Aisha White, PhD
Director, Pathways to Kindergarten Success
aiw9@pitt.edu
Aisha White was born and raised in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She earned her PhD in Library and Information Science, her Master’s degree in Library Science, and her Bachelor’s degree in Media Communications all from the University of Pittsburgh. Her previous work experiences include coordinating programs for Beginning With Books, an early literacy agency, doing outreach for Family Communications, Inc., producers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and directing outreach for the National Black Programming Consortium, a member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting National Minority Consortia. She has worked as a Research Associate in the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences, and has taught a film course at Pitt, child development courses at Carlow University, and media literacy courses at Urban Pathways Charter School. She is also the Executive Director of Rights & Responsibilities, a human rights organization that uses film and other media to focus the eyes of the world on human rights issues impacting people of African descent. She has two children; Jamilla and Sundiata and three grandchildren; Sundiata, Amira, and Nolan.
Medina Jackson, MSW
Community Outreach Coordinator
mjackson@pitt.edu
Medina Jackson is the Community Outreach Coordinator for Pathways to Kindergarten Success, for the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development. Her role enables her to build relationships and partnerships to create linkages between families, schools, and communities to prepare children for the transition to kindergarten. Her prior work includes youth program management, afterschool, summer and arts related (spoken word and Hip Hop) programming, mentoring, case management and social justice endeavors. Originally from Berkeley, California, she moved to Pittsburgh in 2001 to earn her Master’s degree in Social Work (Community Organization and Social Administration concentration) from the University of Pittsburgh, which she acquired in 2003. Upon graduation, she participated in an Amizade Global Service Learning Project in Jamaica studying the impact of globalization, an eye opening experience allowing her to parallel and find commonality in the strengths and challenges of youth and families in the United States with those internationally. She later received her Family Development Credential in 2006.
Colleen Young, MSW
Assistant Director, Service Demonstrations Division
cpy3@pitt.edu
As the Assistant Director for the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development Service Demonstration Division, Colleen Young supervises the design, strategic implementation, evaluation, and financial assurance of multiple team projects. Her primary projects include Ready Freddy; Partnership for Family Support; and Real Help, Real Time. She also oversees new projects and special initiatives and supports the office through cross-division and community-based collaborative efforts. Colleen received the Dean’s Scholar Award along with her Master of Social Work and Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Pittsburgh. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the College of William and Mary. She and her husband relocated to Pittsburgh from Virginia and have a beautiful 2 year old daughter.
Laurie Mulvey, MSW
Director, Service Demonstrations Division
mulvey@pitt.edu
Laurie Mulvey, MSW has served as the Director of Service Demonstrations at the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development for more than 20 years, providing leadership for several collaborative projects designed to improve the lives of children and families. Laurie has written and coordinated multiple federal, state, and local grants and has nearly four decades of experience working in family services, child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, and education systems. Laurie oversees several projects including the Pathways to Kindergarten Success, a set of grants and activities that foster positive transitions for children and their families into Kindergarten. In addition to her work at OCD, Laurie serves on the boards of several organizations and is an active member of the Pittsburgh community.
Ken Smythe-Leistico , MSW
Program Advisor and National Consultant
leistico@pitt.edu
Ken Smythe-Leistico is the Assistant Director of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development. He has an administrative role with the Office’s international orphanage efforts, oversight of core grants and operations, and oversees the development of new projects. Previously, Mr. Smythe-Leistico served as Pathways to School Success Director. Ken was recently featured as an Emerging Leader in the March Harvard Family Involvement Network of Educators Newsletter and is an author of an article for the American Journal of Community Psychology Blending theory with practice: Implementing kindergarten transition using the Interactive Systems Framework.
Mr. Smythe-Leistico is the co-author of school readiness curriculum and children’s book and is currently funded to develop and provide technical assistance on national strategies to enhance school-family-community partnerships in targeted neighborhoods. Ken is an invited national speaker, trainer and advisor to school districts on transition practices. Ken’s prior work has included adolescent group home management, after-school programming, family support, Head Start, and volunteer/mentoring programming. Ken teaches as an adjunct instructor at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Smythe-Leistico has been an adjunct instructor at the Community College of Allegheny County and the University of Alabama. In 2013 he was named one of Pittsburgh’s 40 under 40. In 2006, he received the “Dr. Edward Moseley Hispanic/Latino Advocate of the Year” in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ken possesses a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama.