Ruqiyyah's work combines her experience with direct service, coalition building, and policy research and analysis. In her role, she conducts research, advocacy, and coalition-building to promote policies that make DC a place where all children have equitable opportunities to thrive.

After completing her undergraduate education at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2011, Ruqiyyah served as an AmeriCorps member to support low-income, first-generation high school students in preparing for and applying to college. Her AmeriCorps service reinforced her understanding of the structural barriers that women, children and families face in achieving their full potential.

This experience inspired her to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, with coursework and research focused on health, gender and family policy. Her educational background coupled with her recent experience working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on disease prevention policy and her service in community has given her work the benefit of a lens built on a combination of direct service and policy analysis. She is excited to apply that lens to work serving DC children.

Travis Ballie brings over a decade of organizing experience to his work at DC Action. As Organizing Director, Travis will coordinate and lead mobilization efforts for Under 3 DC, which harnesses the voice and power of parents and families with young children, educators, advocates, and health professionals to create transformative social change.

Previously, Travis served as Organizing Director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, a reproductive freedom organization. One of his signature accomplishments over his 10 years at NARAL was hosting their first Activists' Summit, a two-day event training more than 600 attendees about how to make a difference in electoral and legislative advocacy.

Travis earned bachelor’s degrees in international relations and international business from American University. Travis serves on leadership teams for organizations that support queer, South Asian communities. He aspires to read at least one book every week.

Kawanza is our passionate Youth Mobilization Manager. She's a facilitator, social impact expert, and storyteller who lives to ignite the light in others. Hailing from the vibrant streets of Southeast Queens, she's woven a decade-long tapestry of community-centered impact that stretches to the heart of Washington, DC.

Since moving to the District, Kawanza has served in numerous roles at education companies and nonprofits, building coalitions, and strategic partnerships, developing programs, and leading community engagement initiatives. DC is also where she was introduced to emergent strategy, liberatory design, and popular education techniques and tools, which have grounded her work.

She also manages youth advocacy and community service campaigns in her spare time, focusing on education, environmental justice, and public health programs. When Kawanza isn't facilitating or designing sustainable solutions, she serves as National Advocacy Chair for the National Urban League Young Professionals. She creates nutritious and delicious recipes for wellness, produces cultural content, and is a nap ministry practitioner.

Nada is passionate about the intersection of media and policy. Nada has created videos, annual reports, and digital media materials for nonprofit organizations that empower refugees, immigrants, and other marginalized populations in the Tampa Bay area and Philadelphia. She produced content for NPR's Tampa Bay radio station, WUSF, and PBS affiliate WEDQ. Since Nada is bilingual, many of her video projects have been in English and Arabic.

Nada earned her bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in broadcast news from the University of South Florida and her master's degree in social policy from the University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, Nada enjoys doing anything outdoors, especially going on hikes. She loves exploring new cities and museums and spending time with friends and family.

As Director of Government Affairs, Joanna Blotner brings more than 15 years of experience as a social justice lobbyist, campaigner, and policy wonk advocating for working families at the local and federal levels. She most recently served as Legislative Director for DC Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) where she managed a portfolio that included Labor, Housing, Human Services, Public Safety, Early Childhood Education, Health, Taxes, and the District's annual Budget. Prior to working at the DC Council, Joanna worked for Jews United for Justice, where she served as Legislative Director for the Under 3 DC Coalition and Campaign Manager for the DC Paid Family Leave Coalition. Through her coalition work, DC became the first state to pay early childhood educators a salary equitable with public school teachers' pay, and the fifth state in the nation to pass and implement a paid family and medical leave insurance program for private sector workers. Joanna has worked to protect abortion rights at the state and federal levels as Public Policy Manager for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, advance LGBTQIA+ equality nationwide as the Religion and Faith Program Coordinator at the Human Rights Campaign, and promote environmental justice as a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center, which is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism. 

Joanna is proud to be a DC-area native. She was born in the District, grew up just over the border in Chevy Chase, MD, and currently calls Shaw home. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science and Jewish studies from Indiana University. When she's not working, Joanna volunteers on local DC campaigns and at the Insect Zoo at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum. She loves traveling, being a tourist in her hometown, musicals, and all animalkind.

As Sr. Policy Analyst, Ryllie brings her background in community engagement, and social policy to support the development of child and youth focused policy, with a focus on out-of-school-time,  expanded learning and youth workforce.

