SIT STAY READ STAFF
Deirdre Harrison CFRE,
Executive Director
Deirdre (she/ella) brings over 25 years of diversified philanthropic and nonprofit leadership experience. She leads and supports staff, collaborates with the board on the organization’s strategic goals, drives fundraising initiatives, and cultivates SSR’s commitment to equity, inclusion, access, belonging, and justice. She has a rescue cat named Oona, who is not yet a dog-lover, but will share a warm lap with a good book. She is the storyteller in children’s literacy band The Lucky Trikes in her free time.
Cynthia Marroquin,
Program Manager
Cynthia (she/ella) is A Chicago native with a passion for helping the city’s youth develop their leadership skills. She is integral to the design and evolution of SSR’s curricula. She co-created our initial bilingual curriculum, and supports the Program Director in the reviewing and revising curricula across all developmental levels, K- 3rd Grade, and gives input on the ongoing development of bilingual curricula and volunteer training, evaluation and feedback.
Lexsie Hernández,
Volunteer Program Manager
Lexsie (she/ella) is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in Psychology combined with Pre-Veterinary track studies. She has a passion for human and animal well-being and activism for both. Lexsie leads recruitment, orientation, training and certification of volunteer Book Buddies and Certified Reading Assistance Dog Teams. She wants to hear from you!
Boni Fine,
Program Lead
Boni (she/ella) has served in executive management roles in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She developed a passion for literacy working for the bulk of her career in the newspaper business and understands that the earlier you start, the better the result. Her dog, Toby, is a Certified Reading Assistant Dog. She has been a dedicated volunteer with Toby for many years and has joined the team now as a Program Lead.
Briana McLean,
Curriculum Consultant
Briana (she/ella) holds an M.S. in Early Childhood Education and has over 13 years of experience working within the world of early learning as a classroom educator, coach of new teachers, children’s author, curriculum developer, and program developer. Her current work is rooted in expanding access to joyful literacy programs that center and celebrate the lived experience of students and families. Briana believes community learning spaces hold the power to be transformative and is thrilled to be a part of the SSR team. Check out Bri’s first book, Too Fly Not to Fly.
Selena Clark,
Operations Coordinator
Selena (she/ella) joins SitStayRead as an experienced Gallerist, Bookseller, Events Organizer, and Artist. With an M.A. in Art History and Curation, she has a strong background in supporting the arts. Here she supports our operational and fundraising capacity, helping optimize the flow of information across systems and between people, and fostering a culture of transparency, belonging and recognition.
She is a passionate advocate for literacy and the arts and is thrilled to be a part of the SitStayRead team.
Deitra Lawson, CPA, MBA
Accountant
Deitra Lawson (she/ella) is the Owner and Principal Accountant at Dignissim Accounting, LLC, where she brings over 15 years of specialized expertise in nonprofit accounting.
Deitra holds an MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Management from Loyola University Chicago, is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of Illinois, and is QuickBooks ProAdvisor Certified. Under her leadership, Dignissim Accounting has become a trusted partner for nonprofit organizations, and is proudly certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) by the City of Chicago.
Outside of her professional life, Deitra enjoys traveling with her son and spending time outdoors with her two playful puppies.
Nick Ambler,
Summer Intern
Nick (she/they, ella/elle) is a current Community Psychology master's student at Depaul University with an undergrad degree from Case Western Reserve University. She is passionate about reading and learning, working with children and families, and building strong connections within the community.
As a current intern with SitStayRead, she combines her love for literacy and dogs to help create joyful, educational experiences for young readers.
SIT STAY READ BOARD 2024-25
Luciano DeNisco CPA, President
Associate Director - Business Performance Improvement, Protiviti
Kevin Kinnamon, Treasurer
Audit Senior Manager, KPMG
Christina Ho PMP, Development Chair
Senior Project Manager, Comed ~ An Exelon Company
Sarah Inciong, Strategic Planning Chair
VP Strategy, Innovation & Transformation, Allstate
Qiana McNary, HR Chair
Senior Talent Acquisition Partner, Bezos Academy
Jamillah Davis
Principal Embedded Systems Architect, Motorola Solutions
Jeannie Folk
Program Director, Northwestern University
Carmen Gonzalez
DEI Consultant and Community Leader
Peggy Walden
Community Leader