vickery currently serves as general counsel to the RULER Group (www.therulerapproach.org). She has practiced law in Connecticut since 1999, where her legal career has included employment with Shipman and Goodwin, LLP, Connecticut Legal Services, and as Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of New Haven. She was awarded a J.D. from Western New England College, where she was a member of the Law Review, when her oldest daughter was 9 years old. A former recipient of WIC, welfare, and public housing benefits as a single mother, she is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the kinds of programs that helped her support her family with dignity during a time of need.
Sherese Ward, Board Member
Sherese A. Ward is a native of New Haven and currently works as the Government Relations and Policy Director for the Connecticut Black Alliance for Educational Options (CT BAEO). In this capacity she works with elected officials, lobbying for change in education policies, leading parent advocacy efforts, while managing its grassroots advocacy campaign. Formerly, she served as the Director of Government & Community Relations for Achievement First, a nationally-recognized charter management organization. Prior to her work in the non-profit sector, she spent several years working for Bank of America serving as Marketing Programs Specialist for the Global Investment Bank in New York City and Market Development Coordinator in New Haven, directing investments for the bank's charitable foundation. An active community member, Sherese currently serves on the United Way of Greater New Haven's Community Impact Cabinet, and sits on the Education Committee for the Greater New Haven NAACP. A graduate of Leadership Greater New Haven, Sherese is a recipient of the New Haven Business Times Forty Under 40 award. She is also very involved with the Junior League for Greater New Haven and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Sherese holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Southern Connecticut State University and currently resides in Hartford.
If you are interested in supporting youth in greater New Haven by working with Citywide Youth Coalition, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please see our Contact Us page for more details or sign up for our newsletter.
Citywide Youth Coalition, Inc. ♦ PO Box 354 ♦ New Haven, CT 06513 ♦ 203-464-7838