Prior to joining DC Action, Ryllie assisted with workforce development programming at A Wider Circle, where she also provided job search assistance to residents across the DC-area experiencing poverty. She has also worked at DC Hunger Solutions, where she supported District residents in signing up for SNAP and resolving issues with their benefits. 

Ryllie developed a passion for economic, racial, and social justice while working as a communications specialist for the public school district in Cleveland. There, she documented the district’s efforts to transform schools that had experienced decades of disinvestment in communities marred by a history of racist policy and administration. 

Ryllie holds a B.A. in Journalism from John Carroll University and a Master’s in Public Administration, with a social policy concentration from American University. 

Outside of work, Ryllie enjoys exploring various genres of dance through attending performances, taking classes, and teaching young dancers.

As Chief of Staff, Mat works alongside the Executive Director to help grow the organization and build power among its constituents. He provides leadership and management of staff, execution of the organization's strategic plan, and ensures racial justice and equity is fully integrated into the work at every level. 

Mat has spent more than a decade working to promote economic, racial and social justice. He joins DC Action after serving as the DC Director for the Working Families Party, a national organization that unites activists, community and labor organizations to advance systemic change. During his time there, he used electoral, political and legislative strategies that concentrated on increasing economic security for low-income families and bringing greater fairness and equity to our elections. He helped oversee large and small teams, developed and set organizational strategy as well as organized and built winning coalitions that united advocates, business owners, faith leaders, policy experts, unions and other allies. These efforts have resulted in policy changes that have successfully raised statewide minimum wages for more than half a million workers in Maryland and Washington, DC, passed and implemented one of the most progressive public financing of elections programs in the country, and helped secure funding for early childhood education and health programs. 

He has worked at the local, national and international level. A graduate from the City University of New York, he is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, a proud father, and Ward 7 resident.

Tawana Jacobs leads strategic brand and communications efforts for DC Action and shines a spotlight on the need for more public investments for families with infants and toddlers and youth.

Tawana is an accredited public relations (APR) professional with over 20 years of experience in leading marketing communications programs and public interest campaigns for nonprofits, government agencies, and strategic communication firms. She is a former Higher Heights Senior Leadership Fellow and a proud Terp as a University of Maryland graduate.

Prior to joining DC Action, Tawana was a consultant for the Montgomery County, Maryland’s Early Care and Education and Policy Office, and the National Black Coalition for Black Civic Participation/Black Women’s Roundtable. She began her career at DC’s Bread for the City. Her wide-ranging background includes international development communications - she led communications for an alliance of international nongovernmental organizations at the Pittsburgh G20. 

When Tawana is not working, she spends her spare time cooking tasty plant-based meals, enjoying music, sports, and art and traveling.

As the Policy Analyst for Under 3 DC, Audrey brings her experience in federal education policy and preschool administration to the Early Childhood team. 

Audrey holds a bachelor's in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a master’s in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While in Massachusetts, Audrey worked with Boston Public Schools on their Universal Pre-K team to bolster family engagement across the early education system. 

Audrey has worked in DC federal education policy advocating for high-quality education on all levels, from early childhood to higher education. Audrey’s passion for early education led her to work with a DC preschool where she partnered with early educators, families and young children to support child development. Audrey is dedicated to increasing access to early education for all DC children.

Outside of work, Audrey serves on the Board at the Story of Our Schools. Audrey enjoys practicing yoga, exploring DC and spending time outdoors with her friends and family.

As the Under 3 DC Campaign Manager, Vanessa brings experience providing services to underserved community members through the creation of strategic partnerships with decision-makers and nonprofits.

Vanessa hails from Los Angeles, California, where she was involved in local politics and worked on a successful city council race. Since moving to Washington, DC, Vanessa has volunteered as a mentor for youth and an advocate for affordable housing. She has served as field director for two DC Council campaigns. Vanessa earned her bachelor’s degree in political science in Los Angeles, and her master’s degree in public policy from the George Washington University. She loves discovering all there is to do in the District, from eating at great food spots to listening to talented local musicians.

Jorge Membreño, a licensed independent clinical social worker, has focused his career on the intersections of identity, marginalized communities, and supportive services. He provides a trauma-responsive and equity lens to his work both in his advocacy and his counseling practice. 

Before joining DC Action, Membreño was a Special Advisor for Youth and Families with the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH). He previously served in multiple Director-level roles at SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) to build safe and stable shelters, case management services, mental health counseling, crisis intervention, and community support for LGBTQ youth. 

