Geoff Leonard works as a Legal Advocate at the Urban Justice Center, where he does welfare rights work and serves on the bargaining team of his organization’s union. After attending Goucher College, where he studied Anthropology and Sociology, Geoff lived in New Orleans from 2008-2010. In New Orleans, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA, a case manager, a political blogger and worked on a progressive city council campaign. It was through his work in New Orleans that he realized the importance of political action for achieving lasting social change. For this reason, in 2010, when he returned to his native New York, he joined MYD. As the chair of the CASE committee, he hopes to continue MYD’s tradition of supporting and advocating for progressive public policy by fostering participation in issue-oriented campaigns, and developing a policy platform. Though he was raised in New York City’s East Village, he currently lives in Brooklyn.

You can reach the CASE duo at case [at] goMYD [dot] com.

Coming soon…

You can reach Ben at econ [at] goMYD [dot] com.

Sophia James, a native New Yorker, received her Master of Science in Educational Psychology from the School of Education, State University at Albany. With her strong background in education and youth development, she is dedicated to opening the dialogue on educational and juvenile justice issues. As a 2008 Fellow with the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society, she recognized how policy can affect the lives of young people, and how it must be more responsive to the needs of young people. Sophia worked as a consultant with the Early Childhood Advisory Council at the NYS Council on Children & Families, working in areas of policy planning and strategy development to address and improve critical services for children and families throughout New York State. She uses her skills in these areas to assist in policy and campaign initiatives at the New York State Democratic Committee. She currently sits on the executive board of Phi Delta Kappa (NYU Chapter), an international organization for educators.

Sophia’s personal and professional journey cemented her conviction that she must work to advance the education of youth and create paths of educational opportunities for this population.

You can reach Sophia at education [at] goMYD [dot] com.

Carlos Cuevas is currently a graduate student at Columbia University where he is pursuing a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) from the School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) and a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) from the Mailman School of Public Health. Carlos’ graduate coursework focuses on health care management and policy, with emphasis on quality improvement and cost efficiency. At Columbia, Carlos is the President of the Future Health Care Leaders and has worked as a student consultant with the United States Department of Defense to improve the Military Health System’s Patient Centered Medical Home model. Prior to his graduate studies, Carlos worked as a financial and managerial consultant to community health centers in New York City and as an analyst at a hedge fund in midtown Manhattan. A native New Yorker, Carlos, holds a Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) in Economics and Political Science from Columbia University (Columbia College), where he was the recipient of the Charles Rolker Prize at graduation. Carlos is excited to be working with MYD health care committee in promoting the discussion, education and cooperation on issues pertaining to health.

You can reach Carlos at health [at] goMYD [dot] com.

Darryl is currently a graduate student at Marist College where he is pursuing a Master of Public Administration. He has been a member of MYD since the Spring of 2010. He volunteered with the Gustavo Rivera for State Senate and the Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate campaigns back in 2010. He worked at Lord & Taylor as an Assistant Buyer for nearly four years and received his undergraduate degree from Penn State, where he got a taste for politics and advocacy when he served on the executive board of the Penn State Black Caucus and as Vice President of the Student Government. As Chair of the LGBT Committee he hopes to shine light on the many challenges facing the members of the LGBT community in New York City and work to improve the climate for LGBT New Yorkers, through community service, political action and challenging stereotypes. Currently, he is also a mentor to a gay high school student.

You can reach Darryl at lgbt [at] goMYD [dot] com.

Josef moved to NYC in 2008 to attend Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation for a Masters in Urban Planning. At Columbia, Josef focused on transportation and public policy and wrote a thesis on planning transit-oriented development for an aging population in the New York suburbs. He also helped found the Columbia Urban Planners an official Planning Student Organization recognized by the American Planning Association. Upon graduation in 2010, Josef won a Graduate Kinne Fellowship to study transportation planning in Australian cities. Josef currently works as a Transit Policy Analyst at Komanoff Energy Associates. He also serves as School Relations Coordinator for the New York Metro Chapter of the American Planning Association. Josef volunteers with Planning Corps and Transportation Alternatives.

You can reach Josef at transport [at] goMYD [dot] com.

A native New Yorker, Jovana graduated from NYU in 2008, where she majored in journalism and dramatic literature. At age 16, Jovana told Tina Fey that she was “going to be her when she grew up” — although that didn’t work out, Jovana has been happily working in the fields of journalism and public relations for the past six years (including during and post-college). Jovana is also involved in the Alpha Sigma Tau NYC Alumnae Association.

You can reach Jovanna at women [at] goMYD [dot] com.