Bril Barrett
Instructor, TapLAB/MADD Rhythms@BBF
Email: bril@maddrhythms.com
Phone: 773-542-7300
Bril Barrett is a creative tap dancer, whose mission is to preserve and promote tap dance as a percussive art form, foster respect and admiration for the history and creators of tap, and continuously create opportunities for the art form and its practitioners.Bril is the founder of M.A.D.D. (Making A Difference Dancing) Rhythms, director of The Chicago Tap Summit and founder of The M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy. Performance opportunities include Riverdance, Tap Dance Kid, The St. Louis Tap Festival, The Calgary Tap Summitand many others. Bril has taught and/or performed in Canada, Germany, Finland, Turkey, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Albania, Amsterdam, and across the U.S. He has started many outreach programs in Chicago’s public schools, Park districts, a performing arts high school in Gary, Indiana and several After School Matters programs on the city’s Westside and Southside.

Lamar Billy Brooks
Director, YouthLAB@1512
Email:  billy.brooks@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7305

Billy Brooks first worked with BBF between 1978 and 1994, serving as the Coordinator of Community Involvement.  He returned to the agency in 2008 after having engaged in a variety of community and public interest work, including positions with Westside Association for Community Action, Habilitative Systems, Inc., and the Harvard School of Public Health. He serves on the boards of the Agency Metropolitan Services, the Criminal Justice Honor Society and the Urban Photographer’s Forum. Mr. Books has a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Administration and Community Law, holds licensure as a Child Welfare Services Employee, and is certified in Child Endangerment/Risk Assessment Protocol, Aggressive Replacement, and Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI).

Warren Cockerham
FilmLAB
Email:  wcockerham@betterboys.org

Warren Cockerham has worked with YouthLAB since 2007, beginning his tenure by launching BBF’s youth film studies workshop with the Journeys in Film© curricula and expanding that work into a year-round youth media program now called FilmLAB@1512. He began his work with BBF while a graduate student in Film, Video and New Media at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).  He has since completed his MFA. He also holds a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Florida.  His professional resume includes individual and collaborative video work, curatorial experience, technical expertise and teaching experience in the Early College Program at SAIC.

Star Dixon
Instructor, TapLAB/MADD Rhythms@BBF
Email:  dance13star@yahoo.com
Phone: 773-542-7300

As an original member of the nine-year old tap company MADD Rhythms and Purifyied Entertainment (a hip hop troupe), Star Dixon has performed professionally throughout the US. Teaching since the age of 16, her experience includes Alyo Children’s Dance Theater, Najwa, Chicago Park District, the International Dance Academy, Tap the Map, Walter Reed Elementary School, Pershing Elementary School and MADD Rhythms Tap Academy.  Ms. Dixon has been featured in Dance Spirit magazine as an artist “on the verge” and in the independent film The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang.

Randy Farmer
Assistant Manager, Facilities
Email:  randy.farmer@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7311

John Gates
Director of Facilities & Community Service
Email:  jgates@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7315

John Gates has worked at BBF for 29 years.  A native of Chicago and of the North Lawndale community, he has overseen management of the BBF Center and its physical resources for nearly three decades.

Sandra Green
Program Aide, Project LEAD
Email:  sandra.green@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7300

As a LEAD Program Aide, Sandra Green provides daily supervision to children enrolled in the program.  She also organizes and leads special academic projects such as geography projects, mini science fairs and academic bowls.  Ms. Green has a long history as an educator in North Lawndale, having retired as a teacher at Frazier Elementary.  She holds a BA in Early Childhood Education from North Eastern Illinois University and is a member of the American Federation of Teachers and Delta Sigma Theta.

Tommy Heffron
Instructor FilmLAB,
Apprenticeship Co-coordinator
Email:  tommy.heffron@betterboys.org
Phone: 542-7340
Tommy Heffron has been making movies since he was 13 and writing since he could hold a crayon. He served as an instructor for the Writer’s Studio class offered as a part of the Early College Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also gained experience working with inner-city youth while serving as a Teaching Assistant at ASA Charter High School. Mr. Heffron holds a BA in Film Studies from the University of Utah and an MFA in Film, Video and New Media from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His films, videos, writings, and performances have exhibited nationally.

LaTonya Lumpkin
Director, IVPA Neighborhood Recovery Initiative
Email: ltlumpkin@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7300

LaTonya Lumpkin is spearheading the work of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority’s multi-million dollar Neighborhood Recovery Initiative in the North Lawndale community.  She brings to her work an extensive background in agency management and public contract administration, having served as Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Human Services, Assistant to Mayor, Program Manager of the Government Assistance Program at DePaul University, and Recruitment Coordinator in the Human Resources Department of Lawson Products, Inc.  She holds a BA and a Master in Public Administration from Drake University as well as certificates in Project Management from Loyola University and Unified Incident Command First Responder Training from the Illinois State Police.

