AmeriCorps Alums and service year alums get things done. These dedicated individuals are a powerful force for good in their communities and are the leaders our nation needs.
After acquiring AmeriCorps Alums in 2018, Service Year Alliance launched the Alumni Chapter Steering Committee, a council of alums who helped establish and advise new and existing AmeriCorps and Service Year Alums chapters, organize professional development opportunities, and coordinate alumni advocacy efforts with the support and guidance of Service Year Alliance.
While the group's tenure has come to an end, you can learn more about our previous Alumni Chapter Steering Committee members here:
Meet the Alumni Chapter Steering Committee
Chair
Victoria Rey (she/her) is queer storyteller and activist raised in Atlanta and Appalachia living in Brooklyn, NY by way of Providence, RI. She served two years as an AmeriCorps State and National member in Providence, Rhode Island where she was an Arts Integration Teaching Artist in a Providence middle school. Since then, she has served as a chapter leader for the New York City chapter of AmeriCorps Alums. She is currently cultivating the Queer Money Project, a community mapping project that hopes to become a community resource of queer-owned businesses in New York City.
"The best thing about my service years was learning how to be a community member in a community you weren't necessarily born into and how to do that ethically and responsibly. I also made lasting relationships that are still very near and dear to me today!"
Vice Chair
Willie Brooks graduated from DePauw University in 2013, majoring in Classical Civilization and minoring in Political Science. Following his undergraduate education, he served two terms in the AmeriCorps NCCC program FEMACorps, first as a Corps Member then as a Team Leader, and one term as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Indianapolis. After participating in those national service programs, he used his Ed Segal Education Awards to attend graduate school at IUPUI, where he completed a Masters in Criminal Justice and Public Safety in May of 2020. His professional background is in Emergency Management/Public Safety and AmeriCorps program management. Prior to his current role with Serve Indiana as the Employer Based Volunteer Program Manager, he worked for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, in the Radiation Program, where he was the Radiological and Nuclear Detection Program Coordinator. He's looking forward to getting to work with the rest of the committee and getting things done for the incredible community of national service alumni!
“Apart from meeting lifelong friends and helping communities around the country, my service year helped me discover my career passion, Emergency Management. Up until my participation in national service, I had no idea what I wanted to do from a career perspective. The skills I learned, along with the professional connections and education awards really proved invaluable for me!”
Operations Chair
Paul Nolan is passionate about making service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Paul began his career serving in AmeriCorps through the VISTA program at the Institute for Emerging Issues. He later worked on “Service Year NC” — an impact community through Service Year Alliance. Today, you can find Paul working at AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service) as a 2020 Eli Segal Fellow. Paul is widely known for his talent in design, data, and communication; he’s unafraid of challenging the status quo and raising the bar. In his free time, Paul enjoys freelance graphic design, coffee loyalty programs, and helping friends bring their ideas to life.
“There’s the world as it is, and the world as you wish it to be. My service year revealed the power and collective impact that we have to transform our communities for the better. I’m inspired by the passion, dedication, and grit that AmeriCorps members and alumni demonstrate every day to get things done for America.”
Communications Committee
Raquél Pérez, BSN, RN, is a Medical-Surgical Oncology Nurse, public speaker, and service advocate. A 2017 graduate from the University of Rhode Island, Raquél’s first “real world” experiences began when she joined AmeriCorps right after graduation. By joining the Rhode Island program, Accessing Home, Raquél acted as a Resident Services Coordinator for families living in affordable housing owned, developed, and managed by Smith Hill Community Development Corporation. After her year of AmeriCorps service, Raquél continued to work for Smith Hill CDC as their Community Outreach Supervisor, where she trained the next AmeriCorps members and facilitated community connections. Raquél was honored to have been chosen as one of Service Year Alliance’s 2019 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Award winners. As a Segal Fellow, she has been able to apply her AmeriCorps experience to develop citizen leadership skills that are applicable to every facet of life. Raquél currently works as a full-time nurse at Women & Infants Hospital. She remains an active community advocate, working with social justice organizations to promote racial justice initiatives and healthcare access for all. Raquél was honored to have been named a Forbes Fellow in 2018 and TEDx Speaker in 2019.
“The community members, organizations, staff, and networks that I connected with are the best things to have come out of my service year. My AmeriCorps staff became family, and residents that I worked with gave me hope for a more understanding, forgiving, and loving world.”