Membreño earned his BA in Psychology from Christopher Newport University and a master’s degree in social work from Boston University. He is the proud son of Salvadoran immigrants and was born in Washington, DC, which he calls home.

As Research and Data Manager, Rachel works to collect, analyze, and share data that can help advocates understand and address issues facing DC's kids and youth, particularly kids and youth of color. She produces the DC KIDS COUNT suite of publications and online data center, DC Action’s interactive data tools, as well as translating the national KIDS COUNT press releases, annual reports, and other publications into the DC context.

As an undergraduate, Rachel performed demographic and policy research at the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network for its State of the States report. After completing her undergraduate degree at the College of William and Mary, she worked with Illinois Action for Children to research barriers to accessing and delivering quality early childhood care and education and to help providers and programs connect with resources for improvement. This experience inspired her to bolster her research skills by pursuing a Master’s degree at Ben Gurion University, after which she spent time in the classroom as a substitute teacher at a Navajo Nation school.

Since then she has continued to build her data and policy skills. She led and supervised rigorous quality assurance checks of paper and online student, teacher, school, and district reports in the Assessment Division at American Institutes for Research. And most recently, at The Education Trust she researched, analyzed, and interpreted key teacher and other education data, with a focus on understanding patterns of access to strong, well-supported teachers for low-income students and students of color.

Rachel is excited to bring her experience with data, research, and policy to help raise awareness and advocate to dismantle structural barriers that stand in the way of all young people reaching their full potential.

Kimberly is one of the nation's leading experts in child and youth public policy advocacy and civic engagement.

Kimberly's work building powerful campaigns and organizations to amplify citizen's voices has resulted in critical policy changes to improve the lives of nearly 30 million children, youth and families. 

In 2019 she became DC Action's executive director and she has set a vision to achieve racial equity in child and youth outcomes, and is ramping up the organization's resources, human capital, and networks to break down structural barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential.

Already, her leadership has resulted in quadrupling the organization’s annual budget, expanding her staff from two to fifteen employees; and led two major policy wins: one, raising the compensation of early childhood educators thereby making the District’s child care system more equitable; and, two, nearly doubling resources for the District’s out-of-school time sector, moving the District closer to closing racial gaps in access to safe and high quality learning opportunities beyond the classroom. 

Prior to DC Action, Kimberly served as Founding Director of DC Hunger Solutions, Vice President of the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Executive Director of DC Vote, as well as other key advisory roles in public policy advocacy and philanthropy.

Kimberly is co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Partnership for America’s Children, serves on the Board of the Children’s Financing Project, and the Community Housing Trust.

When she’s not working you can find her at home perfecting recipes with her family, watching and producing documentaries, salsa dancing, or on a hiking trail.

You can also find Kimberly on Linkedin and Twitter.

As a Bilingual Community Organizer, Natasha Riddle Romero focuses on building and mobilizing a base of Spanish speaking parents, childcare providers, and workers around DC Action’s Under 3 DC campaign. 

Natasha is a third-culture Salvadoran-American who spent her childhood between Central America and the midwest. She landed in the District, where she got a B.A. in Literature and Cinema Studies at American University. Her multinational background, combined with her love of art and film led her to the world of social justice. As she sees it, books and movies are windows into the lives of others-- they show us the details of life, but also expose the overarching systems in which each of us operates; the blood versus the body. She believes that joining the stories of others and grassroots organizing can lead to more political awareness and greater social change. 

Before joining DC Action, she worked on a DC Councilmember campaign. She is also a former restaurant worker who became active in organizing restaurant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, she connected with parent-workers-- particularly Spanish-speaking immigrants-- who were not aware of the services the city has to help working families. Much of the work she has done in the past year has been focused on increasing awareness and access amongst Spanish-speaking immigrants to programs like WIC, food stamps, and Medicaid. She hopes for that awareness to be expanded so that immigrants-- regardless of legal status-- have a bigger say in DC’s political process. Central American families have had a particularly difficult time in the US over the past three decades, and she hopes her work at DC Action can push DC government to invest more resources in the youngest members of these communities. 

When she is not thinking or working to bring about systems change, she can be found in the kitchen cooking up something complicated and messy. She also enjoys biking around the city and getting to know DC’s history.

As Senior Writer for DC Action, Betsy creates compelling stories, messages, and narratives.

