Meet the A4TD Team

Rashanda is a Connecticut resident who has worked in the nonprofit community in Fairfield County as a Program Coordinator for several years. Rashanda has a strong sense of devotion to nonprofit organizations, and a deep appreciation for how nonprofits improve the quality of life for our people and community. Rashanda enjoys interior decorating, arts & crafts, family outings, traveling and participating in community events.

Kisha a New Haven native, who grew up in the Eastern Circle Housing Community. She attended local area public schools and graduated from Wilbur Cross High School. Kisha and her family are long time members of Bethel AME Church. Kisha married her high school sweetheart.  Together they had four amazing little people, who are currently ages 26, 24 and twins 19. While raising her children, she went on to pursue an education at Albertus Magnus College, earning an Associates of Arts degree in Business Management.  A few years later she went back to school achieving a Bachelors of Science degree in Human Services.

Kisha serves her community in many ways. Kisha spends her extra time completing arts and crafts with Newhallville Senior Group.  Kisha has also served as a Community Chair for Bethel AME Church women’s group and community garden coordinator for the Redfield Street plot, while also volunteering with New Haven Gather.

In her free time, Kisha loves to spend time with her family. Enjoys attending church services and other programs, servitude duties, spending time outdoors, rollerblading, swimming, going to the beach, gardening, cooking and listening and dancing to many different genres of music.  Kisha enjoys good company from a large neighborhood of family and friends.

Kisha, a committed wife, mother, and community advocate, is passionate about improving the lives of others in need.

Heidi earned her BS from Montana State University and has since dedicated her career path to helping others in a variety of different roles. Her background includes training coordination and management for software systems across the country as well as several years directing staff and coaching for school districts in Montana and Vermont. She is dedicated to assisting others to succeed and help them achieve their goals. In her spare time, Heidi enjoys being active and outside as much as possible. One can always find her skiing, hiking, mountain biking and greatly enjoys cooking for others alongside her two cat companions.

Marlene has over 25 years of experience working as an Administrator in the Not-for-profit human services community, with an emphasis on building strong partnerships and impactful programs. Marlene enjoys networking, grant writing and the opportunity to advocate for those most in need. An advocate for Public Media Marlene serves on the Board of Trustees for her local PBS station and Chair’s their Education Advisory Committee. When not working Marlene tries to get out into nature to hike, garden, and capture the experience through photography and painting.

Paul has 22 years of experience as a Manager, Area Supervisor, and VP of Operations in the restaurant industry. He later transitioned into education, where he has 16 years of teaching experience. He started as a TEFL teacher in Guadalajara, Mexico. Paul returned to the US, where as a 2009 Teach for America Corps member, he taught high school math in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Finally, he journeyed back to his hometown of Buffalo, where he taught math in his former high school. Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending as much time as he can in the outdoors. He is an avid recreational biker, who spends hours riding the many bike paths in and around the Buffalo area.

Coming Soon.

I am currently perusing my Bachelors in Community Health Education. I have a brief nursing background but shortly after graduating I quickly learned that I wanted to help individuals overcome different barriers and challenges to help promote self-sufficiency and stability. Being a force in my community is important to me, overall I am passionate about helping people make changes that would positively impact their lives and overall health which led me to working in the Human Services field. I am family oriented and like to spend my free time outdoors with family and friends. My favorite place to be is Universal Studios, specifically The Wizarding World of Harry Potter there!

After earning her BA from Oswego State, Lindsay worked several years in the not-for-profit community in Onondaga County as Program Coordinator and Regional Director. Her background also includes time in Human Resource and Telecommunications. Her passions are maximizing potential in people and event planning. Lindsay has dedicated herself to enhancing the well-being and personal growth of others. In her spare time, Lindsay likes to be active. Whether it’s on the golf course, playing volleyball, or gardening, you will find her outside surrounded by friends and family.

Amy Kelly has 12 years of Non-Profit experience in Program Management. She really enjoys working with people and has a passion for trying to make the world a better place and make a difference. It is the compass that guides her throughout her life. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, children, 1 dog, 1 cat, 1 bearded dragon, 1 fish and 1 axolotyl. They enjoy camping, hiking traveling and exploring.

Throughout her career, Louise has always found ways to help those in need. Her work in north central Pennsylvania helps job seekers and nonprofit entities on a daily basis. Stop by a bluegrass or country music festival, and you might catch her!

A native of Georgia, Tricia moved to Pennsylvania in 2022. Her career path begin as a Respiratory Therapist, and after graduating from the University of Georgia she transitioned into Business Management. During college she majored in Sociology and also focused on Social Work topics and looks forward to building on that knowledge to help participants succeed in their development goals. In her spare time, Tricia enjoys gardening, coffee time, shopping for home décor, and having game nights with family.

Jon is a bilingual, passionate educator and IT professional with extensive experience in teaching, software development, and user support. He has a master’s degree in teaching, and has particular expertise in virtual training technology. He is active in Toastmasters, and has won awards for public speaking. He makes large vats of Spanish hot chocolate at work, and refuses to give his coworkers the recipe.

Rick has a professional background in the Textile and Social Service industries.  He is passionate about helping mature workers better their lives, and he knows firsthand that the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) does just that.  Before becoming a Regional Coordinator, Rick was a participant in SCSEP and the program worked for him!   He looks forward to working with the participants and partners.