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Aileen Aragones served two years as an AmeriCorps State and AmeriCorps VISTA member with College Possible. Her service helped prepare her to pursue a master's degree in Educational Policy from Marquette University, and after that, she worked for College Possible full-time for several years, leading and guiding AmeriCorps members to support promising young people in their college journeys for the Milwaukee, Omaha, and eventually, Chicago offices. Aileen continues this work in the suburbs of Chicago, supporting first-generation, BIPOC students in the college access and persistence process. Additionally, Aileen has been an active member of AmeriCorps Alums Chicago's leadership team since she returned home in 2016 (she was also part of the Founding AmeriCorps Alums team in Milwaukee). Loving the "start-up" life, she looks forward to collaborating for the next few years on the inaugural Alumni Chapter Steering Committee.
“I was very lucky that the organization I served with, College Possible, had incredible full-time staff that served as mentors and role models to me; they were encouraging and motivating, especially when I was just starting my career and lacking confidence in myself. I grew into the leader I am today thanks to their coaching and care.”
Professional Development Committee
Jason Hatch is a retired military officer and a former accredited diplomat. He conducted his AmeriCorps Service Year in 2017-18 with Virginia State Parks. He has worked in international consulting, macro disaster resiliency, human trafficking, and other international issues of note. He is an entrepreneur with two startups under his belt and devotes much of his spare time to conservation issues, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. He is a father, a grandfather, and a devoted doggie dad.
“Witnessing the passion and commitment for the environment by younger generations and their ability to apply solutions to difficult problems by leveraging emerging technologies, communication, and based on scientific research were the best things to come out of my service year.”
Jamier Jones is a proud class of 2016 graduate of Temple University’s College of Education. Initially from Cheltenham, PA, He has lived both in Milwaukee, WI, and Wilmington DE, where he served as an AmeriCorps member for College Possible and Great Oaks Charter School. In his spare time, Jamier likes to support local businesses, take long walks around the city, and plan his personal and professional goals. As a Service Committee Member, Jamier hopes to assist with raising awareness of the AmeriCorps network to interested individuals, members, and alumni to help with their transitions into their professional careers.
“The best thing that has come from my AmeriCorps experience is the experience itself, through making connections that have enabled me to grow as an AmeriCorps member, professional, and most importantly an individual.”
Advocacy Committee
Nicki Fiocco was appointed as Director of the Maryland State Service Commission in December 2019. With a decade of service-based career Nicki establishes strategic partnerships and spearheads outreach campaigns that increase the awareness of AmeriCorps across the state. As director, Nicki has the opportunity to work closely with national service advocacy groups, local and national nonprofit organizations and engages regularly with the global community focused on addressing the planet's most pressing issues through human capital. Nicki also serves on the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Community ToolBank, and is a member of the Baltimore Steering Committee for IMPACT 2030. Her personal mission statement is “My superpower is connecting, my purpose is to bring the right people together so we can share knowledge and skills to make the world a better place.
“The best thing that has come out of my service year was confidence in my ability to lead, inspire and motivate others. Getting things done is not just a tagline for me: it is a way of life, my year as an AmeriCorps member ignited this spirit in me.”
As an advocacy chair of the Alumni Chapter Steering Committee, Tyler E. Tucker assists with the creation of engagement opportunities for service year alumni chapters to promote and represent national service in the federal, state, and local sphere. Tyler completed his service, which focused on youth development in rural Georgia, in August 2020 with the University of Georgia / 4-H. By living out the AmeriCorps vision of strengthening communities in his day-to-day life, Tyler founded THE ARC Initiative, an advocacy initiative designed to bring opportunities and resources to underserved communities in the Southeast region. With a background in governmental affairs, community development, and non-profit work, Tyler is excited to begin his two-year term on the ACSC with other program alumni servant leaders. He studies Organizational Leadership and attends Valdosta State University where he successfully established a polling precinct on campus.
“The best thing that has come out of my service year has been the feeling of impact made on my hometown of Fitzgerald, Georgia. I grew up hearing the need of talent retention and economic development for a decade, and I know I have been able to help grow a new generation of young leaders ready to solve the issues of today through my service. Those memories and relationships will always allow me to reflect on what it means to be an AmeriCorps Alum.”
Check back for updates and more information from the Alumni Chapter Steering Committee!
Questions? Check out our Alumni Chapter Steering Committee FAQs, or email [email protected].
