Summer Journalism Institute

jasmineheyward@writeboston.org

617-541-2650

Jasmine joins WriteBoston after earning a journalism degree at Northeastern University. During their studies, they fell in love with working with students, volunteering with Generation Citizen, Let’s Get Ready, the Boston Debate League, and more. They serve as Teens in Print’s Senior Associate, developing TiP’s programming, editing the newspaper, and mentoring students. Jasmine’s journalism background includes bylines with Boston.com, The Boston Globe, and The Christian Science Monitor. When they’re not at work, they enjoy playing video games, watching cooking shows, and trying new international foods.

elvisalvarado@writeboston.org

617-541-2627

Born and raised in Boston, Elvis has developed a profound love for the city and believes it has played an integral role in the formation of his identity. Choosing to stay in Boston for his undergraduate studies at Boston University reaffirmed his love for his hometown and allowed him to get involved in his community. Through working with programs like the Paul Robeson Institute, Upward Bound, and the Boston Debate League, he found his passion for working with youth. Elvis draws his inspiration and motivation from the students he has worked with and hopes to encourage those around him to serve the communities that need it most. His desire to be of service has landed him a position with the Commonwealth Corps as a Youth Program Associate and he hopes to help students find their voices. 

annekelley@writeboston.org

617-541-2664

Annie joined WriteBoston as a Commonwealth Corps Program Associate because she loves writing and working with students to help them love writing, too. Having seen Good Will Hunting one too many times, Annie moved to Boston from Northern Virginia to serve for an AmeriCorps Program, City Year. During her time at City Year, she served at Tech Boston Academy in a 7th grade ELA classroom and fell in love with tutoring students and beating them at the card game “Speed” every day at lunch. Although she is unsure of what her future holds, she knows she wants to continue to support students whether that be in a traditional classroom setting or through educational nonprofit work. She hopes that this year she’ll be able to meet more fun, weird, and cool kids who inspire her. When she is not serving, Annie loves to listen, watch, or read a good story, run around her new city, and eat lots of ice cream.

anneshackleford@writeboston.org

617-541-2663

Anne Shackleford joined WriteBoston in 2012 and manages the organization’s communications, grant writing, and fundraising. (If you call the office, you’re also most likely to hear her voice.) Prior to coming to WriteBoston, she lived in Providence, RI, where she amassed an impressive collection of art created by other people’s children from working in communications and development at a youth arts organization. Before that, she spent two years working one-on-one with college students as a writing center tutor: helping freshman football stars navigate their first college essay to working with international graduate students as they express the minutia of turf grass science. The experience of working closely with other writers—talking and thinking about the writing process—gave her a deep appreciation of how writing can push real reflection and growth in thinking. Anne is a proud alumna of the AmeriCorps VISTA program, having served two years. She graduated summa cum laude from the Ohio State University with a BA in English and minors in professional writing and business. She’s inspired by great theater, weird art, and the amazing perspectives and voices of young people.

kellyknopf-goldner@writeboston.org

617-541-2665

Kelly’s 25 years in education—as a teacher and coach—have all been dedicated to uncovering the writer and reader in every student. Whatever a child’s passion, she believes strong communication skills will ensure they achieve it. She also believes in the necessity of literacy to make sure young people enter the world beyond school as informed, critically thinking citizens. Kelly has taught in private and public schools, coached teachers in and around Boston, and edited and published teen writers at TeenVoices Magazine and Boston Teens in Print. She has been at WriteBoston since 2003, aside from a recent stint back in the classroom. She’s a book junkie and with her family loves to cook, hike, camp, and watch old comedies.

carlagualdron@writeboston.org

617-541-2635

Carla’s story with WriteBoston is a quintessential one of things coming full circle. As a sophomore at the former Media Communication Technology High School in West Roxbury, she joined the Teens in Print newspaper as a staff writer. It was there that she got her first taste of ink. That feeling of accomplishment in seeing her name in print sent her on a quest to become to journalist. A Boston native, Carla stayed local and attended Emerson College where she earned her degree in print journalism. Since then, Carla has quenched her thirst for bylines through the Boston Herald, El Mundo newspaper, and The Enterprise. In 2016 Carla returned to Teens in Print as the Program Director, hoping to inspire budding cub reporters.

sarahpoulter@writeboston.org

617-541-2631

A native Oregonian, Sarah moved to Boston for love in Y2K (despite the hype, the world didn’t come to an end) and hasn’t looked back. While she remains curious about the many career possibilities left unexplored – professional sewist, craft blogger, face painter, fabric designer – her passion for education is fueled by the insatiable curiosity of her two children and her husband, the dedicated middle school teacher who convinced her to pack her bags for Boston.

Before assuming the role of Executive Director in July 2016, Sarah worked at WriteBoston for 5 years in roles ranging from Grant Writer, Director of New Business and Evaluation, to, most recently, Deputy Director. Sarah brings over 15 years of leadership, program management and partnership development experience through a range of roles within education intermediary organizations. Notable past employers include City Connects, the Boston Plan for Excellence, and the Boston PIC. She earned her Master’s degree from the Education Policy and Management program at Harvard University.

