Susan Rodriguez
Founding Director
susan.rodriguez@smartuniversity.org
Susan provides development, vision, direction and oversight to staff and consultants for all programs and activities. She promotes relationships with other non-profit and local government agencies and is the primary contact for fundraising and development opportunities.
Samantha Clare
Director of Operations
sam.clare@smartuniversity.org
Sam handles all of the logistics of SMART programs and activities. She builds relationships with other CBO’s in East Harlem and beyond. Contact Sam for any SMART program presentation inquiries. Together with Juan Pablo Chavez, Sam also presents our weekly SMART Live! Culinary Workshops livestreamed on SMART University’s Facebook page.
Les LaRue
Program Director
les.larue@smartuniversity.org
Les assists in the development of SMART programs and initiatives and is the instructor for SMART Art. He is also the in-house graphic designer. Contact Les for information regarding development, SMART Art, and the SMART Ambassador Program.
Juan Pablo Chavez
SMART Culinary Director
Juan Pablo is responsible for the delivery of SMART Body nutrition education and cooking classes for women and youth, which cover healthy cooking and safe food preparation techniques. He plans the curriculum, prepares lectures on nutrition topics, creates recipes, and leads classes in hands-on cooking. Together with Sam Clare, Juan Pablo also presents our weekly SMART Live! Culinary Workshops livestreamed on SMART University’s Facebook page.
Frances Wood
Technical Director/SMART Youth Coordinator
frances.wood@smartuniversity.org
Frances coordinates technology resources and trainings for SMART participants and staff. She is the instructor for SMART Technology classes and leads SMART Live! Tech Talks. She also facilitates sexual health education and assists in nutritional workshops for SMART Youth. Contact Frances for SMART Youth or SMART Technology related inquiries.
Christina Rodriguez
Communications & Social Media Director
christina.rodriguez@smartuniversity.org
Christina assists with coordination of special events, connecting with partners, and maintaining social media platforms. She is the creator of SMART Tutorial videos and provides technical support for our SMART Live! virtual classes. Contact Christina for special event and social media inquiries.
Tara Pierce
SMART Ambassador/Program Manager
tara.pierce@smartuniversity.org
Tara assists in all SMART Food For Life programs, processes SMART Intake Forms, contacts clients for upcoming classes and events, and is part of the outreach team. Contact Tara for information on upcoming classes, to schedule an intake, or to RSVP for SMART Body.
Danny Navarro
Communications Assistant/Community Health Worker
daniela.navarro@smartuniversity.org
As Communications Assistant, Danny provides integral support to the Communications Team led by the Communications Director. Responsibilities include recording and editing virtual programs and assisting with social media engagement. As Community Health Worker, she conducts street canvassing and tabling, helps with outreach team coordination, and provides any applicable admin support.
Alberto Huertero
Communications Assistant/Community Health Worker
alberto.huertero@smartuniversity.org
As Communications Assistant, Alberto provides integral support to the Communications Team led by the Communications Director. Responsibilities include recording and editing virtual programs and assisting with social media engagement. As Community Health Worker, he conducts street canvassing and tabling, helps with outreach team coordination, and provides any applicable admin support.
Sylvir Gadsden
Lead SMART Ambassador
Sylvir assists in clean-up and food preparation for all Food For Life programming. As the Lead SMART Ambassador, she participates in SMART outreach programs and activities and helps to represent SMART at health fairs and other community gatherings.
Lydia Liu
Translator
lydia.liu@smartuniversity.org
Lydia is the Mandarin Chinese translator for SMART. She attends all of SMART's classes and events to assist our Chinese-speaking participants with translation and guidance in engaging with classroom activities. Contact Lydia for information about our Chinese translation services.