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 Arielle Kestenbaum, MS, RD, CDN/Executive Director at Fare Meals, Sam also presents our weekly SMART Live! Culinary Workshops livestreamed on SMART University’s Facebook page. 

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Les LaRue

Program Director
les.larue@smartuniversity.org

Les directs 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 graphics, SMART Art, or the SMART Steps walking group. 

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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.

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Christina Rodriguez

Communications & Social Media Director
christina.rodriguez@smartuniversity.org

Christina assists with coordination of special events, connecting with partners, maintaining social media platforms, and conducting client intake interviews. 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.

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Tara Pierce

SMART Ambassador/Program Manager
tara.pierce@smartuniversity.org

Tara assists in all SMART Food For Life programs, processes SMART Intake Forms, manages SMART’s inventory of outreach materials, contacts clients for upcoming classes and events, and is an outreach team leader. Contact Tara for information on upcoming classes, outreach events, or to schedule an intake.

 

Danny Navarro

Communications Assistant/Community Health Worker
daniela.navarro@smartuniversity.org

As Communications Assistant, Danny provides integral support to 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 and is an outreach team leader. She also provides Spanish translation for SMART’s messaging materials.

Alberto Huertero

Communications Assistant/Community Health Worker
alberto.huertero@smartuniversity.org

As Communications Assistant, Alberto provides integral support to 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 and is an outreach team leader.  

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.  

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Lydia Liu

Translator
lydia.liu@smartuniversity.org

Lydia is the Mandarin Chinese translator for SMART. She attends all of SMART's classes and events (virtual and in-person) to assist our Chinese-speaking participants with translation and guidance in engaging with class activities. She also provides Chinese translation for SMART’s printed messaging materials. Contact Lydia for information about our Chinese translation services.