BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Lisa Arrastia (Board President). Born and raised in West Harlem, New York, Lisa Arrastia’s scholarship examines American discourses of racial capitalism and the pedagogies of culture that shape how schools and communities come to understand individualism, whiteness, and masculinity. A retired school leader, teacher, and professor of education, Lisa holds a PhD in American Studies, an MEd in Administration and Supervision, an MA in Education, and a BS in Black Studies. Her writing and projects focus on generating empathic communities in which young people and educators have the freedom to think, question, and innovate as they wrestle with the tangled complexities of self, other, and difference. A Kweli fellow, her work on Kite’s Nest appears in Overland, The Crisis of Connection (NYU Press), and in her forthcoming book, Love Pedagogy: A Cause for Liberation. Lisa lives in the Upper Hudson Valley with her husband, writer Mark Nowak, and their daughter, a Pratt Institute graduate and former Kite’s Nest student. Lisa’s work is deeply rooted in Kite’s Nest’s commitment to creating spaces where young people think critically, create with intention, and disrupt the social, economic, and political conditions that attempt to construct their lives.
Gregg Osofsky (Treasurer) is the Operations Director of the Watershed Center in Millerton, NY. He holds a B.S. from Stanford University in Environmental Science and Technology and has an extensive background in small business operations, website design and development, and community organizing. In addition to his work with Watershed, Gregg the CFO of Hammertown, his family’s small business, and a member of the Town of Northeast’s Fire Department. Gregg is also a certified Somatics Coach and is passionate is bringing physical practice into people’s lives as a fundamental aspect of personal growth and development.
Sonja Okun (Secretary) has two decades of experience developing and leading successful positive youth development intervention programs for justice system-involved youth, including founding and serving as Executive Director of exalt in New York City from 2006-2014. Sonja is currently a Principal at Root Cause, a nonprofit consulting group, and consults independently to several criminal justice-related organizations nationally. Sonja holds both a BA in African American Studies and an MBA from Harvard University.
Kamauru Johnson currently serves as Upper School Psychologist at Brooklyn Friends School (BFS) and as Program Director of the Horizons Program at BFS, an organization that partners closely with independent schools like BFS to reduce summer learning loss by providing out-of-school enrichment programming for elementary and middle school students who may not otherwise have access. Outside of BFS, Kamauru maintains a private practice as a clinical psychologist, offering individual therapy to adolescents and young adults and psychoeducational evaluation services. Kamauru earned his B.A. in Psychology at Morehouse College and his Ph.D. in Applied Educational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has research interests in various areas including academic motivation, note-taking, academic self-concept, and public-private school partnerships.
Tanu Kumar is an urban planning and policy consultant based in the Hudson Valley, providing planning, research, and program development support to local organizations. She has over 10 years of experience working with government agencies, non-profits, and community-based organizations on land use planning, industrial development and zoning, and equitable economic growth strategies. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Pratt Center for Community Development in Brooklyn, NY, and led Pratt Center’s economic development work in NYC for five years. She has a B.A. from Williams College and a Master's in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Kristina Wertz has dedicated her career to advocacy for LGBTQ communities with racial, gender, and economic justice at the core of her work. Kristina is the Vice President of Engagement and Philanthropic Outreach at Funders for LGBTQ Issues, where she oversees the organization’s programs to increase philanthropic resources for LGBTQ communities. A seasoned attorney, public policy advocate, and philanthropic organizer, Kristina is passionate about working alongside queer and trans people of color to shift the centers of power in philanthropy. Prior to her work at Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Kristina was the Director of Policy and Programs and Legal Director at the Transgender Law Center where she partnered with trans leaders to achieve groundbreaking legal protections for trans and gender nonconforming people. In 2011, Kristina was named on the National LGBT Bar Association’s inaugural list of “Top LGBTQ Lawyers Under 40.” She is a graduate of NYU and Brooklyn Law School. Proudly born and raised in San Francisco, Kristina now lives in the Hudson Valley with her partner, two adorable kids, and a fluctuating number of chickens.
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