Before joining the staff of DC Action, Betsy ran Rosso Writing, a communications consulting practice, for 16 years. In this role she worked with hundreds of organizations to help them tell their stories so the people and communities they serve could thrive. While many of her clients focused on children, youth, families, and education, Betsy has also worked in the areas of the arts, health, housing, human services, military service, philanthropy, and science.

Prior to launching her consulting practice, Betsy served as communications officer for the Meyer Foundation and as senior editor for BoardSource. Betsy earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William and Mary.

Betsy also hosts a podcast, writes two blogs, and interviews people to write their personal histories. She is active in her community and enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing with young people. Betsy loves books, board games, and being with family and friends.

Sierra Wallace is a dynamic and creative communications professional who brings expertise in public relations, marketing, project management, and crisis management to her role at DC Action. As Under 3 DC Communications Manager, Sierra will oversee branding, marketing and outreach for the coalition.

Sierra previously headed the communications department at Orleans Parish Communication District, home of New Orleans 911 and 311, and worked with Planned Parenthood to create campaigns that helped marginalized communities. She believes that advocacy is essential in one’s professional and personal journey. Sierra’s communication campaigns have earned awards such as the PRSA Fleurish Award of Excellence and the 2021 & 2022 Ragan’s Crisis Communication Awards. Sierra earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Memphis. She enjoys playing flag football and participating in the local art scene.

As the Senior Youth Policy Analyst, Rachel brings nearly a decade of youth advocacy experience to DC Action. After obtaining her law degree from Wake Forest University, Rachel worked for and directly alongside youth in New York City's foster care system, advocating for their individual needs in child welfare legal proceedings. While advocating for youth and families involved in the child welfare system, Rachel began guiding the next generation of youth advocates at Montclair State University, teaching courses such as Introduction to Child Advocacy, Cultural Competence in Child Welfare, Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect, and Introduction to Child Welfare Policy. 

During her career, the correlation of systemic racism and disparate outcomes for Black and brown youth within the child welfare system became strikingly clear. As a result Rachel pivoted her career from direct service to child welfare policy to effect change on a larger scale, centering racial equity. As Child Welfare Policy Director at Advocates for Children and Youth in Maryland, Rachel successfully advocated for race impact statements to be included in the analysis of bills before the Maryland General Assembly, widened access to higher education for youth experiencing homelessness and youth involved in the child welfare system, and ensured that youth experiencing homelessness received housing priority on college campuses. 

In her free time, Rachel enjoys traveling, trying new recipes, and spending time with close friends and family.

Mary Katherine brings her background in policy analysis and community programs administration to her role as Home Visiting Program Coordinator.

Mary Katherine returns to DC Action after serving as a Diane Berstein Fellow with the Home Visiting team in the Summer of 2022. She holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Virginia as well as a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Virginia. While in Charlottesville, Mary Katherine worked with several university and community organizations to support community health promotion and the development of young people’s expression and leadership capacity. In these roles, Mary Katherine worked to center and advocate for racial justice and equity for groups that have faced historic and structural discrimination and marginalization.

Outside of work, Mary Katherine enjoys reading, painting, walking, and spending time with friends and family.

Saiida is excited to dive into research and data analysis and contribute to lasting and effective change as a Diane Bernstein Fellow in Child and Youth Advocacy for the Fall of 2023. Originally from Southern California, Saiida is a second-year Honors Political Science and Afro-American Studies double major on a pre-law track at Howard University. She serves as the chair of the Political Action Committee of the Howard University Chapter of the NAACP and on the Executive Board of the Black Women in Pre-Law Society. Saiida has a passion for intersectionality, radical socio political theory, and institutional reform. Saiida shared her research on the intersection between race and gender and how the constructs contribute towards our understanding of privilege at conferences of the National Association of African-American Studies and the National Council of Black Political Scientists.

Alexa is a senior at American University majoring in CLEG: Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government. She is pursuing a minor in Education Studies and a certificate in Community-Based Research. Alexa is passionate about education policy and research that prioritizes community input and youth voice. She has conducted research to assess the level of environmental literacy in Appalachian states. Through this work, Alexa had the opportunity to interview informal and formal educators paving the way in environmental education. She was able to highlight the significant role of educators and their opinions on how to improve and expand environmental education at the North American Association for Environmental Education Conference. Alexa is a member of an AU dance team and loves to bake, visit museums, and explore the outdoors.

