The USDA Forest Service Resource Assistants Program (RAP) is a rigorous and immersive, paid internship for U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are at least 17 years old. The program is designed for those interested in conservation, natural and cultural resources, environmental management, research and development, and other career opportunities with land management agencies. Resource Assistants (RAs) are recruited by partner organizations and work under the supervision of Forest Service staff to accomplish mission-critical work that develops leadership, critical thinking and strategic communication skills. Through collaboration, coaching and mentorship, resource assistants gain the tools to launch their careers and expand their understanding of our Nation’s natural and cultural resources.
In partnership with the Forest Service, The Corps Network and several Member organizations of The Corps Network recruit RAP participants. This recruitment strategy helps the Forest Service engage the emerging workforce and reach additional highly qualified candidates to support the Forest Service mission.
Britney Pizzuto, a native Utahan, became a Resource Assistant with the Manti-La Sal National Forest after completing her first year as a nursing student in an undergraduate program. Though she was originally hired in May to work at the front desk, Britney transitioned into the RAP program. Britney quickly learned the impact this internship would have not only on her summer, but on her long-term career plan.
“Since transitioning into the program, I have changed my major in college. I was studying nursing, but now I’m going for wildlife biology. Being an RA has definitely influenced what I want to do,” said Britney. “I was in classes for nursing and I hated it. I hated every second of all my classes. I wasn’t into it, I didn’t want to learn it.”
After expressing her feelings about her classes to her supervisor at the Forest, Britney was given the opportunity to go out into the forest to see if a career in conservation was right for her.
“So that’s when I had a field day with one of the wildlife biologists. After that, I knew this is what I want to do. It’s something that actually makes me happy.”
Courtney Fernelius is a recent alum of the Resource Assistants Program. Before becoming an RA, Courtney studied recreation management and landscape architecture at Utah State University. As an RA, Courtney researched recreation trends and issues within Utah’s forests. This research allowed her to do week-long forest visits across Utah. These trips involved directly interacting with the Forest Service staff to address specific recreation needs. These forest visits, along with additional research, lead Courtney to create around 20 research papers. These papers were ultimately distributed to the different forests and utilized when developing each forest’s individual recreation plan.
“One of the best parts of being an RA was going to different national forests. I really liked to see all the different resources that are out there. I also got to meet so many different people who work on the forests. They would share their experiences with me and tell me about paths they have taken to get where they are now. I just loved that interaction.”
Both Britney and Courtney found that being a Resource Assistant has influenced their career trajectory. Both of them are actively pursuing careers in conservation and resource management.
September 11 is known as “Patriot Day” or the “National Day of Service and Remembrance.” It is a time when Americans honor the lives lost in the terrorist attacks of 2001 by coming together to volunteer and make our communities stronger.
Every day, young adults at America’s Service and Conservation Corps engage in service to our communities and public lands. On September 11, Corps often coordinate or participate in neighborhood volunteer events or activities to honor those affected by the events of 9/11/01. Here are just a few ways member organizations of The Corps Network participated in this year’s National Day of Service and Remembrance.
In Flagstaff, Arizona, Arizona Conservation Corps engaged with community members at the Flagstaff Food Bank. They teamed up with the Flagstaff Family Food Center to assist in food relief efforts for the Flagstaff community. This involved emptying, flattening, and crushing 10 small dumpster loads of recyclable materials and crushing 2 bundles of plastic and cardboard for food bank recycling program. Additionally, the Corps organized a food drive to benefit first responders and will be ongoing all month.
In Tucson, Arizona, another crew teamed up with the University of Arizona Mathematics Mentoring Program. They brought together the community in a full day of STEM related activities. These activities included: balloon racing, drawing with a swing, chemical reactions with eggs, and wind sculptures. This event opened with a few words by Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and brought together over 60 members of the community.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, AmeriCorps members with Louisiana Conservation Corps and SBP Baton Rouge teamed up to assemble over 7,000 emergency preparedness supply kits to ensure senior citizens are prepared for hurricane season. A crew with Louisiana Conservation Corps also built a wheelchair ramp at a retired firefighter’s home.
In Canaan, Maine, Maine Conservation Corps brought together over 70 Corpsmembers, along with staff and community volunteers, to Lake George Regional Park to volunteer in remembrance of victims, survivors, and those who served in response to the attacks. The focus of the volunteer project was to make improvements to trails to provide recreation opportunities for visitors. Click here to learn more about this project via FOX ABC Maine
In Estes Park, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Conservancy and local volunteers completed a project with Rocky Mountain National Park fire crews. The project supported wildland fire crews’ efforts to reduce the fuel load from areas surrounding trailheads, roads, and campgrounds. This valuable work helps protect visitors, promotes healthy and diverse ecosystems, and mitigates risk to firefighters. Read more about this project on their blog.
In Houston, Texas, an AmeriCorps Opportunity Youth Service Initiative (OYSI) crew with Texas Conservation Corps spent their Day of Service at the Indiangrass Preserve with Katy Prairie Conservancy. They worked to remove invasive Verbena brasiliensis.
Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, two crews helped facilitate the Pleasant Valley annual Memorial 9/11 Stair Climb. Over 30 firefighters with Austin Fire Department each climbed 110 flights of stairs, in full fire gear, to represent the height of the twin towers. The Texas Conservation Corps crews assisted the firefighters with putting on their gear and helped set up and breakdown the event.
In Logan, Utah, Utah Conservation Corps spent the Day of Service and Remembrance at the UCC Urban Community Farm. They hosted community volunteers and worked together to harvest and control weeds.
In Clifton, Colorado, Corpsmembers with Western Colorado Conservation Corps worked towards advancing and restoring riparian lands. This project involved removing invasive plants, re-vegetation planting, caging plants to protect from predation, and general site maintenance.
In the City of Waukegan, Opportunity Youth Service Initiative (OYSI) AmeriCorps members participated in a full day of projects and engaged with local volunteers and law enforcement. Following a memorial ceremony at Fireman’s Memorial Park, a beach cleanup was conducted in conjunction with first responders from the Waukegan Police Department.
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/9.11-Day-of-Service-2018-Flagstaff-Family-Food-Bank-Pic-2.jpg7631017Warren Cunninghamhttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngWarren Cunningham2018-09-13 16:32:032022-10-03 11:03:529/11 Day of Service and Remembrance 2018
Video by The Corps Network, featuring fun facts about monarchs collected from Outreach & Education Corpsmembers, both past and present.
Internship program through Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa gives young science professionals a chance to interact with the public and help the monarch butterfly
Monarch butterflies are in decline. A 2018 population report, which counts monarchs overwintering in Mexico, showed a 14.77 percent decrease from the previous year. Much of this can be attributed to habitat loss, pesticide application, and other human activities. One important way to stem this loss is through providing public education and good information. The Monarch Joint Venture (MJV) is designed to do just that.
Housed at the University of Minnesota, the MJV is an information clearinghouse on monarch conservation. Representing a collective of 80 partners across the United States, ranging from local nature centers to federal agencies, the MJV seeks to align conservation efforts and ensure citizen scientists and professionals alike have access to the best data and practices.
However, to supplement the outreach efforts of their eight-person staff, the MJV partnered with Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI), a program that engages young adults in hands-on environmental service. With funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and support from The Corps Network, the MJV and CCMI created the year-long Outreach and Education Corpsmember position in 2015. This program gives young professionals the opportunity to immerse themselves in conservation science and make an impact on the public.
Why is monarch conservation important? We asked Cora Lund Preston, the first Outreach and Education Corpsmember.
“Monarchs are an ambassador for all other pollinators,” she said. “Their beauty, incredible migration and dramatic decline have become a rallying cry for pollinator conservation across North America. Creating habitat for monarchs also benefits honeybees, native bees, other pollinators, and even other wildlife.”
One responsibility for the Outreach and Education Corpsmember is to present about monarchs at fairs, conferences, school events, and other gatherings. Cora, who now works as the MJV Communications Specialist, remembers nervously rehearsing her lines on the hour-long drive to her first presentation. Though she had conservation experience, monarchs were a completely new topic for her. As it turned out, Cora had nothing to worry about. The group was eager to learn about the monarch lifecycle and how to plant milkweed and nectar flowers.
Having a background in insect biology is certainly not a requirement for the Corpsmember position. Aislyn Keyes, the current Corpsmember, recently received her degree in marine biology.
“It’s so important to try things that are outside of your immediate field,” said Aislyn. “Resource management can be a hard field in which to find secure positions, especially if you only look at specific jobs. Each type of job offers unique skillsets that complement each other. The more well-rounded you are, the better!”
Another responsibility for the Outreach and Education Corpsmember is to create and distribute resources. During her time with the MJV, Cora led the creation of Parks For Monarchs, a guide for land managers. Shelby Kilibarda, the Corpsmember for the 2016 – 2017 season, who now works for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, developed the Monarch Highway Map, which depicts how monarchs migrate to Mexico along the I-35 corridor. Aislyn created a Monarch Conservation Efforts Map that shows conservation activities happening across the continent.
However, it’s those interactions with the public that are incredibly important.
“One particularly memorable experience for me was at the Minneapolis Monarch Festival in September,” said Aislyn. “I was taking a group of families to release a tagged monarch. I asked all the kids to form a circle and put their hands in. The parents stood around watching as I placed the monarch in their children’s hands. The monarch sat for a brief moment and everyone admired it in silence. When it took off, [everyone’s] eyes lit up in excitement. It was so special to see the impact such a small organism can have on people.”
Facts about Monarchs shared by Monarch Joint Venture Outreach and Education Corpsmembers:
Did you know?
Monarchs grow 2,000 times their size in the 10-15 days they spend as caterpillars. That’s like a human baby growing to the size of an elephant in two weeks.
The chrysalis doesn’t form around monarch caterpillars. Instead, the caterpillar’s exoskeleton splits down its back and the chrysalis is revealed underneath.
Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed (there are over 100 species of milkweed in the United States), but adult monarchs eat nectar from a wide variety of flowers.
In the late summer and fall, adult monarchs that live east of the Rocky Mountains will migrate up to 2,000 miles forested mountaintops in Central Mexico, where they have never been before. Monarchs that live west of the Rockies, however, migrate to groves of trees along the Pacific Coast in California.
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.png00actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2018-04-27 15:36:122022-10-03 11:03:52Protecting the Monarch Through Public Education
Via WPAToday, YouTube: “During the New Deal era, tens of thousands of Indians enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps. This brief film clip shows some of their work. The clip is from a longer film created by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and is provided courtesy of the National Archives.”
Blog by Ashley McNeil, Communications Assistant, The Corps Network
Created during the Great Depression, a time when the United States faced grave economic peril, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a federal work relief program that, from 1933 until 1942, put 3 million unemployed young men to work building and restoring America’s natural resource infrastructure.
Though the CCC was intended to provide stability and a new beginning for its participants, the benefits of the program were not equally distributed among all populations; the main beneficiaries were white enrollees. As detailed in a previous blog, the CCC failed to live up to its promise to provide equitable work and training opportunities to African American Corpsmembers. Many African Americans faced hostility from white supervisors, or were forced to serve in black-only camps, where conditions were poor. For Native Americans, however the federal work relief experience was quite different.
Technically, most Native Americans did not serve in the CCC, but rather in a parallel program. In 1933, not long after the formation of the CCC, the Indian Emergency Conservation Work (IECW) program was created at the request of John Collier, Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). It was Collier’s hope that work relief projects, like those performed by the CCC, could benefit reservations. Pressure to create a separate program came from Native Americans and the BIA, who objected to having the standard military-style CCC camps on tribal land.
President Franklin Roosevelt initially approved $5,875,200 in funding for the IECW, which, by executive law, was renamed the Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division (CCC-ID) in 1937. The program was focused on “Indian work”: employing Native Americans on federally recognized reservations with a goal of preserving tribal lands and promoting sustainable ranching and farming. Projects involved road construction, erosion control, reforestation, and water resource development.
Records indicate 80,000 – 85,000 men served in the CCC-ID during the years of the Depression. Outside of work on reservations, the CCC-ID built dams, roads, trails, and fences on land near reservations. Native Americans received training in gardening, animal husbandry, safety practices, and academic subjects. As stated by political columnist Albert Bender in the article “History shows that joblessness among Native Americans can be lowered,” “The Indian Division produced awesome results. To cite only a few, reservation forests had 9,739 miles of truck trails laid out; 1,351,870 acres put under pest control; and countless fire lookout towers constructed. Indian grazing and farm lands had 263,129 acres subject to poisonous weed eradication, and 1,792 large dams and reservoirs were constructed.” Some of these accomplishments are still visible to this day.
While day-to-day operations at CCC camps were largely managed by the military, the BIA and tribal governments, or “agencies,” oversaw the CCC-ID. For example, branches of the CCC-ID were overseen by the Crow Agency of Montana, the Northern Cheyenne Agency of Montana, the Flathead Agency of Montana, the Turtle Mountain Chippewa of North Dakota, and the Sioux of South Dakota.
The CCC-ID was one part of what would be the called the “Indian New Deal.” In 1934, John Collier encouraged President Roosevelt to sign into law the Wheeler-Howard Act, otherwise known as the Indian Reorganization Act. This legislation reversed harsh restrictions enacted through the Dawes Act of 1887, which had authorized the federal government to assimilate and strip Native Americans of their culture and claim 90 million acres of tribal land.
Under Wheeler-Howard, Native Americans could purchase new land. Additionally, the government recognized tribal institutions and repealed prohibitions on Native language and customs. In conjunction with this legislation, the CCC-ID was the first measure to bring material aid to reservations, encouraged self-administration by Native Americans, conserved tribal land resources, and employed thousands of Native men.
As Collier said, the CCC-ID was, “the greatest opportunity and the greatest challenge confronting the Indian Service and the Indian tribes.” In simple terms, this was the first time the federal government allowed Native Americans to, at least to some extent, hold the reigns. Collier went on to state, “No previous undertaking in Indian Service, has so largely been the Indians’ own undertaking.”
Once the CCC-ID received funding, the program grew quickly. Within six months of its inception, 72 camps were present on 33 reservations in 28 states. The CCC-ID received more applicants than anticipated. To accommodate this, officials staggered employment of enrollees and allowed them to work on neighboring reservations only if it was approved by tribal council.
With assistance from the BIA, tribal councils oversaw CCC-ID camp enrollment, structure, and projects. Because of this, records of enrollees were processed differently, with some tribal governments collecting more data than others. Many tribes created narrative reports detailing work completed by enrollees. Some tribes opted to publish information about their work in their own newsletters, such as the Shoshone Tattler and the Blackfeet Tom Tom Echoes. These publications featured anecdotal history, as well as jokes, stories, and drawings from corpsmen.
One notable source that discussed Native contributions was, Indians at Work. This monthly publication, produced by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), contained articles, photographs and drawings of Native Americans, reservation life, and western scenes that helped promote the accomplishments of Native corpsmen.
