Interested in joining our team? Check out open positions here.
Claire Ackerman da Silva
As Director of School Support, Claire da Silva works with schools to build and strengthen their career pathways programming and optimize opportunities for students in the New Orleans community. Claire has worked in education for over twelve years, including teaching career readiness courses at Edna Karr High School, providing college and career advising to students and families as well as technical support for counselors and career education teachers through the Orleans Parish School Board, and coordinating curriculum and teaching English and media studies in London and Oxford, UK. The common thread of these experiences is Claire’s commitment to educational experiences that promote life quality for young people. Claire graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in English and earned a Post Graduate Certificate of Education from Oxford Brookes University.
Contact Claire at claire@youthforcenola.org
Sarah Bell, Chief of Industry Exposure and Experience
A native of Pennsylvania, Sarah Bell relocated to New Orleans with her husband in 2006 to assist community organizations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Her initial commitment was for three years but the pull of New Orleans’ culture lead Bell to invest in the under-resourced community of Central City with the purchase of a home and participation in neighborhood organizing groups. With a professional background in recruitment, Bell returned to the workforce with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra in fund development and was promoted to President & CEO. As the Director of Employer Partnerships, Sarah is committed to finding meaningful ways to connect students with impactful opportunities throughout the Greater New Orleans region.
Sarah graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Human Development and Family Studies and is the proud mother of three children – Ruby (12), Anderson (10), and Olivia (8).
Contact Sarah at sarahb@youthforcenola.org
Candice Black, Director of Operations
Candice Black serves as the Director of Operations for YouthForce NOLA, overseeing daily operations, finances, special events, and a host of other key projects. Candice is a seasoned executive assistant with over 25 years of experience. Having held positions in a variety of business fields, she is able to tailor her skills to meet the needs of a wide array of tasks. In addition to working with the YouthForce NOLA team, Candice also assists The New Orleans Startup Fund, which provides investment capital and mentorship to early-stage companies in the Greater New Orleans region.
Contact Candice at candice@youthforcenola.org.
Melissa Ehlinger, Executive Vice President
Melissa Ehlinger leads the employer engagement strategy for YouthForce NOLA. Prior to this role, Melissa served as the Senior Vice President for Strategy and Business Development at the New Orleans Business Alliance, New Orleans’ official economic development organization. During her tenure at the Business Alliance, Melissa served as the Interim President & CEO and was an integral part of crafting the organization’s overall economic development strategy. She also oversaw day-to-day business attraction and retention functions, as well as the organization’s research department. Her previous experience includes work with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, where she worked as a Project Manager in residential and commercial corridor redevelopment and work as an Attorney with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. A native New Orleanian, Melissa holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin, Phi Beta Kappa; a JD from The George Washington University; and a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of New Orleans. Melissa was awarded UNO’s College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumna Award in 2016 and serves on the Board of the Good Work Network.
Contact Melissa at melissa@youthforcenola.org
Emily Ferris, Executive Director of Launch Initiative
Emily Ferris has lived in New Orleans for the past 17 years and is committed to providing opportunities of excellence for all students in New Orleans. Emily Ferris serves as the Executive Director of YouthForce NOLA’s LAUNCH initiative, and is committed to providing a wide variety of meaningful opportunities for all students in New Orleans. Emily brings over 17 years of education experience, beginning as a middle school math and science teacher, and most recently as an Academy Principal with InspireNOLA Charter Schools, at Eleanor McMain Secondary School and Edna Karr High School. Her duties have also included recruitment and admissions, grant writing, coaching and evaluation, program design, and standardized test coordination.
Emily holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of New Orleans, and a Master of Arts in Secondary Curriculum and instruction from Xavier University of Louisiana. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Messiah College in Grantham, PA. She also completed the National Principals Academy Fellowship through Relay Graduate School of Education.
