Our Team
Lisa Rawlings, PhD
President and CEO
Lisa Rawlings is a public service leader, a strategist, and a creative problem solver with a tireless work ethic. She brings experience in the nonprofit and public sectors and in academia. Her social impact portfolio spans from criminal justice, public health, and immigration to child welfare, disaster recovery, and youth development. As a member of the Senior Executive Service of the federal government, and throughout her career, her work focused on assessment, accountability and programmatic and organizational effectiveness.
Dr. Rawlings is an alumnus from the National Urban Fellows Class of 2011 and has been an active NUF supporter ever since. She led the creation of Research and Statistics Boot Camp for incoming fellows and served on the Academic Partner Search Committee, responsible for recommending Georgetown University as our new academic partner.
Dr. Rawlings is a lifelong learner. In addition to earning her MPA from Baruch College, she also holds MSW and PhD degrees in Social Work from Howard University. And she recently earned an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, where she received awards for values based leadership.
Rosshelle Munoz
Program and Operations Manager
Rosshelle Munoz is a native New Yorker and graduate of Baruch College, where she obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Operations Management. Her course of study was collaboratively inspired by her mother’s passion as a social worker along with her close interest in using her skills to help organizations that serve neglected and underrepresented communities and individuals. At the National Urban Fellows, Rosshelle is driven to continue strengthening her knowledge and experience in the fields of finance and operations management in order to continue the journey of becoming a financial leader and public servant.
Jonathan Vallejo
Engagement Officer
Jonathan leads Fellow recruitment and selection, alumni engagement, and digital transformation efforts. Prior to his current role, he led domestic and global fundraising and immersion initiatives for buildOn, an organization that focuses on breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education. As their Development Director, Jonathan led multiple groups of donors in mentoring and social learning programs by connecting them with high school students from underserved communities from Bridgeport, CT to the Bronx, NY. He also recruited, trained, and led multiple donor groups to fundraise and build primary schools in solidarity with local villagers in Haiti, Nicaragua, Malawi, Senegal, and Nepal.
Jonathan is a native Puerto Rican who grew up in the Bronx, NY and a proud alumnus of the NUF Class of 2012, holding a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College. He is a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in the Kingdom of Morocco as a Youth Development Specialist, and enjoys learning languages, traveling, skydiving, and swimming.
Elena Schrónez
Communications & Engagement Officer
Elena Schrónez is a distinguished leader in the intersection of mental health, wellness, and strategic communications, marked by a deep commitment to public service and social impact. Her extensive experience spans the nonprofit sector, innovative startups, and creative production, reflecting a career dedicated to fostering well-being, equity, and amplified voices across diverse communities. Elena’s work has significantly influenced areas such as corporate health, early education technology, digital media, and brand strategy, showcasing her ability to drive growth, engagement, and positive change through thoughtful innovation and strategic insight.
With a B.A. in Psychology and and M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University, and I currently completing a M.A. in Mental Health Counseling & Spiritual Integration from Fordham University, demonstrating her interest in combining her background in media with wellbeing work.
Amina Brown
Program Director
Amina Brown is a program management professional and people potential specialist with 15 years of experience across educational settings, non-profits and scrappy start-ups. Her commitment to service took off when she was invited to the Civic Engagement for Social Good Honors College at the University of Maryland. During her time in the program, she had the opportunity to be an intern on Capitol Hill. She joined Teach For America as a 2008 Philadelphia Corps Member teaching middle and high school studies for six years.
As Managing Director at TFA, Amina directed impactful leadership development programs and implemented an anti-racism curriculum, improving participant outcomes and retention. Amina also acted as the Program Director, for the non-profit buildOn where she supported 900 students to participate in 2,000 hours of service monthly. Amina has also jumped into politics as an endorsed candidate for the Board of Education where she led a student-first campaign and offered a unique perspective on urban education.
Amina attended the UPenn Graduate School of Education where she studied Urban Education and Secondary Social Studies Education. Amina is passionate about coaching cheerleading and is a constant cheerleader for the courageous professionals embarking on the NUF journey.
Dele Lowman
Vice President, Programs & Strategy
Dele Lowman is a change leader and community advocate whose public management career spans the nonprofit, local and state government, and private sectors. As a local government executive, she oversaw strategic planning, human resources, communications, information technology, finance, legislative affairs, elections, and other functional areas for multiple county and city governments. In her community leadership capacity, she has written and advocated for policies related to housing equity, tenants’ rights, voter access, environmental sustainability, economic inclusion, and government transparency; co-founded a grassroots citizen advocacy organization in her community; and chaired her county elections board. She has also led her own consultancy and worked in the executive search field.
Dele has a gift for identifying and cultivating talent and takes pleasure in leading teams and organizations through complex challenges that require creativity, collaboration, and breaking new ground. Her curiosity and commitment to lifelong learning have allowed her to participate in numerous leadership development programs, including the Atlanta Regional Commission Regional Leadership Institute, Leadership ICMA, the University of Virginia Senior Executive Institute, and Leadership Broward.
Dele is a proud Class of 2004 National Urban Fellows alumna and a 2010 graduate of NUF’s America’s Leaders of Change (ALOC) program. She is also a distinguished graduate of Florida A&M University (BA) and Baruch College (MPA).
Ambre Reed
Director of Development & External Engagement
Ambre Reed is a strategic development and communications leader with nearly two decades of experience helping mission-driven organizations grow their impact through philanthropy, storytelling, and authentic relationship building. She has dedicated her career to advancing equity, leadership, education, economic mobility, and gender justice by connecting donors, partners, and communities to missions that create lasting social change.
Throughout her career, Ambre has led integrated fundraising and communications strategies that have generated more than $23 million in philanthropic support for nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. She brings deep expertise in institutional and individual giving, corporate partnerships, executive communications, campaign strategy, public speaking, and cross-functional leadership. Passionate about the power of storytelling, Ambre believes that compelling narratives not only inspire philanthropy but also elevate lived experiences, strengthen communities, and drive systems change.
As Director of Development & External Engagement at National Urban Fellows, Ambre leads fundraising strategy, donor engagement, strategic partnerships, and external communications to advance the organization’s mission of developing courageous and values-driven leaders who create more equitable communities. She is committed to building meaningful partnerships that expand opportunity, amplify diverse voices, and sustain the next generation of public service leaders.
Ambre holds a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Family Financial Planning from the University of Georgia. She is passionate about creating spaces where leadership, purpose, and community intersect, and believes lasting change begins with investing in people and the stories that bring them together.
Tahisha Franco
Operations Associate
Tahisha Franco is an operations professional with experience supporting the day-to-day systems and processes that help organizations and teams work effectively. She brings several years of operational experience to National Urban Fellows, with a background in managing administrative processes, supporting cross-functional teams, and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency.
As Operations Associate at National Urban Fellows, Tahisha works across operations, finance, and human resources to support the organization’s internal systems and the needs of departments across NUF. She is committed to creating strong, reliable processes that help teams collaborate effectively and advance the organization’s mission.
A native of the Bronx, New York, Tahisha is drawn to NUF’s commitment to expanding access and opportunity for underrepresented communities, a mission that reflects her own experiences and values. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and brings a people-centered approach to her work.
Outside of NUF, Tahisha enjoys reading, the arts, music, and spending time with family.
