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victoria.ogunleye@youngwomensproject.org

Program Associate for Reproductive Health and Justice - Victoria Ogunleye

Victoria Ogunleye was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in various parts of Maryland (mainly Baltimore County). She joins YWP with a large background working with minority children and youth and children with unmental disabilities. Victoria holds Bachelors of Science in Health Science with a track in community health from Towson University. In addition, she joins YWP with a various training background that includes domestic violence awareness, cultural competency, health disparities, and applied behavior analysis (ABA Therapy). As a former wellness peer educator and mentor, her passion for sexual health education and child health continued to grow through her internship with the House of Ruth Maryland. Victoria has spent time working and volunteering with various organizations such as Project Homeless Connect, Planned Parenthood, and Baltimore County Public Schools. In the future, she plans on continuing her education in Public Health with a concentration of Population, Family and Reproductive Health. In her free time, you can find Victoria at her childhood dance studio teaching kids, watching her favorite DC/Marvel characters shows, or at a music concert.

vy.vu@youngwomensproject.org

Sr. Fellow for Reproductive Health and Justice - Vy Vu

Vy Vu is a visual artist, storyteller, youth developer and sex educator from Hanoi, Vietnam. She comes to YWP with a background in youth development and sexual violence prevention and response. Vy spent her time in Vietnam working with youth in high-need communities, specifically youth with autism, youth with visual disabilities and youth affected by Agent Orange. She got her degree in English and Studio Art from the College of Wooster, Ohio with a focused study on gender and race studies. During her time in college, Vy served her community as an organizer, sex educator, and a sexual violence survivor advocate. Besides her commitment with YWP as a trainer and youth developer, Vy is also committed to doing anti-oppression work. After coming to DC in the summer of 2017, inspired by her artist community, The Sanctuaries, Vy started incorporating the arts into her organizing, as she engaged and collaborated with various communities to use the arts as an empowering and healing tool. In the same summer, she led a series of workshops for youth of color in the DMV area focusing on reclaiming marginalized identities through the arts. Carrying this work internationally, Vy created and spoke at 2017 PICO Prophetic Resistance Summit’s Justice Panel, 2018 Reimagining Interfaith’s Justice Panel, and 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions’ Justice Assembly.

rachel.nichols@youngwomensproject.org

Program Coordinator for Reproductive Health and Justice - Rachel Nichols

Rachel Nichols joins YWP with a background in public health and education. She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) at Johns Hopkins, with a focus in Health Education and Health Communication. During her studies at Hopkins, she earned a certificate in Adolescent Health and served as a sexual health counselor at Harriet Lane Clinic. Prior to pursuing her MSPH, Rachel taught high school English and Special Education in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she was initially placed through Teach For America. As a high school teacher, Rachel witnessed many inequities her students faced in terms of access to resources and information. This led her to develop an interest in program design and intervention implementation to improve the lives of young people. Rachel holds a Master of Education from UNLV and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Cornell University. She is originally from Fairfax Station, Virginia.

chika.onwuvuche@youngwomensproject.org

CYA Manager and Social Worker - Chika Onwuvuche

Chika Onwuvuche, was born and raised in Washington, DC and is a second-generation immigrant from Nigeria. These identities, in addition to her passion for social justice and positive youth development, inspired her to pursue an undergraduate degree in political science and social work at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a master's degree in social work at the University of Pennsylvania. During these experiences, she was able to work with youth in several capacities as it relates to educational attainment and navigating the criminal justice system, providing direct services and resources to ease the transition into self-defined success. Her love for her city brought her back to Washington, DC to fight for equal access to resources necessary for a productive life for inner city youth and further promoted her love for working with young adults as they navigate their life's experiences. In her free time, you will find her reading, jamming to all of Beyoncé's songs, and/or eating chocolate chip cookie dough as she watches Grey's Anatomy.  

khadijah.wilson@youngwomensproject.org

CYA Training and Administrative Associate - Khadijah Wilson

Khadijah Wilson comes to YWP with a BA in fine art from The George Washington University and years of experience as a trainer, artist, and organizer working for organizations including  Critical Exposure, The Marvelous Whirlwind Project, and LearnServe International. As a youth, Khadijah Wilson discovered her passion for visual arts through illustrating her experiences as a youth in foster care. Her passion is what led her to pursue a degree in fine art, where she obtained her Bachelors of Fine Art from The George Washington University. Over the years, Khadijah has worked with various community based organizations as it relates to the implementation of restorative justice in DCPS schools and issues that impact black LGBTQ youth and young adults including homelessness, child welfare, mass incarceration, etc. Khadijah hopes to use her skills as a creative problem solver, to create effective change through challenging and engaging projects.