Contact Emily Ferris at Emily@youthforcenola.org
Rahmel Fuller, Program Manager
In his role as a program manager for YouthForce NOLA, Rahmel wears many hats. In addition to serving as a soft skills coach for the school-year internship program, he spearheads intern recruitment at partner high schools, and co-leads the YouthForce’s inaugural Soft Skills Teacher Fellowship. A proud graduate of the University of Georgia’s school of education, Rahmel began his work in the classroom as an ACT/SAT prep coach for multiple high schools in the Atlanta area. After relocating to New Orleans, he taught physical science and engineering at Lake Area New Tech before transitioning into his current role. Fueled by a vision for a more equitable and inclusive city, Rahmel remains an active advocate for high-quality college and career pathways for young people.
Contact Rahmel at rahmel@youthforcenola.org.
Geraldlyn Johnson, Launch Success Coach
As a Launch Success Coach, Geraldlyn guides recent high school graduates through career exploration ensuring a successful transition into their future. Geraldlyn has worked with YouthForce as a summer internship coach for three years and in education for over ten years. Her experience includes teaching business and programming classes at Edna Karr High School, as well as providing technical support for teachers and students throughout various Orleans Parish Schools. The common fiber of these experiences is the commitment to educational experiences that promote life quality for young people. Geraldlyn graduated from Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Master of Business with a concentration in Management.
Contact Geraldlyn at geraldlyn@youthforcenola.org
Sarah Leverett, Program Manager, YouthForce Internships
Sarah serves as the Internship Program Manager on the YouthForce NOLA team. In this role, she is in charge of making sure our 250 rising senior interns get the most valuable experience as possible during our YouthForce Internship Summer Program. Prior to taking on this role, Sarah taught middle school English Language Arts in New Orleans as well as in Birmingham, Alabama. Before moving to New Orleans in 2018, she lived in Birmingham for eight years where she attended undergraduate and graduate school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Throughout her time in Birmingham, she worked at UAB as a Graduate Assistant in the School of Education, a Teacher Consultant for the Red Mountain Writing Project, and a Cooperating Teacher and Mentor for preservice educators. Sarah's work in the world of education is fueled by a passion for growth-- personal, academic, professional, etc. She is dedicated to being a lifelong student herself and looks for ways to learn on a daily basis. Sarah sees it as her life's purpose to share her own growth and the wisdom she picks up along the way with others.
Contact Sarah at sarah@youthforcenola.org
Sade Randall, School Support Coordinator
Sade Randall serves as the School Support Coordinator for YouthForce NOLA where she works with schools to build their career pathways programming to optimize opportunities for students in the New Orleans community by connecting them with training providers and businesses. Sade has worked in education for six years as a high school CTE teacher. She has taught courses in financial literacy, business and computer applications, as well as Advanced Career Readiness where she helped students develop post-secondary plans while implementing soft skill development across a multifaceted curriculum. Sade also has a background in data management, admissions, recruitment, standardized testing coordination and non-profit organization management. Her passion for assisting in the advancement of young people in the New Orleans area has been at the forefront of her career. Sade is a New Orleans native and earned her bachelor’s degree at Southeastern Louisiana University. When Sade is not working, she can be found creating fun experiences with her husband and two young sons.
Contact Sade at sade@youthforcenola.org.
Martha Parent, Project Coordinator
Martha serves as the Project Coordinator for YouthForce NOLA. A native of Galway, Ireland and a new resident to New Orleans, Martha brings over 25 years of diverse experience with organizations such as Wells Fargo Bank, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, FDIC and Amazon. Martha is a seasoned Project Coordinator in Banking, Compliance, Event Planning, Policies and Procedures. When she is not working, Martha can either be found experimenting with new culinary ventures or embarking on unique adventures with her husband, Frank, and neurotic Great Pyrenees, Bentley. Other hobbies include tending to her garden, throwing parties and trying to convince her daughter, Catherine, to move from Richmond, Virginia to New Orleans.
Contact Martha at martha@youthforcenola.org.
