Speaker Bios
Hassanah Smith
Hassanah Smith, a Newark, NJ native, has built her career on a commitment to public service, particularly in the fields of education and equitable access. Motivated by the belief that one should "be what you needed when you were younger," she has dedicated herself to supporting organizations that empower minority and underserved communities. With extensive boots-on-the-ground experience in K-12 education, Hassanah has worked directly with students and families to address systemic challenges and ensure they have the resources needed to thrive. She later transitioned to higher education, continuing her efforts to bridge the gap between opportunity and access through mentorship and innovative programming.
Currently, Hassanah leads the CAPAcity Grant at City College, where she focuses on creating impactful initiatives that introduces career pathways in specific majors. Providing students with tailored workshops and events designed to prepare them for the workforce. At the same time, she is pursuing a part-time law degree at Pace University, where she is honing her skills in environmental policy and public interest law, furthering her commitment to advocating for communities in need. On her spare time you can find her kayaking in good weather and playing a familiar tune on the piano.
Lia Taylor (Schwartz) Harper
Lia is a passionate professional with demonstrated executive-level experience in non-profit organization management. Lia has over a decade of experience working in New York City’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems and is a published advocate for young people. Since 2015, Lia has risen as a leader in antiracist work and has trained in both the Racial Equity Learning Exchange (RELE) model with Khatib Waheed and with The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. Lia has a Master of Public Health from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in biological anthropology from The George Washington University. Lia has been mentoring young people, formally and informally, since 2013 and has volunteered as a visiting resource (weekends, holidays, and vacations) for a teenage girl in foster care since 2018. She has served as the Executive Director of Connections since 2018.
Carina Pena
Carina Pena started with Connections as a bilingual mentor, volunteering for one year with a young Latina in New York City. She was so committed to the cause that when Connections had an open position in 2019, Carina transitioned from her career at a Wall Street recruitment firm to the nonprofit world of child welfare. Carina earned her master’s degree in school counseling at Montclair State University. Carina holds a bachelor’s degree in public Relations from Penn State University.
Chandler Brossard
Chandler Brossard joined Connections in June 2023 as a Youth Engagement Specialist. In this role, she serves as a coach and frontline support to our mentees, and as staff liaison to the Youth Leadership Council. Chandler, as an Afro-Latina-identifying woman, is passionate about challenging and opposing unjust systems and institutions. She has a wide range of work experience initiating, advancing, and implementing strategies that foster an equitable atmosphere for a range of stakeholders varying in age, race, religion, and gender across many different contexts, including two summer internships at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Chandler hopes to support and be an ally to all youth who are part of the Connections ecosystem. Chandler is a recent graduate of New York University Abu Dhabi with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with minors in African Studies and Mandarin.
Michelle Jervis, LCSW
Michelle Jervis is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience in the field. She has been a crisis social worker at the NYC Department of Education for over 18 years and has run her mental health private practice for over 8 years. Michelle is also the founder of the non-profit organization Girls Mentor Girls, which she established in 2019 to empower and support young women of color in the Bronx.
Her journey into mentorship began with the creation of The Girls Circle, a sisterhood program for middle school girls in the Bronx. For the past 16 years, this program has provided a safe space for young women to build confidence, develop life skills, and foster meaningful relationships. Recognizing the ongoing need for support beyond the academic year, Michelle expanded the program into a summer initiative that welcomed young women from the broader community. This success inspired her to found Girls Mentor Girls, adding a structured mentoring component and formalizing partnerships with organizations like The Bronx Library Center, Dreamyard, Compassion, Global Glow, Go Campaign, The Black Girl Freedom Fund, and more.
Michelle’s dedication to mentorship and her community development has earned her numerous accolades. She received the Mentor Coordinator of the Year Award from Mentor NY in 2018 and was later accepted into the Changemakers Fellows Program, which she completed in 2020. In 2016, Michelle was honored by The United Federation Of Teachers’ SRP award for her work with families in NYC public schools. She was also recognized by the Department of Health with the Longevity award for her ongoing dedication to reproductive health education for NYC teens, maintaining virtual outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Born on the island of Jamaica, Michelle migrated to the United States at the age of 13 to join her mother in the Bronx. As a first-generation college graduate, she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from Herbert Lehman College and her master’s degree from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. She is a proud member of the national Association of Black Social Workers and Clinicians of Color in Private Practice.
Through her leadership, advocacy, and vision, Michelle Jervis continues to foster community building, mental health awareness and holistic wellness, leaving an enduring impact on the lives of those she serves.
