Spring Cohort
Ms. Abeer Alharazi has been the Deputy Director at the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA) since 2019. She was the first employee to be hired at YAMA when it was established in 2017, as it was born through the Yemeni Bodega Strike in New York in response to the Executive Order Travel Ban on February 2, 2017, at Brooklyn Borough Hall. She formerly served as a (DOJ) at The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY). For almost four years, she served immigrant communities from across New York City by providing various immigration legal services to over hundreds of clients. She received her Paralegal Certification from York College and received a legal studies award for outstanding scholastic achievement in 2015. Abeer holds a degree in Business Administration from BMCC College, where she was on its Dean’s list and received the Phi Theta Kappa award in 2011. Prior to her arrival to the United States, Abeer worked at the American Embassy in the capital of Yemen, Sana’a for five years. She mostly served in the procurement department where she experienced working with local and overseas Merchants. She was recognized for her exemplary service, and extraordinary efforts for sustaining a high level of performance, where she received multiple awards.
Alexandria Sumpter-Delves, newly promoted Division Director of Youth Workforce where she oversees Queens Community Houses’ young adult workforce programs. Alexandria served as Program Director, for Queens Community Houses’ Young Adult Food Sector Initiative Project (Queens Connect) which provides young adults 18 -24 years of age with the essential skills
needed to succeed in the World of Food. Alexandria transitioned to Queens Community House from the City University of New York (CUNY) where she managed the training partnership between CUNY and the NYC Housing Recovery Office (HRO). Prior to working with CUNY, she served at the Police Athletic League (PAL), as a Manager of Training and Volunteer Services, where for nearly a decade she provided oversight of the Professional Development Committee, Training and Development Committee and developed the stand alone mentoring program, GirlTalk. Before joining PAL, she held a number of progressively responsible positions in youth development and community service at Safe Space, Public Allies New York, Common Cause New York, and Columbia University. Her career also includes work in fundraising, marketing, and public relations. She holds a BA in Communications and Psychology from CUNY.
Alexandros Hatzakis is the Chief Operating Officer at FPWA. As COO, he is responsible for driving and oversight of the day-to-day internal operations and organizational leadership, partnering with the Chief Executive and the leadership team toward effective sustainable growth and increasing impact and the successful achievement of strategic objectives.
Prior to working at FPWA, Alexandros was the Director of Income at United Way of New York City where he oversaw and managed a $6 million portfolio of program and policy initiatives aimed at assisting families in meeting their basic needs, tackling household insecurity, and working towards economic stability.
He formerly served as the Development and Information Systems Manager at The Financial Clinic, overseeing the implementation and integration of fundraising, operational and client data systems. He has also conducted research and policy analysis for the State of Delaware’s Division of Corporations and U.K. Companies House.
Alexandros received his Bachelor’s degree from Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Baruch and his Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He is a SHRM – Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP). He serves as Chair and member of New York City’s Procurement Policy Board.
Alicia Hansen has worked as a professional photographer for over 20 years. Alicia has a BA in Journalism from the University of Georgia and a Masters Degree in Visual Communication from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. She taught photography at the undergraduate and graduate levels while at Syracuse, and has worked for world‐renowned National Geographic contract photographer, Joe McNally, as his first assistant and producer. For the past eleven and half years she has grown NYC SALT from a small photo class to a nonprofit organization with a 100% college acceptance rate.
Alliy Drago serves as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO, as well as Trustee Liaison at the New-York Historical Society. Her duties include board management, high-level donor stewardship, event logistics, executing special projects, monitoring staff activity across all departments, and facilitating communication with elected officials and city, state, and federal agencies.
Raised in New Jersey near the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, she joined New-York Historical in 2014 to pursue her passion for local history and interest in non-profit administration after a career in the performing arts. Alliy is a graduate of Syracuse University.