Since earning her BA in Sociology from SUNY Binghamton Leigh has spent her career supporting children, families, teens, and adults with disabilities in the fields of education, human services and research.  Helping others achieve their goals and thrive is her central passion.  Beyond work, her joys are family, German Shepherds, hiking, and ringing handbells.

After earning her BS in biology, Kate worked as a zookeeper and later working for a nonprofit veteran organization helping veterans and their families transition from military life back into the community. Kate brings her knowledge of nonprofits, leadership and the desire to better people’s lives to further A4TD’s mission. In her spare time, Kate started a small nonprofit to rehabilitate native NY wildlife, specializing in raccoons. She enjoys traveling and spending time among nature.

After earning her BA in Psychology from Mt. Aloysious College, Jess worked in management in the food service industry where she developed a passion for recruiting and training. She is also a proud “soccer mom” of a dog-loving family with two boys. She enjoys crafting, spending time with family, and watching the Steelers!

Tamar has experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors running businesses, managing projects and providing direct client services. Tamar completed her Masters of Education from UVM, her bachelor’s degree in professional writing and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Tamar has 5 sons and a grandson whom she likes to spend as much time as possible with.

Crystal comes with a 13 year background in education working with children with disabilities. In 2008 she won the Golden Apple Award in special education (only 3 recipients a year) Crystal is a mother of two. Crystal volunteered for 13 years with the Northern Greyhound, she is passionate about dogs. Crystal enjoys walking her dogs, plant collecting and fossil hunting.

Kathy is a finance and administrative professional who with lots of experience in payroll and file maintenance. She is an animal lover, and a longtime member of the Vermont State Guard where she currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Carl comes to A4TD with a pretty varied background, working in publishing, tech, manufacturing, and human services. Carl’s educational background has primarily been in psychology and he holds a graduate degree in organizational leadership. Outside of work, he participates in activities with global charity organizations focused on Star Wars costuming, where they make high quality, screen accurate costumes for various fund raisers and charity groups like Make-a-Wish. Carl is also an amateur woodworker, potter and gardener.

I graduated from McKinley University in 2016 with an A.S in Social Work. I have over 10 years experience working with children and their families, both in the field and in administration. I have 2 teenage daughters. I enjoy reading and shopping on Amazon.

Joe brings an eclectic mix to his work with A4TD, from years in outdoor retail, as a climbing guide, facilitating domestic abuse education programs, family mediation, and conducting conflict resolution sessions.

He also joins our professional staff after being a participant in the program himself, which he finds an asset when communicating with our participants.

When not working, you’ll likely find him in a canoe or on skis somewhere in the woods.

Melita is a training and coaching professional with a passion for helping people. She has a B.A. from UVM and a JD from George Washington University. She lives in northern Vermont with her husband and their crazy pug, Chloe.

Kate is a former public school teacher with a Masters in literature and writing from Binghamton University. She has gained a wide variety of skills and experience in her 10 years educating students and training colleagues. Need a clever, engaging presentation? She’s your gal. She loves to experiment and try new things, especially in pursuit of expanding her trivia knowledge. Full of energy and whimsy, she loves painting, cooking, and spending time socializing with friends, family, and her fluffy cats.

Judy’s early career roles included customer service engineer in Telecommunications, and implementation specialist for software used by utility companies.  She wrote technical specifications, process and end user documents.  In her latter health care career, Judy managed ambulatory sites for primary care and OB/GYN.  Her eye is always on process improvement and documentation of processes, regardless of her role.  Judy resides in Rochester, NY.  An avid reader, Judy also enjoys nature photography, gardening, hiking and a newly discovered thrill for her: learning to row on the Erie Canal!

Rick is a “math guy” with extensive background in project and operations management, and training program design & delivery. He has particular strengths in relationship building with both for-profit and nonprofit community partners. He is a member of many professional organizations including the Project Management Institute, the American Society on Aging and the Association for Talent Development. He’s a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a dog lover, an apple crisp aficionado, and can recite pi to ~100 digits.

John has professional background in both for-profit and nonprofit administration and operations. His bachelor’s degree is in Finance and Commerce from Rider University and he has extensive expertise in grant, fiscal, and program management. He is a firefighter, a first responder, a father of two, and an accomplished horseman.

Thomas has been an executive-level manager for many years, and has extensive background in staff training, organizational expansion, industry partnership building, and workforce development. He earned his Master’s of Science in Administration and Management from St. Michael’s College, and is a Certified Professional Trainer with the American Society of Training and Development. He retains membership in many professional organizations including the American Society on Aging and the Association for Talent Development. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Pat’s background is in theatre management and teaching. She transitioned out of teaching to help kids who had dropped out of school transition into stable employment. Then in 1983, there was a growing number of school-to-work programs being developed, so she changed her focus and began to work with the other end of the age spectrum; unemployed workers age 55+, helping them to enter or re-enter the workforce. This is when she founded A4TD (originally known as Vermont Associates for Training and Development)! A4TD was awarded its first federal grant in 1983 to administer the SCSEP and has continued to successfully operate this program ever since. Pat is one of the longest tenured SCSEP advocates in the country. Her Master’s of Science in Administration is from St. Michael’s College, and outside of work Pat loves photography and travelling.