Besides its management structure, the CCC-ID program differed from the CCC in many ways, including such elements as age restriction, living arrangements and wages. The CCC only enrolled men between the ages of 18 and 25. The average age of Native American corpsmen was 34; 172 enrollees were over the age of 35, and three were over the age of 75.
While CCC camps employed 200 men for six-month terms, only 40 to 50 Native Americans worked in units together. Also, as opposed to the traditional camp-setting, Native corpsmen lived in one of three types of domiciles: the permanent boarding camp for single men; the home camp for those wishing to live at home; and the family camp for projects of short duration where the entire household could reside temporarily in tents (another difference about the CCC-ID was that married men could serve). African American and white corpsmen did not have these housing options.
The basic wage for CCC-ID members was $30.00 for twenty workdays a month, or $1.50 per day, plus a 60 cent-per-day subsidy for those living at home. Enrollees also received from $1.00 to $2.00 per day for use of their own teams of horses. For those who lived at home, their pay was $2.10 per day for not more than twenty days in any one month, a possible total of $42.00 per month. In comparison, white and African American corpsmen earned a flat $30.00 per month, $25 of which had to be sent home to their families.
While the CCC-ID had what could be considered advantages over the CCC, there were some downsides. For instance, some living conditions were unsanitary. In all, however, the CCC-ID was more flexible than the CCC. It had less militarily structure and focused primarily on the goals of the Wheeler-Howard Act and improving Native American self-sufficiency.
The CCC and CCC-ID came to an end in 1942 when, as the U.S. joined WWII, Congress rejected funds to continue programming. For Native Americans, the CCC-ID was progressive in many ways. Native peoples reclaimed aspects of their culture, gained new educational and agricultural skills, and saw employment opportunities. The end of the CCC was arguably a setback; the program was important to Native Americans because one of their most valuable resources – their land – was cultivated, and small parts were returned to them. Collier stated, “The ending of CCC…is a heavy, heavy blow to Indian Service, to the Indians, and to social policy in the United States. It is just that: a heavy and undeserved blow.”
For your consideration
As you read this blog, here are some questions for you to consider:
The CCC and CCC-ID were disbanded in the early 1940s as the country turned its attention to WWII. John Collier described the end of the CCC-ID as a “heavy and undeserved blow.” Do you agree with his statement? If the CCC-ID program had continued (or possibly still functioned to this day), how do you think it would have influenced Native communities culturally? Economically? Socially?
The Smithsonian Libraries website offers the opportunity to read old copies of Indians at Work, the Bureau of Indian Affairs publication from the ‘30s and ‘40s. What do you learn from these publications? What do you not learn?
After decades of stripping Native peoples of their land and culture, the federal government gave tribal leadership a degree of agency over the CCC-ID program. How do you think tribal governments felt about this?
It has been over 80 years since passage of the Wheeler-Howard Act, or “Indian New Deal.” However, as stated by the National Congress of American Indians, “Tribal communities are among the poorest in the country and unemployment rates in Indian Country often stand above 50 percent.” What do you believe the federal government should do to address these ongoing issues?
What can land management agencies do to better share the history and accomplishments of Native Americans on lands that are now national parks, national forests and other public spaces?
For Corps: Do you engage Native American youth in your programs or offer programming specifically for Native youth? If so, how is programming for Native youth different? How might any specialized education and activities offered in Native American programs also benefit non-Native Corpsmembers?
If your Corps does not actively engage Native American youth, what steps can you take to better engage Native populations in your region?
McLerran, Jennifer. “A New Deal for Native Art: Indian Arts and Federal Policy 1933-1943.” The University of Arizona Press 2012. https://bit.ly/2pT07jI
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ccc-id-patch-l.jpg1200745actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2018-03-29 15:51:332022-10-03 11:03:52The CCC Indian Division: Native Americans in the Civilian Conservation Corps
Every year, Service and Conservation Corps across the country engage thousands of AmeriCorps members. This year alone, The Corps Network’s AmeriCorps Education Awards Program and Opportunity Youth Service Initiative will enroll more than 3,000 young adults and veterans in service to our communities and public lands. To celebrate AmeriCorps Week (March 11 – 17, 2018), we’re highlighting some of the many ways AmeriCorps members at Service and Conservation Corps #GetThingsDone for our country.
Member of The Corps Network’s AmeriCorps Opportunity Youth Service Initiative with Texas Conservation Corps helps reduce the threat of wildfires:
Where is this Corpsmembers serving?
Austin, TX
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
This member is removing vegetation, or “fuel,” through installing a fuel break at Travis County Balcones Canyonlands Preserve
What skills are they learning/using?
This member is learning about proper chainsaw operation and safety, as well as plant identification skills.
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa AmeriCorps member helps put goats to work in the fight against invasive species:
Where did this Corpsmember serve?
Addie Bona is a Youth Outdoors Crew Member based out of Minneapolis, MN
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Addie manages invasive species by working with goat contractors to prepare sites, set up fences, put signs up in order for goats to eat buckthorn and other invasive species.
What skills are they learning/using?
Invasive species management
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa AmeriCorps member helps monitor wildlife:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Tamara Beal was a Wildlife Studies Crew Member based out of Ames, IA
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Tamara conducted two research projects. 1- She studied migratory patterns and behaviors of the Northern Long Eared Bat. 2- She learned how to remove and test lymph node samples from deer to study the presence of Chronic Waste Disease.
What skills did she learn/use?
Field work, including: how to set up thermal & infrared cameras; how to use an Echo Meter app to identify batt calls; and how to remove & prepare lymph node samples from deer.
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa AmeriCorps member monitors river levels to help support outdoor recreation:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Ryan Schilling was an Individual Placement member with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (based out of St. Paul, MN).
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Ryan managed a River Level Reporting project, which resulted in a much more detailed and useable product for paddlers to make well-informed decisions before visiting a water trail.
What skills are they learning/using?
Cartography
Montana Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members help communities hit hard by winter storms:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Montana [Browning, Heart Butte, East Glacier, Babb, and St. Mary]
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
Severe winter weather in North Central Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front has caused the Blackfeet Nation and the State of Montana to declare a state of emergency. The communities of Browning, Heart Butte, East Glacier, Babb, and St. Mary have been especially hard hit. Heavy snowfall accompanied by winds as high as 65 miles per hour – blizzard conditions – has caused drifts as high as six feet in some areas, shutting down roads and trapping people in their homes. On the Blackfeet Reservation, schools have been closed and residents are running out of food.
MCC Northern Rockies Office sent a relief crew whose members shoveled snow, delivered firewood, and helped out in whatever way they could. In a nice confluence of events, MCC Crew Leaders were able to add the load of wood they cut and split at the Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge to the firewood donated by UMCOR – United Methodist Committee on Relief – to the load they delivered to the Blackfeet.
Green City Force AmeriCorps Members supported by The Corps Network’s Opportunity Youth Service Initiative grow organic produce in communities with limited access to healthy food:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
Pictured are Daniel Silvia and Nordesia Walters-Bowman. They are inspecting the produce on Farm Stand day at the Howard Houses Farm, located at a New York City Housing Authority Development.
What skills are they learning/using?
Urban Farm Corps Members learn to build and operate urban farms and develop important skills through interacting with the public. They distributed nearly 20,000 lbs. of organic produce in 2017 at weekly Farm Stands across four Farms on New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties.
AmeriCorps Member with Rocky Mountaim Youth Corps – New Mexico takes a break from trail work to reflect on their experience:
Where is this Corpsmembers serving?
Cibola National Forest, Albuquerque, NM
How does this AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
This member is journaling during a break on the Crest Trail as part of their Individual Development Plan (IDP), a tool used with all RMYC members to help them build S.M.A.R.T. goals and build on their experience at the Corps to help them launch a career.
AmeriCorps Members with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps – New Mexico ASL program open up trails and expand their conservation vocabulary:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
These members are partnering with the City of Albuquerque in the Piedra Lisa recreation area.
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
These members are participants in our ASL Program and are working to open up the trail corridor and clear branches and debris from the trail.
What skills are they learning/using?
In addition to learning about trails and trail maintenance techniques, member are learning through American Sign Language and broadening their vocabulary in the conservation field.
AmeriCorps Members with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps – New Mexico build sustainable trails:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Gila National Forest, Silver City, NM
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
This member is part of a two-year project to restore trails and build retaining structures to prevent further trail damage. In this picture, the member is looking for hazard trees that could pose a danger to the crew while they work in the burned area.
What skills are they learning/using?
During a typical spike, members spend 10 hours a day working on trails and engaging in professional development trainings related to trail design, maintenance and construction. During the evening, members work together on meal preparation and life skills trainings such as leadership, conflict resolution or thinking about next steps after the Corps.
AmeriCorps Members with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps – New Mexico help establish a new wildlife refuge:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
This motley crew of kick@ss females are serving at the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge in Albuquerque, NM
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
This crew was tasked with building two miles of wildlife-friendly fence as one of the first components to a major restoration project as the brand new refuge takes shape in Albuquerque’s South Valley.
What skills are they learning/using?
This crew is not only learning about power tools and the safety protocols associated with working on federal land, but are also engaged in RMYC’s Urban Conservation Corps. This program focuses on getting urban young adults exposed to and interested in federal jobs working with federal land management agencies. A critical component of this program in ‘Mentor Mixer’ day: think of speed-dating with mentors! Members are paired with federal employees that work with different agencies in a variety of fields – from HR, to accounting, to law enforcement and park rangers. This program allows Corpsmembers to see the vast array of employment options with the Corps’ agency partners.
AmeriCorps Members with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps – New Mexico help preserve cultural and historic treasures:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Mountainair, NM
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
This summer crew was involved in historic preservation in the park. They helped restore some of the ruins the park is tasked with protecting.
What skills are they learning/using?
This crew was trained by park staff in the methods unique to working with a variety of natural materials and ancient techniques that were used thousands of years ago to build the missions.
AmeriCorps Members with Southwest Conservation Corps spend days in the backcountry, working on the Continental Divide Trail:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Along the Continental Divide Trail (Rincon La Vaca Trail) in the Weminuche Wilderness on the San Juan National Forest.
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
For the last two years, SCC crews have spent a combined 130 Days in the backcountry building a more sustainable trail through rocky slopes and wet marshy areas. This is to accommodate heavy use from through hikers, hunters, and backcountry horse men/women. On a side note this is the 50th Anniversary of the National Trails System and the 40th Anniversary of the CDT. It’s important to highlight this, as well as the Corps’ efforts working on the CDT over the years.
What skills are they learning/using?
Backcountry travel, leadership, geology, alpine ecology, technical trails (rock work and sustainable trail construction), teamwork, communication, and a plethora of other things you learn when you are in the backcountry for 15 days at a time.
AmeriCorps Member with Arizona Conservation Corps and The Corps Network Opportunity Youth Service Initiative helps restore ecosystems:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Gila River Valley near Safford, Arizona
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Chavez Ventura (crew 113) from the Tohono O’odham Nation is felling an invasive species of tree (tamarisk) in the Gila River Valley. Helping to restore an ecosystem.
What skills are they learning/using?
AZCC Gila crews are all proficient Class A Sawyers!
AmeriCorps Member with Arizona Conservation Corps and The Corps Network Opportunity Youth Service Initiative helps maintain trails and public lands:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Bar-V Ranch of Pima County Parks and Recreation, near Tucson, Arizona
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Ashley Childs (crew 110) is using her McLeod tool to clear brush for a fencing project.
What skills are they learning/using?
Knowledge about trail maintenance and how to use trail tools are required. She is also learning how to erect wire t-post fences.
AmeriCorps members with Arizona Conservation Corps and The Corps Network Opportunity Youth Service Initiative/Education Awards Program put their McLeods to use to maintain public lands:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Bar-V Ranch of Pima County Parks and Recreation, near Tucson, Arizona
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
The crew members (crew 110) are using their McLeod tools to clear brush for a fencing project.
What skills are they learning/using?
Knowledge about trail maintenance and how to use trail tools are required. They are also learning how to erect wire t-post fences.
AmeriCorps Member with Stewards Individual Placement Program and The Corps Network Education Awards Program helps engage the public at Gulf Islands National Seashore:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Gulf Islands National Seashore
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
As the Outreach Coordinator for the Turtle T.H.i.S. Program, Natalia often plans and hosts events like the Hispanic Festival booth. Held at Fort Walton Beach, this event allowed Natalia to interact with many families and local youth who shared their excitement about park programs. Seventeen attendees signed up to volunteer with the park in the future. Participation in events like this provide education and engagement to the local community and help bring support and awareness to the historical, environmental, and ecological elements of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
What skills are they learning/using?
Natalia has gained experience in public speaking, community engagement, volunteer recruitment and management, youth education, and a variety of ecological and zoological data collection and protection activities.
AmeriCorps Member with Stewards Individual Placement Program and The Corps Network Education Awards Program assists the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Pittsburgh, PA
How does this AmeriCorps Member #GetThingsDone?
OSMRE AmeriCorps Member Cassandra Forte serves out of the OSMRE Appalachian Regional Office in Pittsburgh, PA. Cassandra focuses much of her effort on water quality testing and outreach initiatives for the office. Cassandra and fellow OSMRE employees have also researched streams at a state park to determine which would be an adequate location for a spring hydrology course. She worked closely with a hydrogeologist to teach approximately 100 7th-grade-students about acid mine drainage. She also spoke to a freshman biology class about OSMRE, AmeriCorps and what she does in her role.
What skills are they learning/using?
A recent site visit to a partner organization allowed Cassandra to assist OSMRE staff in providing requested technical assistance for water quality issues the organization is having in some of their ponds. Cassandra assisted while simultaneously learning about their pollinator program, which she will use in her own project as she works to create a pollinator initiative for abandoned and active mine lands.
AmeriCorps Members with American Conservation Experience help maintain and improve a community farm:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Flagstaff Family Farm
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
The Flagstaff Family Farm was started in December 2015 to bring the community local produce and eggs. Over 100 ACE members have cycled through since 2016. Corpsmembers have helped build and shape 2,800 linear feet of garden bed and walkway. Additionally, over the course of three months, more than 30 Corpsmembers helped complete three Hoop-Houses. ACE also planted a dozen apple trees and created earthworks to reduce erosion.
What skills are they learning/using?
Construction, Planting, Irrigation, Mulching
AmeriCorps members with EarthCorps help build a rain garden to improve stormwater infrastructure:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Everett, Washington
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
They are building a rain garden
What skills are they learning/using?
EarthCorps crew members #GetThingsDone by building green stormwater infrastructure. Rain gardens like this one can hold a lot of water, helping to reduce the risk of flooding in heavy storms. They also help filter toxic runoff, which is critical in protecting wildlife. To build the garden, Corpsmembers dug out the garden basin and added layers of special soils and native plants that will absorb and clean runoff water.
AmeriCorps members with EarthCorps help control invasive plants and maintain healthy marshes:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Port Susan Bay, Washington
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
They are engaged in invasive plant control as part of salt marsh restoration.
What skills are they learning/using?
