Rick AkinDirector, Volunteer Services

Rick Akin is the Director of Volunteer Services for the Bowery Residents' Committee (BRC). Prior to his tenure at BRC, he was the Volunteer Services Manager at City Harvest for three years, during which time he also served on the volunteer advisory committee for the Office of Emergency Management and was on the volunteer board at America's Second Harvest. His professional experience includes 12 years in national corporate sales and account management. He recently joined Volunteer Management Group as an instructor and has spoken locally and nationally about community service involvement. Rick has served as a board member of NYAVA for the past year. He has a BA in Liberal Arts from SUNY Stony Brook.

Louise BrooksManager, Community Relations and Volunteer Programs

Louise Brooks has managed community relations and outreach for the Rubin Museum of Art since 2007, and the museum’s volunteer and intern programs since 2009. Prior to her role at the Rubin, Louise was the recruiter, and then director of special projects at FirstSource Staffing, a social-purpose staffing agency owned by the Fifth Avenue Committee, a Brooklyn-based non-profit. At FirstSource, Louise was responsible for interviewing and placing job seekers with barriers to employment, and providing support to the newly-hired. She also established a city-wide network of community-based organizations to support the company’s recruitment efforts and social-purpose mission. Louise also has a background in the arts, political organizing, and writing. She is an avid urban gardener.

Clare Bruff Director, Field Support

Clare Bruff is Director, Field Support at the American Lung Association, where she works with Lung Associations throughout the country on goal-setting and performance management. She also staffs the national Diversity Committee and provides leadership on nationwide diversity initiatives. Previously, she managed the volunteer and intern program at the American Lung Association's national headquarters and worked with Lung Associations on developing their volunteer programs. She has been a member of the New York Association for Volunteer Administration since 2004 and a Board member since 2006.  She currently serves as Treasurer. Prior to that, she served as First Vice President in 2009. She was Editor of the NYAVA newsletter from 2006 through 2009. Clare graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Africana Studies and English.

Alexandra CollierDirector of Volunteer Services and Special Projects

Alexandra Collier is the Director of Volunteer Services and Special Projects at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA). Alex manages an agency-wide, multi-site volunteer program and collaborates with other community-based organizations. Alex holds an MPA degree in Nonprofit Management and Policy Analysis from the City University of New York, Baruch College School of Public Affairs where she was a United Way Senior Fellow in Nonprofit Management. She serves as the Chair of the NYAVA Professional Development Committee and writes a blog on Volunteer Management for the New York Nonprofit Press.

Gloria DeucherDirector, Volunteer Services

Gloria Deucher has been a volunteer resources administrator since 1991. From 1991 to 1996 Gloria was the Director of Volunteer Services at Einstein Hospital. During that time, Gloria served as the Membership Chair and as Vice President of GNYADVS. She joined AVA in 1996 when she became the volunteer coordinator at the Central Park Zoo. Since 1998 she has been the Director of Volunteer Services at WNET.ORG. She is a founding member of NYAVA which incorporated in 1998. She served as the Treasurer, Membership Committee chair, 1st VP and is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors. She is a graduate of Rutgers and earned her MBA from NYU.

Jennifer Flowers, MBAAccreditation and Nonprofit Management Consultant

Jennifer Flowers is an accreditation and nonprofit management consultant and President of Accreditation Guru, Inc.  With more than 15 years dedicated to working in the accreditation arena, Jennifer is exceptionally qualified to lead client organizations through the (re)accreditation process.  Jennifer also consults on long-term strategic planning, Board relations and how to develop and strengthen effective volunteer programs.  She is well versed in social media and has provided numerous training on topics related to volunteer management.

Prior to forming Accreditation Guru, Inc., Jennifer served as the Director of Volunteer Services and Accreditation Commission at the Council on Accreditation (COA) in New York City.  She earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkley and holds an MBA in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.   

Meredith GemeinerProject Director

Meredith Gemeiner is a Project Director for the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of the Community Service Society of New York. Meredith is responsible for the management of RSVP recruitment, interviewing & placement activities and support for RSVP’s core programming and its volunteers and community partners. She received her bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Rhode Island. Meredith has over 11 years of experience in the non-profit arena with various populations including the homeless, Holocaust survivors, older adults, and English Learners.

Diana L. Kyrwood, CVA

Diana L. Kyrwood, CVA holds an MA in Anthropology. She received her CVA in 2007 and now serves as a member of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration's test-writing committee. She recently co-authored the chapter "Volunteer Staffing and Development" in a recently published (2010) textbook, "Volunteer Administration: Professional Practice".  Diana has been pleased to serve as the President of NYAVA in 2009 and 2010. Prior to this she served as First Vice President (2008), Secretary (2007), and member at large as the Newsletter Co-Editor (2006). From 2004 - 2007, Diana was the Manager of Volunteer and Development Programs for The Family Center and more recently was the Manager of Volunteers for the World Science Festival (2008). Diana looks forward to continuing her work to improve NYAVA and serve its members.

Elizabeth Lewis Director, Literacy Program and Volunteer Resources

Elizabeth Lewis is the Director of the Literacy Program & Volunteer Resources at Brooklyn Public Library. For six years she’s enhanced library services by creating new volunteer assignments, developing training modules, recruiting and training new volunteers, and supporting over seventy volunteer supervisors throughout the library system. In addition, Elizabeth oversees BPL’s Literacy Program including five Adult Learning Centers, Pre-GED classes, Young Adult Pre-GED, and ESOL classes. Elizabeth received her Master’s in Social Work at Fordham University, served as the Chair of NYAVA’s Professional Development Committee from 2006-2008, and has been a member of NYAVA’s board of directors for the past four years.

Emily LoBueSenior Manager of Volunteer Resources

Emily Lo Bue is the Senior Manager of Volunteer Resources at Sanctuary for Families. Emily was hired by Sanctuary in early 2006 to implement the strategic priority of formalizing and significantly expanding Sanctuary’s volunteer program. The program today encompasses over 2,000 volunteers. Emily is responsible for volunteer screening, training and placement, working closely with Sanctuary’s 140-member staff in nine locations. She is also responsible for volunteer-related special events, fundraising initiatives and fostering relationships with corporate partners and donors. Prior to joining Sanctuary’s staff, she was herself a volunteer for eight years.  She left a career in television production and began her tenure as a volunteer manager shortly after attending NYAVA’s Principals and Practices course.

Jasmin RosarioVolunteer Manager

Computers for Youth is a  national educational non-profit organization launched in 1999 that is dedicated to helping low-income children do better in school by improving their learning environment at home. Prior to working at Computers for Youth, Jasmin served as the Volunteer Program Manager for Baby Buggy, a New York City based nonprofit organization that delivers essential items for infants and young children to thousands of families in need throughout NYC. She has also worked as a Safe Horizon Case Manager, working to provide domestic violence survivors with criminal and family court advocacy and crisis intervention in the Queens Criminal and Supreme Court. In addition, Jasmin has been a New York Cares volunteer since 2007, tutoring children and providing family court information and advocacy to domestic violence survivors.

Brian ThorntonVolunteer Coordinator

Brian Thornton, originally from Conway, AR, received a B.A. in French at DePauw University, Indiana in 2004. He has studied medicine in France, volunteered at Indianapolis Hospital in Indiana, St John’s Hospice in Sydney, Australia, and an HIV clinic in South Africa. Since 2007 he has been living in New York City and is Coordinator of Volunteers Services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Brian has effectively managed 50 volunteers annually, works with people of all walks of life to provide an extra dimension of patient care.