Amma Felix

President

afelix@collegiatedirections.org

Amma Felix joined Collegiate Directions, Inc. (CDI) in September 2017. She leads CDI's mission to close the educational opportunity gap for first-generation, low-income high school students by: providing academic and wrap-around support services to Scholars to ensure that they achieve college graduation and smooth transition into careers; and providing consulting services to high schools to support their efforts to advise students on finding their best-fit college option. Mrs. Felix also raises funds to support and sustain CDI and refines the business model to increase its footprint and deepen its impact. She works with the Board of Directors to set strategy and refine organizational priorities. Mrs. Felix sets the vision and leads the operations to execute against goals. She also positions CDI as a thought leader in the field of college access and completion.

Mrs. Felix previously worked at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) from 2012-2017. At UNCF, she was the Vice President, Strategy and Secretary of the Corporation for three years, having been promoted from the Chief of Staff position. During her tenure, she led the development and implementation of UNCF’s short- and long-term strategic priorities and change management processes. She also led the business planning process for the 25 fundraising offices. Mrs. Felix provided strategic leadership for the program development of UNCF’s $50 million Career Pathways Initiative, a college-to-career program. In her role as board secretary, she worked closely with the 43-member Board of Directors to facilitate the work of its eight committees that meet three times a year. She also directly managed the work of the board strategy and executive committees. Mrs. Felix also worked with the network of presidents of 37 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on major initiatives including federal higher education policy and capacity building.

Previously, Mrs. Felix was vice president for strategy management for the Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) where she led the strategy, research, evaluation and evidence-based program planning efforts in the organization. An executive team member, she provided managerial support for a 100-person staff with a $9.4 million operating budget. At ADC, she raised $2.5 million and wrote their award-winning 2010 U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhood planning grant. Prior to that she served as director of capacity building and special programs at the New York City office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, responsible for organizational development work and capacity-building grant-making activity. She managed a $1.05 million capacity-building initiative serving more than 40 community development groups across New York City. In previous positions, Mrs. Felix worked at the United Way of Central New York, managing its capacity-building initiatives, and at the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services in Manhattan as the program operations administrator, ensuring compliance with performance-based contracts and managing a program restructuring effort that included a youth development-oriented service delivery model. Mrs. Felix also served as an adjunct lecturer at City University of New York/Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs, where she taught public and nonprofit management to graduate students.

Mrs. Felix holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, a master’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse. She is an active Diamond Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Ana Kosmalski

Vice President, Programs

ahilton@collegiatedirections.org

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Ana received her B.A. in cultural area studies from the College of Wooster and her M.S. in conflict analysis and resolution with a concentration in college student personnel administration from Nova Southeastern University. Prior to joining CDI, Ana worked at the College of Wooster as a special assistant to the deans, where she served as resident director for first-year housing, coordinated new student orientation and established Summer Connect, a new student transition program. Ana joined CDI as a counselor in 2007.

Carmen Johnson

Operations Manager

cjohnson@collegiatedirections.org

Carmen joined CDI in August 2016 following a career spent working at independent schools. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Carmen holds a B.S. in management science from Fontbonne University and a master’s in finance from St. Louis University. She has previously served as the chief financial officer and assistant head of school at Sandy Spring Friends School, director of finance and administration at the U.S. Dream Academy, and chief financial officer and managing director at the SEED Public Charter School.

Terry Burroughs

Counselor

tburroughs@collegiatedirections.org

Terry joined the CDI team in April 2017.  A native of Prince George’s County, Maryland and a first-generation college graduate, he earned a B.S. in psychology from Frostburg State University.  He continued his studies at Frostburg State University, where he earned a M.Ed. in school counseling.  While at Frostburg, Terry worked as a resident assistant for incoming freshman students.  Prior to joining CDI, Terry worked as a para-educator for DC Public Schools.

Jennifer Schwartz

Counselor

Jennifer joined the CDI team in June 2017. She is a native of Columbus, Ohio and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Jennifer moved to the Washington, D.C. area after college to work on Capitol Hill and then earned her M.A. in Political Management from The George Washington University. She went on to earn her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, and has practiced law in Washington, D.C. She has spent the past several years working with college students involved in Greek life on campuses throughout the country.

Wendy Ayala

Program Manager, Scholars

Wendy Ayala joined the CDI team in October 2016. She is a CDI Scholar alum, having been a member of the Class of 2011.  She graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2015 with a degree in sociology and anthropology. Prior to joining CDI as the administrative assistant, Wendy worked in career services in the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Employment Development.