Marika.Tindall-Ralph@youngwomensproject.org

CYA Program Associate Youth Development, Health, Casework - Marika Tindall-Ralph

Marika Tindall-Ralph was adopted from Guilin, China and raised in Seattle, WA. She comes to Washington, DC with high hopes of continuing her passion for youth advocacy and development. In the 3+ years prior to joining the Young Women's Project, she lived and worked in the country of Paraguay as a Peace Corps Community Economic Development Specialist, where she led numerous leadership and life planning workshops for young adults. Her love for working with youth and specifically youth in foster care stems from her work with the Aldeas Infantiles SOS (Youth Villages) in San Ignacio, Paraguay. Since her projects at the home became second priority to her job as Regional Volunteer Coordinator, she was unable to enact and create many lasting institutional changes within the organization itself. With a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Washington, she plans to use her experience at the Young Women's Project to gauge and assess her future career and/ or higher education goals. Aside from working with upbeat young people, Marika enjoys painting, dancing, and cooking for friends. 

vernice.puryear@youngwomensproject.org

CYA Employment Coordinator - Vernice Puryear

Vernice Puryear was born and raised in Washington, D.C., Vernice Puryear is a devout Public Servant. Upon receiving her Masters in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, Vernice joined the YWP–CYA  staff in May as Employment  Coordinator, bringing10 years of young adult development and facilitation experience with organizations including  National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (N.O.B.L.E),  National Council for Negro Women (NCNW), Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA), Harvard Center for Aids  Metro Teen AIDS (MTA), and other nongovernment and government organizations. Before attending George Mason University, Vernice received her BA in Criminal Justice from Delaware State University and held leadership positions in several student organizations, focusing on cultivating sustainable economic and political advancement for African Americans.  Apart from working to create a just society for persons of color, Vernice has an acute interest in spirituality and the role it has in individual leadership development. During her spare time, Vernice enjoys reading, dancing, and spending time with her friends and family.
 

nadia.gold-moritz@youngwomensproject.org

Executive Director - Nadia Gold-Moritz

Nadia 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 policy, planning, program design, and organizational and staff development.  Under her leadership, YWP has developed several successful youth leadership programs and passed a number of significant youth policies that established legal rights and opportunities for youth in foster care and expanded youth leadership and access to reproductive health. Before launching the Young Women’s Project, Nadia worked as a Project Manager at the Institute for Women’s Project Research, focusing on young women’s issues and organizing regional trainings and leadership building projects. She served as an editor and policy analyst at the Youth Policy Institute, which tracks and reports on federal youth policy and model programs. She also worked as the Public Relationship Director for the Action Line Group, a small production company focused on educational productions, and as an Urban Affairs reporter for the Pittsburgh Press. Nadia has served on numerous Boards including the Board of Directors the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, DC Alliance for Youth Advocates, and the Empower Program. Nadia graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in Writing and Women's Studies. When she is not in the office --- she is managing the leadership development of her own two little rebels Sasha and Elijah.

marcia.huff@youngwomensproject.org

Director of Youth Poverty Programs - Marcia Huff

Marcia hails from Williamsburg, Virginia with a background in youth development, child advocacy, and law.  Marcia has been passionate for working with youth for as long as she can remember-since her days spent as a tutor/mentor in high school and college.  Her passion for working with youth in foster care truly blossomed after college during the two years she worked at a Maryland group home.  This experience solidified her decision to attend law school and pursue a career in youth advocacy.  While in law school she continued working in the areas of child advocacy and youth policy.  In 2011 Marcia moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, due to her husband Kevin’s missionary assignment with the United Methodist Church (UMC).  While in Lincoln she worked with the UMC-Nebraska Annual Conference Risk-Taking, Mission & Justice (RTMJ) team working on issues of environmental stewardship and poverty.  She also started a summer program and afterschool program for community youth.  Marcia pursued her undergraduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and in 2008 she received her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law.  She is passionate about peace, justice and equality.  During her free time Marcia loves watching Law & Order (any franchise), reading historical fiction, delving into the world of natural hair, and spending time with family and friends.  

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