Team: the people behind the vision.

Ian Joyce - Executive Director & Co-founder

Ian is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of GenOne Charlotte, which partners with talented, first generation students from underserved communities, helping them successfully navigate into and through college. In 2014, Ian earned two bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Journalism from Miami University and was accepted as a Teach for America Corps Member directly out of college. He served at his placement school, Eastway Middle School, as a passionate Jaguar for four years, teaching World History and US History. While at Eastway, Ian served on the School Leadership Team and Instructional Leadership Team. In 2016 he launched GenOne with co-founder Greg Gabriel as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District program while teaching and was recognized as an Aspiring Leaders Fellow. He received the Principal’s Educator Award of Excellence and was the recipient of the Charlotte Chamber’s Young Professional Educator of the Year Award in 2017. GenOne began its journey as a nonprofit and Ian as its Executive Director in May, 2018. Since then, GenOne has graduated over 40 Scholars into college, 75% of whom attend debt free, with over 100 Scholars following in their footsteps. He has a dog named Loki and a wife named Sarah, and in his spare time loves to hike, backpack, write and exercise.

Sharon Walker - Director of college advising

Sharon provided counseling services to students and families for 21 years at Providence High School. After serving as a School Counselor for 13 years, she created the Providence College and Career Center in 2011 and transitioned to a new role as the College and Career Counselor. She is a National Certified Counselor, who earned her M Ed in counseling from UNC Charlotte and BA in psychology and Spanish from UNC. Sharon lived in Spain for 3 years and loves speaking Spanish and learning about other cultures. She grew up in a Charlotte and is married with two grown daughters and one adorable grandbaby.

LONTINA BRADFORD - PROGRAM MANAGER

Lontina is from The Bronx, New York and attended her undergraduate program at the State University of New York at Cortland and graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology. This year she graduated with her Masters Degree in Youth Studies from the City University of New York School of Professional Studies. 

For over 10 years, Lontina dedicated her professional career to supporting students with navigating their college experience. Her new journey has led to Charlotte, NC where she joins the GenOne family to be new Program Manager. In this role, she will lead work to further develop and execute all Navigator (mentor) and Scholar program curriculum, while deepening partner relationships and supporting GenOne events and experiences. Additionally, she will be building out the after school programs for Middle school and High School students. 

Lontina enjoys spending time with her 8 year-old son Landen, and loves to travel as well as relax in her free time. A fun fact about Lontina is that she’s been skydiving and is extremely afraid of spiders.  Lontina coins herself to be an open book and encourages students to ask her anything!

DANIELA STONE - MANAGER OF COLLEGE PREPARATION AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

Daniela is originally from Quito, Ecuador and is a fellow first generation college graduate. She moved to New York for 6th grade and North Carolina for 10th grade. She graduated from East Mecklenburg IB and went on to attend UNC-Chapel Hill and later UNC Charlotte for her Master’s in School Counseling. She worked as a high school and middle school counselor for almost a decade and is excited to start her journey with GenOne and to meet so many amazing scholars! She is looking forward to making connections and supporting Scholars on their journeys to and through college.

Bianca S Huckabey - Manager of College Persistence and Advising

Bianca is a Brooklyn native who ventured to Connecticut with her mother, seeking new experiences and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. She is a first generation college student who graduated from University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies and later earned a Master’s in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education from Southern Connecticut State University.

Passionate about community programming for youth, Bianca returned to her high school as a Partnership Developer, ensuring wrap-around services for students and families. Inspired by impactful educators, she pursued a Post Graduate degree in School Counseling and a Graduate Certificate in Intermediate Administration from Sacred Heart University.

Two years ago, Bianca embarked on a new chapter in North Carolina with her husband and three boys. Outside her role as Manager of College Persistence and Advising, she enjoys family sports events, reading, traveling, and Disney movie nights. A sneaker enthusiast, Bianca looks forward to helping GenOne youth achieve their goals with enthusiasm and dedication.

Don Cleven - board chair, WEDGE CAPITAL PARTNER

Don serves as the Chair of the Board of GenOne. He is a partner at Wedge Capital where he manages an institutional small cap investment strategy. Don is a partner with Social Venture Partners, a nonprofit venture philanthropy organization. He is also a recent addition to the Board of Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend, and serves on the investment committee for St. Olaf College. Don earned a B.A. in Economics at St. Olaf College and MBA/JD at Indiana University at Bloomington.

Michele Amoroso - Treasurer, CPA

Michele serves as Board Treasurer and manages the finances of GenOne, Inc. She has worked with individuals, small businesses and community-based organizations to help manage their operational and finance needs over the past 20+ years. Early in her career, she earned her CPA designation while working at Deloitte in Boston and subsequently moved to corporate accounting at IBM in Cambridge, MA. Michele earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and completed a Certificate in Financial Planning from Boston University. Michele is a current partner of Social Venture Partners (SVP), a non-profit venture philanthropy organization, and is actively involved in SVP’s SEED20 social innovation programming and annual event.

Katie Gauntner - board member, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT CHANGED VOICES

Katie chairs the fundraising committee for GenOne. She is the Operations Manager for Social Venture Partners (SVP), and a current partner of SVP, a nonprofit venture philanthropy organization. She serves on the fundraising committee for ourBRIDGE for KIDS, and chairs the outreach committee for Hawthorne Lane UMC. Katie holds a BFA degree in Theatre from Webster University, and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

DR. Maria Lander - board member, South Piedmont Community College, Dean of Professional Occupations

Maria serves on the board and is the GenOne parent liaison. Maria is the Dean of Professional Occupations and Public Services at South Piedmont Community College, which serves Anson and Union counties in North Carolina. Maria is a member of the Alliance for Children Board, a non-profit organization that advocates and invests in efforts that strengthen the health, education and emotional development of young children in Union County. Maria is a partner with Social Venture Partners (SVP), a non-profit venture philanthropy organization. Maria earned an EdD degree in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, an MA in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University, an MA in Educational Media form the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS in Computer Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela.