When she’s not learning how to play Pokémon or supervising messy cooking projects with her children, she should be reading, running, or improving her garden.

scarlett@writeboston.org

617-541-2651

Prior to joining WriteBoston, Scarlett spent a decade serving as a high school English teacher and administrator in Lawrence Public Schools. Her greatest accomplishment there was being a part of the team that took one of the high schools from a Level 5 turnaround school to a Level 1 school. She is a teacher at heart and that comes through as she works with teachers and students. Scarlett believes education is an equalizer that can open doors and change lives for the better. Working with teachers to make grade level standards accessible to all students is something she loves about her job. When she is not in schools, she can be found eating doughnuts on Saturdays, laughing with her family, and listening to podcasts while she walks her dog.

libertybritz@writeboston.org

617-541-2626

Liberty grew up on a small chicken and goat farm in in North Carolina. She moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University and graduated with a B.A. in Human Services. To her own surprise, she grew to love Boston and learned to tolerate the winter. As an avid reader, she’s always cherished good writing and has acted as an editor for the better part of her life. She finds joy in encouraging others to embrace their unique voices and gain confidence in their prose.

Prior to WriteBoston, Liberty worked at two other nonprofits in Greater Boston, as a freelance editor, and at two flower shops. Liberty is a serial book and plant collector and in her free time, can be found reading a good novel, baking, or tending to her growing collection of house plants.

alyssavaughn@writeboston.org

617.541.2650

Alyssa Vaughn joined WriteBoston in 2017 as the AmeriCorps VISTA for the Teens in Print program, and has since supported the program’s special initiatives, overseen the newspaper’s publication cycle, and managed the brand’s marketing and social media strategies. She currently serves as the program’s Editorial and Content Manager, developing and maintaining Teens in Print’s journalism curriculum. Her approach to her role is informed by her past experiences in journalism at Boston and St. Louis magazines and in youth development at Brighton, MA’s Another Course to College. She holds a degree in English from Boston College.

alexgeorgiadis@writeboston.org

617.541.2626

Alex is thrilled to join the WriteBoston team as the Writing Center Coordinator at Boston International Newcomers Academy! After graduating from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Public Policy and Spanish, Alex braved the move up to New England, despite warnings from well-meaning relatives about the unbearable winters. She spent the past year serving as an AmeriCorps member at Lynn Classical High School, where she supported English Language Learners in Algebra and Biology classrooms. The role that brought her real joy, however, was developing an English conversation group after school where students debated the merits of various pro-soccer players, listened to pop songs, and played many, many rounds of “trashketball” over the course of the year. Alex is passionate about advocating for her students and providing holistic support to help them thrive in their academic and personal lives. Outside of the classroom, Alex enjoys running along the Charles, hiking, and following golden retriever accounts on Instagram.

jessiegerson@writeboston.org

617.541.2664

Jessie’s previous work has included serving as the Literacy Director for McCormack Middle School in Dorchester, MA, and directing the Oakland Practitioner Teacher Training Program in Oakland, California. She started her career as a middle school English and Social Studies teacher, and has worked as a coach and consultant with district and charter schools, helping to train new and experienced teachers and strengthen building-wide literacy practices. She earned her Masters in Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies from Stanford University and her Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisville, Kentucky.

kierancollier@writeboston.org
617.541.2627

merleberman@writeboston.org

Merle Berman’s husband wants to move out of their hometown of over three decades to savor the freedom of anonymity because Merle’s visibility in town extends far and wide—as wife, mother, educator, child and social justice advocate, coach, community leader, fitness fanatic, garden aficionado. Perhaps to her husband’s chagrin, she isn’t leaving town anytime soon. Instead, she is exploring new territory through an uncharted shift to working in urban schools, mentoring a maximum security inmate, and teaching pronunciation to new immigrants, with her South African accent.

It’s no secret that Merle is a Bruce Springsteen devotee. Bruce is an iconic educator, and like The Boss, Merle’s career springs from the ground up. Through teaching children, and training, coaching and leading teachers and administrators, Merle knows how to empower learners to break barriers in their thinking and writing – in life transforming ways. Ask Merle what skills have been most critical to her success and her answer might surprise you: humility and nuance. When not steeped in schools and scholarship, you’ll likely see her wheeling or chasing her grandchildren, throwing pots, braving steep downhills on her bike, or consuming stunning sunset views!

robertalogan@writeboston.org

While teaching in Boston Public Schools for over thirty years, Roberta Logan worked collaboratively with colleagues as well as interns from Harvard University and Tufts University. Since retiring from Boston Public Schools, she has continued to work with educators at various levels, who are at different career stages. She is an adjunct faculty member for The Boston Teacher Residency Program. Her appreciation of authentic voices has led to an ongoing relationship with the Africa Outreach Program at Boston University, where she co-facilitates a book group for k-12 educators. Beyond her work with classroom teachers, she serves on the Mission Hill School Governing Board and enjoys gardening, long walks and making soup. Her most recent writing project focused on the historical relationship between African Americans and the legal system in Massachusetts.

bettysouthwick@writeboston.org
617.541.2604

The founding Executive Director of WriteBoston (2002–2016), Betty Southwick currently serves as a part-time strategy adviser for the organization. She brings business, management, and teaching experience to her work, including consulting on work-life and dependent care issues for major Fortune 500 companies for ten years. She is an educator with experience as a teacher and a guidance counselor and the parent of two Boston public school graduates.