Twenty-two Fellows selected for 2025 South Carolina Afterschool Leaders Empowered (SCALE) Fellowship
January 30, 2025SCALE equips emerging afterschool and expanded learning leaders with the resources, frameworks, partnerships, and curriculum-curating skills to advance education programming in South Carolina.
Twenty-two afterschool and summer program leaders from across the state have been selected to join the fourth cohort of South Carolina Afterschool Leaders Empowered (SCALE) Fellows, a 10-month fellowship offered by The Riley Institute.
SCALE Fellows are selected by a national committee of field experts. Each cohort is made up of participants from backgrounds that reflect the diversity of South Carolina’s education system.
The fellowship and associated professional development opportunities are focused on addressing educational challenges by implementing best practices.

SCALE fellows participate in an interactive exercise at the 2023 annual PowerUp Conference.
After a week of immersive programming at Furman University, taking place January 26-30, fellows begin monthly webinars about program design and assessment, equitable and trauma-informed relationship building skills, arts-integration, and leadership skills. They also participate in a learning journey to a nationally acclaimed summer learning program and work on a job-embedded capstone project related to afterschool or summer learning.
With support from the South Carolina state legislature, SCALE is offered free of charge to participants. By preparing leaders to implement research-based practices into their afterschool and expanded learning programming and culminating in a related capstone project, SCALE has emerged as a critical educator program in our state.
Listed below are the 2025 SCALE Fellows.
Virginia “Ginni” Aban
Director
Owls’ Nest Extended Day (Berkeley County School District)
Moncks Corner
Stacie Coleman
Math Teacher and Lead
School District of Newberry County
Newberry
Shanda “Shon” Crawford
Director of Projects
Dreams Imagination & Gift
Williston
Christopher Emanuel
Director
Second Baptist Church – Teen After School Center
Aiken
Patsy Gardner
Executive Director
A Second Chance Resource Center Network United, Inc.
North Charleston
Valente’ Gibson
Coordinator of 21st Century Grant
Richland School District Two
Columbia
Tracy Goodwin
21st CCLC Project Director
Lexington School District One
Lexington
Cissy Graham
Computer Manager & Afterschool Director
Dutch Fork Elementary School
Irmo
Angela “Nicke” Haney
CEO/Founder
Brown Girls Read
Spartanburg
Cheyenne Helfrich
Program Director
Boys & Girls Clubs of York County
York
Julie Hollister
Vice President of Youth & Family Services
YMCA of Greenville
Greenville
Liz Keitt
Founder/Director
Project Life: Positeen, Inc.
Orangeburg
Beth Lechner
Program Director Clubs and Camp
SC Career Kids
Columbia
Aileen Mahoney
Auxiliary Programs Operations Coordinator
Christ Church Episcopal School
Greenville
Tonya Mayes
Founding Director
PreDestined Outreach
Easley
Sabrina Miller
Executive Director
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lakelands
Greenwood
Toya Moore
Director Youth Programs
Upstate Circle of Friends
Greenville
Sonya Pearson
Youth Program Director
Pleasant Valley Connection
Greenville
Sonja Rush-Harvin
Assistant Principal
Williamsburg School District
Greeleyville
Vanessa Stevenson
Prevention & Intervention Coordinator
South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice
Florence
Verta Thompson
Executive Director
Avery C Thompson SR Community Center
Varnville
Sattin Young
Program Officer
Charleston County School District- Office of Expanded Learning
Charleston
About the Riley Institute at Furman University
The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders—across sectors and throughout society—with the knowledge and tools to advance equity and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond. We work to strengthen public education; promote the power of diversity to help teams, organizations, and communities thrive; and elevate informed, evidence-based approaches to critical public issues. In all it does, the institute is committed to nonpartisanship and a bias-free path to change.