David Shepard, Director of Policy
As YouthForce NOLA’s Director of Policy, David leads YouthForce’s support of CTE training providers and executes YouthForce’s policy agenda. Prior to joining YouthForce, David worked for seven years at the Louisiana Department of Education, where he redesigned Louisiana’s charter school application process and helped lead the launch of the Super App, a first of its kind consolidated planning and budgeting tool completed by all school districts in the state.
David began his career as a middle school math teacher in Philadelphia with Teach for America. He holds a BA in Economics and Urban Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, a Masters in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters in in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Born and raised in New Orleans, David is proud to serve on the boards of the Breakthrough Collaborative and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.
Contact David at david@youthforcenola.org.
Steph Slates, Chief of Staff
Steph serves as the Chief of Staff at YouthForce NOLA, where she leads organizational culture and systems, data strategy, and funder engagement. Prior to this role, she was the Executive Director of School Talent at New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) for six years, where she managed the citywide strategy for recruiting and developing educators and oversaw multiple federal grants. Most recently, she led NSNO's strategy to curb citywide teacher attrition. Her previous work experience includes serving on the New Orleans founding team of New Leaders for New Schools to recruit and train principals; designing summer training for Teach For America novice teachers; and training and supporting Tulane University students conducting service activities in public schools across the city. She began her career in education in 2002 as a New Orleans public school teacher.
Steph holds a BA in history from Harvard University, a Masters in Urban Studies from the University of New Orleans, and a Masters in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University, where she was a U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences Pre-Doctoral Fellow.
Contact Steph at stephanie@youthforcenola.org.
Cate Swinburn, President
Cate Swinburn has led YouthForce NOLA since our inception in summer 2015. Cate began her career in education fifteen-plus years ago as a first grade teacher. Prior to YouthForce NOLA, Cate worked as an independent consultant, working with clients such as Relay Graduate School of Education to inspire and prepare non-education major college undergraduates to become teachers, and with the Recovery School District and New Schools for New Orleans to develop a citywide blueprint for high quality special education services. Prior to independent consulting, Cate served as the Chief of Data and Accountability with DC Public Schools, President and Executive Director of DC Public Education Fund, and Portfolio Director for The Fund for Public Schools in New York City, as well as teaching for five years in rural and urban Texas.
Cate holds a Master of Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, where she was a Dean’s Scholar, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish. Cate is an alumnus of both Teach For America and Education Pioneers.
Contact Cate at cate@youthforcenola.org.
Emily Zawislak, Project Coordinator
Emily serves as the Project Coordinator for YouthForce Nola. She brings diverse administrative experience from working in the New Orleans historic redevelopment sector and in investment banking in NYC.
Contact Emily Z at emilyz@youthforcenola.org
NATHAN STOCKMAN, Chief of Education and Training Partnerships
Nathan Stockman joins the YouthForce NOLA team as Director of Learning Design. In this role Nathan will work with with YouthForce NOLA’s programs to help further the progress that YouthForce is making in and around the city. Nathan most recently served as Principal of Einstein Charter High School where he established a foundation of academic growth spurred by belief in the strong connection between CTE and core subject area curriculum. Through strategic planning and a genuine belief in Career Pathways, students at Einstein experienced success striving for Industry Based Certifications that also paid dividends when taking LEAP, CLEP, and AP exams. Prior to Einstein, Nathan was Curriculum Specialist at Belle Chasse High School in Plaquemines Parish from 2013-2017 where he worked under Jemi Carlone to provide support and coaching to faculty and students in areas such as ACT Prep, EOC and CLEP curriculum alignment, IBC attainment and AP program development. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Nathan holds a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. At UM he also earned his undergraduate degree in English, played collegiate baseball, and was part of the Student Athlete Advisory Council. Nathan and his wife, who is from New Orleans, have lived in the city for the past 10 years. They have two daughters aged five and two.
Contact Nathan at nathan@youthforcenola.org