Introducing
Beyond Literacy

Since 1998, Dawn has dedicated her professional life to improving the academic and personal success of out-of-school youth and striving adult learners. The length of Dawn’s tenure in education is a testament to her passion for bridging the academic gaps that can limit one’s life-chances.

Dawn began her career as adjunct faculty at the Community College of Philadelphia, teaching ESL, GED, and developmental English courses. She later served as a researcher and project manager at the University of Pennsylvania’s National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL). Building on lessons learned as both an educator and education researcher, Dawn left NCAL and began her career in education administration in 2007. Since then, Dawn has served as Education Coordinator at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, and held a number of positions at the Center for Literacy, including In-School Youth Program Manager, Manager of Data Systems, In-House Professional Development Specialist, and Assistant Director of Education. In 2013, Dawn accepted the position of Director of Education at the Community Learning Center (CLC). In 2018, she was charged with management of CLC’s intake and student support teams. Dawn now serves as the agency’s Chief Program Officer.

Dawn’s commitment to adult education is grounded in her personal journey as one of the first in her family to attain a postsecondary credential, and the only one until recently to have earned an advanced degree. Dawn holds a B.S. in Spanish from Georgetown and an M.A. in linguistics from Stanford.

Get in touch with Dawn at dhannah@beyondliteracy.org

Victoria joined Center for Literacy (CFL) in 2013 as a Human Resources Specialist, became the full-time Director of Operations and HR a year later, and in 2017 was promoted to Chief Administrative Officer.

Previous to joining CFL, Victoria worked in the nonprofit senior services field for 20+ years in a variety of roles including Director of Human Resources, Chief Operating Officer and Director of a multi-site senior citizens center. She loves working in nonprofit. Victoria says that knowing her job supports an organization that makes people’s lives better is what gets her out of bed in the morning.

Victoria earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Florida State University (FSU), but also has a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the LaSalle University’s Nonprofit Center. She and her husband of 20 years live in suburban Philadelphia with two cats and a whole lot of books.

Get in touch with Vicki at vlynam@beyondliteracy.org

Soon after graduating from Antioch College with a BA in Sociology, Robin founded the Women’s Alliance for Job Equity (WAJE), a former member agency of WOMENS WAY, and served as its executive director for 13 years. During National Secretaries Day, she organized Bad Boss Contests with the Philadelphia Daily News and led workshops for employers on how to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Robin moved on to work at the Urban Affairs Coalition (UAC) for 18 years, where she secured discretionary federal funds for workforce development programs supporting homeless adults and welfare-to-work clients, coordinated the development of UAC’s five-year strategic plans, directed events/press conferences, wrote external communications, and did media placements for UAC programs, including the Campaign for Working Families. In April 2015— her third career—Robin was hired at Center for Literacy to do fundraising and communications, and later was promoted to chief advancement officer. She is a board member of Northern Children’s Services.

Get in touch with Robin at rrobinowitz@beyondliteracy.org

Gianna is dedicated to helping others utilize education to become the best versions of themselves. She grew up in North Philadelphia and experienced many of the systemic inequities that still plague urban areas today. Thankfully, she was able to receive excellent educational experiences. It was those experiences that allowed her to gain access to a variety of opportunities. She believes that having options makes all the difference in life. Therefore, she strives to ensure that others receive high-quality academic instruction, so that they will have choices about what they want to do with their lives and who they want to become.  

Gianna currently serves as the Director of Education for Beyond Literacy. Her previous roles include Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies teacher, In-House Professional Development Specialist, Academic Coordinator, and Neuroscience researcher. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Biology and her Master of Science in Neuroscience degrees from Delaware State University. She also earned her Master of Science degree in Secondary Education from the University of Pennsylvania.   

Get in touch with Gianna at gbrisbone@beyondliteracy.org

Get in touch with Kelly at kgriebert@beyondliteracy.org

Amanda is passionate about strengthening and expanding our new agencies impact to directly combat systemic injustices in Philadelphia. As Director of Communications, she is committed to creating partnerships that align with our agency’s collective action to create empowered and equitable opportunities for our learners. Amanda earned her B.A. in Mass Communications and Women’s Studies from Towson University. Previously, she served as Director of Events at the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce where she developed dozens of corporate events focused on city-wide economic and workplace initiatives for minorities, women, and young professionals. She was co-editor and designer of the InBusiness Magazine, as well as being a contributing writer.

Get in touch with Amanda at alabrador@beyondliteracy.org