Experience Corps National Staff
Eric Boven, Director of Finance and Administration
Tema Fishbein, Director of External Affairs
Elizabeth Fox, Senior Advisor
Patrice Gerideau, Training Manager
Gail Kutner, Evaluation and Research Manager
Xuan Thanh Le, Program Manager
Lindsay Moore, Communications Manager
Christina New-Watling, Senior Program Manager
Susanna Rosenbaum, Operations Manager
Lester Strong, CEO
Amy Zandarski-Pica, Director of Programs
Alex Harris, Photographer and Duke University Professor of the Practice of Public Policy and Documentary Studies
is Director of Finance and Administration for Experience Corps.
Prior to joining the national office, Eric directed the fundraising efforts
for Generations Incorporated, Boston's host to Experience Corps, from 2001-2006.
In that position he played a key role in developing systems to support the
program's growth from 40 members to 300 members. Most recently, Eric was
Development Manager for The Child and Family Network Centers, an award winning
early childhood education program in Alexandria, VA. Eric is a former AmeriCorps*VISTA
member, and he holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Calvin
College.
E-mail: eboven [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is the Director of External Affairs leading the fundraising and
communications efforts of Experience Corps, as a member of the
senior management team she plays a key role in Experience Corps’s
strategic planning efforts. Ms. Fishbein has been a consultant
in arts management and nonprofit administration specializing in
culture, education and mental health.
Formerly as the Director of Development for the Center for Traditional
Music and Dance, working to preserve and present the performing
arts of traditional New York immigrant communities; she increased
government support and won recognition for Sidiki Conde as a National
Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. She was also the
Assistant Professor in the Arts Management Program at American
University, Washington, DC where she designed new curriculum, in
Arts Programming, Arts and Community, and Film and Society: Focus
on Dance. She was the Program Director for the New York Arts Recovery
Fund, a program of New York Foundation for the Arts which awarded
$ 5 million in grants to individual artists and arts organizations
to assist their recovery from financial harm as a result of 9/11.
She holds a Masters of Public Affairs in Finance and Management
from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
and a Masters Degree in Dance/Movement Therapy from Hunter College,
City University of New York. For 15 years she maintained a private
Psychotherapy and Dance/Movement Therapy practice in addition to
training students as an Adjunct Instructor and Fieldwork Coordinator
of the Hunter College Dance/Movement Therapy Program.
E-mail: tfishbein [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
has worked as a human services entrepreneur and administrator the past 25 years to improve services and opportunities for older adults. Since 2001, Fox has been Experience Corps's Director of Policy Development and Senior Advisor. In that capacity, she develops federal policy initiatives, manages Congressional relations, and promotes the Experience Corps mission nationally through networking and speaking. In 1999, she founded Experience Corps Washington DC, raised local funds to support it, then directed its operations for two years. From 1982 to 1998, Fox was executive director of IONA Senior Services, working to make IONA a model of community-based service and advocacy for seniors. Fox was responsible for program development and management, a $2.4 million budget, a staff of 50 professionals and 700 volunteers, and many public and private partnerships. She led a five-year community planning effort and secured $9.5 million in property and gifts to create a new state-of-the-art center. From 1979-82, Fox was founder and executive director of Christian Communities Group Homes, a model housing program for poverty-level seniors. She currently serves as chair of the group's council. Fox has a B.A. in philosophy from Wellesley College and an M.A. in social work from Catholic University of America.
E-mail: efox [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is the Experience Corps Training Manager. Most recently, she served as Training and Special Projects Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. Over the course of her career, she has designed and facilitated workshops for numerous organizations including the American Red Cross, the Leadership Program, Today's Students Tomorrow's Teachers, Grand Street Settlement, the Careers in Culinary Arts Program, Harlem Children's Zone, and the Chosen Vessel Rites of Passage Program. Some of the topic areas she has covered in the past are communication, volunteer management, conflict management, diversity, group dynamics, teambuilding, leadership, and various youth-specific topics. With over 10 years of training and development experience, Patrice has served over 4000 clients. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Psychology and Magazine Journalism from the University of Georgia.
E-mail: pgerideau [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is the Manager of Evaluation and Research with expertise in social science research and gerontology. Prior to coming to Experience Corps, Gail Kutner served as a senior research advisor at AARP for 21 years where she managed all aspects of research studies, from designing projects through the presentation of findings to AARP leadership. Kutner evaluated multiple volunteer programs during her time at AARP, including managing, "Time and Money: An In-Depth Look at 45+ Volunteers and Donors." This was one of the first studies to comprehensively examine volunteering and giving by adults 45 years of age and older. Kutner was educated at the University of Michigan from which she has a Master's in Social Work with a concentration in Program Evaluation and also a Specialist in Aging Certificate.