EarthCorps crews worked to control invasive plants, such as spartina, as part of a larger effort to restore salt marsh area in the Stillaguamish River Delta. They learned about invasive plant control, dike removal, native plants, bird habitats, and working in tidal areas.
AmeriCorps members with EarthCorps help bring awareness to local water quality and water management issues:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Brightwater Education Center, Snohomish County, Washington
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Corpsmembers building a demonstration rain garden at the Brightwater Education Center in Snohomish County, Washington. By constructing a rain garden, Corpsmembers gained experience building green stormwater infrastructure, and helped raise awareness and address water quality issues in the surrounding areas.
AmeriCorps members with EarthCorps help control invasive plants in North Cascades National Park:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Stehekin, North Cascades National Park, Washington
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
EarthCorps crews work hard to manually control invasive and exotic plants and restore our National Parks.
What skills are they learning/using?
Manual exotic plant control, native seed collection, apple orchard removal, opportunity to learn about National Park Service.
Members of the Southeast Conservation Corps Veterans Fire Corps help conduct prescribed burns and maintain healthy habitats in Mississippi:
Where are the members serving?
De Soto National Forest in Mississippi
How do they #GetThingsDone?
These are members of the Southeast Conservation Corps Veterans Fire Corps Crew 936. The SECC VFC members are working in the Gulf Coast of MS to assist with Pitcher Plant Bog restoration, fire fuel reduction and prescribed burns to contribute to a healthy forest and mitigate uncontrolled wildfires.
What skills are they learning/using?
The SECC Veterans Fire Corps program (in partnership with The Corps Network and The Nature Conservancy) provides training and on-the-job experience for post-911 era veterans interested in entering careers and gaining experience in natural resource management. The program engages participants in a cohort environment in which eight members work together to train and complete natural resource management projects, specifically related to fuels reduction and fire fuels management. Participants also gain experience in trail work, invasive species removal, GIS, and other appropriate conservation stewardship work.
AmeriCorps members with Washington Conservation Corps help with cleanup and recovery on U.S. Virgin Islands following 2017 hurricanes:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
U.S. Virgin Islands
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
They are assisting communities affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated the regions in Fall 2017.
What skills are they learning/using?
When serving on a disaster response assignment, WCC AmeriCorps members utilize their chainsaw skills to remove hazard trees from homeowners’ yards and local structures. They also take on tough tasks like debris removal and installing roof tarps. They also help manage the outpouring of volunteers and donations in local regions.
AmeriCorps members with Washington Conservation Corps help organize volunteer projects:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Skagit County, Washington
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
Individual Placement AmeriCorps members Erin and Keelin recently led a volunteer planting party for their service placement, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group. The group of volunteers installed over 300 trees at the site!
What skills are they learning/using?
Leading volunteer events means Erin and Keelin recruit volunteers, arrange tools and logistics, and provide on-site guidance to make sure everyone has a safe, fun and productive time! Planting native trees will help convert the site from a field into a forested area.
AmeriCorps Members with Great Basin Institute-Nevada Conservation Corps help support the comeback of the endangered Condor:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
The interns, Kylie Smith and Nathan Pinckard, as well the project partner Joseph Brandt, are in this image. Joseph Brandt is teaching Kylie Smith how to draw blood from the leg of the Condor while Nathan Pinckard is holding the Condor. The blood sample is used to check for lead levels of the condors.
In the second photo, Nathan is releasing a juvenile Condor into the wild.
AmeriCorps member withGreat Basin Institute-Nevada Conservation Corps and The Corps Network Education Awards Program helps collect data and conduct research to assist with habitat restoration:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Henderson, NV (Common Gardens project located in the Mojave Desert)
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
The United States Geological Survey, is looking at what methods work to bring back native perennials but also looking at herbicide application as a way to control the spread of Bromus sp. and Schismus sp. Interns mainly assist with collecting data, assessing the landscape before and after restoration has been implemented and aiding in research for various extensions of the project.
What skills are they learning/using?
Sarah assists the USGS in the Common Gardens project located in the Mojave Desert in hopes to restore the area that was impacted by the fire while learning novel ways to conduct research.
AmeriCorps Members with Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and The Corps Network Opportunity Youth Service Initiative help improve Vermont’s park infrastructure:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Corpsmembers Maddi Shropshire (left) and Tori Best (right) from our 2017 Americorps 2 Crew show some crewmate love in front of a woodshed they constructed on Mt. Mansfield.
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
In one week, this crew replaced 60 feet of box steps that access a stone hut; helped build this woodshed (with Vermont Forest Parks and Recreation staff and contractors), and built a raised roof for the shed with a weather shield.
What skills are they learning/using?
Through this project, Corpsmembers developed their construction skills, learned important lessons about working with partner organizations, and worked on their communication skills as they coordinated their efforts.
An AmeriCorps member with Kupu helps restore the most threatened ecosystem in Hawai‘i:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Ethan Souza is serving at Hawaiʻi Forest Industry Association -Kaʻūpūlehu Dryland Forest
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Ethan is working to restore the native dryland forest, which is the most threatened ecosystem in Hawaiʻi. Over 90% of it has been lost due to development, invasive species, and fire.
What skills are they learning/using?
Identifying native and invasive plant species, collecting plant propagation materials, raising native plants, removing invasive plants, hosting and educating school groups, and collecting and analyzing data
AmeriCorps members with Civicorps help keep the Bay Area shoreline healthy for marine creatures:
Where are these Corpsmembers serving?
Alameda Shoreline, California
How do these AmeriCorps members #GetThingsDone?
These members are participating in shoreline beautification. Crewmembers collect litter and debris in low tide, helping wildlife avoid toxic items like cigarette butts and plastic.
What skills are they learning/using?
They are learning about the Bay Area’s ecosystems, drainage, and the impact of storm runoff. Additionally, they are learning about team work, communication, and the various steps of project planning.
AmeriCorps member with Northwest Youth Corps engages in resource management and community outreach in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers:
Where is this Corpsmember serving?
Northwest Youth Corps selected Mathew Zhun to serve with the Army Corps of Engineers for a 675-hour term in October of 2017. Mathew was providing natural resource management and community outreach assistance with the Recreation Operations section of the Willamette Valley Project for the Army Corps of Engineers. WVP is a large water resource project responsible for operating 13 dams and managing natural resources and recreation in the lakes and surrounding lands at nearly 30,000 acres in the Willamette, McKenzie, and Santiam watersheds.
How does this AmeriCorps member #GetThingsDone?
Mathew served with the Cottage Grove, Oregon Recreation Operations Section providing education, outreach, and public safety programming specifically in schools. Additionally, Mathew spent half of his time monitoring and improving trails and mitigating exotic vegetation. This included direction of volunteer crews and navigating to monuments for boundary surveys.
What skills are they learning/using?
While Mathew stepped into the internship with extensive field based skills he expanded his knowledge and confidence public speaking and educating various audiences. The curriculum he was conveying focused on water safety, field ecology, and Leave No Trace principals. The Army Corps of Engineers is a partner of the “Every Kid in the Park” Program which was created for fourth graders and their families to discover wildlife, resources, and history for free.
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen20Shot202018-03-1220at202.06.1220PM.png869652actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2018-03-12 18:08:002022-10-03 11:03:52Service and Conservation Corps Celebrate AmeriCorps Week 2018
Left to right: Kent Abernathy, Executive Director, National Commission on Military, National and Public Service; Earl Bowman, 21CSC Corpsmember of the Year, 2018; Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President & CEO, The Corps Network.
January 18 marked the official launch of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. As the name implies, the Commission’s task is to explore ways to increase participation across these three service categories with the overarching goal of addressing America’s security and domestic challenges.
In a recent op-ed published in The Hill, Commission Chairman Dr. Joe Heck said the Commission “…intend[s] to listen to the American public, and learn from those who serve — and who want to serve — to determine how best to instill a strong spirit of service and identify barriers to service.”
Dr. Heck, and others in attendance at the Commission’s launch event in Washington, DC, had the chance to listen to Earl Bowman, The Corps Network’s 2018 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) Corpsmember of the Year and an AmeriCorps alumnus of Delaware State Parks Veterans Conservation Corps.
Earl spoke to a packed room, detailing how he discovered his passion for service. A volunteer firefighter, a member of the Delaware Air National Guard, and now a full-time employee with Delaware State Parks, Earl is a great example of what can be accomplished through service. However, he is by no means the only example. In a few short weeks, The Corps Network will recognize five additional outstanding Corpsmembers of the Year at our 2018 National Conference. These young men and women have exceeded the expectations of their Corps by exhibiting outstanding leadership skills and demonstrating an earnest commitment to service and civic engagement.
Service and Conservation Corps have a rich history of service to country. As descendants of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) – a Depression-era program created as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal – today’s Corps, most of which are nonprofits, provide service opportunities for many populations across the country, including people like Earl and other military veterans from all branches.
The CCC was an enormously successful program. During its operation from 1933 to 1942, the program enrolled over 3.4 million persons, including over 25,000 veterans. Corpsmembers lived in camps managed by the U.S. Army and engaged in reforestation and other reclamation projects. The Army’s experience managing an operation of this magnitude provided preparation for the massive call-up of civilians in World War II.
Across the county, modern Corps collectively enroll over 25,000 participants annually. The 21CSC is an initiative to grow the capacity of Corps to engage 100,000 participants annually. Last week, the country got one step closer to this goal with passage of the 21CSC Act out of the United States House Committee on Natural Resources. Among other provisions, this legislation would make it easier for federal agencies to partner with Corps in putting young people and veterans to work on priority projects.
As the Commission gets going, Service and Conservation Corps are a great place to begin exploring ways to engage and inspire a new generation of citizens.
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IMG_2121.jpg480640actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2018-01-25 21:05:302022-10-03 11:03:5221CSC Corpsmember of the Year Speaks at Launch of National Commission on Service
Mike Muckle, director of the New Jersey Youth Corps of Phillipsburg (NJYCP), a program of the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development, is passionate about aquatic restoration. That’s why, after attending The Corps Network 2014 National Conference and learning about Waders in the Water (WitW), the brand new aquatic restoration training built for The Corps Network, Mike volunteered his Corps to pilot the program. Since then, aquatic restoration has become the biggest focus of the NJYCP. Twenty-six Corpsmembers have earned their WitW certification and worked on multiple stream and wetland restoration projects.
Recently, Mike, now a representative to both The Corps Network’s Board of Directors and the Corps Council, took some time to explain where his enthusiasm for restoration came from and how it’s influenced NJYCP and its Corpsmembers.
Nineteen years ago, when Mike was the new program coordinator for NJYCP, he attended an Urban Waterways Restoration workshop designed for youth Service and Conservation Corps. The event was presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (now The Corps Network). Mike says that’s when he got the bug for environmental restoration work. After the workshop, Mike brought his interest in restoration back to NJYCP and he and his staff sought out those types of projects. It wasn’t long before NJYCP was partnering on nearby U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service projects
Over time, Mike realized the value of restoration work. However, upon being promoted to Director of NJYCP, he understood they would require additional resources in order to build their capacity to perform such projects.
“While we’ve done restoration work since I’ve been here,” Mike observed, “until recently we were never able to bring resources or funding back to our program.” Mike credits that change to the WitW third-party certification.
“Since our Corpsmembers have completed the WitW training, I’ve been able to secure funding for our program in return for project work our Corps was doing.”
Mike has discovered a trusted project partner in New Jersey Audubon’s (NJA) Stewardship Project Director John Parke. NJYCP now routinely partners with the NJA and others to restore local habitats and improve water quality on streams. As part of the growing Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), NJA recently brought in NJYCP Corpsmembers to help plant 1,900 native trees and scrubs at five different riparian restoration projects near NJYCP. The projects were all funded by both the William Penn Foundation and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. During this work together, John Parke told Mike “there’s never been a shortage of project work, only a shortage of trained workers. This training and certification has addressed that issue, allowing us to provide qualified, competent, and informed candidates to work on these important ecological projects.”
After working on his first stream restoration project, 18-year-old NJYCP Corpsmembers/WitW graduate Zach Oefelein said: “It definitely gives me a good sense of pride. There aren’t enough people focused on things like this. A lot of our world is focused on what you can get out of nature and not what you can put back into it.”
Mike happily shares that, with all the training and project work his Corpsmembers have done, “they now realize a career in ecological restoration is attainable, and that this important work to save our planet, is virtually all around them – in every community.”
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/FullSizeRender2028129.jpg1200900actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2018-01-18 18:39:152022-10-03 11:03:52Next Generation of Aquatic Restoration Leaders: Michael Muckle
In response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, several member organizations of The Corps Network have sent crews to Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Coordination of most of these deployments has been through the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team (A-DRT) program.
Corpsmembers from across the country have assisted with a range of activities, including clearing debris, coordinating volunteers and donations, conducting damage assessments, and helping muck, gut and tarp homes. Below, read the firsthand account of Landon Acre-Kendall, an AmeriCorps member from Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI) who deployed to Puerto Rico in November.
By Landon Acre-Kendall, CCMI AmeriCorps Member
When our AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team had our first day in the field, it truly became clear that Maria held nothing back on the island. The landscape was a ruin of decimated vegetation. The trees were plucked out of the ground like weeds. There was endless debris and trash piled above my head on sidewalks and scattered about open areas. People were living in destroyed homes without roofs, power, and water. It was an eye-opening experience and it motivated us to work that much harder, every day, for those less fortunate then us in Puerto Rico.
To me, one of the most enlightening and heartwarming aspects of my deployment was working with all the new people we met in Puerto Rico and getting to know our own teams so well. The members and supervisors from Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) were great. Elliot always surprised us with his own blend of strange and unexpected humor and, at the same time, was a very professional and knowledgeable Incident Commander. The people from other teams and organizations, such as California Conservation Corps (CCC), Team Rubicon, and Samaritan’s Purse, all made lasting impressions on us as well. However, the friendships and teams created within CCMI will be everlasting. We all grew to know each other very quickly and, within weeks, it felt as though I’d known these people my entire life.
Another part of my trip that I will always remember will be my interactions with the local people of Puerto Rico. Though there was a language barrier, I could always read the voices and faces of the people around me. I would see elderly couples laugh, smile, and say thanks to me and my team and it was always a touching moment. I saw a younger couple with a baby and children have sighs of relief and cries of joy and laughter as they watched a tree come falling down from a very hazardous situation on top of their house. Though I couldn’t fully understand their words, I thought as though I could feel what they were saying.
My favorite part of being here was using our specialized skillset for an amazing cause. I will always remember one of the bigger trees we tackled (see image). One afternoon we were canvasing for a job and we stopped to talk to some locals. When we mentioned that we cut trees, one old man’s eyes lit up and he started talking about a giant tree blocking entrance to his entire house. He was talking about how, every day, he would be forced to climb through a massive tree’s hazardous wreckage just to access his house. We followed him around a couple blocks to his house as he told us bits about his life. This man once lived in the mainland United States and was a horse jockey for several years. When we arrived at his house we immediately were excited by the challenge of this project. We slowly took apart the massive tree piece by piece. It was one of my favorite big jobs with a very grateful and kind man. I will never forget his face or his house.
