Meet the Team: Alabama
Melanie Jacobi Rhodes, Alabama State Director
Melanie Jacobi Rhodes is a native of Pensacola, FL and graduated from Stetson University, in 2004 with a B.A. in sociology and Spanish. While in school, she was the captain of the rowing team, volunteered with… Read More >
Glory Akinduro, AmeriCorps Member
Glory Akinduro was born in Macon, Georgia, but raised in Dothan, Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where she graduated cum laude with honors in April 2019. Read More >
Nada Al-Assi, AmeriCorps Member
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Nada Al-Assi attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Public Health and a dual minor in Community Health and Communication Management in 2019. Read More >
Sarah Allison, AmeriCorps Member
Sarah was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up in the Birmingham area. Read More >
Chris Bertolini, AmeriCorps Member
Chris Bertolini, born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2019 with a major in history and a double minor in Spanish and public health. Read More >
David Beutel, AmeriCorps Member
SaveFirst Team Leader - Training
Born in Alabama but raised in Calhoun, Georgia, David graduated magna cum laude in 2018 from Samford University with a triple major in history, Spanish, and global studies. While at Samford, David completed the University… Read More >
Bailey Creighton, AmeriCorps Member
From Lawtey, Florida, Bailey graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama in 2019 with a major in microbiology and a minor in the Randall Research Scholars Program. Read More >
Phillip Davis, AmeriCorps Member
Phillip Davis was born in New Jersey but grew up in Alabama; in 2019, he graduated with a double major in French and International Studies from Sewanee: The University of the South (both majors required a semester in Nantes, France). Read More >
Brett Dunn, AmeriCorps Member
Brett Dunn graduated from The University of Alabama with undergraduate degrees in Journalism and Political Science. Read More >
Julia Giggie, AmeriCorps Member
Julia Giggie, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama native, graduated magna cum laude from Birmingham-Southern College, where she majored in Psychology. Read More >
Tyler Hill-Whatley, AmeriCorps Member
FocusFirst Coordinator
Tyler Hill-Whatley is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. In 2018, she graduated cum laude from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where she majored in public health with a concentration in global health studies. While in… Read More >
Lauren L’Etang, AmeriCorps Member
Lauren L'Etang-- a Tuscaloosa, Alabama native-- graduated suma cum laude in 2019 from the University of Alabama with a double major in Spanish and International Studies, and a minor in music. Read More >
Samantha Loew, AmeriCorps Member
Samantha Loew grew up in Colorado Springs, CO and moved to Birmingham, AL to attend Birmingham-Southern College, where she graduated with a bachelor's in chemistry. Read More >
Montana MacDonald, AmeriCorps Member
Montana MacDonald, a native of Columbus, Ohio, graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration specializing in Finance and Economics. Read More >
Ginny Morgan, AmeriCorps Member
Ginny was born in Mobile, Alabama, and called the Gulf Coast her home for fourteen years. She moved to Montgomery, Alabama the summer following her freshman year and completed high school there. In May of 2019, she graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University, with a degree in Biomedical Science. Read More >
Megan Moser, AmeriCorps Member
Born and raised New Orleans, Louisiana, Megan Moser moved to Birmingham, Alabama to attend Birmingham-Southern College in 2015. She graduated cum laude with a degree in Psychology. Read More >
Kayla Myers, AmeriCorps Member
Media Production Fellow
Kayla Myers, a native of Memphis, TN, graduated magna cum laude in 2018 from The University of Missouri where she dual majored in Journalism and Digital Storytelling. Read More >
Leopold Nkengbeza, AmeriCorps Member
Born in Cameroon, Africa, Leopold Nkengbeza grew up in Huntsville, AL and attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he graduated with honors in the spring of 2019. Read More >
Evie Nichols, AmeriCorps Member
Evie Nichols was born and raised in Birmingham, AL. She graduated summa cum laude in 2019 from University of Alabama at Birmingham with a bachelor's in social work and a minor in Spanish. Read More >
Rebekah Nordine, SpeakFirst Manager
