Boston, April 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — City Year, an education nonprofit that recruits young adults as mentors and tutors for a year of service in under-resourced schools, announces seven new executive directors who will lead our local sites in key cities across the United States.
“This cohort reflects a powerful blend of City Year alumni and other accomplished leaders from education, nonprofit, government and community‑based organizations,” said City Year Market President Pete November, who is also a 1994 alum of City Year Boston. “All are individuals who have strengthened schools, expanded student opportunity, and deepened partnerships in communities across the nation.”
This year, more than 2,000 City Year AmeriCorps members and staff are serving 126,000 students in 247 public schools across 29 U.S. cities. As student success coaches, these corps members partner with classroom teachers to support students academically and help them develop interpersonal and leadership skills and stay on track to graduate. Corps members, in turn, gain experience and build durable skills such as creative problem solving, teamwork, flexibility, leadership and communication that employers seek and prepare them for successful careers.
“Our new executive directors are united by a strong commitment to the academic success and well-being of students in schools, as well as to the growth and development of the dedicated corps members who serve as student success coaches every day,” said City Year Market President Jared Billings. “Grounded in the strengths and realities of the communities they serve, these leaders believe deeply in the power of partnership and collaboration to expand opportunity and create meaningful, lasting change for all young people.”
Meet City Year’s new cohort of executive directors:
Erika Alvarez Werner (City Year Boston ’98, ‘99), City Year Greater Boston Executive Director, brings extensive experience across the government and nonprofit sectors, grounded in her early service as a City Year Team Leader in Boston Public Schools from 1997–1999. Following her service, she built a career in education policy—including leadership roles at Boston Plan for Excellence and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education—before returning to City Year Greater Boston in August 2022 as Chief of Staff.
Lesley Brown Rawlings, City Year Memphis Executive Director, is a proven nonprofit leader, talent strategist and equity champion who is committed to equipping schools and communities with the resources necessary to flourish and thrive. She was most recently the Vice President of Strategy for Beloved Community. Previously Lesley served as Director of People and Practice Investments for the Memphis Education Fund, as well as the Chief People Officer for the ASD-Achievement Schools where she advanced policies and strategies to attract, train and retain educators committed to fostering belonging and thriving for the children of Memphis.
Lori Halvorson, City Year Baton Rouge Executive Director, built her career in service, beginning with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso and later joining Teach for America, which brought her to Baton Rouge. After teaching high school French, she spent 12 years at City Year Baton Rouge in a range of leadership roles, including Impact Manager, Evaluation and Training, People and Operations, and Interim Executive Director.
Jeremy Hill, City Year Little Rock Executive Director, is a seasoned nonprofit and community leader with more than a decade of experience in strategic leadership, operations and civic engagement. Recognized among Arkansas’ “40 Under 40” and an inaugural Mosaic Changemakers South Fellow, he is deeply committed to strengthening local communities through service, advocacy and partnership. Jeremy is no stranger to City Year Little Rock, previously serving as Director of Impact and Chief of Staff.
Ruth Lomax, City Year Columbus Executive Director, brings more than 20 years of experience advancing student opportunity and community impact in Columbus, beginning with early childhood education and later helping to launch and scale the United Way of Central Ohio’s groundbreaking Columbus Kids initiative across Columbus and Southwest City Schools. She went on to lead development efforts at United Way of Central Ohio, City Year Columbus, and City Year, Inc.
Steve Stevenson (City Year Boston ’94), City Year Cleveland Executive Director, is a longtime nonprofit and education leader with more than three decades of executive experience across youth development, mentoring, and community‑based organizations, including City Year, the YMCA of Central Ohio, Columbus City Schools, and A Kid Again. He has led large, multi‑site teams nationally and locally, advancing education‑focused programs, fundraising, and strategic partnerships to expand opportunities and support young people and families.
Dr. Selvon Malcolm Waldron, City Year Washington, DC Executive Director, is a recognized education and workforce development leader with more than a decade of experience expanding college access, career readiness and youth opportunity across the Washington, DC region. He is focused on building strong partnerships and pipelines, drawing on prior nonprofit leadership roles where he scaled programs, strengthened corporate partnerships, and raised significant funding to support education and economic mobility for young people.
During their year of service in schools, City Year AmeriCorps members serve as student success coaches—near-peer tutors, mentors and role models who support students’ holistic growth, more fully engage students in their learning, and help them stay on track to graduate. Student success coaches bring added capacity to classrooms and teachers that help students improve their academic performance and cultivate the skills and experiences they need to succeed in school, career and in life. Nationally, schools with City Year are two-to-three times more likely to improve on math and English assessments than similar schools without City Year.
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About City Year
City Year is a trailblazing, youth-powered organization working to create conditions that enable young people to reach their full potential, build leadership skills, and contribute to vibrant communities. Research shows the more time a student spends with a City Year AmeriCorps member serving as a student success coach, the better the student outcomes—academically, interpersonally and in terms of attendance. A public-private partnership, City Year is a proud member of AmeriCorps, operating in 29 U.S. cities with international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. Today, 40,000 alums continue to lead and serve where they live and work. Learn more about City Year’s impact: www.cityyear.org, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
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Joe Zappala, SVP of Communications City Year 607.339.1098 joseph.zappala@cityyear.org
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