Lauren Fliegel

Mental Health Counselor

lfliegel@collegiatedirections.org

Lauren is a licensed clinical social worker, who has been providing counseling services to children, adolescents, and young adults for over 10 years. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, with a clinical concentration in mental health.  She received advanced training in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy through the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. She has worked in a variety of settings including public and independent schools, outpatient mental health clinics, and was the first senior mental health clinician in Montgomery County’s first high school wellness center. She began working with CDI in September 2016.

James Carter

Communications Manager

James comes to CDI having worked in journalism, education and graphic design for more than 20 years.

As an editor and staff writer James focused on local reporting, seeking to tell the stories of those too often overlooked members of the Los Angeles community. He has lent his graphic design talents to a wide array of projects for corporate clients, startups, and an assortment of other organizations.

Most recently James served as a multimedia curriculum developer for the Los Angeles Unified School District's after-school program, creating a replicable, technology-based journalism course.

James says he looks forward to helping CDI communicate our mission and spread the success stories of our students to stakeholders, future Scholars, and the general public.

James is a graduate of Syracuse University from which he holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies.

Marcia Molett

Counselor

Marcia Mollett earned her B.A. from Eastern Michigan University and is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction with a focus on minority and urban education. In her previous position as a college adviser at Michigan College Access Network, she assisted high school students in the college-planning process to increase graduation rates and matriculation to post-secondary institutions. She has provided first-generation and low-income students with college, career, and financial aid support, academic advising and mentoring, strategies to secure scholarship funds, and tools to encourage a healthy transition to a college environment. Marcia is also a McNair Scholar and joined CDI following an academic trip to Ghana.

Dave Woodard

Counselor

David Woodard earned his B.A. in history from Goucher College. He previously served as a permanent supportive housing case manager for Housing Up in D.C. There he provided strong, intensive case management for chronically homeless families using a strengths-based approach. David also connected clients to community resources, and helped families navigate crises. Prior to that, he worked at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation as a program coordinator supporting 14 educational advisers and 200 high-achieving, low-income high school students. He also spent seven months hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine.

Isabel Argoti

Program Manager

Isabel Argoti joined CDI in 2018 as our program assistant. In 2019, Isabel took lead of a new Career Mentoring program, which helps CDI Scholars find mentors that assists them in finding jobs, preparing them for interviews, securing job placement. Isabel is also a former CDI Scholar, Class of 2012.

Isabel graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016 with a B.S. in architecture and is the first in her family to receive a college degree. Although she studied architecture, Isabel has a strong passion for youth programs, graphic design, and communications. While at UVA, she became a member of Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, served as an RA, and helped form a new mentorship program for teen girls in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since then, Isabel interned with the National Park Service in both Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C. in the division of interpretation, education, and volunteers working with the national youth program—Every Kid in a Park—where she was focused on documenting national and regional program data and communications.

Wendy Pintado

Program Assistant

Wendy Pintado joined CDI as our program assistant in 2019.  Wendy is a  Maryland native but, her family is from Guayaquil, Ecuador. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Family Science from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018. From volunteering and working for several nonprofits in the DMV area, Wendy became passionate about helping first-generation college students pursue higher education. Prior to CDI, she worked for the ACES program, the George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy and the Latino Student Fund. She believes a strong support system is crucial for a student to be successful.  Wendy is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Education & Human Development at The George Washington University. Her goal is to work to for a college/university in the future. She loves dancing and watching movies in her spare time.

Jill Semmens

Program Manager, School Support

Jill works with CDI partner schools to optimize their college advising practices as the Program Manager, School Support. She provides strategic guidance and professional development to assist high schools as they prepare students for success in college.

Prior to joining CDI in 2019, Jill worked with students, parents, faculty and staff, and administrators in both secondary and higher education. She began her career as a secondary English teacher, also serving as an instructional coach and consultant before transitioning to roles in higher education. While managing programs in dual enrollment and financial aid, she formed collaborative school and community partnerships to address students’ diverse needs. Jill is passionate about expanding opportunity for all and understands the critical role high schools play in supporting students’ postsecondary achievement.

Jill earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Virginia Tech, a Master of Education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction from Chaminade University, and a graduate certificate in organizational development from Rockhurst University. 

Wen Pan

Education Research and Data Analyst

Wen joined the CDI team in September 2019. Originally from mainland China, Wen moved to the Washington, D.C. in 2017 for graduate school. She holds a B.A. in Public Affairs Management from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and a M.A. in Public Policy from the Georgetown University with a focus on data research and international development.

She is driven by a desire to serve disadvantaged groups and her passion for data research. She previously worked in a project for the Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience (SURR) Global Practice Division at the World Bank, where she conducted data analysis on local government household survey data and created interactive maps to support effective humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank. During college, she also spent a month volunteering at orphanages in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

When she isn’t working, you will often find Wen lifting weights at the gym, reading in a quirky local coffee shop or learning Spanish. She also loves traveling around the world.