Dr. Rolanda L. Ward
Dr. Rolanda L. Ward is a Professor of Social Work, Chair, and BSW Program Director at Niagara University and the endowed faculty director of Niagara University's Rose Bente Lee Ostapenko Center for Race, Equity, and Mission. She earned her doctorate in social work and sociology, a master's in divinity, and a master's in social work from Boston University.
As a macro-trained practitioner and a research scholar, she has been the lead investigator or research associate on a number of studies focusing on society's most vulnerable, underserved, proven-risk, and oppressed populations and communities. In addition, Dr. Ward has led projects in communities and within organizations that shift status quo outcomes. These days, she is particularly interested in working with school districts and non-profits to produce measurable outcomes for key demographics. Dr. Ward is a strategic planner, relentless advocate, and community learner. She is a content expert in child welfare, equitable practices for educational systems, health equity, criminal justice, and civic engagement.
Dr. Ward is also a member of the board of directors at MENTOR New York, The Aquarium of Niagara Falls, Community Missions, Inc., The Education Collaborative of WNY, and Catholic Health Systems. Dr. Ward co-led the university’s Identifying and Dismantling Racial Injustice Task Force and Niagara Falls Social Justice Commission Employment Subcommittee. As a teacher-scholar, Dr. Ward is committed to helping students and community members identify social injustices that warrant real solutions.
Monica Chuchon
Monica Chuchon is the bilingual social worker at Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School.
Ms. Chuchon was born in Chosica, Peru, and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 5. Her family and immigrant experiences have led her to the human services and social work profession, allowing her to help others and serve her community. She graduated and completed her LMSW from LIU Post with a concentration in Forensics. She obtained an undergraduate degree in International Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her social work experience has been focused on working with families experiencing trauma with a strength-based perspective. Her specialty has been working with young mothers raising their children with a trauma-informed focus. She has extensive experience in group work with a focus on various early childhood traumas that impact the Latinx community. She is Vice President and owner of a Group Family Child Care Program approved by the New York State Office of Children and Families Services-OCFS in Nassau County.
She has been a childcare provider for 12 years working with children 2 months to 12 years old. She is an advocate and member of the National Association of Social Workers-Nassau County Division, Long Island Language Advocates Coalition-LILAC, Hempstead Prevention Coalition-HPC, Hempstead Caring Hearts, and the Long Island Teachers Association-LILTA organizations that serve low-income communities and continue to advocate to prevent obstacles in accessing services, client resiliency and tools for engagement.
Monica is the mother of two wonderful boys, ages 7 and 12. She loves baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, and volleyball.She recently became a Zumba Instructor.
Derrick Stroud, DSW
Derrick Stroud brings years of lived experience within the justice system to his work. In his current position as Director of Justice Initiatives, he supports other system-impacted individuals as he leads the strategic planning and implementation of Justice Initiatives’ youth program development, anti-violence organizing, social work supportive services, and placemaking initiatives.
He also works with the Justice Center’s Project Director to build and maintain relationships with city agencies, local service providers, and program partners, including law enforcement, faith leaders, stakeholders, and community-based organizations, to identify neighborhood resources and troubleshoot issues. Derrick previously served as the Director of Exodus Transitional Community’s Brooklyn Supervised Release Program and as a Trauma Therapist for Exodus Transitional Community’s Center for Trauma Innovation.
Derrick received his Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Bard College and his Master of Social Work from Hunter College in 2019. He currently works as a licensed social worker and graduated with a Doctor of Social Work at Long Island University in 2024.
Rev. Eugene Coplin
Rev. Gene Coplin Jr. is a graduate of Empire State College with a degree in Counseling and Community Services. He is the Founder and CEO of Project L.E.E. Ministries Inc. He is the creator of the WITT Program (Wisdom In Troubled Times) and The Speak Life Twice Encounter Workshops. These life-changing programs & workshops are currently operating in Public Schools in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. These God-inspired programs are not only raising school graduation rates and lowering school suspensions, they are empowering and creatively building healthy mental & emotional mindsets of our youth. The school data and documented student and teacher experiences confirm the program's success.
In 2010, Rev. Coplin was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. As a singer & songwriter known as Bob & Gene, the music they produced as teenagers in the City of Buffalo was discovered by several major motion picture producers. One of those producers, Tyler Perry, selected one of their songs for his movie, "Why Did I Get Married Too?"
Rev. Coplin hosts a weekly radio broadcast on WUFO 1080 Mon. -Thur. at 7 pm entitled "Several Sacred Secrets of Success.” (96.5 FM).
Rev. Coplin has 6 beautiful children and is married to his lovely wife, Juanita Coplin. He is an Elder at Zion Dominion Global Ministries, which is Pastored by Bishop Roderick L. Hennings.