Home

Staff Bios

Americana Community Center Staff:

Maria Blough, Finance and Grant Manager:  Maria has been with Americana Community Center since September 2005 serving in a variety of roles, starting off as a full-time volunteer in the Louisville Urban Corps program.  Maria is from Hilliard, Ohio and received her undergraduate degree from Bluffton University.  She is a recent graduate of the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville, completing a Master of Science in Social Work. 

Jason Wadowski, Youth Program Coordinator:  Jason has worked with Americana since September 2006 and started off as an Americorps volunteer.  He was hired onto a full-time position in September 2007.  Jason is originally from Michigan where he studied communication and social work at Cornerstone University.  Prior to joining ACC, Jason spent three months in South Africa and Mozambique serving populations affected by HIV/AIDS.  He has made subsequent trips following up with individual and organizational connections.  He has also gained experience with different cultures from traveling to various countries in the Carribbean, Central America, and Europe.
 
Nermina Nuredin, Senior Office Assistant/Facility Manager:  Nermina is originally from Bosnia and moved to Louisville in 2002.  She has worked at Americana since May 2005 and is currently working on her Bachelor's Degree in Accounting at the University of Louisville. 
 
Nihada Bektasevic, Office Assistant/Facility Manager:  Nihada is also from Bosnia and moved to Louisville in 2001.  She started at ACC in August 2007 as the evening office assistant and loves working with kids.  She is currently a student at Jefferson Community College and working for an Associate Degree in Art. 

Francesca Pribble, Americorps* VISTA member:  Francesca graduated from Transylvania University in May of 2008 with a degree in Bio-psychology. She is currently working a one year term at Americana through the Americorps VISTA program, serving as the Adult and Community Program Coordinator. She enjoys working with people from various cultures. In the future Francesca hopes to attend medical school and promote cultural competency in healthcare.
 
Michael Poindexter, Youth Program Staff and Boy Scout Program Director:  Michael is a current Sociology student at the University of Louisville. He started working at Americana in June 2008 as an Americorps* VISTA Summer Associate, and was then hired for a part-time position.  Michael just started working with the Boy Scouts program and has enjoyed two camping trips with the youth in the program.
 
Isaiah Wiles, Garden Manager: Isaiah is currently a student at the University of Louisville, where he is obtaining a degree in Liberal Studies. His areas of concentration are Social Change, Humanities, Health, Political Science and Pan-African Studies. He is a native of Somerset, Kentucky, where he lived through high school. He moved to Louisville in fall 2006 and began volunteering at Americana in the after-school program in the fall of 2007. In August 2008, he became a part-time staff at the Center and now does work in the rain garden, the community garden, grounds keeping, and with the work crew.

Sara Renn, Youth Program Staff:  Sara has worked at Americana since September 2007 and also volunteered regularly at the Center between 2005-2006 with the after-school program.  While on staff here at Americana, she was the assistant coach for the Girls' Basketball team and also helps to run Americana's soccer program.  Previous to coming on staff, Sara worked for five years as an organizer in Chicago and Washington D.C with a national grassroots student advocacy organization called Global Justice. She has also worked in Haiti on public health campaigns and in Taiwan as a primary school English teacher.  Sara graduated from the University of Louisville in May of 2008 with a degree in Political Science and Classical Languages. 
 
Jason Crigler, Youth Program Staff:  Jason has been at Americana Community Center since February of 2007.  In addition to his work as a youth program staff member, he helps plan and implement the Family Bridges Initiative, a program that supports and encourages both parents and students in school, at home and in the community. Additionally, he helps implement the Right to Read program.  Prior to joining the staff at ACC, Jason taught in secondary schools for a year in Grenada, W.I. He has also spent time working on various community, water, and public health projects throughout the developing world including East Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. He is currently finishing up a degree in cultural anthropology at the University of Louisville.
 
Halley Rankin, Family Coach:   Halley is part of the Family Education team at Americana Community Center as their Family Coach, through the Gheens "Bridges to Tomorrow" Initiative.  She graduated from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, with a BA in Anthropology. It was there she found a love of learning about the way people experience life around the world. She grew increasingly passionate about cultural exchange while studying abroad in Ferrara, Italy, researching community gardens among various cultural groups in New York City, and interning at Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Halley hopped on board with the ACC community in November 2008 and looks forward to discovering all the possibilities!
 
Nyawut Kut, Family Education Staff:  Nyawut is originally from Sudan and lived in Australia for three years prior to moving to Louisville in 2007.  She started working at ACC in January 2008.  She works with the Family Education program and Americana Fiberworks. 

Gabriel Majak, Louisville Americorps member:  Gabriel is an Americorps member working with the Family Education and After-School Program, and also serves as a Youth Counselor.  He is from Sudan and moved to Louisville in 2001.  Gabriel graduated from the first International Police Academy in Louisville in 2003.  He has experience working as an interpreter with Catholic Charities and is a certified medical and legal interpreter.  He joined Americana in August 2007 and is currently a student at the University of Louisville studying business administration.  Gabriel also serves as an advisor in the Sudanese Community.