Puerto Rico was a great experience. I feel as though I’ve grown a lot as a person, but, more importantly this trip has inspired me to grow even more beyond this trip alone and never stop growing. I want to continue to inspire and help others for the rest of my life.
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PR202.jpg7971200actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2018-01-09 16:07:082022-10-03 11:03:53Hurricane Maria Recovery: Firsthand Account of Relief Efforts in Puerto Rico from Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa AmeriCorps Member Landon Acre-Kendall
Every year, at The Corps Network’s National Conference in Washington, DC, we honor a select group of exceptional Corpsmembers from our member Service and Conservation Corps. These young men and women have exceeded the expectations of their Corps by exhibiting outstanding leadership skills and demonstrating an earnest commitment to service and civic engagement. The Corpsmembers of the Year are role models; their personal stories and accomplishments are an inspiration to Corpsmembers nationwide.
When Senga Lukingama showed up at Urban Corps of San Diego County (UCSD), he came with a story of war and almost unimaginable personal loss. What he found was a way to channel his work ethic and his determination to, as his father had urged, get an education. Senga has explored his interest in leadership, resulting in a seat on the Urban Corps’ Corpsmember Advisory Board. According to one of his supervisors, “Senga is always proactive towards his future goals and sets high expectations for himself and works diligently to complete every task.”
Finding his way to the Corps was not easy or at all likely. When he was 14, civil war forced Senga to flee his town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the chaos of leaving, he was separated from his family. All alone, he walked what seemed like a never-ending road to find himself in a refugee camp. There, Senga looked tirelessly for his family, but never found them.
“I couldn’t stop blaming myself for not being able to go back and find my family. I was afraid and spent many days hungry,” said Senga. “I was very sad and did not know what the future would hold for me, or even if I had such a thing as a future.”
A new life in the United States began for Senga in January of 2016. He came alone and without much direction, but found housing with the help of a community organization.
“It was my first night at my new home that I realized I could finally accomplish my dreams and aspirations,” said Senga.
The next day, while walking the streets and getting to know his new hometown of San Diego, Senga ran into a sign promoting opportunities with UCSD. He signed up and started to work hard to earn money and skills, and studied long hours to complete his high school education. He found a community where he could belong, and where he could be of service to his peers and to his new community.
“In the Corps, we have a lot of kids who have similar backgrounds and stories and I don’t feel alone anymore. I have been able to overcome the pictures and horrible memories in my mind and be at peace,” said Senga. “I have learned many new skills and work experience that I had never thought I would ever reach. Helping my community has always been something that I have wanted to do and I am able to help my community as well as my peers. I can drive in the city and think back at good memories of how I helped with projects around my community.”
Senga’s supervisors salute him for setting high goals and for his dedication to the program. They also note his leadership among his peers; he was promoted to a Crew Leader position.
“Senga serves as a great role model to our students and shares his story with many who are having a hard time,” said one supervisor.
Senga graduates from the Urban Corps’ Charter School this December. During his time in the Corps, he also obtained his driver’s license and saved to buy his first car. He is currently enrolled at San Diego City College and hopes to eventually transfer to San Diego State University and pursue a degree in political science. His goal is to one day become a diplomat or politician. He hopes to return to his country to help to bring peace. He knows that the key to that future is through his education.
“I have learned about many new things that I hope to bring to my country, like the different opportunities that work can give you,” said Senga. “When you work hard and study, you begin to see the light at the end of the road and believe that the world has a lot more for you to see. I plan on meeting new people and sharing my story with others. I know I am not the only one with this story, but hopefully it can help others know they are not alone.”
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen20Shot202017-11-0620at209.29.2320AM.png634479actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2017-12-14 19:25:042022-10-03 11:03:532018 Corpsmember of the Year: Senga Lukingama, Urban Corps of San Diego County
Every year, at The Corps Network’s National Conference in Washington, DC, we honor a select group of exceptional Corpsmembers from our member Service and Conservation Corps. These young men and women have exceeded the expectations of their Corps by exhibiting outstanding leadership skills and demonstrating an earnest commitment to service and civic engagement. The Corpsmembers of the Year are role models; their personal stories and accomplishments are an inspiration to Corpsmembers nationwide.
It was clear from the beginning that Lance Tubinaghtewa was a rising star at the Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC), a program of Conservation Legacy. His focused work ethic and warm, effortless sense of humor helped develop a deep sense of community within his crew.
Lance started out as an AmeriCorps member at Grand Canyon National Park on a crew designed to engage members of the 11 Tribes traditionally associated with the Grand Canyon. There he got a broad look at the different divisions within the park service, working on everything from trail maintenance, to preserving cultural sites, to conducting butterfly population surveys.
Lance then spent two terms with Arizona Conservation Corps’ local program, serving in Tucson and Phoenix on a variety of trail construction and maintenance projects. He eventually worked his way up to an Assistant Crew Leader position, teaching new Corpsmembers about rockwork, trail maintenance and backcountry living. He was instrumental in helping the Corps pilot its Tribal programming in Phoenix in partnership with the Tonto National Forest.
One of the most significant parts of this experience was how Lance helped a member with a difficult background come to feel welcome in the program. The member had been shot in the leg only a year before his Corps experience; Lance helped him really embrace the spirit of “heal the land, heal the man.” Lance, true to form, hesitates to take credit for that, but he helps instill confidence among his peers and encourages them to connect to conservation.
Most recently, Lance is spending his fourth and final AmeriCorps term as an intern with the Interpretation Department at Grand Canyon National Park at Desert View. He’s proven to be skilled at interacting with visitors, teaching the public about the Canyon’s rich history and his Hopi culture. A park ranger and supervisor said of him: “Lance has done a great job working for us all summer. He is a hard worker who sets a great example and really cares about doing a good job. He is extremely reliable and trustworthy. More importantly, I have come to see him as a quiet leader. Safety awareness is very important to us, and Lance has done a great job of reporting situations and working with us to correct them.”
Lance has walked the talk on safety. On one occasion, he was first on scene to a visitor who had been struck on the head by a falling rock and was seriously injured in a remote part of the park. Using skills he learned in the Corps, Lance assessed the patient, applied a compress to stop the bleeding, monitored his vitals, kept him calm, stopped bystanders from interfering, and ultimately attended to the patient for 40 minutes until the park’s EMS arrived. This was far and above the call of duty for an intern.
Lance himself says the influence of his AZCC experience has been profound. “Even now, I still struggle to find the words to describe it,” he said. “Prior to my first crew, I was unsure about a number of things, but, during the first term, much self-discovery took place. This coincided with the most unique and humbling experiences of my life. These moments are engraved in my mind and cherished because I spent them with my closest friends. With my different seasons, I grew. Finding new connections to places my ancestors have called home for millennia. Finding a deeper sense of self along with my worth and strengths.”
Lance says he has become more civically engaged as a result of his service and time at the Grand Canyon. Feeling that his native culture and heritage face significant threats, he has become attentive to and eloquent about issues around Tribal lands.
“I am not the first Hopi, so I’m not fluent in traditional knowledge, but my time here has shed light on cultural ideas and concepts, in effect bringing me closer to my identity as a Hopi man,” he said.
In his role at the Grand Canyon, Lance encounters thousands of tourists each day who are curious about the park and his Hopi heritage. He sees this as another opportunity for great change, service and fulfillment of his heritage. His plan is to use his AmeriCorps Education Awards to attend Glendale Community College toward a degree in archaeology and astronomy; two fields of study that piqued his interest when serving in the backcountry on his ancestral lands.
https://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Lance202.jpeg1200900actualizehttps://corpsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Logo-1030x421-1.pngactualize2017-12-14 19:20:242022-10-03 11:03:532018 Corpsmember of the Year: Lance Tubinaghtewa, Arizona Conservation Corps – Ancestral Lands
JP Patton leads the California Conservation Corps in our commitment to expand our reach to young adults and to protect California’s natural resources through environmentally focused work that makes California an even better place for all. On November 1, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed JP to serve as the CCC Director. JP’s career with the CCC started in 2021 as a Deputy Director over Northern California. As Deputy Director, he supported multiple CCC centers all actively engaged in mission critical work of Corpsmember development, natural resource conservation, climate resilience, and emergency response.JP graduated from New York University and served as a senior manager for many years in the world of outdoor recreation, outdoor education, workforce development and natural resource conservation. As the Director of CCC, JP is passionate about increasing pathways to careers for the Corpsmember community; championing a corps for all; and expanding the corps movement across the globe.
Jono McKinney
Jono McKinney
President and CEO,
Montana Conservation Corps
Jono McKinney serves as the President and CEO of the Montana Conservation Corps. In his role since 2002 and with a background in wilderness education and leadership development, Jono has guided MCC’s ten-fold growth over his tenure with a focus on corps member development and robust partnerships encompassing Montana’s vast public lands and generationally stewarded ranching communities. MCC’s 3-month training program for AmeriCorps crew leaders has earned a national reputation for excellence in leadership development. MCC’s Big Sky Watershed Corps program has been transformational in watershed stewardship over the past decade, bringing innovative drought resiliency interventions to bear for rural communities. MCC programs also encompass summer corps offerings for local teens, and partnerships with tribal communities, including the Blackfeet Nation. Jono’s leadership has prioritized staff empowerment and a culture of wellbeing for inclusive excellence. His leadership extends to Montana’s nonprofit community where he helped launch the Bozeman Nonprofit Cafe for NGO leaders, and served as Board Chair for the Montana Nonprofit Association and Montana Outdoor Science School. He was previously elected to The Corps Network board of directors, serving as an officer for three years, and since has remained an active member of the Corps Council and Public Lands Service Coalition. Montana’s wild lands and rivers inspire Jono and his family, and they continue to spend time hiking, biking, backpacking, skiing, rafting and otherwise exploring nature’s bounty- including in his plentiful backyard veggie garden. Jono grew up in Belgium where he enjoyed exploring nearby parks and hunting in the Ardennes. During college at Yale University, he discovered a love for mountaineering which led him out West, never to come back East – except for an excellent two years at Antioch New England University to earn his MA in Environmental Studies and Nonprofit Management.
Amee Shah
Amee Shah
Entrepreneur and Strategic Advisor
Amee Shah is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, organizational transformation, and operations. Currently, she advises businesses and NGOs on strategy development, operational improvement, branding and positioning, and leadership development.
From 2014 to 2023, Amee served as CEO of Artemis Consulting, where she led the company’s expansion into government technology consulting, fostered a culture of innovation, and drove growth that culminated in its acquisition by a private equity firm. Prior to that, she was a Senior Principal at CSRA, overseeing a portfolio of business transformation programs and managing post-acquisition integration. As Director of the DHS and Civilian Sector at MorganFranklin from 2006 to 2012, Amee managed financial performance, operations, and growth while spearheading internal initiatives focused on account management, and career development and industry engagement for women. Amee has dedicated her career to leveraging technology, process improvement, and operational efficiency to help clients achieve their goals. She also has experience working with international NGOs to build civil society institutions in emerging democracies, and advancing women’s roles in civil society and politics.
Amee serves on the Board of Advisors of the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, on the Advisory Council for AALEAD, and on the Steering Committee for the Northern Viginia Community Foundation’s Business Women’s Giving Circle. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College, a Master’s degree in International Relations from The American University, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Robert H. Smith School at the University of Maryland.
As Member Services Manager, Hannah manages processes to engage Member Corps in TCN’s member benefits, evaluate Corps impact, and support new Corps development. Her responsibilities include developing training opportunities for Corps staff, managing and cataloging Corps research including evaluations and impact assessments, supporting communities of learning across Corps and assisting communities who want to start a Corps. Hannah joined The Corps Network in 2021 as the Member Data Coordinator where she collected impact data from TCN’s 150+ Member Corps and supported data reporting and analysis needs for the organizaiton. Hannah’s Corps experiences prior to joining TCN range from leading a crew with Arizona Conservation Corps that removed invasive trees in the Verde River watershed, to supporting crews of her own as a Program Coordinator with Northwest Youth Corps. Much of her previous job experience has been seasonal field work focusing on surveying wildlife and implementing habitat restoration efforts in the southwest region of the country. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and obtained a program evaluation certificate from Portland State University in 2022.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sherrell Lizana
Sherrell Lizana
Program Coordinator
slizana@corpsnetwork.org
Sherrell Lizana is a dynamic leader in workforce development, project management, and community engagement, with a strong focus on empowering opportunity youth. A proud graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Sherrell’s passion for service was ignited in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, where she witnessed firsthand the resilience and potential of her community.
Currently serving as the Workforce Development Coordinator at The Corps Network, Sherrell plays a pivotal role in designing and implementing strategies that equip young adults with the skills, training, and support needed to access sustainable career pathways. She works closely with national partners, Corps programs, and community stakeholders to develop workforce initiatives that foster economic mobility and long-term success for opportunity youth.
Her career has spanned roles in nonprofit management and human capital development, collaborating with organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, International Relief & Development, YouthBuild, and statewide planning and development districts. Sherrell specializes in creating pathways to economic mobility by leveraging workforce development strategies that empower individuals to achieve self-sustainability. She is particularly passionate about guiding opportunity youth toward meaningful careers and positive life outcomes.
With a proven track record of managing complex projects and fostering community partnerships, Sherrell believes that workforce development is not just about jobs—it’s about building brighter futures for individuals, families, and communities.
Vivian Meade
Program Manager
Vivian Meade joined The Corps Network in 2024 as a Program Manager. Vivian graduated from Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, IL, with a bachelor’s in Spanish and Latino and Latin American Studies in 2020. During her time at NIU, Vivian conducted research and contributed over eight oral history recordings and transcriptions to the Latinx Oral History Project. Shortly after graduating, Vivian joined AmeriCorps VISTA where she served at the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center. In this role she was able to use her passion for history to educate and uplift the Black community of Denver, CO.
Vivian has experience working alongside the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service to provide youth internship opportunities for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Prior to joining The Corps Network, Vivian managed The Latino Heritage Internship Program, a service corps, and an individual placement program. She is passionate about fostering safe spaces for BIPOC communities in our public lands and providing opportunities for youth to grow professionally in cultural and natural resource management. Vivian’s interest in agriculture came from her multi-generational family’s farm in Illinois, and she is eager to uplift the next generation of conservationists while managing the Working Lands Conservation Corps.
In her free time Vivian loves to travel, explore museums, go hiking and bird watching. She is an activist, an educator, a musician, and currently resides in Colorado with her pup and two cats.
