Staff
To contact any of our staff, please send a detailed email with your request to development@americanacc.org.
Emilie Dyer, Executive Director: Emilie has spent the last 10+ years providing services at Americana in the community where she is from and lives with her two children. Emilie joined the Americana staff in early August 2011 as a Family Coach and was later promoted to the Programs Director role in 2017. In 2021 she became the Executive Director of Americana. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master of arts in sociology from the University of Louisville. One of her favorite parts of being at Americana is that every day is different and that everyone is working together to create a stronger safer community. In her free time, she does woodworking, gardening, and crafting of all types.
Karen Moya, Adult Services Coordinator: Karen was born in Quito, Ecuador and came to the United States in 1998 with her family so that her father could pursue his passion of music. She grew up in Louisville and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Humanities from the University of Louisville in 2018. Karen is able to use her personal experience to better understand and serve the immigrant and refugee populations that come to Louisville. Please contact karen.moya@americanacc.org for more information about our services and programs for adults.
Tamjeed Zaidi, Fiberworks Coordinator: Tamjeed grew up in Islamabad, Pakistan where she received her Bachelors of Science in Home Economics. She moved to the United States in the year 2000 and started working at Americana in the year 2018. In her free time, Tamjeed enjoys gardening and sewing. To contact Tamjeed and learn more about Fiberworks, please contact tamjeed@americanacc.org.
Jon Sanders, Family/Youth Coach: Jon was a born and raised in Louisville and joined the Americana staff in April 2018. He holds a Bachelors of Social Work from Belmont University and a Masters of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville. Jon loves providing support to the families of Americana. To learn more about case management at Americana, please contact jon.sanders@americancc.org.
Haja Kamara, Family Coach: Haja Kamara has worked as a case coordinator at SAFY of Louisville since July 2021. She recently completed her service with the AmeriCorps in 2021. She is bilingual in English and Krio and is dedicated to serving her community through educating community members about the justice system. To learn more about case management at Americana, please contact haja.kamara@americancc.org.
Rehani Fundi, Youth Programs Coordinator: Rehani was born in Burundi and moved to the United States when he was 12-years-old. He had the honor of working as a long-term substitute teacher and Adult ESL teacher in Denver, Colorado for five years before moving to Louisville. In his free time, Rehani enjoys playing soccer and learning music. To learn more about our programs for youths ages 5-18, please contact rehani.fundi@americanacc.org.
Norma Porras, Front Desk Assistant: A native of Ecuador, Norma moved to New York in 1998 then came to Louisville in 1999 with her family. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science in Business Administration from Jefferson Community and Technical College. She loves being part of the Americana Team. For questions about general programming, please contact norma.porras@americanacc.org.
Abram Deng, Finance Manager: A native of South Sudan, Abram moved to Egypt in 1996 then came to Louisville in 2000 with his immediate family to seek a better education. He holds a dual B.S. degree in Accounting & Business Administration from Spaulding University. He is Co-Founder of a startup that promotes higher-education learning by providing an avenue that reduces the cost of college textbooks. As an adolescent, he spent most of his time at Americana learning, which is why he’s very excited to join Americana in helping other immigrants achieve.
Gianna Bennett, Development Coordinator: Gianna grew up across the river from Louisville in Southern Indiana. She holds a Bachelors in Anthropology from Hanover College and a Certificate in Publishing from NYU. She joined the Americana staff after serving in the Peace Corps in Panama from 2019-2020. Gianna is bilingual in English and Spanish and is passionate about using media and technology to exchange culture. To learn more about how to partner with Americana at an upcoming event, please contact gianna.bennett@americanacc.org.
Salema Jenkins, Data & Grants Manager: As a former Spanish and Math teacher with a passion for collecting and analyzing data, Salema is thrilled to be taking on this new role as Grants and Data Manager. Throughout her 13 years in the education field, she has honed her skills in research and data-driven decision making. Salema looks forward to using her expertise to help secure resources to support the meaningful work here at Americana. When she’s not at Americana, Salema is an avid reader and traveler who loves spending time with her family in Philadelphia and her 2 cats.
Nimo Dahir, Youth Staff
Roberto Guerra, Maintenance Attendant: Roberto is from Havana, Cuba and came to the United States in 1997. He is a maintenance attendant at Americana and has worked at the center for 4 years. Roberto spent many years working as an accountant back in Cuba before political issues forced him to turn to work as a plumber, carpenter, an electrician. Roberto is the proud father of three children who are university students pursuing careers in nursing, medicine, and engineering.
Board
Paul Bagley (Board Chair): Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District,
Chief Information Officer
Sowmya Telaprolu (Vice-Chair, Secretary): UPS,
Director – Applications Development
Shawn Adams (Treasurer): Blue & Co. LLC,
Healthcare Consultant
HIllary Bonistalli: Yum!,
Assoc. Mgr, Financial Planner
Tom Bohnert: Wells Fargo,
Vice President of Investments (retired)
Allison Ibrahim: WHAS 11,
Consumer Insights Manager
David Vawter: Doe-Anderson Advertising, Executive Vice-Chairman
Steve Woodworth: LG&E-KU Energy, Director of Dist. Ops & Emerg Prep.
Anne Triplett: Familiy Health Centers,
Director of Nursing (retired)
William Summers, V: Republic Bank,
Chief Community Development Officer
Sara Ruiz Esparza Morales: Brown-Forman, Global Quality Assurance Manager
Charles Theiler, II: Sitlinger, McGlincy & Theiler, Attorney
Katie Carter: Presbyterian Church (USA), Assoc. of Research, Policy, & Information
Barry Barker: TARC,
Executive Director (retired)
Ricky George: Link Electric Company, President
Alejandro Pousa: Old National Bank,
Community Dev. Mortgage Loan Officer
Gul Marshall: University of Louisville,
Chair and Professor of Sociology
Margaret Mwale: Presbyterian Church (USA), Community Development and Constituent Relations Associate
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