E-mail: gkutner [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is the Experience Corps' Program Manager where she currently provides strategic technical assistance planning to the program's affiliate sites. Before joining Experience Corps, she worked at BPSOS, Inc., a community-based immigrant services non-profit for two years upon graduating from college. Here, she coordinated and later managed a $1.2 million dollar mental health and community education program for older adults, refugees, and immigrants; she also co-authored curriculum and replication manuals to train local community leaders and volunteers on implementation of the program model. She has experience in fund development and has secured over $200K to implement a New Freedom transportation project to train older adults and persons with disabilities on accessing public transit in Northern Virginia. She is an alumna of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Ethnic Studies.
E-mail: xle [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is Communications Manager at Experience Corps. Prior to this position, Lindsay
worked as Communications and Membership Manager at Generations United where
she wrote, edited, and disseminated the organization’s magazine, e-newsletters,
and other materials. She previously worked as a television news writer and
production assistant in Seattle and as a middle- and high-school English and
social studies teacher. She graduated from Emory University and was selected
as a contributor at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
E-mail: lmoore [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is an Experience Corps Program Manager. Before joining the Experience Corps team, Christina was Project Coordinator for the Center for Survivor Agency and Justice, a national domestic violence advocacy organization in Washington D.C. Christina has also held the position of Senior Case Manager at Safe Horizon, a crime victim advocacy organization in New York. While there, she worked with survivors of domestic violence in the Queens Criminal and Supreme Court Program. Previously, she held internships providing direct services to the mentally ill, at The Bridge, Inc., a mental health organization, and to families at The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Christina holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Delaware and an M.S.W. from Hunter College School of Social Work in New York.
E-mail: cnewwatling [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is Experience Corps's Operations Manager, supporting the Director of Finance and Administration to ensure the smooth functioning of systems and day-to-day activities, and serving as a resource to all national office staff. Susanna has six years of non-profit administration experience. Previously, she was instrumental in developing Hope Corps, the international volunteer program of World Hope International. Most recently, Susanna served as Office Administrator and Membership Coordinator at the Arts Council of Fairfax County, supporting artists and arts organizations and advocating for the arts and sustainable funding in Fairfax County. Susanna has a BA in English from Houghton College.
E-mail: srosenbaum [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is the CEO of Experience Corps. Over
the past ten years he has been a leader in educational entrepreneurship
and development. He was most recently the Chief Development Officer
for the BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) Foundation, which
provides tutoring and mentoring services to 12,000 underserved children. His
efforts doubled the foundation's endowment and propelled expansion
from three to five cities: Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New York and
Springfield, MA. A long-time proponent and practitioner of
meditation, Lester was also CEO of the SYDA Foundation, an educational
organization that provides instruction in yoga and meditation in
46 countries. He spent 25-years in the television industry as an
executive, producer, reporter and anchor in Charlotte (WBTV), Atlanta
(WSB), New York (ABC Entertainment) and Boston (WHDH). His
work earned him a host of national and regional awards, including
five regional Emmy Awards and a White House commendation from President
Ronald Reagan. Lester served as a member of the board of
directors of Civic Ventures and on the Board of Visitors at Davidson
College. Lester holds a bachelor's degree from Davidson College
and is a graduate of the Columbia Business School's Institute for
Non-Profit Management.
E-mail: lstrong [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
is the Director of Programs for Experience
Corps with expertise in building the capacities of individuals and
communities through direct service and advocacy. Prior to coming
to Experience Corps, Zandarski-Pica served for six years as the Program
Coordinator for the Georgetown Ministry Center in Washington, DC,
which engages homeless individuals and helps transition them from
the street to housing. Most recently, Zandarski-Pica completed graduate
fieldwork in program management and policy development at the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Special Needs
Assistance. Zandarski-Pica holds a Master's in Social Work from the
University of Maryland-Baltimore, with a concentration in Management
and Community Organization.
E-mail: azandpica [at] experiencecorps [dot] org
Award winning

Social Capitalist Award winner, 2007 and 2008
>
Our impact
Learn about the impact Experience Corps is having.
>
Make it local
Start Experience Corps in your city
>
"In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education. And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential."
-President Obama, "State of the Union," January 27, 2010
"Together, we can continue our commitment to education innovation by investing in Experience Corps, a program that helps elementary students by increasing the number of older adult tutors and mentors in the classroom. Independent research shows that Experience Corps works: Third-grade reading and math scores are rising and students feel safer at school."
-Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, State of the City Speech, February 22, 2010