Shirley Sagawa
Former CEO, Service Year Alliance; Author
Shirley Sagawa is the former CEO of Service Year Alliance and an architect of AmeriCorps. Over the last three decades, she has developed innovative social and education policy, authored groundbreaking reports, and advised national organizations and foundations on strategy. As a partner with Sagawa/Jospin, she played strategic roles in the creation of America Forward, Cities of Service, Service Year Exchange, and the Presidio Institute Fellows Program. She served as First Lady Hillary Clinton’s policy assistant and deputy chief of staff and helped lead the startup of the Corporation for National and Community Service for President Bill Clinton. For President George H. W. Bush, she served as first vice chair of the Commission on National and Community Service, authorized under the National and Community Service Act of 1990, which she drafted and negotiated for the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. She also served as the founding executive director of Learning First Alliance and senior counsel to the National Women’s Law Center and has served on numerous nonprofit and foundation boards. A Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Shirley is author of three books, including The American Way to Change and The Charismatic Organization. She holds degrees from Harvard Law School, London School of Economics, and Smith College.
Mary Ellen Sprenkel – EX OFFICIO
President & CEO,
The Corps Network
Mary Ellen Sprenkel has been a long-time champion for youth. Mary Ellen came to The Corps Network in March of 2008 as Director of Government Relations. She was promoted to Vice President of External Affairs in 2011 and then appointed Interim CEO in May of 2012, prior to being selected as the CEO in October of 2012. During her tenure, Service and Conservation Corps have become better known programs to lawmakers and policymakers throughout the federal government. Legislation that would expand and bolster youth programs including Service and Conservation Corps has been routinely introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Under Mary Ellen’s leadership, in 2010 more than $63 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects were granted to Service and Conservation Corps throughout the country by 15 federal agencies. These projects provided youth with jobs and service opportunities while connecting them to public lands including national parks and forests. More recently, Mary Ellen has served as a member of the Federal Advisory Committee tasked with providing recommendations to federal land management agencies on how to implement a 21st Century Conservation Service Corps.
In addition to her productive time at The Corps Network, she has ten years of Capitol Hill experience, including two years on the House Committee on Education and Labor handling postsecondary education, training, and life-long learning programs. She also worked for Representatives Matthew G. Martinez (D-CA) and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). Before joining The Corps Network, Mary Ellen was Vice President of Government Relations at the Education Finance Council, the national trade association for nonprofit and state based student loan providers. Prior to that, she spent two years as the Assistant to the President of the University of Montana.
Maame Aba Ackon joined The Corps Network as the Executive Assistant in 2022, where she works with the executive office.
Maame received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from Frostburg State University and worked with a non-profit organization in Baltimore prior to joining TCN.
Outside of work, Maame loves to watch Jeopardy, binge watch Bob’s Burgers, and get buried in a good book.
As the Chief Operating Officer, Marie has managed the day-to-day operations of The Corps Network for more than a decade. Marie supervises The Corps Network’s contracts as well as the organization’s private and federal partnerships with AmeriCorps, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other national organizations and agencies.
Marie was instrumental in the creation of GulfCorps, a conservation and workforce development initiative focused on training local young adults for careers in the growing restoration economy along the Gulf of Mexico. GulfCorps is now a multi-million-dollar program that has engaged hundreds of young people in job training and hundreds of thousands of hours of critical conservation work. Marie has also overseen The Corps Network’s impactful work with the U.S. Forest Service on such initiatives as the Resource Assistants Program – a rigorous internship initiative targeted at engaging underrepresented populations in natural resources work – and the Urban and Community Forest Program, which is helping strengthen America’s urban tree canopy and diversify our forestry workforce. Additionally, Marie oversees The Corps Network’s Corps Project Assistance program, which has been working with the National Park Service to scope Corps-appropriate projects at parks throughout the country, helping inspire a new generation of public lands professionals.
Marie has a wealth of experience in non-profit operations and management. Prior to joining The Corps Network in 2014, Marie spent 15 years as the Director of Programs and Development for the Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia (CCCWV). Marie was involved in the development and implementation of several innovative programs, including the first Brownfields Job Training Program in West Virginia. Marie has served on the board of directors for several organizations, including NASCC (National Association of Service and Conservation Corps – now The Corps Network); WV Development HUB; Harpers Ferry Job Center Community Council; American Cancer Society; and Main Street Martinsburg. She currently serves as a board member of American Trails, where she is co-chair of the development committee.
Marie holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and sociology, as well as a master’s degree in public administration. She studied at Concord University, Old Dominion University, and West Virginia University. Go Mountain Lions, Monarchs, and Mountaineers! In her spare time, Marie enjoys playing nine holes of golf, listening to great jazz music, and watching college football.
As the Government Relations Manager, Meghan assists The Corps Network’s Government Relations Team with Corps advocacy through administration and Congressional outreach as well as environmental and workforce development policy research.
Meghan is a graduate of the George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication. During her undergraduate career, Meghan interned in both the House of Representatives and the Senate where she discovered a passion for environmental advocacy and sustainability. Meghan was also a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a gender inclusive community service-based fraternity focused on volunteering at various service sites throughout the DC community.
Outside of work, Meghan enjoys running, finding new vegetarian dishes, and keeping up with reality TV.
Thomas joined The Corps Network in 2020 as a Program Associate. His responsibilities focus on helping The Corps Network recruit and manage interns for the U.S. Forest Service Resource Assistants Program (RAP). He works in additional capacities by communicating effectively with the USDA Forest Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the National Park Service. As a Program Assistant, Thomas is responsible for maintaining communications between RAP interns about their specific experiences and projects.
Thomas originates from New Orleans, LA but attended college in Washington, DC, receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The Catholic University in 2019. He has held several internships around DC, but he has always been passionate about serving his community and looks forward to the exciting opportunities offered by The Corps Network to assist communities and people who are in need.
Shytia “Tia” Blakney was born and raised on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. She has an Associate’s Degree in Business and is close to completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She enjoys shopping and spending time with her beautiful children ages 10, 6, and 4. Tia worked at CLIMB CDC for 3 years managing their Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act program. She was responsible for managing their employer partnership portfolio and placing young people in externship opportunities. Her passion is working with opportunity youth to help them become employable and self-reliant. During her time at CLIMB, she worked very closely with young people creating their Individual Development Plans and assisting them with meeting their education and employment goals. She worked with the conservation and environmental programs, as well as, the general workforce development operation. Prior to CLIMB, she worked at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center as a Correctional Officer.
As Communications Manager, Asia assists in creating written, graphic, and video content. Originally from Long Beach, CA, she received her Bachelor’s degree in English Writing with a minor in Mass Communications from Loyola University New Orleans. Post-graduation, she moved to Portland, OR, where she was the Community Manager for a small business, running their social media and events. Now located in Washington, DC, her passion is storytelling through digital content. She has worked with and managed various brands such as publishing companies, luxury magazines, tourism boards, and nonprofits. In her most recent position, she worked with the Communications team at Latino Corporate Directors Association to increase gender, racial, and ethnic diversity on corporate boards. She aspires to continue a career in Communications specifically working with organizations based in nonprofit, policy/advocacy, and social justice work. She enjoys traveling, concerts, and spending time with her two dogs, Cronus and Wilson.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Edward Kim
Communications Coordinator
Edward joined The Corps Network in 2022 and supports the communications team by managing various digital campaigns highlighting Corps. Edward previously served as a Corpsmember with the Bureau of Land Management as an environmental educator and wildlife researcher on the Oregon Coast. Following his Corps service, Edward worked for Environment for the Americas in Boulder, Colorado to continue to follow his passion for wildlife conservation and environmental education. In this role, Edward partnered with the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service to promote federal internship programs.
Edward lives in Washington, DC and is a student at Georgetown University’s M.S. in Environment and Sustainability Management program. In his free time, Edward enjoys playing roller and ice hockey, reading nonfiction, and cooking.
Tatiana Cleveland
Grants Coordinator
Tatiana Cleveland joins The Corps Network as a Grants Coordinator. She assists the grant team in processing reimbursement requests from our many Corps and helps to ensure responsible and fiscally sound grant stewardship. As a self-proclaimed nomad, her career in national service has taken her to places such as Austin, TX, Atlanta, GA, and now she is so glad to be in Washington, DC. Tatiana attended UNC Pembroke, where she obtained her B.S. in Mass Communications with a focus in Public Relations. She holds a MA from the UNC Wilmington in Liberal Studies, and is currently working on a second Master’s in Nonprofit Administration from Louisiana State University Shreveport. Tatiana is a 3x AmeriCorps Alumna having served in NCCC, VISTA, and State and National. Previously Tatiana has managed several AmeriCorps VISTA projects over her career, which started with the United Way in Wilson County North Carolina after her last service term. In her most recent role, she served as a Portfolio Manager with the South Central Regional Office of AmeriCorps. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, learning about sociology, and volunteering with her sorors of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Tatiana is lucky to be a mom of to a lovely daughter, Camille, age 10, and a very happy baby boy, Emory, who is 8 months.
Katie O’Hara
Data Coordinator
Katie began her journey at The Corps Network as an intern in late 2023, working in partnership with Agents of Discovery. She transitioned into a full-time position as a Data Coordinator under the Member Service Team in 2024.
Adopted from China, Katie grew up in Portland, Oregon, and has since lived in various states across the country and currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from The Ohio State University. Before joining The Corps Network, Katie completed a service term with the Maryland Conservation Corps.
In her free time, Katie enjoys playing in a community orchestra, training for open water races, and spending lazy days with her dog Dvorák, and two cats, Asimov and Dostoevsky.
Jim Lyons began his career with the US Fish and Wildlife Service then served as Policy Director for the Society of American Foresters before joining the House Committee on Agriculture where he led development of the conservation and forestry titles of the 1990 Farm Bill. President Clinton chose Jim to serve as USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment where he oversaw the Forest Service and the new Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He was an architect of President Clinton’s Northwest forest plan, helped protect national forest roadless areas, and also led efforts to promote greening of disadvantaged communities in major cities across the nation by advancing the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program and launching “URP” – the Urban Resources Partnership. Jim was Interior Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management in the Obama administration where he helped lead efforts to conserve the Greater sage grouse, advance wind and solar energy on public lands, and advance strategies to combat rangeland fires across the West. Jim has been a Lecturer and Research Scholar at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (now School of the Environment) and recognized as a distinguished alum by Yale. He now serves as a consultant on natural resource policy, conservation, and climate issues.
Leslie Weldon
Leslie Weldon
Natural Resource Management Expert
Leslie Weldon is an experienced leader in natural resource management and organizational development. Over the past 41 years, Leslie served in a diversity of senior executive and field-based positions within the USDA Forest Service. From 2018-2022 Leslie was Chief Executive for Work Environment and Performance. In this role, she championed system change to ensure workforce diversity, equity in program delivery, and leadership development.
From 2012 through 2018 Leslie served as Deputy Chief for National Forest System where she guided national natural resource policy, oversight and strategic direction for managing watersheds in the 193 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands. From 2009 – 2011, Leslie served as Regional Forester for the Northern Region of the Forest Service providing oversight and supporting collaborative landscape forest restoration and large landscape conservation efforts on 28 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands as well as State and Private Forestry programs in Northern Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. Most recently Leslie was appointed by Secretary Tom Vilsack to serve as the inaugural Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the United States Department of Agriculture, where she served as the champion for USDA’s ongoing efforts to support a workforce that represents the citizens we serve, who have a sense of value and belonging, and who can thrive in their public service mission. She retired from federal service in March 2023.
Leslie, who began her career with USFS as a teen when she worked two summers on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia in the Youth Conservation Corps, has been a consistent and vocal champion of youth conservation and service corps programs, resulting in the highest ever Forest Service youth enrollment and public private funding partnerships from 2013 through 2017. Leslie currently serves on the boards of Arbor Day Foundation, Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, University of Washington Center for Environmental Forensic Science, and Trout Unlimited. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Virginia Tech. Leslie is married to Mike Weldon. They have twin adult sons, both of whom are pursuing careers in natural resources.
Laura Herrin
Laura Herrin
President and CEO, American Conservation Experience
Laura Herrin joined ACE in 2018 as President and CEO. In the time since joining, ACE has grown in size and stature and is recognized as one of the nation’s premiere conservation corps. Laura has introduced three pillars to ACE as the organization strives to be the Program, Partner, and Workplace of Choice. Celebrating its 20th year, ACE has developed signature programs and worked on a variety of projects in all 50 states and several US Territories. Laura has a long tenure in the conservation corps arena. Prior to her role at ACE, she spent fifteen years with the Student Conservation Association, ultimately as its Senior Vice President for Programs. During her time at SCA Laura wore many hats including program and partnership development and implementation, risk management and safety, innovation, and organizational growth. Additionally, Laura has a long connection with The Corps Network. As a prior member of the Board, Laura was part of the process to update TCN’s organizational mission and was a member of the CEO hiring team. Laura is currently serving on the Corps Council for a second time and is rejoining the Board of Directors as a representative to the Board from the Corps Council. Additionally, in 2017-18 Laura worked directly with The Corps Network supporting fund development and partnerships. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College (MA) and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management and Leadership. She is a certified black belt in Innovation Engineering.
Hon. Louis Caldera
Former Secretary of the Army, United States Armed Forces
Louis Caldera has been a life-long champion of creating opportunities for young people to get a good education and too serve others. He joined the Clinton Administration as COO of the Corporation for National Service before being asked to serve as the 17th Secretary of the Army where he led the nation’s largest employer of young people. He later became president of the University of New Mexico. The son of Mexican immigrants, Louis started his career as an Army officer, lawyer and California legislator. Today, he teaches law at American University in Washington D.C., and he is a founder of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, an alliance of college and university presidents that advocate on behalf of Dreamers and international students. Louis is a graduate of West Point, Harvard Law School and Harvard Business Schools.
Michele Bolos – Treasurer
CEO and Founder,
Next Tier Concepts
Michele Bolos is the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of Next Tier Concepts (NT Concepts), a national security solution provider for the US Government. In this role, Ms. Bolos oversees strategic direction, organic growth plans, and a culture of respect in the company. When founding NT Concepts in 1998, her guiding principle was to innovate and deliver high value mission critical solutions without compromising on exceptional customer service. This principle is the foundation of our success.
Prior to starting NT Concepts, Ms. Bolos worked for Alfa-Laval Thermal, Mobil Oil, Talus Corporation, and API/WANG Global where she led complex software engineering efforts for the commercial and federal marketplace. As CEO of NT Concepts, Ms. Bolos was named the 2016 Executive of the Year for companies $75 million to $300 million as part of the Greater Washington GovCon Awards.
Ms. Bolos is committed to fostering a service-inspired community by empowering employees to pursue their passion in service initiatives. She believes that a company grows stronger when employees work together to serve causes they care about. The company’s platform, #NTC_GivesBack, donates countless hours and resources, both domestically and internationally, to a variety of 501(c) organizations.
Ms. Bolos earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University. She maintains an active role in the professional services industry by serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Professional Services Council (PSC) and on the Board of Directors of the NOVA Chamber of Commerce. She is actively engaged in community philanthropy by serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Leadership Mission International, the Board of Directors of Gabriel Homes and The Corps Network.
