Year Up's Washington D.C. site opened its doors in February of 2006. We have been overwhelmed with the warm welcome and support from both corporate and community partners in the Capital Region. Over 33,000 young adults in the DC area do not have access to livable wage careers or higher education. Our inaugural class has proven that these young adults are capable of adding immediate value to local companies, and we look forward to closing the opportunity divide in this community with your help.

WHAT'S NEW

Congratulations to Year Up DC Graduates, Class of July 2007

Platinum Sponsors:

This year, DC Metro paid tribute to their graduates by sharing a special video presentation, which highlighted their experience throughout the year. This presentation allowed guests the chance to experience the graduates' accomplishments and the impact the program has on urban young adults. Other rewarding moments included the awarding of Year Up's Urban Empowerment Award to Jeff Pisano, Customer Service Manager, IT, of The Carlyle Group and a $500,000 donation presented to Year Up by Freddie Mac.

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WHO WE SERVE
Year Up serves high school graduates and GED recipients ages 18 to 24 years old from the Metro Washington D.C. area. Currently we have students from the District, Prince Georges County, Montgomery County, and Fairfax County.

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BOARD MEMBERS
Washington D.C. ADVISORY BOARD

• John King - Board Chair
  Vice President & Founder
  Perot Systems Corporation
• Bruce Rosenblum
  Managing Director
  The Carlyle Group

national Board of Directors

national Technical Advisory Board

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CONTACT US
Address:
Year Up, Washington D.C.  
1560 Wilson Blvd., Suite 350
Arlington, VA 22209

Phone and Fax:
Phone: 703-312-9327
Fax: 703-312-7986

For driving directions:

For questions about becoming a Year Up student, contact:
Anne Moredock
amoredock@yearup.org

To hire a Washington D.C. apprentice, contact:
Hamid Elaissami
helaissami@yearup.org

To volunteer at Year Up, contact:
Ronda Thompson
rthompson@yearup.org

To invest in or donate to Year Up, contact:
Tynesia Boyea-Robinson
tboyea@yearup.org

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Academic Director, Washington, D.C.

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RÉnu Beniwal
Business Writing Instructor
Rénu joins the Year Up team with several years of experience as a project manager for a national leadership consulting firm and as an educator in higher education. Rénu’s passion for empowering young adults goes beyond the classroom and into the community. Rénu has coordinated youth programs in Southern California addressing race relation issues in the community and has taught intercultural communication and speech communication at Howard University. Rénu combines her skills and passion for communication education and empowering youth by instructing Year Up’s business writing course. Rénu earned an M.A. in Communication & Culture from Howard University and a B.A. in Sociology from San Diego State University.

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Nikki Berte
Director of Program and Student Services
Nikki comes to Year Up with experience in many different educational environments and a love for working with young adults. As part of Year Up's start-up team, Nikki has been instrumental in developing Year Up's professional skills and business communications curricula. Prior to joining Year Up, Nikki worked in a variety of Boston area schools and local programs throughout Mattapan and Dorchester. There, she helped develop and taught in Youth to Work, literacy, and ESL programs. She has also taught English abroad, including one year in Bangkok, Thailand. Nikki graduated from Boston University with a major in English and a minor in Spanish.

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Eddy Ceballos
Director of Academics and IT
Eddy has more than 10 years of experience teaching computer technology, 5 of which involved teaching college students in his native Dominican Republic and more than 2 years as an instructional technology assistant teaching computer courses to a multiculturally diverse adult student population. He volunteered as an instructional technology lab assistant teaching adult students in the computer technology section at Kenmore School in Arlington, VA, for two consecutive cycles beginning in July 2004. In February 2005, he became an instructional technology lab assistant at Clarendon School in Virginia while concurrently serving as network supervisor at the Sacred Heart Adult Education Center in Washington, D.C. Prior to immigrating to the U.S., Eddy operated and managed for more than 10 years, a family-owned company providing computer services to a clientele of 15 small businesses. Eddy completed a B.A. in Technical Electronics, with honors, from the Loyola Polytechnic Institute. He graduated from the Santo Domingo Technology Institute with a degree in Computer Science Engineering and is a CompTIA A+ Certified professional.

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Hamid Elaissami
Director of Apprenticeships
Hamid is the Director of Operations and Apprenticeships and came to the US by way of Morocco. He learned at a very early age that the only thing that really matters in life is knowledge, precisely knowledge through education. Prior to Year up, Hamid was involved in economic development through teaching youth entreperenership and providing small business technical assistance. His corporate experience includes retail management and financial planning with Morgan Stanley. Hamid earned a Bachelor of Science in economic development and a Master of Science in finance from the George Washington University in Washington DC and has lived there since 1997.