Rebekah Nordine is from Marietta, GA and graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in African American and Diaspora Studies and Child Studies. In 2017, she graduated from Samford University with a M.S. in Secondary Education with a concentration in Mathematics. Read More >
Namibia Pearson, AmeriCorps Member
Namibia Pearson, born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from The University of Alabama with a B.A. in Psychology minoring in Human Development and Family Studies in 2019. While in school, Namibia served as a mentor for the Al's Pals Mentoring Program. After serving with Impact America, Namibia has plans to pursue her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy. Read More >
Lawrence Perry, AmeriCorps Member
SaveFirst Team Leader - Outreach
Lawrence, a native of Birmingham Alabama, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018, with a B.A. in political science and philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) and minor in consumer psychology. Read More >
Ciara Pritschet, AmeriCorps Member
Ciara Pritschet has traveled over 1,200 miles from Brainerd, Minnesota to serves as a SpeakFirst High School Debate Coach after graduating from St. Cloud State University with a B.A. in sociology and University College Dublin where she graduated cum laude with a Master's degree in sociology. Read More >
Ronan Pritschet, AmeriCorps Member
Ronan Pritschet hails from Minnesota and attended college at St. Cloud State University majoring in business economics and minoring in finance. Read More >
Eddie Randall, AmeriCorps Member
FocusFirst Coordinator
Edwin Randall, native of Hoover, Alabama, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama with a degree in psychology in 2018. As an undergraduate, Edwin served as a Lead Volunteer for the Every Move… Read More >
Stephen Sheffield, AmeriCorps Member
Stephen Sheffield, born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in Journalism in 2019. While at Auburn Stephen worked closely with the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs as a Diversity Ambassador. He also was an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity where he served the Lee County community and mentored the youth. Read More >
Steve Small, AmeriCorps Member
Steve Small, from Calera, Alabama, graduated from The University of Alabama with a B.S. in finance with a specialization in economics in 2019. Read More >
Rebecca Strange, AmeriCorps Member
A resident of Leeds, Alabama, Rebecca graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University with a degree in anthropology. Read More >
Jim Sydnor, AmeriCorps Member
SpeakFirst High School Team Leader
Born and raised in Birmingham, AL, Jim Sydnor graduated from California State University - Fullerton with a major in Sociology and minor in Philosophy. He continued his studies at San Francisco State University, earning an interdisciplinary master's degree. Read More >
Mikalyi Threatt, AmeriCorps Member
Mikalyi Threat was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Read More >
Miranda Townsend, AmeriCorps Member
Miranda Townsend, a native of Live Oak, FL, graduated with honors from Sewanee: The University of the South in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in American Studies and a minor in politics. Read More >
Jake Webb, AmeriCorps Member
Media Production Fellow
A well-traveled New Englander, Jake Webb grew up in New Hampshire and graduated in 2019 from the University of Puget Sound with a BA in English (emphasis Creative Writing) and Communication Studies with a minor in Chinese Language. Read More >
Ayanna Wedgeworth, AmeriCorps Member
SaveFirst Volunteer Coordinator
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Ayanna Wedgeworth holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Alabama, where she majored in Communications with a minor in Gender and Race studies. Read More >
Maddie Wyatt, AmeriCorps Member
Maddie Wyatt is from Thomasville, North Carolina, a small town with a once-thriving furniture industry that is now relegated to the shadows cast by a 30-feet-tall "Big Chair" landmark featured in the center of town.… Read More >
Nathan Yoguez, AmeriCorps Member
FocusFirst Coordinator
Born and raised in Los Angeles county of California, Nathan Yoguez graduated from Samford University in 2016, where he majored in philosophy and religion and minored in medical ethics, and from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in 2018, where he obtained his Master of Public Health in health policy and systems management and gained community service honors. Read More >
Staff and corps members for
Impact America is an AmeriCorps Program.