Bailey Chambers
Bailey Chambers
Administrative Assistant
bchambers@corpsnetwork.org
Bailey Chambers joined the Corps Network in early 2024 as an Administrative Assistant. Originally from Massachusetts, she received her degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University with a focus on the intersections of environmental and agricultural policy. After graduating, she moved down south to Tennessee, where she spent two years farming organic vegetables and managing the production of gourmet mushrooms. She found her way to The Corps Network after moving to Washington, D.C., to pursue a career in mission-focused non-profits.
Outside of work, Bailey loves gardening, reading, and spending time with her husband Jack, and two dogs, Goose and Moe.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Derrick Crandall – CHAIR
President, Outdoor Solutions USA
DERRICK CRANDALL — is Counselor to the National Park Hospitality Association and CEO of Outdoor Solutions USA. He recently retired from the American Recreation Coalition/Outdoor Recreation Roundtable after 37 years as its President. He Co-Chairs the Coalition for Recreational Trails and was Vice Chair of Interior’s Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee. He received Presidential appointments to the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors from 1985 to 1987 and the President’s Commission on Environmental Quality in 1991. He served on Brand USA and Western Governors Association advisory panels and was Chairman of the Take Pride in America Advisory Board, appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. He was a Founding Director of the National Forest Foundation, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Among the dozens of public-policy efforts in which he has played a central role are Great Outdoor Month, the National Scenic Byways Program, Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, Recreational Trails Program, Wallop-Breaux Program, unification of federal campground reservations and the National Recreation Lakes Study Commission. He has received numerous national awards, including Chevron’s Conservation Award, induction into the RV Hall of Fame, a Centennial Award from the Forest Service, and Interior’s Spirit of Take Pride Award. USA Today references him as “the outdoor guru.” Mr. Crandall attained Certified Association Executive and Fellow designations from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and served on its board for seven years, including two terms as Vice Chairman. He now enjoys connecting his five grandkids, ages 7 to 13, with the Great Outdoors.
Jennifer Chesney
Jennifer Chesney
Program Coordinator
jchesney@corpsnetwork.org
Jennifer has approximately 20 years of experience serving within her local communities. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Mississippi in 2003 and her Master of Science in Counseling and Psychology from The University of West Alabama in 2012. During her career as an educator, Jennifer served as a licensed classroom teacher and tutor, elementary science teacher, Anatomy and Physiology instructor, Earth Science instructor, and Environmental Science instructor. As a Certified Mental Health Therapist, Jennifer practiced as a school-based child and adolescent therapist, day treatment therapist, outpatient child and family therapist, and in-home therapist. She has also worked in school attendance enforcement for the MS Department of Education, has experience working in social services and case management, and previously served as a Public Relations Director, Employee Assistance Program Coordinator, and Behavior Specialist. Jennifer joined The Corps Network as a Program Coordinator for GulfCorps and Delaware River Climate Corps in 2023. In her leisure time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
As a Communications Coordinator, Emma assists The Corps Network Communications Team with content creation and strategy and collaborates with external partners to advance The Corps Network’s mission.
Emma is a graduate of James Madison University with a bachelor’s degree in History and Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. While in college, Emma served as a tutor at her university writing center and interned for her New York district senator where she discovered a passion for working within the public sphere. She has also had the opportunity to intern in London for the London Business Matters magazine.
Outside of work, Emma enjoys exploring new places, hiking with friends, and tasting the newest local cuisine.
Allen Dietz has over 35 years of experience working with non-profit organizations. He has managed or provided technical support to AmeriCorps, VISTA, and Senior Corps programs for the past three decades. Allen founded and managed a large statewide AmeriCorps program in Texas, served as the Chief Operations Officer for the Washington Service Corps, and was the director of a Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Allen was deeply involved with the development of The Corps Center of Excellence Accreditation Standards for Service and Conservation Corps, and currently helps manage The Corps Network’s national accreditation process.
Allen lives on the edge of the North Cascades in Washington State and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and skiing in his free time.
Jackie joins the Corps Network as the Director of Workforce Development, where she will focus on expanding national workforce initiatives, partnerships, post-placement employment outcomes, Apprenticeships, and workforce project funding. With over two decades of expertise in organizational design, strategic planning, and program management, Jackie has a successful track record in leading government workforce programs and managing contracts and grants for organizations like the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She excels in building cross-functional teams, optimizing performance improvement measures, and leading organizational change initiatives. Her passion lies in connecting underserved marginalized populations with equitable access to career pathways, higher education, and addressing Social Determinants of Health.
In addition to her previous leadership roles, Jackie has extensive experience in strategic consultancy, contributing to federal projects with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the U.S. Department of Education (ED.) in which her responsibilities encompassed federal proposal development, apprenticeship implementation, guiding national program development initiatives, informing green jobs research, and federal project grant management.
Jacqueline holds a Master of Education in Adult Learning and Workforce Education, a Master of Science in Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing. She is a Certified Workforce Development Professional, Certified Process Improvement Manager, Certified Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Manager, and Certified Change Management Professional. She also holds various other certifications in project management, Lean Six Sigma, and professional and organizational development.
In her free time, Jackie cherishes family time with her husband, Thoris, and their three children, Avery, Eva, and Kailyn. Together, they engage in various activities, including family movie/game nights, travel adventures, candle-making, and lively karaoke sessions featuring beloved 80s and 90s songs. Additionally, Jackie finds relaxation, rejuvenation, and her ZEN! through the practice of study, meditation, and Hot Yoga.
David Vela
David Vela
Former Deputy/ Acting Director of the National Park Service
On September 30, 2019, David Vela, a 29-year career veteran of the National Park Service (NPS), was named Deputy Director, exercising the authority of the Director of the National Park Service. He had been serving as Deputy Director of Operations since April. Vela previously served as superintendent of Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway from March 2014 to April 2019. Prior to assuming his Grand Teton post, Vela served as associate director for Workforce, Relevancy and Inclusion in the NPS Washington headquarters where he administered a $32 million-dollar operational budget with 153 employees, and served as a key advisor to the NPS Director and Deputy Director on the full spectrum of strategic Human Capital Management issues, initiatives, and policies. His national program areas included: Human Resources, Learning and Development, Equal Opportunity, Youth, and the Office of Relevancy, Diversity & Inclusion. Vela began his NPS career in 1981 as a cooperative education student at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas, and later became a permanent park ranger. From 1987 to 1998, Vela worked in a variety of federal posts outside the NPS, and retired from the agency in September 2020. Vela is the recipient of numerous awards both within and outside of the National Park Service for leadership and performance excellence. He and his wife, Melissa, have two children, Christina and Anthony, and eight grandchildren.
Monique Miles
Vice President of Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Director of Opportunity Youth Forum
Monique Miles is the Vice President of Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Director of Opportunity Youth Forum, Prior to joining the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, Monique was the Director, Postsecondary Achievement at the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC). In her role at NYEC, Monique oversaw the Postsecondary Success Initiative, a national pilot that supported Community Based Organizations (CBOs) across the country to design and implement postsecondary programming, in partnership with local institutions of higher learning, for students who were disconnected from education.
Monique began her career in education reform working as a Literacy Instructor at Youth Opportunity Boston. In this role Monique worked directly with students remanded to the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) to design and deliver education and career development curriculum. Monique went on to serve the same population of students through political advocacy initiatives at the Commonwealth Corporation (CommCorp).
Monique earned a Bachelor of Science from Springfield College and a Master’s in Education, Policy & Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Monique serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Pomfret School. She also serves on the Advisory Board of Tulane University Cowen Institute of Public Education Initiatives. She is on the board of Independent Trust and The Corps Network.
Shellie Carter
Shellie Carter
Program Coordinator
scarter@corpsnetwork.org
Shellie Carter lives on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Mississippi and joined The Corps Network(TCN) as a Program Coordinator working with the GulfCorps program. She has recently joined the TCN accreditation team. Shellie has a communication and public relations education, but her passion and work experience has been human services. Shellie worked for local community development organizations including Corps programming for more than 15 years. She has worked in corps, program, and organizational development starting and managing human services programs that have invested more than $50 million dollars into the local community. She has specialized in workforce development for opportunity young adults and within marginalized communities. Some of these programs include Youth Build, WIOA, AmeriCorps, homeless services and re-entry programs. Her interests include Cruisin’ The Coast, Mardi Gras, event planning, decorating and in her spare time she loves to spend time with her grandchildren.
As a Communications Associate, Ed supports The Corps Network Communications Team by creating and managing media content promoting Corps. Ed received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Media Studies from DePauw University. During college, Ed volunteer coached for a special needs travel ice hockey team in Indianapolis (Go Twisters!) and served as a teaching assistant at DePauw University and Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea. Ed also spent a summer on Capitol Hill as a congressional intern and later completed a 6-month environmental education and outreach internship on the Oregon Coast with the Bureau of Land Management at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Before joining The Corps Network, Ed worked as a Communications Lead for Environment for The Americas in Boulder, CO.
Ed lives in Colorado and enjoys playing ice/roller hockey, petting dogs/cats, and exploring natural spaces.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Carole Plato
Carole M. Plato
Grants Manager
cplato@corpsnetwork.org
Carole M. Plato joined The Corps Network as Grant Manager on October 1st, 2023, where she works with the Director of Grants Management in managing the grant and awards programs.
After living and traveling around Europe while enlisted in the United States Army, she settled down in the Washington, DC area after retiring from active-duty service. Carole is an alumnus of University of Maryland Global Campus where she majored in Communications and brings a wide variety of administrative expertise from several industries. From biotech to government relations, patent filings for intellectual property, global communications to enterprise solutions for cloud storage. She is excited to be working alongside her colleagues to support the mission of The Corps Network and its members.
She is also an active member and Secretary in a local chapter Toastmasters International; enjoys walking and biking in her community of Hyattsville and continues to travel as often as possible.
Michael Summers was born on November 19, 1972, and is originally from North Carolina. Michael has been a resident of Maryland since 2001. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from North Carolina A&T State University and Master of Liberal Arts from The Johns Hopkins University.
Mr. Summers has been a Business Development Manager that employs an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach to achieving results for business and community leaders, non-profit organizations, government agencies through creative and innovative solutions.
He is a former State Delegate to the Maryland General Assembly for Prince George’s County (Dist. 47). He is a former Member of: The Cheltenham Youth Facility (CYF) Advisory Board, Prince George’s Co. School Mental Health Initiative Advisory Board, Prince George’s County Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council, and Prince George’s Co. Schools Interagency on Attendance Council. He is also a co-founder of Cheverly Village, a community organization that assists senior residents age in place.
Michael has been a recipient of; the Civic Engagement Award from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation of Prince George’s County, Outstanding Contributor Award for his involvement with the Prince George’s Co. Local Management Board, Prince George’s County Public Schools Community Partner Award, Maryland Municipal League Outstanding Friend of Municipal Government Award, and a Council of State Government (CSG) Henry Toll Fellow.
Leslie began with the Human Environment Center in 1984 and transitioned to The Corps Network when it was created in 1985. Since she began, Leslie has planned numerous conferences, designed and edited a quarterly newsletter, and directed member services. Leslie has taken on almost every responsibility possible at one time or another, and has become one of the most knowledgeable leaders in the Corps Movement, sought out for her wisdom, command of Corps history, and expertise in AmeriCorps programs and initiatives.
Leslie previously administered The Corps Network’s AmeriCorps Education Award Program (EAP). She created TCN’s AmeriCorps Program Manual as well as a document on how to get the most out of the AmeriCorps Education Award (scholarship), which includes non-traditional uses of the award. She also ensures compliance and provides technical assistance to TCN Subgrantees in our Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) AmeriCorps grants.
Throughout her tenure, Leslie has developed a cache of tools for national service and youth development programs and has emerged as one of the leaders of the EAP, serving on numerous working groups for CNCS. She also provides training to Subgrantees for the eGrants Portal on-line member management system, AmeriCorps Compliance and other aspects for running a successful, compliant program. In addition, she worked with Willis Towers Watson to develop The Corps Network’s Health Insurance Plan for Corpsmembers and AmeriCorps members.
Leslie has a degree in Textile Design and likes to spend her free time creating beautiful quilts and other fabric items. Attendees at the special AmeriCorps session at TCN’s Annual Conference always get a fun fabric craft or toy to take home.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
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Stephanie Mathes
Director of Technical Assistance and Accreditation
Stephanie Mathes is a native Mississippian with over 20 years of nonprofit management and workforce development experience. She attended California State University, Long Beach studying Philosophy with an emphasis in Pre-Law. She, and her husband Bruce, have three college aged children. Her favorite pastimes are gardening, painting, and being involved with her local church.
Stephanie’s previous roles at The Corps Network included Director of Special Initiatives and Director of Gulf Operations. Prior to her tenure at The Corps Network, Stephanie was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of a local community development organization (CDC) specializing in human development programs including workforce training for opportunity and at-risk youth. Over the course of her 20-year career, Stephanie has worked with nonprofit organizational management, project development and the implementation of over 135 million dollars of federal funding. Besides the workforce training institute, her project implementation experience has included prevention of child abuse, micro-enterprise, social enterprise, juvenile justice programs, housing and homeless programs, and disaster response/recovery. While at the CDC, Stephanie developed and managed the organization’s conservation corps program as part of their Environmental and Conservation employability track. Stephanie is very involved in her community serving on a variety of local Boards of Directors and committees. She completed Leadership Gulf Coast, Class of 2014 and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program.
As the Director of Communications, Hannah develops and produces written, graphic and video content. She also oversees The Corps Network’s website and social media accounts. Over the years, Hannah has created countless publications about Corps, written articles and opinion pieces for national outlets, and assisted in the planning efforts for The Corps Network’s events. She has developed resources for helping Corps improve their communications efforts, and leads a working group of communications and marketing professionals across the Corps community. Hannah was the lead author of the book Join the Crew: Inspirational Stories of Young Adults in America’s Service and Conservation Corps.
Hannah received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While in college, Hannah volunteered at the National Air and Space Museum, and volunteered in DC Public Schools through DC Reads (a tutoring program) and Prime Movers (a journalism education program). She also spent a semester interning with the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and spent over a year interning and writing for Street Sense; a DC-based newspaper focused on raising awareness about homelessness.
As the Director of Member Services, Bobby coordinates and manages activities designed to identify and meet the needs of TCN members, including administration of membership information, management of efforts to retain and recruit members, assistance with the Corps Center of Excellence Accreditation program, and the coordination of member benefits. Member benefits include technical assistance offerings, trainings, resources, partner relationships, events and new initiatives as they arise.
Prior to working at The Corps Network, Bobby completed two AmeriCorps terms-of-service with the Montana Conservation Corps as both a crewmember and a crew leader. He served on a backcountry wilderness trails crew as well as a roving habitat restoration crew. Bobby also worked as the Government Relations Intern at The Corps Network where he assisted the Director of Government Relations as well as provided logistical support for the Public Lands Service Coalition.
Bobby graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a BA in International Affairs. Outside of work, he enjoys running, documentaries on Netflix, and watching the Wizards and Nationals.
