New Year, New Team

Every season, kids in DC get the opportunity to build teams with returning teammates and new additions with the same goal of being the best team possible. For the DC SCORES staff, this is no different.

As new opportunities guided some long-time staff members on different paths, the DC SCORES staff is now a bigger and even more impressive team that’s excited for the seasons to come.

Nine new staff members joined the team, filling in vacant roles and also creating brand new roles within the organization. The members bring fresh ideas and come from diverse backgrounds, which will help guide us in continuing to elevate our high-quality programming across Washington, DC.

Each new staff member shared what their experience with the organization has been like since they started their new role:

Katie Lu Clougherty, Program Data Coordinator

• DC SCORES has been so welcoming. I love how everyone collaborates as a team to get the work done. Being part of the Program Team is great because I get to see how my work with Monitoring and Evaluation plays out on the field and in the classroom.

Rachel Gorosh, Program Coordinator

• I just started at DC SCORES, and I can already tell that teamwork and collaboration are so important to all of the staff here. I am excited to begin as a writing coach and to see the impact that DC SCORES makes in action.

Owen Maguire, Communications Fellow

• My first couple weeks at DC SCORES have been amazing so far! I love our (Staff Fun) coffee fix tradition; gotta get my dark roast.

Maria Marroquin, Program Coordinator

• DC SCORES’ values of commitment, leadership, and teamwork transcend the office space; the team lives through these values and it is reflected in the work I have seen in the schools and communities. It’s great to work with such a powerful group of people all passionate about the organization’s mission.

The new members that are new to DC SCORES have fit in seamlessly since they stepped through the front door on their first day. As exciting as all the new additions are, it is also great to see how many of the new roles are filled with people that were familiar with the work done at DC SCORES before joining us.

Charity Blackwell, Director of Writing (former AmeriCorps member and Poetry Slam! emcee extraordinaire)

• My time so far at DC SCORES has been extremely busy, yet overwhelmingly fulfilling. I love my work, my team, and the communities we serve! I could not ask to be in a better place!

Lorena Palacios, Latino Engagement Fellow (former communications intern)

• I’m beyond grateful for the team for believing in me and offering me a chance to join them full-time. It’s been a great summer with DC SCORES as an intern and I’m so excited for the seasons to come!

Lindsey Sharp, Community Engagement Coordinator (former Soccer Coordinator)

• Most of all, I’m looking forward to effectively engaging the larger community in my new role. Our volunteers allow us to serve as many kids as we do and become part of our tight-knit DC SCORES family – because of their commitment I’m excited to learn more about them and keep each team member involved in our mission.

Ivan “Vanya” Klein, Soccer Coordinator (former summer camp counselor)

• One of the greatest teams I’ve worked with off the pitch. As a new member, I feel a lot of support. I can see and feel the passion from everyone. Very excited for this year!

Will Sutton, Middle School Program Manager (former Program Manager at Truesdell EC)

• The work that DC SCORES does for the kids, parents, and communities is the reason I wake up every morning excited to make a difference.

In just about a month, the new staff has been busy with staff retreats, Coach Kickoff, countless meetings, and many outward community events in preparation for the fall SCORES season. With the biggest DC SCORES staff ever, the team is ready to serve the largest amount of kids ever at the program’s 59 sites across all eight wards in the District.

It’s true what they say, “teamwork makes the dream work.”