Laura Martindale
Coordinator, Volunteers
Email: volunteers@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7300

A native of Canada and a recent graduate of Princeton University, Laura Martindale came to BBF in 2011 as a Princeton 55 Fellow. Ms. Martindale is the third Fellow to be placed at BBF through Princeton’s Public Interest Fellowship Program.  An athlete and a scholar, Ms. Martindale is an accomplished hockey player and captained the Princeton Women’s Ice Hockey team from 2010 to 2011.  Her scholastic and athletic achievements are complemented by a strong commitment to volunteer service.  She gave of her time to a variety of nonprofit organizations while a student, including Princeton Against Cancer Together (PACT), Princeton Disabilities Awareness, Caring for Children with Downs Syndrome, Isles Weapons of Mass Construction, and the YWCA. Ms. Martindale holds a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a certificate in Neuroscience.

Maria Medina
Coordinator, Office Technology Support
Email: maria.medina@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7303

Maria Medina has worked with BBF since 1998 and served in various administrative support positions, including Executive Assistant and currently Office Technology Support Coordinator.  She has administrative and sales experience in both the for-profit (Sears) and non-profit (Junior Achievement) sectors and holds certificates in Office Administration from Robert Morris College and in Office Technology from Casa Central.

Kelley Moseley Paul
Coordinator, Region 3 Youth Ready Community Council
Email: kelley.moseley@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7324

Kelley Moseley Paul brings an enormous amount of energy and creative engagement to every task.  Moseley-Paul led the Youth Ready Chicago Region 3 Community Council program for 2 years while simultaneously creating youth programs centered around education, business, film, fashion and other performing arts.  When the youth couldn’t get to the community, she brought the community to the youth.  As the regional coordinator her priorities included facilitating community meetings, trainings and assisting youth with job, career and educational goals by connecting them to community resources. Moseley-Paul began her career working on the Don Wade and Roma show at WLS890 AM and volunteering at Radio Disney on the weekends. While at WLS890 AM she also volunteered at Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization for the Chicago International Film Festival where she was later hired as Office Manager. While at Cinema/Chicago, she was a permanent fixture in every department but spent most of her free time in the educational outreach department. She served on several documentary and political media panels and juries, attending and organizing youth field trip as well as assisting at the annual gala and awards. Ms. Moseley is also an artist and entrepreneur, designing and selling one-of-a-kind jewelry and accessories under the label K~Fleye.  A graduate of Providence St. Mel High School, she holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Bradley University.  While at the Better Boys Foundation you can find Ms. Moseley Paul leading our teens and youth as they continue to grow.

Linda Pitts
Program Aide, Project LEAD
Email:  lpitts@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7300

Linda Pitts has worked with Project LEAD since 1989, serving as a senior group worker, nutritionist and van driver before assuming the role of full-time Teaches Aide in 2009. Ms. Pitts is a life-long resident of the North Lawndale and brings to her work both knowledge of the community and a deep commitment to improving the lives of its young people. She has completed nine hours in Child Development coursework at Malcolm X College, 32 hours of Chicago Youth Agency Partnership training in Advanced Youth Development through the City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, and is certified as a Food Service Manager.
Arikibraa Prentiss
Program Assiatant
Email: aprentiss@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7300

Judy Prentiss
Office Manager
Email: jprentiss@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7329

Judy Prentiss has worked at BBF for 29 years.  She came to the agency through a City-funded employment program and has over the years become an integral part of BBF’s day-to-day operations.
 

Eric Reyes
Academic Support Coordinator, KidLAB
Email: eric.reyes@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7300

Eric’s work in education has been driven by an interest in social justice. His work began at St. Leonard’s Adult High School on Chicago’s West Side. There he worked as a Volunteer Coordinator through Americorps VISTA and later as the Director of Education. He also worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago for a project in the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, for Latino Studies; an international peer reviewed journal based at UIC, and for Literacy Works Chicago. Eric is familiar with Chicago Public Schools having graduated from Lincoln Park High School. He holds a B.A. from Columbia College Chicago in Sound Engineering, and an M.A. in Sociology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. There his graduate studies focused on school equity, dropout prevention, gender and schools, charter schools, and education policy.

Karen Benita Reyes, a proud product of Chicago Public Schools, earned her PhD in Education Policy from University of Illinois at Chicago with a focus on interrupting connections between schools and prisons. She is passionate about bringing arts to youth and learns a great deal from BBF students as she works with them in textile and fiber arts.

Mary Visconti
Chief Executive Officer
Email:  mary.visconti@betterboys.org
Phone: 773-542-7307

Mary Visconti joined the team at BBF in 2005, bringing with her an impressive roster of professional experience that includes five years of college-level teaching in the areas of Rhetoric and Composition, 19th Century American Literature, and 20th Century American Literature as well as 10 years of development consulting and grant writing work with numerous Chicago area non-profits, including Best Buddies Illinois, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, Clearbrook, Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, Infant Welfare Society, Riverside Foundation, Scholarship Chicago, Strategic Learning Initiatives, Taproots, and Test Positive Aware Network. Between 2005 and 2011, her work at BBF focused on grant writing and general development, program design, program evaluation, and agency partnership development. In July 2011, she was promoted by BBF’s Board of Directors to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Visconti holds a BA in English from Emory University, an MA in English from Wake Forest University and was a PhD candidate in English at the State University of New York at Buffalo.