Meet our WHEDco Team
Mario Ynfante — WHEDco After-School Program Group Leader
Mario Ynfante has been a participant in WHEDco’s youth programs since he was 5 years old. Having gone through the Head Start, After-School, and Teen Programs, Mario has worked at the After-School Program for the last 6 years, where he is currently a Group Leader and Basketball Coach. Mario recently graduated from Manhattan College in May with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work at The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. Mario’s passion for social work has stemmed from his relationship with WHEDco’s youth programs.
Nicole Lavan — Senior Director of Research and Program Development
Nicole joined WHEDco in 2012 and maintains more than 10 years of experience in policy research and evaluation. Nicole leads WHEDco’s efforts to investigate the impact of WHEDco’s programs, designs and conducts research projects, manages data resources, and works to expand WHEDco’s voice on policy issues. Previously, Nicole was the Director of Research and Evaluation at Nontraditional Employment for Women, and the Senior Policy Analyst for Child Welfare and Workforce Development at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. Nicole holds a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
Davon Russell — President
Davon Russell is a lifelong educator and mentor who believes in the transformative power of early childhood and youth education and the arts. In his work, he is a dedicated fighter for equity and opportunity for communities of color, and a thoughtful leader of a talented and committed staff that serves families and communities across the city.
Born in Jamaica to a single mother, Davon excelled early on as a scholar and athlete at the prestigious Kingston College high school and was recruited by the University of Oregon on a full track scholarship. While in Eugene, he also discovered a love of the theater as an outlet for personal expression and persuasion. After earning his BA in Humanities and his MA in Journalism and Theater, he was a professional actor with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Prior to becoming WHEDco’s President in 2017, Davon had long combined his love for the arts with support, guidance, mentoring and educating for youth. He began his career at WHEDco in 1997 as a part-time after school teacher and steadily rose through the organization over 20 years, serving as Executive Vice President since 2010. Under Davon’s leadership, WHEDco’s youth programs—serving infants, toddlers, school-age youth, and teens— have helped tens of thousands of young people build their skills, access resources, develop their creative and innovative potential, and become leaders.
Davon is the co-founder and Board Chair of the South Bronx Early College Academy Charter School and serves on the Boards of Bronx Lacrosse and DreamYard. He is a Captain in the founding coalition of the Bronx Community Relief Effort. He is also a member of the Racial Justice and Equity Task Force for the Weill Cornell Department of Medicine, as well as the Lehman College School of Education Professional Education Advisory Committee. He previously served on the Board of Grace Church School and was appointed by two consecutive Bronx Borough Presidents – Adolfo Carrión Jr. and Ruben Diaz Jr. – to serve eight years on the New York City Department of Education’s Community Education Council.
Katie Aylwin — Senior Director of Education and Youth Development
Katie joined WHEDco in 2005 and currently supervises a staff of 65, including teaching artists and high school employees, to ensure the highest level of youth programming across WHEDco’s three partner schools. Previously at WHEDco, she was Director of the Teen Program and mentor to the first cohort of Project STEP students. Prior to joining WHEDco, Katie taught at Columbia University’s Double Discovery Center, a program for low-income students in New York City, and at New Smyrna Beach High School in Florida, where she received the New Teacher of the Year Award in 2003. Katie holds a BA in History from the University of Florida.
Jamie Yellen — Youth Program Director, PS/IS 218
Jamie joined WHEDco in 2014, bringing over 10 years of youth development experience, and a background in operations and logistics to her role. She earned her BA from Goucher College and a Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Management from the Pratt Institute. She credits much of her problem-solving skills, flexibility and program design ingenuity to being a lifelong participant in the arts. She is responsible for the oversight of the school-based After School arts and academic enrichment program and Summer Arts Day Camp at PS/IS 218, supervising a staff of 80.