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Vic Hall
Manager, Career and Alumni Services
Vic joins the Year Up team with 10 years of combined experience in
education and nonprofit leadership. Arriving in the area in the summer
of 2000, Vic took his passion for working with young people and his love
for Washington, D.C. to the National Young Leaders Conference, where he
worked as a faculty advisor, operations team member and associate
director of programs. From there he moved on to work with their sister
organization, the National Youth Leadership Forum, where he served as
Program Director for the medical conference. In those roles, Vic
managed to positively affect the lives of over five thousand young
people from across the United States. Vic attended Wittenberg
University where he graduated with a B.A. in American Studies. Outside
of Year Up, Vic spends his time reading, working out and following the
exploits of his hometown teams, the North Carolina Tar Heels & the
Philadelphia Eagles.

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Samuel S. Henry, III
Technical Instructor
Samuel has been a Technical Instructor with Year Up since August 2007. He was born and raised in Ocean City, MD and lived there before moving to Washington, DC to be an educator. Sam’s prior professional experience runs the gamut from civil engineering to marketing and graphic design. He has been an educator for more than 10 years. He holds a B.S. in Technology Education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a Dual Masters Degree from Wilmington University in School Leadership and Instruction and Organizational Development.

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Bridgette F. Gray
Coming Soon!

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michael d. mcgeary
Apprenticeships and Grants Coordinator
Michael recently arrived in Washington, having left his home near Boston where he spent his formative years, to join the Year Up team in August 2007. A graduate of Tufts University, holding a B.A. in Political Science, his work and life experiences have taken him across the country working with a Presidential campaign, across Europe with family and to Cape Town, South Africa for study abroad. He comes to Year Up with a passion for educating young people as well, seeing the difference it has made in his own life as well as his friends growing up, surviving a failing education system in his home town. Outside of work, Michael is a rabid - and unapologetic - fan of the Boston Red Sox, with keen interests in politics, music and writing – especially blogging.

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Anne Moredock
Outreach and Admissions
Anne joined the Year Up team as an Admissions and Enrollment Specialist in the DC office in June, 2007 after serving in a similar capacity for both non-profit and corporate organizations. She spent several years as a consultant, working primarily with non-profits and higher education institutions, and served in finance, fundraising, and strategy roles on political campaigns. Anne grew up in a family of educators and brings her love for and knowledge of the education field along with her passion for justice and strong strategic and organizational experience to Year Up. She did her undergraduate work in history at Mary Washington College and is continuing her education in secondary education at the University of Maryland.

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Ronda Thompson
Recruitment and Outreach Specialist
Ronda Harris Thompson is responsible for developing strategic enrollment partnerships for Year Up DC. Prior to joining Year Up, Ronda worked for City Year in Washington, DC, where she recruited the first two City Year DC corps and eventually oversaw the site's training, corps member support and service initiatives. Prior to City Year, she worked in the Public Affairs Office at DC Hoursing Authority, where she helped change the image of the agency and was a key broker in the agency's job apprenticeship program for one of DC's most notorious public housing scandals. Prior to DCHA, she worked as a Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Agency for International Development where one of her primary responsibilities was recruiting employees to become involved in the agency's Speaker's Bureau. Ronda, a DC native, graduated from Bowie State University, a historically black university, in 1997 with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and is pursuing an MSA in Organizational Management at Trinity Washington University.

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PAULA THOMPSON FELDER
Director of Development
With a diverse background in advocacy, program and resource development, leadership, and communications, Paula has successfully created effective fundraising programs and has secured and managed over $30 million in federal and private funding. Paula most recently served as the Director of Development with Voices for America’s Children. One of her key successes was establishing a national partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to serve as the national convener to advance the Race Matters Initiative. Previously, Paula was the Development Director at the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, International Headquarters. She also served as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and Government Relations and Advocacy for the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Association and was the Assistant Director for Community Outreach and Leadership Development with Quality Education for Minorities Network. Paula possesses broad knowledge of and significant experience in public policy and advocacy. Before embarking on a nonprofit career, Paula was a federal lobbyist with Orange County, CA and the Ferguson Group specializing in municipal advocacy. Paula holds a B.S. in Public Affairs and Political Science from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.

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Mark Wilson
Writing Instructor
Mark has a diverse background in education that includes teaching students of all age levels, directing a national safety program, and managing educational research and evaluation. Recently, Mark has served as a part-time grammar instructor for Year Up while also leading school and program evaluations for the education research firm Policy Studies Associates. He has also taught spoken English to college students in the People's Republic of China and served as a site coordinator for the "Do the Buckle" national safety initiative where he instructed elementary school students on the proper use of seatbelts. His outside passions include music, exercise, dance, creative writing and anything related to Boston sports. Mark has a Master's in Sociology from The George Washington University and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from The American University.

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