Our Staff

The Forum for Youth Investment was founded in 1998 by Karen Pittman and Merita Irby, two of the country’s top leaders on youth issues and youth policy. The Forum’s diverse staff includes researchers, educators, policy analysts, youth work practitioners, business professionals, advocates and communications specialists.

Executive Staff

  • Karen Pittman
    karen@forumfyi.org

    Karen is the Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forum.
  • Merita Irby
    merita@forumfyi.org

    Merita is the Co-Founder, Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer of the Forum, which she co-founded in 1998 with Karen Pittman.
  • Rob Schamberg
    rob@forumfyi.org

    Rob is the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Forum.

Program Staff

  • Andrea Felix
    andrea@forumfyi.org

    Andrea is a Senior Program Associate and the Special Assistant to Karen Pittman, President and CEO.
  • Nicole Yohalem
    nicole@forumfyi.org

    Nicole is a Director of Special Projects.
  • Elizabeth Gaines
    elizabeth@forumfyi.org

    Elizabeth oversees the Forum’s work related to state and local policy and manages various national partnerships and networks of legislators, advocates and youth councils.  She is the Forum's primary contact for their partnership with NCSL.

  • Thaddeus Ferber
    thaddeus@forumfyi.org

    Thaddeus is the Vice President of Policy.

    Thaddeus is a leading national voice on aligning inter-agency policy efforts for children and youth, infusing youth voice into public policy, and utilizing online communications and advocacy.
  • Nalini Ravindranath
    nalini@forumfyi.org

    Nalini is a Senior Program Associate.
  • Ian Faigley
    ian@forumfyi.org

    Ian is a Program Manager.
  • Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom
    alicia@forumfyi.org

    Alicia is a Senior Program Manager.
  • Emily Jensen
    emily@forumfyi.org

    Emily is a Policy Associate.
  • Danielle Evennou
    danielle@forumfyi.org

    Danielle is a Policy Associate.
  • Stephanie Randall
    stephanie@forumfyi.org

    Stephanie is a Program Associate.
  • Kiley Bednar
    kiley@forumfyi.org

    Kiley is a Program Manager.
  • Larry Pasti
    larry@forumfyi.org

    Larry is the Director of Field Services.

Communications Staff

  • Laura Mattis
    laura@forumfyi.org

    Laura is the Designer and Communications Associate.
  • Caitlin Johnson
    caitlin@forumfyi.org

    Caitlin is the Managing Editor of SparkAction.
  • Shané Gooding
    shane@forumfyi.org

    Shané is the SparkAction Multimedia Editorial Associate.

Information Systems/Office Management Staff

  • Galen Irby
    galen@forumfyi.org

    Galen is the Information Technology and Facilities Manager.
  • Rosa Pittman
    rosa@forumfyi.org

    Rosa is the Information and Facilities Associate.

    Rosa joined the Forum in 2002. She is responsible for entering incoming publications into the electronic library catalog, as well as organizing and shelving such publications in the Forum library. Rosa also helps to maintain the cleanliness and smooth operation of meetings at the Cady-Lee.
  • Adriana Lacerda
    adriana@forumfyi.org

    Adriana is the Grants Administrator and Budgets Specialist.
  • Patricia Martin
    patricia@forumfyi.org

    Patricia is the Finance Associate.

Senior Fellows

  • Bob Bowen
    bob@forumfyi.org

    Bob is a Senior Fellow.

Executive Support Staff

  • Raegan Williams
    raegan@forumfyi.org

    Raegan is the Executive Assistant to Merita Irby, Exective Vice President and Chief Program Officer.

David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality

The Weikart Center is a joint venture between the Forum for Youth Investment and the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. The Weikart Center is charged with positioning point of service quality as a powerful public idea that drives the out-of-school time field toward higher levels of understanding, expectation and action about the quality of experiences available to children and youth.

  • Charles Smith, PhD.
    charles@cypq.org

    Charles is the Executive Director of the Weikart Center and the Vice President of Research at the Forum.
  • Leah Wallace
    leah@cypq.org

    Leah is a Research Assistant at the Weikart Center.
  • Gina McGovern
    gina@cypq.org

    Gina is a Senior Program Associate at the Weikart Center.
  • Tom Devaney
    tom@cypq.org

    Tom is the Managing Director of the Weikart Center.
  • Joe Bertoletti
    joe@cypq.org

    Joe is the Manager of Field Services of the Weikart Center.
  • Samantha Sugar
    samantha@cypq.org

    Samantha is a Research Associate at the Weikart Center.
  • Kynisha Johnson
    kynisha@cypq.org

    Kynisha is the Office Manager of the Weikart Center.
  • Tom Akiva
    toma@cypq.org

    Tom is the Senior Manager of Development, Demonstration and Replication at the Weikart Center.
  • Kri Burkander
    kri@cypq.org

    Kri is a Senior Program Associate at the Weikart Center.
  • Amber Duddy
    amber@cypq.org

    Amber is a Program Assistant at the Weikart Center.
  • Angelina Garner
    angelina@cypq.org

    Angelina is a Manager at the Weikart Center.
  • Jerome Threlkeld
    jerome@cypq.org

    Jerome is a Senior Program Associate for the Weikart Center.
  • Trevor Davies
    trevor@cypq.org

    Trevor is a Senior Program Associate for the Weikart Center.