From on the Margin to Front and Center (part 2 of 2)

Manuela Arciniegas

Director, Andrus Family Fund

Manuela Arciniegas manages AFF’s overall grantmaking portfolio of 65+ organizations addressing gun violence reduction, trauma-informed care, divesting from prisons, and the intersection between the immigration and justice systems.

Manuela began her work organizing donors to support youth organizing in the environmental justice movement at the Active Element Foundation. She is also the former Director of Education at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute where she managed a team of artist/activists supporting young people to develop their activism through cultural arts education across New York City’s public schools. Read Manuela’s full bio here.

Rodney Robinson

2019 National Teacher of the Year

Rodney is a 20-year teaching veteran. He graduated from King William High School in rural Virginia in 1996. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia State University in 2000 and a master’s in educational administration and Supervision from VCU in 2011.

He started teaching at Virgie Binford Education Center in 2015, a school inside Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, in an effort to better understand the school to prison pipeline. His classroom is a collaborative partnership between him and the students. He provides a civic centered education that promotes social-emotional growth. The knowledge he is gaining from his students is also helping develop alternative programs to keep students from becoming part of the school to prison pipeline. Read Rodney’s full bio here.

Jessica Pierce

Founding Partner, Piece By Piece Strategies

Jessica is a national leader in civil rights, holding expertise in youth engagement, organizational development, and training.

Jessica’s passion for organizing started at UC Santa Cruz where she was elected as Student Union Assembly President for two terms. After graduating, Jessica served as the Organizing Director for the United States Student Association (USSA) where she led campaigns in over 15 states. During her tenure USSA led efforts to pass the College Cost Reduction and Access Act – the largest increase to grant aid since the passing of the G.I. bill in 1944.

With leaders of the Generational Alliance (GA), Jessica led efforts to develop Generation Vote, a coalition of 20 organizations invested in building a youth voting bloc that generated over 1 million youth contacts. Read Jessica’s full bio here.

Nina Salomon

Program Director, Correction and Re-entry, Justice Center, The Council on State Governments

Jessica is a national leader in civil rights, holding expertise in youth engagement, organizational development, and training.

Jessica’s passion for organizing started at UC Santa Cruz where she was elected as Student Union Assembly President for two terms. After graduating, Jessica served as the Organizing Director for the United States Student Association (USSA) where she led campaigns in over 15 states. During her tenure USSA led efforts to pass the College Cost Reduction and Access Act – the largest increase to grant aid since the passing of the G.I. bill in 1944.

With leaders of the Generational Alliance (GA), Jessica led efforts to develop Generation Vote, a coalition of 20 organizations invested in building a youth voting bloc that generated over 1 million youth contacts. Read Jessica’s full bio here.