Riley Institute at Furman Announces 2025-26 Afterschool Policy Fellows

FOR INFORMATION:
Claudia Winkler
Director, Marketing and Communications
The Riley Institute at Furman University
864.294.3368; [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

RILEY INSTITUTE AT FURMAN ANNOUNCES 2025-26 AFTERSCHOOL POLICY FELLOWS

The White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship creates opportunities for a nationwide network of leaders to harness their collective expertise to expand and improve afterschool and summer learning programming. 

GREENVILLE, S.C.— The White-Riley-Peterson (WRP) Policy Fellowship has selected 17 afterschool leaders from across the nation to participate in this prestigious 10-month program, designed to equip fellows with the policy knowledge to effectively advocate for afterschool and summer programs. 

Offered by the Riley Institute at Furman University and funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the WRP Fellowship is in its fourteenth year and has graduated 208 leaders from all 50 states. The latest cohort of WRP Fellows will gather this September at Furman University to build community and learn collaboratively. Over the next 10 months, they will participate in a hybrid program combining virtual and in-person classes that will consider how to establish state-level funding mechanisms and funding streams and how to identify and set state priorities to support expanded and afterschool learning, among other topics. 

WRP fellows will learn from policy experts across the country and have access to national networking opportunities made possible by the Afterschool Alliance and the 50 State Afterschool Network. Fellows will put these new policy skills to use as they develop and launch a range of afterschool-related policy projects in their home states. Past WRP projects have educated local and state leaders about the use of billions in afterschool dollars and have resulted in greater prioritization of learning opportunities outside of the regular school day. 

“Our past WRP Fellows have an impressive track record conveying the importance of afterschool and summer learning across all states and securing significant investments in this critical component of our public education system,” said Sara Beanblossom, director of the White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship. “I am excited to see what this new group of leaders will accomplish in their home states and beyond. By fostering a nationwide coalition of visionary leaders and policy advocates in this space, we are supporting American families and enriching the educational experiences of children and youth across the country.” 

The 2025-26 White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellows are: 

• Contrell Armor (Pennsylvania) Director, Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network 
• Poonam Borah (Michigan) Executive Director, Youth Development Resource Center 
• Claire Bruncke (Washington) Executive Director, Dylan Jude Harrell Community Center 
• CJ Butcher (Tennessee) Advocacy and Grants Manager, United Way of Greater Knoxville 
• Kate Connolly (New York) Senior Policy Analyst, United Neighborhood Houses 
• Ali Escalante (Idaho) Director of Development, Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council 
• Marquise Guzman (New Jersey) Senior Program Director of Neighborhood Partnerships, Rutgers University – Newark, Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies 
• Heather Jameson (Montana) Strategic Initiatives Lead, Montana Afterschool Alliance 
• Traymanesha Lamy (Virginia) President and CEO, NextUp RVA 
• Jaene Miranda (Florida) President and CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Palm Beach County 
• Alison O’Toole (Nebraska) Vice President (Network Lead), Beyond School Bells 
• Jackie Scott (Wisconsin) Out-of-School Time Organizer, Wisconsin Youth Company/Madison-area Out-of-School Time 
• Claire Slattery (Massachusetts) Director of Outreach and Engagement, Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership 
• JD Smith (Ohio) Chief Operations Officer, Horizon Education Centers 
• Kelly Streck (Colorado) Executive Director, Colorado Afterschool Network 
• Kinyatta Trice (Georgia) Associate Director, BOOST Program, Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network 
• Ana Zandarin (Maryland) Out-of-School Time Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Arts for Learning Maryland 

The White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship is named for former Governor of South Carolina and former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. (Dick) Riley; William S. White, the late chairman of the board of trustees of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation; and Terry K. Peterson, national board chair of the Afterschool Alliance and senior fellow at the Riley Institute and the College of Charleston. 

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About the Riley Institute at Furman University 

The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders—across sectors and throughout society—with the knowledge and tools to advance equity and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond. We work to strengthen public education; promote the power of diversity to help teams, organizations, and communities thrive; and elevate informed, evidence-based approaches to critical public issues. In all it does, the institute is committed to nonpartisanship and a bias-free path to change. Learn more at furman.edu/riley.

About the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation 

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, established in 1926 in Flint, Michigan, by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the United States and, on a limited basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Education, Environment and Flint Area. In addition to Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg, and London. For more information, visit www.mott.org.