Amanda Brooke Rosenblum graduated from Dartmouth College in 2007 with a B.A. in English Literature and Women’s and Gender Studies. She has completed coursework towards a Masters in Liberal Arts, Urban Education, at the CUNY Graduate Center. Amanda is a native New Yorker who has worked in the education field for over a decade. She currently serves as the Girls’ Education Associate Director, Programs and Partnerships at Young Women’s Leadership Network, a network of all-girls 6th-12th grade district public schools. She founded the non-profit Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, Inc. and serves as Vice President of its Board of Directors. She is a co-chair of the Education from the Inside Out Coalition, a national group working to remove barriers to higher education for people in prison and with criminal justice involvement, and volunteers as an Emergency Department Advocate for the Mount Sinai SAVI program for survivors of IPV and sexual assault. Amanda is a life coach for the Ali Forney Center, a program for homeless LGBTQA young people and serves on advisory boards of The Other Side Intercultural Theatre and the Riley Sandler Memorial Foundation, which promotes kindness and empathy. She is a Board of Director of DGALA, the Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Alumni/ae Association, and serves on the Women of Dartmouth national committee for Community Development. She is constantly reading for her two books clubs, traveling, seeing plays, laughing, and walking around Central Park.
Amanda Walker is currently the Associate Director of After School Programs at Union Settlement.
Previously, from 1991, Amanda was a participant in one of Union Settlement’s after school programs. She would go on to start work in one of the middle school programs as the Program Director’s Assistant in 2008. In the following years, she gained experience and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, becoming a Site Supervisor in 2011 and then a Program Director in 2015.
Through her show of excellence in running program and always being an example and help to multiple programs, she was promoted to her current position where she oversees the operation of 10 afterschool programs.
Amber Davis is the Operations Manager of Herstory Writers Workshop, an organization
bringing unheard voices into the public arena, transforming lived experiences into written memoir powerful enough to change hearts, minds and policy. She provides programmatic and administrative support for writing workshops within the jails, school districts, and communities across Long Island and NYC. In her role, Amber is continuously working to strategize and implement ways to help sustain the infrastructure. She is committed to using writing as a tool for change with a deep desire to make the Black community stronger through divulging into the mental health stigma through her own writing. She comes from the world of investments and banking, previously employed at Bethpage Federal Credit Union and New York Community Bank. She currently serves as an active board member at CAY Community Services Organization, a Brooklyn based non profit providing individualized training and services in computer applications for individuals with special needs.
Amber holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology from SUNY Old Westbury. She is currently completing her Masters of Business Administration at LIU Post, serving as a peer mentor to first year students and co-teaching in the Fall semester of 2019. She has also graduated from Herstory’s Facilitator training institute, completing her field placements working with young women incarcerated on Rikers Island and with students who have not succeeded in the traditional school setting through the Nassau BOCES Twilight program.
Amirah Taylor is an accomplished foster care supervisor at Graham Windham, bringing over five years of leadership experience and more than a decade of service in the child welfare system. Throughout her career, Amirah has been dedicated to promoting the safety, stability, and well-being of children and families, ensuring they receive the support and advocacy they deserve.
Amirah earned her Bachelor of Criminology from SUNY Old Westbury in 2015, where she developed a strong foundation in understanding crime, justice, and social systems. Her passion for driving organizational excellence led her to pursue a Master of Organizational Leadership from Mercy University, which she completed in 2022. This advanced degree has enhanced her ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, implement strategic policies, and foster a culture of collaboration and accountability.
At Graham Windham, Amirah oversees case management operations, providing guidance and support to a team of case planners. She ensures compliance with agency regulations, facilitates professional development, and works to enhance service delivery to improve outcomes for children in foster care. Her expertise includes crisis intervention, family engagement, and collaborating with external stakeholders to strengthen community partnerships.
Known for her compassionate yet results-driven approach, Amirah is committed to empowering her team and the families they serve. She is passionate about advancing child welfare practices and remains dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the lives of vulnerable youth.