City Year names new executive directors to lead across seven U.S. cities
Boston, Apr 22, 2026 —City Year, an education nonprofit that recruits young adultsasmentorsand tutorsfor a year of service inunder-resourcedschools, announcesseven newexecutive directors who will leadourlocalsitesin key citiesacross 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 than2,000 City Year AmeriCorps members and staff areserving126,000studentsin247public schools across 29 U.S. cities. As student success coaches, these corps memberspartner with classroom teacherstosupportstudents academically and help them developinterpersonal and leadership skillsand stay on track to graduate. Corps members, in turn, gain experience and build durableskillssuch as creative problem solving, teamwork, flexibility, leadershipand communicationthat employersseekandprepare themfor 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 ofexecutive directors:
Erika Alvarez Werner(City Year Boston ’98, ‘99), City Year Greater BostonExecutive 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 YearMemphisExecutive 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 andretaineducators committed to fostering belonging and thriving for the children of Memphis.
Lori Halvorson,City YearBaton RougeExecutive 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 RockExecutive 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 YearColumbusExecutive Director,brings more than 20 years of experience advancing student opportunity and community impact in Columbus, beginning with early childhoodeducationand later helpingtolaunch 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 YearClevelandExecutive Director,is a longtime nonprofit and education leader with more thanthreedecades 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 expandopportunitiesand support young people and families.
Dr. Selvon Malcolm Waldron,City YearWashington, DCExecutive 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 ofserviceinschools,City YearAmeriCorps members serve as student success coaches—near-peertutors, mentors and role modelswhosupport students’ holisticgrowth,more fully engagestudentsin their learning,and help them stay on track to graduate.Student success coaches bring added capacity to classrooms and teachers that helpstudentsimprove their academic performanceandcultivatethe skillsand experiencesthey need to succeed in school,careerand 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.
####
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,operatingin 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 Ƶ’s impact:, , aԻ .
Related stories
Longtime Executive Director, Pawn Nitichan, to transition in the new year as City Year New Hampshire builds on a strong...
Read more about Ƶ New Hampshire Announces Executive Leadership TransitionCoalition of seven organizations unites around shared goal of increasing access to student success coaching statewide Boston, Jul 30, 2026...
Read more about New York Student Success Coach Learning Network Announces First Cohort of Partner OrganizationsFederal investment in national service will help City Year continue supporting students, schools and communities across the country Boston, Jul...
Read more about Ƶ's 29 U.S. Sites Receive AmeriCorps Funding for the Year AheadThree-part investment spans student coaching, workforce pathways, and AI-enabled operational innovation across six U.S. markets and the U.K Boston, Jun...
Read more about Ƶ Receives $2.5M Grant from ServiceNow to Power Student Success and Build Future-Ready Talent Pipelines
