NYLC Welcomes New Staff

NYLC is pleased to announce the addition of two new staff members, Whitney McKinley, Professional Development Manager, Diversity Lead, and Mandy Traaseth, Program Assistant, Teen Driver Safety.

Over the last six years Whitney has worked toward educational equity by teaching in high-need urban communities, working to recruit and train new teachers, volunteering with youth development organizations, and becoming involved in education and policy reform. As the Diversity Lead at NYLC Whitney looks forward to further develop the organization’s programs and trainings to engage youth across the K-12 continuum in addressing the achievement gap. She holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from Denison University. In her free time she enjoys kayaking, hiking, camping, knitting, drawing, and trying as many new restaurants as humanly possible.

A graduate of Metropolitan State University, Mandy received her bachelor’s degree in Theater. Mandy has worked with youth of all ages over the last decade as a camp director, after school and program specialist, theater director, and softball coach. A proud AmeriCorps alumna, she also served two terms with City Year Detroit, working with at-risk teens through a service-learning program called City Heroes. Mandy will begin working on a master’s degree in education this spring.

Along with these fresh faces, many existing staff members have taken on new roles at NYLC. Davis Parker, formerly the executive assistant to the CEO, is now the Executive Communications Associate. Having worked at NYLC as Managing Editor and Program Director, Caryn Pernu now oversees the professional development and programs department as Program Strategies Director. Michael VanKeulen, previously the program director for NYLC’s teen driver safety initiative, Project Ignition, has been named Outreach Director, and Amy Meuers, NYLC’s conference director for the National Service-Learning Conference® from 2003 to 2011, now serves as NYLC’s Marketing and Communications Director. Other NYLC staff members, including Elizabeth Koenig, Melissa Mitchell, Amanda Larson, and Tiffany Eckberg, have also been promoted to other roles responsible for coordinating NYLC’s programs and professional development.

To learn more about NYLC’s staff members, visit the staff page.