Torrey is a junior at the University of the District of Columbia pursuing his bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in global studies. Torrey is the Director of Mobilization with the Voters of Tomorrow in Washington, DC. Previously, he worked as a human resources intern with the Democratic National Committee. When he isn't working, Torrey can be found loudly rooting for the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, or any other Maryland sports team. He also can be found reading a good book from time to time, with a cup of tea.

Elianna Rivera is a junior majoring in political science at American University. At AU, Elianna has been involved in a community-based learning course where she volunteered in DC’s Anacostia neighborhood while studying about the systemic injustices that minority communities face. She has also undertaken an independent research study which centers around political indices. In spring 2022, she presented her work at the National Council for Undergraduate Research conference while studying abroad in England. This semester, she is taking a Latin American history and culture course in Spanish, with the hopes of furthering her proficiency in the language. These experiences have cultivated an appreciation for learning how to best collaborate with and serve different communities. 

Elianna plans to graduate with her Bachelor’s degree in fall 2023, before moving on to complete a master’s in international relations. With a passion for cultural exchange, diplomacy, and Latin American affairs, she aspires to become a foreign service officer.

Outside of academics, Elianna can often be found dancing, singing, or letting her curiosity lead her to new people, places, and things.

Ta’Niyah Bogier is a sophomore at Howard University where she majors in Criminology and minors in Psychology. She is a part of Howard University’s College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program where she has gained a better understanding of what it means to be motivated and well-prepared for the real world. She applied for the Diane Bernstein Fellowship to share, relate, and possibly use her experiences of growing up in the Baltimore area to understand how to advocate better for DC youth. Ta’Niyah has many passions, including LGBTQ+ rights, social justice reform, and environmental injustice. Outside of school and work, Ta’Niyah enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading books, and journaling.

Darshi brings in their skills in data analysis and research, as well as their passion for social justice to contribute to DC Action as a fellow for the summer.

Darshi is currently a rising senior at American University majoring in Psychology and double minoring in Sociology and Public Health. She is also a part of the university’s Community-Based Research Scholars program, where she has gained experience in action research, data analysis, and volunteering for the DC community. Through this program, they have had the opportunity to educate high school students and freshmen in college on using community-based research and served as the Co-author, Editor, and Lead Designer of the Community-Based Action Research: College Curriculum. Additionally, through her classes, she has gained an interest in studying health inequalities, social determinants of health, and conducting research on social issues.

Outside of work, Darshi enjoys doing various forms of art, such as henna, painting, and bullet journaling, as well as exploring DC and going to art museums.

Mary Katherine West is excited to bring her knowledge and passion to her role as a Diane Bernstein Fellow in Youth and Child Advocacy for DC Action for the Summer of 2022. 

Mary Katherine graduated from the UVA School of Education and Human Development in May where she majored in Youth and Social Innovations and African American Studies. She will return to UVA in the fall to complete the second year of her Accelerated Masters in Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. 

Outside of coursework, Mary Katherine was involved in activities centered around educating and advocating for bodily autonomy through body positivity, LGBTQ+ advocacy, sexual health and assault prevention, and mental health promotion. Through this advocacy, she is committed to combating structural forces of oppression that create barriers for marginalized groups and youth from positive developmental outcomes. 

In her free time, Mary Katherine enjoys painting, reading, taking her dog for walks, and caring for her pet betta fish. 

Lucy is a new pediatrician who is passionate about preventative medicine. She is particularly interested in adolescent medicine, protecting reproductive rights, promoting mental health and wellness in the primary care setting, counseling families on accident prevention, and keeping kids out of the hospital. Lucy is serving as an intern with DC Action as part of the Leadership in Advocacy, Under-resourced Communities and Health Equity Track at Children's National Medical Center. Raised in an Ecuadorian family, Lucy is proud to be a Latina in medicine and excited to use her Spanish to serve her patients, their families, and the Hispanic community at large. More broadly, she hopes to work toward improving medical care for non-English speaking families. Lucy earned her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her MD from Harvard Medical School.

Brittanie is a rising senior at the University of Maryland College Park, majoring in Criminology and Criminal justice. She is a fellow of the Karabelle Pizzigati Initiative, a child advocacy fellowship for UMD’s School of public policy. She also works as an ambassador for the Nyumburu Cultural Center on campus, hosting their ‘News Break’ show and is the President of S.O.U.L, a club focused on uplifting the voices of Black women on campus. Additionally, Brittanie has a passion for working with young children. She is a before and after care teacher working in the Prince George's County school system. Outside of work, Brittanie enjoys spending time with her three siblings, watching movies, and painting.