Barlow mann - board member, Legal Counsel, McGuireWoods LLP

Corporate Affiliations: McGuireWoods LLP Barlow serves as a member of the Board of Directors. He is an Associate in the Charlotte office of McGuireWoods LLP, an international law firm. In addition to his work with Gen-One, Barlow serves as a Volunteer Attorney Advocate in the Council for Children’s Rights’ Custody Advocacy Program. Barlow earned a B.A. in English from Sewanee: The University of the South and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Heather Karriker, Associate Director, Social Venture Partners

Heather has served as Associate Director for SVP Charlotte since 2015. As a UNC Charlotte graduate with a background in education and counseling, Heather worked for several years with Sylvan Learning Centers and the public school system in Union County. She first observed the challenges facing at risk students while teaching at a Title 1 school and realized her true passion for partnering with these schools on a larger scale. Heather believes that the community, where her own family lives and works, collectively has the opportunity to make a huge impact for the better. She enjoys attending events around Charlotte with her husband and two young children.

Star spencer, Vice President – Business Governance & Execution, Strategy, Digital & Innovation, Wells Fargo

Star Spencer is a professional with a diverse background, particularly in the financial industry where she currently focuses on Strategy, Digital, and Innovation. She has held various positions with Fortune 50 financial institutions such as Citi Group and Deloitte, where her work has focused on operational risks, regulatory compliance, and internal audit. Prior to her career in finance, Star worked as a criminal defense attorney and was also an adjunct professor at Elizabeth City State University. She is an active member of the Association of Corporate Council, NC Association of Black Lawyers, and the NC State Bar. She is a proud alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Campbell University School of Law. 

Gregory gabriel - c0-founder

Affiliations: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Gregory is the co-founder of GenOne. Gregory is a secondary mathematics teacher with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Gregory earned a B.S. degree in Industrial Management from Carnegie-Mellon University, a MAT degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is a National Board Certified Teacher and won multiple Teacher of the Year awards during his 10 years at Eastway Middle School.

scott brennan - board member

Scott is a retired Managing Director from Accenture where he was the global managing director of the Finance and Performance Management practice. Scott has a B.S. in Finance from Arizona State University.

carla clements - board member, Womble bond dickinson llp, counsel

Carla is a Teach for America alumna who taught at Eastway Middle School. She currently practices intellectual property law at Womble Bond Dickinson LLP. In addition to her work with GenOne, she is a Legal Aid volunteer through the Lawyer on the Line program and an active member at Christ Central Church. Carla earned a B.A. degree in Public Policy Studies at Duke University and a J.D. from University of North Carolina School of Law.

DR. Myah Davis - board member, Charlotte Lab Head of Lower School

Myah serves on the board of GenOne and is a proud educator with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Throughout her twelve years of experience as an educator, Myah has served in several capacities including classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, interventionist, dean, and district program specialist. For several years Myah served with the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools program overseeing sites in Dallas TX, Jackson, MS, Washington, D.C., and Inglewood, CA. Myah is an advocate for education that reaches all children. She earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Texas, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi, and a B.S. in Social Science Education from Jackson State University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, binge-watching shows on Netflix, cooking, the outdoors, and spending time with her husband, Allen, and their two daughters, Amiya and Mileah.

Neel Parikh - Board Member, Risk Director, Ally Financial

Neel serves on the board of GenOne. He is a Risk Director at Ally Financial, where he manages various Enterprise Operational Risk programs. In addition to having 10+ years of Finance and Risk experience, Neel is actively engaged in Diversity and Inclusion cause. He is a Steering Committee member of the Asian and Middle Eastern Enterprise Resource Group at Ally Financial. Neel earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Duke University. In his spare time, Neel enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with his family.

Crystal Rountree, Executive Director, Teach for America Charlotte-Piedmont Triad

Crystal has served as the Executive Director of our Charlotte-Piedmont Triad region since December of 2017 and has been on staff at Teach For America since 2005. In her current role, she led the merger of our Charlotte and North Carolina Piedmont Triad regions and now oversees an operation of nearly 900 corps members and alumni across both communities. 

Prior to her time in Charlotte, Crystal served as Senior Vice President, Advisory Support on TFA’s Regional Operations team where she was responsible for helping to build the capacity of TFA’s 51 executive directors and regional boards through intensive coaching, personalized professional development, and interim executive-level leadership. Before that, Crystal served as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships for Teach For America, where she oversaw the organization’s national engagement and partnerships strategy through nine identity-and instructional-based initiatives. Crystal was the founding executive director of Teach For America—Jacksonville, where she launched and scaled efforts over nearly 8 years—growing impact from 50 corps members in 2008 to nearly 350 corps members and alumni in 2015 and raising over $20 million (including a $5M state appropriation that accelerated expansion efforts in Florida). Crystal is a proud Texas native who now resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband Chad, her 3-year old son Kingston, and their rambunctious puppy, Koba. She sits on several non-profit boards and is a past recipient of the Jacksonville Business Journal 40 Under 40 and Women of Influence Awards.