Adult Staff
Nadia Moritz, YWP Executive Director, has led the organization since 1994 as its founding director, growing the organization from a budget of $20,000 to $500,000 and designing and implementing programs that have launched thousands of teen women leaders and moved key social justice initiatives in foster care, reproductive health, sexual harassment, and other issues. Nadia’s current work focuses on organizational development and management, staff building, curricula development, fundraising, and policy development and implementation focused on reproductive health and foster care. During her tenure, Nadia has led several key initiatives including designing and developing curricula and program infrastructure for YWP’s award-winning after school programming designing curricula in youth-led project development, leadership development, reproductive health, foster care advocacy, and other issues; leading an adult-teen partnership to reform foster care group homes and older youth services.
In past lives, Nadia served as Project Coordinator and Development Associate at the Institute for Women's Policy Research where she developed and implemented a leadership development-community action program for young women include focused on peer-led training, information, and regional organizing. She was the American Family Magazine at the Youth Policy Institute; and worked as a nonprofit consultant, organizing public relations campaigns, conducting research, editing newsletters, and coordinating events. Nadia has served on Boards and Committees, including the Board of Directors the National Committee, DC Alliance for Youth Advocates, and the Empower Program. Advisory Board for older youth programming at DC Child and Family Services Agency, Nadia graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in Writing and Women's Studies
Tosin Ogunyoku, Senior Coordinator for Youth Development and Training, Foster Care Campaign, manages a team of foster youth staff and allies to improve the lives, rights, and opportunities for DC foster youth. Tosin develops curriculum and facilitates trainings on the foster care system and personal development, advocates for the improvement of strategies to increase youth development out-comes in residential care, oversees foster youth training and educating, and edits FCC publications including the 2008 DC foster youth handbook. Being a former foster youth, Tosin has a personal understanding of the struggles youth face while in the system and as they age-out of the foster care. Tosin graduated magna cum laude from National University in Sacramento, CA with a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice Administration. She began a career with the Sacramento County Probation Department where she worked with youth detained at the Juvenile Detention Center and started her career as an advocate for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. Tosin served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea and West Africa, focusing on public health and youth development and developing an after-school program for the youth of the village that she lived in. Tosin has a strong belief that all youth regardless of background should be provided avenues to success so they may obtain achievements to carry them through their adulthood.
Malane Cobourne joined YWP in September of 2009 as a Program Associate for the Peer Health and Sexuality Education project. She received a Bachelors of Art in Theatre Performance from Columbia College of Chicago in 2005. After a brief career in children’s theatre and theatre for young adults, Malane served 2 years in Peace Corps Guyana, as a health educator and promoter. She conducted sexual and reproductive health and development classes and family planning and HIV/AIDS workshops. Later, she served as a Program Coordinator for Guyana's Ministry of Health's Youth Friendly Service (YFS) Program, where she worked in collaboration with the youth health peer educator, healthcare providers and human rights organizations, to equalize and improve sexual and reproductive healthcare access and service among youth and undeserved populations.
Samantha Griffin, Foster Care Campaign Senior Fellow, has a background in youth development, research, curricula development, and service. A recent graduate of Duke University, Samantha was the co-founder of the Duke Section of the National Council of Negro Women. She also worked as a tutor America Reads, a summer camp manager for the Red Cross, and a resource developer for Tipitina’s Foundation.
