Our Approach
Our Team
LaKisha N. Williams is the Director of #DegreesNYC, a data-informed collective impact movement co-lead by young people to expand access to education in New York City. As such, she represents #DegreesNYC and Goddard Riverside on many groups, including the Government Relations and Human Relations Committees of the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling, the National College Access Network Policy Council, and the CUNY Rising Alliance. She serves on the Steering Committee of the New York State Poor People’s Campaign, as well as on its Coordinating and Faith Committees, where she organizes moral fusion direct action against systemic racism, poverty, militarism & ecological devastation. Recently, she was honored with the United Neighborhood Houses Award for Achievement in Civic Advocacy in recognition of her social justice work. Williams holds a BA from William Smith College and a Masters of Divinity from the Union Theological Seminary of New York.
Rachel Bork is the Data and Research Coordinator at #DegreesNYC. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Reed College with a degree in Sociology. In her time at Reed, she focused on race, racism, and institutional barriers. She has held both community-outreach and research positions. Most relevantly, she conducted research on socioeconomic and racial inequalities in K-12 and college access programs for the Office of Graduate and Special Programs at Reed College. She has also worked with various grassroots nonprofits before joining the #DegreesNYC team, working in the classroom, crafting curriculum, developing research projects, and writing reports.
Zayin Tilley is the Youth Council Co-Coordinator for Advocacy. He is pursuing a B.A. in Urban Studies from Fordham University. Zayin draws on a multifaceted perspective informed by experiences in management consulting, peer mentorship (specifically focusing on young men of color in high school), service-learning, and local government. Facilitating meaningful systemic change with an eye towards greater opportunities for the disadvantaged in education is his raison d’etre as a member of the #DegreesNYC team.
Afsana Rahman is the Youth Council Co-Coordinator for Data. She is a first-year student studying physics at City College. With a background in research and data-driven advocacy, she is passionate about amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups to create lasting change. In the past, Afsana has worked on various projects centered around improving economic mobility, education opportunities, and transit justice for young people in New York City. She hopes to one day combine her scientific knowledge with her desire to promote equal opportunity by pursuing a career in applied physics, inventing solutions that address social challenges.
Our Steering Committee
Co-Chairs
Gregg Betheil, President, PENCIL
Marcia Cantarella, Advisor to CUNY Black Male Initiative, educator, author, & activist
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Members
Alison Overseth, Chief Executive Officer, Partnership for Afterschool Education
Allison Palmer, Associate Executive Director, New Settlement Apartments
Calvin Zhou, Data Fellow, #DegreesNYC Youth Council
Chad Franklin, Associate Vice President—Education Pathways & Director of The Options Center, Goddard Riverside
Ethan Milich, New York Communities for Change
Habibah Aldakak, Data Fellow, #DegreesNYC Youth Council
Lan To, Senior Consultant, Community Resource Exchange
Latiqua Washington, Deputy Director & Director of Postsecondary Access and Success Counseling of The Options Center, Goddard Riverside
Megan McAllister, Senior Program Officer, The Altman Foundation
Michael Partis, Executive Director, Red Hook Initiative
Nermen Elkallini, Data Fellow, #DegreesNYC Youth Council
Robert Rotunda, Executive Director, New York State School Counselor Association
Susan Matloff-Nieves, Vice President - Innovation and Justice, Goddard Riverside
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Our Organizational Partners*
*As of March 2021
Altman Foundation
Arch Forensics, LLC
Baruch College - Office of College Now & Collaborative Programs
Beverly L. Smith Empowerment Initiative
Bigs & Littles NYC Mentoring
Bottom Line
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM)
Bronx Documentary Center / Bronx Junior Photo League
CARA NYC
Center for Youth Employment
Children’s Aid
Classroom, Inc./Read to Lead
College Bound/ MMCC
CollegeSpring
CUNY Black Male Initiative
DreamYard Project, Inc.
East Harlem Tutorial Program
East Side House Settlement
Education Beyond the Core Consulting
Edquity
First Star CSI Academy
Friends of WHEELS
Futures and Options
Goddard Riverside Options Center
Good Shepherd Services
Harlem Educational Activities Fund
iMentor
Internationals Network for Public Schools
KIPP Through College & Career
Legal Outreach, Inc.
Mizz P. Post-Secondary Success Consulting, LLC
New Settlement Apartments
New Visions for Public Schools
NYC Department of Education/Office of Safety and Youth Development
NYU Metro Center College Prep Academy
OneGoal
Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow
Partnership for Afterschool Education
PENCIL, Inc.
Phipps Neighborhoods College Access Program
Sadie Nash Leadership Project
South Asian Youth Action
South Bronx Community Charter High School
South Bronx Rising Together
Teens Take Charge
The Door - A Center of Alternatives
The Eagle Academy Foundation
The Education Trust-NY
The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation
The Opportunity Network
The Urban Assembly
uAspire
Urban Upbound
Young Invincibles
Youth Development Institute
YWCA Brooklyn
Our Data Co-Op & Learning Network*
*Members of the Data Co-Op come from the following organizations, as of August 2025:
#DegreesNYC
Advocates for Children
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Basta
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
Ed Trust—New York
El Puente
Empowering Minds for Tomorrow
ExpandED
Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)
Goddard Riverside Learning to Work
Goddard Riverside Options Center
Goddard Riverside Star Learning Center
Haydn Foundation
HERE to HERE
Intergenerational Change Initiative (ICI)
iMentor
Internationals Network for Public Schools
KIPP NYC - KIPP Forward
Legal Outreach Inc.
Mathematica
Mission Society of New York City
New Alternatives for Children
New Settlement
New Visions for Public Schools
NYC Outward Bound Schools
NYS School Counselor Association
OneGoal
PENCIL
Public Prep Network
Read Alliance
Student Leadership Network
Student Success Network
The Business Council
Transition Alliance
Working the Gap Initiative
YMCA