Bridget Street joined The Corps Network in 2022 as the Youth Program Assistant. Bridget works in close partnership with the National Park Service, Interior Region 1 to coordinate planning, monitoring, and reporting outcomes of youth and young adult programs in national parks throughout the northeastern United States. Prior to her work with The Corps Network, Bridget served as a Community Volunteer Ambassador at Weir Farm National Historical Park through Conservation Legacy’s Stewards Individual Placement program. She has a passion for connecting communities and conservation and holds degrees in Earth Science and Linguistics from Columbia University. Outside of work, Bridget enjoys dancing, concerts, and outdoor adventures.
Jerry Jacobs, Jr.
Jerry Jacobs, Jr.
CEO, Delaware North
Jeremy “Jerry” M. Jacobs, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North and an alternate governor to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He shares the CEO and alternate governor titles with his brothers, Lou and Charlie Jacobs.
Delaware North is a family-owned global leader in hospitality, with operations in food and retail at airports and sports venues, hospitality services at parks and major tourist attractions, hotel ownership and management, gaming operations, fine dining and catering, and sports facility ownership and management. In 1995, Delaware North built a new multi-purpose arena in Boston, Mass., that is currently home of the Bruins and the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Over the past 25 years, the TD Garden has undergone many transformations and is now considered one of the most innovative and celebrated venues in North America.
Delaware North maintains a global headquarters in Buffalo, N.Y. where the Jacobses are celebrated as longtime supporters of the University at Buffalo, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system. The university named and dedicated the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2015, in recognition of the Jacobs family’s many decades of philanthropy. Most recently, the Jacobs family contributed $30 million for the construction of the new, state-of-the-art medical school building in downtown Buffalo. The Jacobses also founded the Jacobs Institute, a medical innovation center focused on accelerating device development in vascular medicine.
The Jacobs family and Delaware North are significant benefactors to multiple non-profit organizations in Western New York and throughout the United States and world. Jerry serves on the Scholarship Board for Say Yes Buffalo, an organization dedicated to increasing high school and postsecondary completion rates for students in the City of Buffalo. He is a past member of Georgetown University’s Board of Regents and volunteers as an alumnus interviewer.
Jerry has additionally dedicated more than two decades of volunteer service to the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, including past chairmanships of the organization’s board of directors and annual fundraising campaign, and is a past chair of the Nichols School’s Board of Trustees, where he founded the Jacobs Scholars program for high-achieving students with financial need.
Jerry is active in multiple business and civic organizations. He completed a term on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board in 2015, and in 2018 he was named to the U.S. Secretary of Interior’s “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee. He is an active member of the U.S. Travel Association’s CEO Roundtable and the Partnership for New York City.
Jerry completed an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Georgetown University. He met his wife, Alice Jacobs, when they were both students at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a J.D. Alice is the chair emerita of the Western New York Women’s Foundation, president of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Board of Directors, and a member of the board of directors for the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
Jerry and Alice reside in East Aurora, New York. They have two children, Melissa and Justin.
Karen Pittman
Karen Pittman
Co-Founder of The Forum for Youth Investment
Karen Pittman is the Co-Founder of The Forum for Youth Investment, and served as its President & CEO until February 2021, then transitioned to a senior fellow role to dedicate more of her time and energy to thought leadership. Karen has made a career of starting organizations and initiatives that promote youth development – including the Forum for Youth Investment, which she co-founded with Merita Irby in 1998. Karen started her career at the Urban Institute, conducting studies on social services for children and families. She later moved to the Children’s Defense Fund, launching its adolescent pregnancy prevention initiatives and helping to create its adolescent policy agenda. In 1990 she became a vice president at the Academy for Educational Development. In 1995 Karen joined the Clinton administration as director of the President’s Crime Prevention Council, where she worked with 13 cabinet secretaries to create a coordinated prevention agenda. From there she moved to the executive team of the International Youth Foundation (IYF), charged with helping the organization strengthen its program content and develop an evaluation strategy. In 1998 she and Rick Little, head of the foundation, took a leave of absence to work with ret. Gen. Colin Powell to create America’s Promise. Upon her return, she and Irby launched the Forum, which later became an entity separate from IYF. Under their leadership, the Forum has established deep roots as a national nonprofit, nonpartisan “action tank” – combining thought leadership on youth development, youth policy, cross-system/cross-sector partnerships and developmental youth practice with on-the-ground training, technical assistance and supports – fully committed to changing the odds that all children and youth are ready for college, work and life.
Jennifer Palmieri
Jennifer Palmieri
Political and Communications Strategist
Jennifer Palmieri is a co-host of Showtime’s Emmy-nominated “The Circus.” She is the author of the Number 1 New York Times bestselling book Dear Madam President, and She Proclaims: Our Declaration of Independence from a Man’s World. Jennifer is one of the most accomplished political and communications strategist in the country. She served as White House Communications Director under President Barack Obama and was head of communications for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Prior to joining the Obama White House, Jennifer was President of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the advocacy arm for a premier progressive think tank. She was also national press secretary for the Democratic Party, White House deputy press secretary for President Bill Clinton, and national press secretary for the 2004 John Edwards for President campaign. She started her career as a legislative assistant for then Congressman Leon E. Panetta of California. Jennifer is a graduate of American University and lives with her husband Jim Lyons in Maryland.
Kionne McGhee
Kionne McGhee
Miami-Dade County Commissioner
Kionne McGhee grew up in South Dade public housing and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Howard University and a Juris Doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. He was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2012 for Florida House District 117 and served as the Minority Leader from 2018 to 2020, when he was elected as Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 9. Commissioner McGhee is an accomplished attorney and the author of the bestselling-book “Conquering Hope: The Life You Were Destined to Live.”
His numerous affiliations include the Florida Trial Lawyers Association, Wilkie D. Ferguson Bar Association, and the Greater Miami Service Corps, where he serves as a board member. He is also President and founder of 2NOIT Media & Publishing, founder of Y.A.L.E. (Young Advocates Leading by Example), and president of Transitions, Inc. He has been named as one of Miami’s Rising Voices by AT&T and the Miami Herald and earned the Florida Self-Sufficiency Award in 2010. Commissioner McGhee is married to Stacy McGhee and is the father of Kionne II, Hayley and Hays.
Emily is from Mississippi and went to College at the University of Southern Mississippi to receive degrees in Psychology and Environmental Biology. She has worked in many roles, from Business Analyst to Alaska Crab Boat Biologist, but fell in love with the Conservation Corps world when she served as a Crew Leader for Wyoming Conservation Corps. Later, Emily joined the staff team at American Youthworks as a Field Coordinator for TxCC and then transitioned over to manage LACC. When she moved back to Mississippi this year, Emily was excited to see that the Gulf Operations team with TCN was hiring.
LaShauntya joined The Corps Network in 2016 as a Fellow to the Education and Workforce Development department and is now the Member Services Assistant. She brings 16 years of environmental service to her position. She started as an AmeriCorps member at Earth Conservation Corps, a DC-based environmental organization. She completed two terms and was asked to join the staff as a site manager. After six months, she was promoted to Youth Program Coordinator. She has been featured on 60 Minutes, NOW with Bill Moyers, and in People magazine. In her free time, LaShauntya enjoys spending time with her family, reading and traveling.
Tim was hired by TCN in July of 2022 as the Maintenance Action Team (MAT) Program Manager. The MAT assists the National Park Service (NPS) by developing project scopes of work and related cost estimates for small and medium sized parks. Funded through the NPS Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), these projects will be staffed and executed by Service and Conservation Corps members.
Tim grew up in Yosemite National Park where he started his career with the NPS. His 40-year tenure with the Service included maintenance positions at Grand Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial. In his final position, Tim served as the Chief of Park Facility Management in the Washington Office, where he provided leadership and policy direction to ensure the effective stewardship of the Service’s constructed asset portfolio. Within this capacity, he also championed the transformation of NPS’s reactive style of maintenance to one that is proactive and rooted in industry best practices. Tim received an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Fresno City College.
Deborah Dorsett
Deborah Dorsett
Executive Director,
Greater Miami Service Corps
Ms. Dorsett is Executive Director of Greater Miami Service Corps where she directs fundraising and development efforts to sustain the organization; initiates public relations efforts to engender support from the public and private sectors of the community; and ensures the delivery of program services are effectuated with optimal results while meeting the changing dynamics of a global non-profit environment. Her primary areas of concentration include grant development and implementation; contract management and monitoring; personnel management; budget development; design and implementation of education, job training activities and coordination of social services.
During her over 30 years in public administration, Ms. Dorsett has served in numerous leadership positions including, former Chairperson of The Corps Network Board Directors (now Corps Council). She also served as Vice President and Treasurer of Unity of Miami Gardens Church; President and Vice President, Fountain Park Village Homes Association, and Health Committee Co-Chair, for Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Ms. Dorsett currently serves as Assistant Treasurer of the Women’s Involved in Service to Humanity (WISH) Foundation, Vice Chairman of NieCat Foundation of Excellence, Incorporated, Vice President of the Florida YouthBuild Coalition, and Chairman of the Risk Management Committee of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter and member of The Corps Council and The Corps Network Board of the Directors. In 2019, she was awarded by Legacy Magazine as one of the 50 top influential black business leaders and public official of the year. Ms. Dorsett received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Florida Memorial University, and she earned a Master of Business Administration from St. Thomas University.
Austin Bowley grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina in 2018. In his first year after college, he served an AmeriCorps term in Tallahassee, FL providing free vision screenings for preschoolers and free tax preparation for working class families and individuals. After completing his first AmeriCorps term, he moved to Pensacola, FL to serve another AmeriCorps term with the Conservation Corps of the Forgotten and Emerald Coasts (CCFEC).
Finding a home within conservation, Austin moved into a staff role with CCFEC for 2 years where he worked closely with the GulfCorps program. He particularly enjoyed working with young adults, helping them reach their personal and career goals. After years of missing his hometown, he moved back to Jackson, MS. Luckily, his friends at The Corps Network were hiring for the Gulf Operations team, and he joined The Corps Network in the summer of 2022, where he is able to continue working with young people.
In his free time, Austin enjoys making music as a guitarist and vocalist, playing soccer, and playing board games and video games with friends and family. His cats ensure he rarely has a moment to himself.
Tiffany Madison is an Alabama State University graduate that hails from Century, FL. Tiffany has an undeniable love for nature that has allowed her to engage in urban agriculture, sustainability, historic preservation, animal husbandry, community gardening, environmental education, and workforce development.
With a desire to lead future generations, Tiffany has worked in conservation and public land management for the last decade. Alongside agencies like the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, she has cemented this path with her commitment and dedication for community growth and advancement.
Jordan Reeder joined The Corps Network as the Grants Coordinator in 2022, where she works with the Director of Programs to provide support across the diverse portfolio of Corps programs.
Jordan received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Care Management from Towson University and has worked with various non-profit organizations in the Washington Metropolitan area prior to joining TCN.
Outside of work, Jordan enjoys cycling, a good movie, and volunteering within her community.
Rachael Zwerin is responsible for assisting the Member Services Team in identifying and supporting the needs of The Corps Network’s member organization. Rachael was born and raised in Westchester, NY. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sustainability from The State University of New York College at Oneonta. Rachael has prior experience volunteering with the non-profit organization Common Ground Relief in New Orleans, LA, working on coastal restoration projects to rebuild communities and wetlands along the coast of Louisiana. She also worked for two consecutive summer seasons as a Youth Program Assistant for Groundwork Hudson Valley as a crew leader for youth working on local conservation projects, such as trail restoration and invasive species removal. In her free time, Rachael enjoys traveling, kayaking, camping, and sunset picnics with friends.
Aileen Yelle is a native Mississippian with an MBA and over 20 years of small business, HR and project management experience. She has three grown boys, loves to cook, and loves to watch movies, football and sunsets on the water. She has traveled to almost every area of the country (and lived in a few different areas), but she chose to make her home on the southern shores.
Aileen has experience running a small construction business, working in human resources, and project management. She has worked in a variety of industries including computer software, wireless communications, manufacturing, beverage distribution, multimedia, finance and non-profit.
Prior to taking her current position at The Corps Network, Aileen worked with Climb CDC for five years, investing in Mississippi Gulf Coast communities through housing programs and workforce development for opportunity youth. During her last year with Climb, the organization had two Conservation Corps crews; Aileen was closely involved with hiring the crews and implementing the program.
“Working in the non-profit workforce development arena has been infinitely more satisfying than any job in a for-profit company because it allows me to merge my moral and spiritual principles with my daily work endeavors. I feel privileged to continue my career on a regional scale with The Corps Network, increasing the environmental, social and cultural impact I can have on my southern home.”
Capri serves as the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at The Corps Network. Her focus has been on increasing exposure as well as opportunities in the environmental and conservation field for young adults of color. She has looked to deepen The Corps Network and the Corps understanding around institutional and structural racism and how it plays out in the work that we do. She is a graduate of New York University for both her BFA and MA. She has over 35 years of experience in education in NYC, Seattle, and now DC. She taught Media Studies at Seattle Central College as well as the Intercultural Communication course for international students where she was introduced to the concept of “Integrative Learning Communities,” which is a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to higher education. She was a Faculty member at the BA Completion Program at Antioch University Seattle where she taught the cultural studies courses, and then Director of Student Life and Disability Services at Antioch University Seattle.
Prior to joining The Corps Network, she was in NYC at Federation Employment Guidance Services (FEGS) in their Education and Youth Division where she developed the education program for their now signature Bronx program (serving over 400 young people a year) that works primarily with foster care youth.
She with her husband are the founders of “Rebuilding Haiti One Trip at a Time,” where they focus on changing the narrative of the country by engaging small groups in cultural and historical tours of the country.
Christian joined The Corps Network in 2021 as a Program Coordinator. Originally from Round Rock,TX, he received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy with a minor in Math Informatics fromWesley College in 2020.Post-graduation, he moved to Biloxi, MS, where he started as a crew member atClimb CDC, eventually becoming a crew leader.Outside of work, Christian likes to spend time with his wife and two dogs.
Victor O. Robertson Jr. joined The Corps Network as the Director of Workforce Development in October 2021. In this role, he develops viable career pathways for Corpsmembers by working with Corps to strengthen their employer partnerships; expanding their training and credentialing offerings; and, building their supportive services to assist Corpsmembers who face barriers to employment and education.
Prior to joining The Corps Network, Victor spent eight (8) years at the Department of Employment Services (DOES) developing and implementing workforce programs for adults, youth, and special populations. During his time with DOES, he was responsible for was creating workforce programs and career pathways for individuals with barriers to employment including opportunity youth with a criminal record and lacking literacy and numeracy skills. In addition to developing and implementing workforce programs, Victor has a proven track record of establishing public-private partnerships; policy advisement; performance and compliance management, labor market analysis; and, providing technical assistance.
A proud Howard University graduate, Victor holds bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and African American Studies, as well as a Master’s of Social Work (MSW) with concentrations in Mental Health and Family and Child Welfare.
Danielle Owen has joined The Corps Network as the Director of Government Relations. In this role she works to develop and implement policy and legislative initiatives with a focus on conservation/natural resources, national service and youth/workforce development. She works closely with Congress and federal agencies on these issues.
