SIT STAY READ STAFF
Jamie Crockett,
Program Director
Jamie (she/ella) is a seasoned public school English teacher who spent summers helping youth in disadvantaged environments develop stronger reading skills. Working at SitStayRead fuels her passion for storytelling, teaching, student agency, and dogs, and vice versa!
Deirdre Harrison CFRE,
Interim 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.
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.
Kimberly Sutton,
Grants Manager
SitStayRead's development function is bolstered by Kimberly Sutton (she/ella). Kimberly is a grant writer who has worked with many of Chicago’s arts and literacy organizations, with a special passion for projects rooted in communities and grass roots efforts. An avid reader and life-long dog lover, she is thrilled to help SitStayRead spread that canine love to Chicago’s budding readers. Beyond her experience in the grant writing sphere, Kimberly is a sound artist, cellist, and sound designer living in Chicago, Illinois.
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.
Vanessa Benitez,
Bilingual Program Intern
Hello everyone! My name is Vanessa Benitez (she/ella) and I am a senior at Northeastern Illinois University. I am majoring in Psychology and I am graduating this upcoming May! I am excited to start my internship with SitStayRead. Working with children and dogs sounds like so much fun. I am passionate about working with kids and having meaningful interactions. I am looking forward to learning and growing alongside them. During my free time, I enjoy trying new foods, watching movies, and spending time with my friends. After graduating, I am planning on looking into the behavioral sciences field, specifically working with children on the spectrum. Overall, I am looking forward to gaining leadership skills, building connections with students, and fostering a love of reading in students.
Dalila Chacon,
Bilingual Program Intern, Fall
Hello my name is Dalila Chacon (she/ella). Currently I am an undergraduate student pursuing my bachelors in Psychology. I am very passionate about mental health and have experience working with kids and groups. I hope to be a licensed counselor in the future. My interests include hiking, swimming, and riding roller coasters. I love a good thrill. What motivated me to volunteer at SitStayRead was of course seeing the certified dogs. I mainly wanted to have the chance to work with the dogs and see how the children interact with them. I also was drawn to the aspect of social emotional learning (SEL) since this was something integrated within the curriculum.
Shiva Rodrigues,
Program Intern, Spring
Hello everyone! My name is Shiva Rodrigues (he/el) and I am a senior at NEIU. I will be graduating in August with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. My hobbies include reading books, watching movies, playing sports, and spending time with friends and family! I was motivated to volunteer at SitStayRead because it would give me exposure to working with children who experience difficulty with reading. I want more experience in this environment as it can help me decide whether to pursue a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology! I am excited to be a part of a program that truly has our children's future success at heart!
Lexi Bujack,
Program Intern, Fall
Hello everyone! My name is Lexi (she/ella) and I am a senior at Northeastern Illinois University. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Resource Management, and very humbled to say that I will be graduating with my Bachelor's Degree this winter! I love traveling, spending time with friends, and learning more about my desired field. In the future, I plan to go to graduate school to get a Master's degree through a dual licensure program that allows me to work as a counselor in both school and independent practice settings. Overall, I'm passionate about helping individuals with their mental health and offering tools that can allow them to understand more about themselves. I am interning for SitStayRead through my university's Service Learning Capstone class and I am very grateful and excited to be here! Thank you for taking the time to read a little bit about me, I'm looking forward to a great and productive season.
Crystal Phillips-Pierce,
Event Planner
Crystal (she/ella) is Sit Stay Read’s consultant for its two signature events: Walkapalooza and Bark ‘N Ball. These annual events are important sources of revenue for the organization. CEO of CP Event Design + Production, Crystal is an award-winning, event producer and marketing strategist with over 20 years of experience. Bark 'N Ball is one of her favorite events to produce.
SIT STAY READ BOARD 2023-24
Luciano DeNisco CPA, President
Associate Director - Business Performance Improvement, Protiviti
Joshua Nelson, Vice President
Global Program Manager, DEI & Special Projects, Motorola Solutions
Kevin Kinnamon, Treasurer
Audit Senior Manager, KPMG
Jeannie Folk
Program Director, Northwestern University
Carmen Gonzalez
Director of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, Millennial Beacon
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