WINGS for Kids' Newest Program Managers Take Flight to Help Students Soar
Wednesday, August 30th, 2017
WINGS for Kids, an education nonprofit focused on social and emotional learning in the afterschool space, is excited to announce the addition of two new programs managers to their team: Kamilah Staggers, who will be based in Atlanta, and Tristan Richardson, who will be based in Charleston. They will oversee WINGS’ afterschool programs focused on social and emotional learning in Atlanta and the Carolinas, respectively.
As regional programs managers, Staggers and Richardson will oversee the quality and implementation of programming and WINGS’ social-emotional curriculum in their regions. They will manage staff and program-related operations at each WINGS program site, leading all on-the-ground efforts from evaluating programming and overseeing staff and student recruitment to establishing community partnerships and coordinating ongoing and summer staff trainings.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kamilah and Tristan to the WINGS family,” said Bridget Laird, chief executive officer of WINGS for Kids. “Their experience in and passion for supporting youth, as well as their strength and expertise in working with partners, program staff, and kids, are truly assets to WINGS and our work. They will be invaluable to supporting WINGS’ efforts to help our most vulnerable kids in Atlanta, Charleston, and Charlotte soar.”
With a passion for positive youth development, Staggers has brought quality learning experiences to children and youth beyond the classroom for nearly a decade. In her former role as the interim director of BOOST Greenville at United Way of Greenville County, S.C., she developed partnerships with agencies, schools, business, and community-based organizations to create and advocate for high-quality expanded learning opportunities that impact youth academically, socially, and emotionally.
Richardson is a South Carolina native who was a WINGSLeader while an undergraduate student at the College of Charleston. In addition to bringing this unique perspective to her role as a programs manager, Richardson is a former public school teacher and worked to spread knowledge of culturally relevant pedagogy through her district’s design thinking program.
Staggers and Richardson join WINGS during an exciting year of growth and development for the Charleston, S.C.-based nonprofit organization. Earlier this month, WINGS announced the expansion of its partnership with Pomona Unified School District in California, which brings WINGS’ research-based SEL curriculum to afterschool programming throughout the district and is the first district-wide adoption of an SEL afterschool model in the state. WINGS will also release its randomized control trial research study this fall, which highlights the proven and positive impact of WINGS’ programming on students’ classroom behavior.