Prior to joining The Corps Network, Danielle worked for 14 years in the office of former Congressman Melvin L. Watt, seven of those years serving as his Chief of Staff. Following her time in the House, she served as a Director of Governmental Affairs and then as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs in the Office of Secretary Foxx at the United States Department of Transportation. When not working, Danielle can be found in a bookstore searching for her next favorite book or talking about her adorable nephew, Owen, and her adorable niece, Emerson.
Candace Hollingsworth joined The Corps Network in January 2019 as the Director of AmeriCorps Programs. She now serves as Director of Programs.
Candace has a passion for service and improving the effectiveness of public sector organizations to advance their missions. She has 15 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector having assumed roles ranging from grants manager to virtual CFO and has managed projects of all sizes. However, Candace is no stranger to corps or The Corps Network. She cut her teeth in workforce development through service and conservation corps as the grants finance manager for the Conservation Corps of Greater New Orleans, a project of The Corps Network from 2008-2009. Since that time, Candace has kept positive youth development as a centerpiece of her work as the mayor of the City of Hyattsville. In that role she regularly works to build strategic partnerships and programming to create meaningful connections with young people to promote civic engagement, expand education and economic opportunity, and support the long-term sustainability of the city.
Candace is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and received a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Studies from Emory University and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) specializing in education, family, and social policy from Georgetown University. When she’s not at work or banging the gavel, you can find Candace somewhere enjoying great coffee or bourbon and making friends laugh with animated stories and eerily accurate impersonations.
Dan has over 8 years of experience on staff with TCN member organizations (PowerCorpsPHL & The Work Group). As a Program Manager, Dan is currently focused on coordinating the multitude of communities and partnerships across four states, involved in the newly launched Delaware River Climate Corps (DRCC).
Dan graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a BA in Environmental Studies. Upon graduating, Dan completed 1+ term-of-service as an AmeriCorps VISTA serving Greater Philadelphia.
Outside of work, Dan volunteers his time to improve Philadelphia’s environment as a Master Watershed Steward through the Penn State Extension office and a Philly Forest Steward with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. He also enjoys visiting national parks, board games with friends, and science-fiction series.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Paul Schmitz
CEO, Leading Inside Out
Paul Schmitz builds the collective leadership of organizations and communities to achieve greater social impact through his roles as Senior Advisor at The Collective Impact Forum and CEO of Leading Inside Out. He is an author, speaker, trainer, and consultant whose work focuses on leadership development, collaborative culture, racial equity, community engagement, and result-based strategies.
Paul is the author of Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up (Jossey Bass, 2011). The book is based on lessons learned from 21 years leading Public Allies, an innovative leadership development program that helped more than 5,000 passionate and diverse young leaders across the country begin careers working for community and social change.
Paul is a faculty member of The Asset-Based Community Development Institute, and a board member of The Corps Network, Playworks, and The United Way of Greater Milwaukee. Paul previously served on the board of Independent Sector, the association of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders, and was the co-chair of Voices for National Service, which led advocacy for AmeriCorps and other national service programs. Paul co-chaired the 2008 Obama Presidential campaign’s Civic Engagement Policy Group, was a member of The Obama-Biden Transition Team and was appointed by President Obama to The White House Council for Community Solutions.
Paul is an honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2014, Paul was appointed the first Innovator in Residence at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Innovation. He has also been recognized by The Rockefeller Foundation as a Next Generation Leadership Fellow, by the Nonprofit Times three separate years as one of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in America, and by Fast Company Magazine with their Social Capitalist Award for innovation. He lives in Milwaukee with his wife and five children.
Bruce Saito
Executive Director,
California Conservation Corps
Bruce Saito is leading the California Conservation Corps – the oldest and largest conservation corps in the nation – in its commitment to enhance the Corpsmember vocational experience and expand environmentally focused projects that make California an even better place to live.
While Governor Jerry Brown appointed Bruce as CCC Director in September of 2015, his career with the Corps goes back to 1977 during the CCC’s earliest days. Bruce started as a supervisor/instructor at the Bret Harte Training Academy in Calaveras County, and over the next ten years, promoted his way up to director of the Los Angeles Urban Center and the Conservationist Supervisor CCC Camarillo Center.
In 1986, Bruce helped establish the non-profit Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC). He later served as the LACC executive director- devoting 30 years to the program and growing it to be one of the country’s largest local-nonprofit corps. In 2014, LACC’s Charter High School was renamed the Saito Charter High School.
Bruce has also been active in the corps movement at the national level. He previously served as board president for the Corps Network and he currently serves on the Corps Network Board of Directors and Corps Council. In 2014, Bruce was honored with the Corps Legacy Achievement Award.
Bruce continues to serve on a number of Los Angeles Boards and Commissions, including the Friends of Manzanar, Little Tokyo Senior Nutrition Center, Community Nature Connection, the Coalition for Responsible Community Development, the LA Education Corps, the LA League of Conservation Voters (LACLV) and the Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbor Commission.
Bruce grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from San Francisco State University, and resides in Long Beach, CA.
Jane Oates
President,
Working Nation
Jane Oates is the President of WorkingNation, a non-profit media entity that tells the stories of solutions bridging the education and workforce worlds. Through film and live events WorkingNation raises awareness of the changing world of work and helps individuals, businesses and communities address those changes. Before joining Working Nation, Oates worked at the Apollo Education Group, managing Corporate Social Responsibility and working on linking the universities with employers through thought leadership events.
Oates served as the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the US Department of Labor (DOL) under Secretary Hilda Solis. Managing a $14 billion budget, and a talented career staff of 1100, Oates oversaw the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs, guest worker visas, unemployment insurance and Job Corps. She partnered with cities and states to strengthen local economies during the worst economic recession in recent decades. She worked with industry leaders to create policies that would give immediate assistance but also create long term opportunities. With her colleagues at the Department of Education she created the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College grant program with a one-time appropriation of $2 billion.
Oates became a national leader in education and workforce programs during her ten years with Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the US Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP). Oates served as the Commissioner of the New Jersey Council of Higher Education under Jon Corzine. Oates began her career as a teacher in the Boston Public Schools and later the Philadelphia Public Schools. She went on to become the Director of Field Services at the Temple University Center for Research and Human Development, working with k-12 districts nationwide.
Oates sits on a number of non-profit boards, including NOCTI and NCCEP.
Angela Noah
Student,
Corps Expert
Angela Noah (she/hers) is White Mountain Apache and Choctaw from Cibecue, Arizona attending the University of Oregon in Planning, Public Policy, and Non-Profit Management as a first-generation student. Prior to her academic journey, Angela was a 2016 Corpsmember of the Year awardee for The Corps Network, former Crew Leader and served as an Inclusion Coordinator at Northwest Youth Corps (NYC), a Corps on Kalapuya ancestral lands or what is called Eugene, OR. Angela first discovered her passion for the outdoors while serving on an all-Native American youth trail crew in partnership with the boarding school she attended in Oregon, Chemawa Indian School, in 2015.
In 2016, Angela was the first in her family to obtain a high school diploma and decided to continue serving in AmeriCorps, this time with the Hoopa Tribal Civilian Community Corps (TCCC) on the Hoopa Valley reservation in northern California. Here, Angela completed service projects within the community, including serving as a fifth grade Teacher Assistant at Hoopa Elementary School, supporting disaster relief in Baton Rouge, LA, and various trail and cultural projects within the Hoopa Valley tribal community.
Committed to the mission of Northwest Youth Corps and completing her service term in Hoopa, Angela returned to Northwest Youth Corps in 2017 as an Ancestral Lands Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) member under Conservation Legacy, where she became instrumental in launching Northwest Youth Corps’ first Native American youth and young adult conservation program, Tribal Stewards. As the Tribal Stewards Inclusion Coordinator, Angela built tribal partnerships in the Northwest and presented in numerous conferences across the country, working with Native American youth.
Outside of conservation, Angela is a 2019 NOLS alumni having completed a backpacking expedition in Nelson, New Zealand, the ancestral lands of the Maori people. Here, she learned outdoor leadership and risk management skills. She is committed to amplifying Native American womxn and youth voices: she was a 2019 Earth Ambassador and a recent 25 Under 25 recipient under the oldest Native youth organization established in the country, the United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY), Inc.
Currently, Angela is designing curriculum surrounding cultural perspectives in the
justice court system, with regional trainings for Native youth. This program known as the Healing Indigenous Lives Initiative (HILI) is in partnership with the Office of Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program (OJDPP) where Angela serves as a Northwest representative.
Angela is a member of the University of Oregon’s Native American Student Union (NASU), serving as the 2nd annual Miss Indian University of Oregon, a student cultural ambassador platform advocating for Indigenous scholars in western academia. Angela aspires to mentor young Native American womxn and plans to oversee her very own non-profit one day serving Indigenous communities.
Michael Muckle
Director, New Jersey Youth Corps of Phillipsburg
Michael Muckle is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Youth Corps of Phillipsburg. He helped establish the program in Warren County in 1998. Building the program from the ground up, his goal was to establish a Corps program that mirrored the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s and 40’s. Over the past 22 years, he has worked with over 1,000 high potential young men and women, providing an opportunity to earn a diploma while in serving the community in the Warren County NJ area. Putting the Phillipsburg Youth Corps on the map as ‘the environmental’ NJ Youth Corps program was a high priority early on – and it is a characteristic that makes the program stand out amongst its peers in the state.
Michael found his way to the Corps movement through his term of service as an AmeriCorps member at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in 1997. During that time, Michael caught the public service bug and never looked back. As a hands-on Director, most days you can find Michael working alongside his Corpsmembers on a variety on environmentally themed service projects, coaching and teaching every step of the way. From streamside restoration plantings to help provide better wildlife habitat to clearing and maintaining hiking trails while advocating for more opportunities for outdoor recreation – he never misses an opportunity to turn service into a teachable moment. “Our work lends itself to easily understood metaphors for our youth” he says, “Creating suitable habitat to thrive, constructing a clear path so others may benefit. It’s in the doing where we learn!”
His passion for the Corps Movement runs deep. He provides a unique perspective as a Corps Director having valuable insights into the dynamics of crafting programming for the very youth he serves, drawing from his own corps experience, providing advocacy for youth removing systemic barriers and creating equitable spaces for them to learn and grow.
Michael is a product of the Corps Movement. He has embraced a life of service and can testify to the fact that you often get more out of a Corps experience that you bring to it. “It defies the Laws of Conservation of Matter. Everything good in my life has come as a result from my service with AmeriCorps – through service I found my purpose: to serve others”. Indeed, Michael even met his wife, Thea (also an AmeriCorps Alum), through their work at NJ Youth Corps. They reside in Nazareth, PA with their daughter, Ainsley.
Rosa Moreno
President,
Social Impact Associates, LLC
Rosa Moreno is Principal of Social Impact Associates, a consulting firm based in Washington, DC that partners with government, philanthropy, and nonprofits to design innovative and effective solutions to address critical social issues. Rosa specializes in strengthening social sector organizations to improve outcomes and grow their reach and impact. With over 20 years’ experience, she has worked with organizations and communities across the country.
Rosa has extensive history working in the national service field at the state and national level in leadership roles that focused on making a year of service a common expectation and opportunity. In prior roles, she led efforts at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support the fulfillment of the bipartisan Serve America Act through the formulation of public and private partnerships to expand national service opportunities. Prior roles include serving as Deputy Director of AmeriCorps, a flagship national service program of CNCS.
Rosa holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Texas – Austin. Rosa is a proud AmeriCorps alum. Rosa lives in Washington, DC and can often be found performing with Batalá Washington, an all-women Afro-Brazilian percussion band. Rosa is also a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood that supports women achieve their education goals. She chairs The Corps Network’s Fund Development and Marketing committee.
Kalef Jones
Deputy Climate Manager,
PowerCorpsPHL
Kalef Jones was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, in the northern section of the city. As a youth, Kalef always sought additional knowledge which led to numerous citywide contests and events. It wasn’t until his later teen years that he started to find himself involved with the criminal justice system. By the age of 21 he returned to civilization a reformed individual. Since then, Kalef has worked closely with a plethora of workforce development programs that target men and women who identify as “disconnected youth.” He was a featured speaker of a My Brother’s Keeper forum in late 2015. Also during this time, he was an intern in the Mayor’s Office during Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration. In February 2017, The Corps Network awarded him a Corpsmember of the Year: this national honor recognized Kalef for the great work he does not only at his job but also in the community.
Currently, Kalef works in the non-profit sector for the AmeriCorps program PowerCorpsPHL, which is operated by EducationWorks. His sole responsibility is creating culture that benefits the population at large. He works as the Deputy Climate Manager in which he currently implements culture enforces discipline, and introduces healthy dynamics that bolster the overall member experience. As a result of this, he became interested in social justice and then proceeded to work alongside REFORM as well the city’s District Attorney in efforts to reform the criminal justice system by becoming a voice to in this fight. He has future plans of obtaining a degree in social work and views the political arena as a possibility later on down the line. He wishes to change the narrative for his generation and create systems that work for everyone.
Tonya Gayle
Executive Director,
Green City Force
Tonya Gayle is Executive Director of Green City Force (GCF) where she created and led GCF’s development team from July 2014 to September 2020. She is a board member of The Corps Network focused on national service, and Environmental Advocates of NY focused on environmental justice. Prior to joining GCF, Tonya served in public-private partnerships at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Career Program. She has spent most of her career in nonprofit organizations focused on economic justice for young people of color. Tonya is a member of The New York Women’s Foundation Circle of Sisters for Social Change, a graduate of Wesleyan University, and a native Brooklynite. She is an associate producer of the 2006 documentary The Perfect Life featuring young adults from Harlem. Tonya is passionate about providing young people with viable paths to create and lead a just and equitable world.
Stephanie Davison – VICE CHAIR
Program Officer, Human Services, The Kresge Foundation
Stephanie Davison is a program officer for the Human Services program at The Kresge Foundation. She joined the foundation in 2018.
Previously Stephanie served as a project manager at FHI 360, where she managed a portfolio of juvenile justice, youth development, and workforce development programs including overseeing program design and execution, subgrantee management, team and consultant management, and policy development. She also supported college and career readiness initiatives, increasing high school graduation rates and post-secondary enrollment rates.
In previous roles, she coordinated and supported workforce development and education programs and initiatives, including those funded by private foundations, the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the Mercyhurst University and a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Technically, most Native Americans did not serve in the CCC, but rather in a parallel program. In 1933, not long after the formation of the CCC, the Indian Emergency Conservation Work (IECW) program was created at the request 
With assistance from the BIA, tribal councils oversaw CCC-ID camp enrollment, structure, and projects. Because of this, records of enrollees were processed differently, with some tribal governments collecting more data than others. Many tribes created narrative reports detailing work completed by enrollees. Some tribes opted to publish information about their work in their own newsletters, such as the 
Where did this Corpsmember serve? 
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa AmeriCorps member monitors river levels to help support outdoor recreation:
By Luke Frazza,
