Janaiha Bennett
Executive Director
Janaiha Bennett serves as Executive Director of YLF. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Honors Psychology from The George Washington University, a Master’s degree in School Psychology from the University of Maryland, and is a graduate of the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program at Georgetown’s McCourt Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership. A DC native, Janaiha started as a mentor with YLF 15 years ago. She is a long-standing believer in the mission and vision of the organization.
Bardell Brown
Deputy Director
Bardell Brown will serve as the Deputy Director for YLF. Bardell Brown is a native Washingtonian and devout Christian. He holds a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of The District of Columbia. After receiving a bachelor's degree in social work, he began his professional career in youth development at Paul Public Charter School and founded mentoring initiatives in his spare time. Most recently Bardell has served as the Director of Admissions and Partnerships at Bishop T Walker School for boys, where he cared for the individual needs of families, and sought out opportunities that would enrich their primary school experiences.
Rasheen Carbin
Director of Donor Relations
Rasheen Carbin is the Director of Donor Relations at YLF. He has deep
knowledge of nonprofit governance, fundraising, and finance. He currently serves as board Vice President of Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, Board Chair of Seabury Resources for Aging, Executive Vice President for Membership and Communications of the Georgetown Alumni
Club of Metropolitan DC and is a member of the vestry of the Church of the Epiphany. Rasheen is an alumnus of Georgetown University and lives in Washington, D.C.
Lolu Drummond
PALS Associate Director
Temiloluwa Drummond (“Lolu” for short) is currently the Associate Director of Program for Academic and Leadership Skills (PALS) for 3rd to 8th grade girls. She was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised both there and in Gwinnett County, GA. Lolu graduated from Howard University in 2020 with a degree in political science.
Foday Kamara
TAP Associate Director
Foday Kamara is a native of Washington D.C. with roots that trace back to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. By the grace of God, Foday graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Goucher College in 2020. Foday has a passion for leadership, serving and mentoring people to help them walk in the fullness of their God-given identity. Foday loves working with the youth and currently serves at the Youth Leadership Foundation as the Associate Director of the TAP program.
Krista Keil
Character and Mentorship
A native of Colorado, Krista moved to Washington D.C. in 2018. Krista has spent the last ten years working with youth and vulnerable populations in the non-profit sector in various capacities, particularly within the field of mental health. Additionally, Krista has a background in international and domestic mission-based work and event coordination, and graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Krista is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with an emphasis in traumatology. Krista is passionate about forming today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders. In her spare time, Krista loves outdoor adventures, trying new things, and good cooking!
Tonnete Abellana
Administrative Support
Tonnete is from Cebu, Philippines. Young, adventurous, and driven, she left her home country at 23 years old and worked in Dubai, UAE for 10+ years. She started as an office secretary in a construction firm, then as a site secretary in a civil contracting company. Eventually, a senior document controller at an interior contracting company where she left off before coming back home in 2019.
After her return, she started to work as an executive virtual assistant at Awesome Outsourcing LLC. Tonnete learned the various skills of an executive virtual assistant from her mentor, Michelle Thompson. With her vast experience in administrative support and document control, she is well-versed in fulfilling her role. She is a fast learner and loves to learn; she is getting training in bookkeeping currently.
Outside of work, Tonnete loves binge-watching Korean dramas and going on random trips with her husband. She also loves to spend quiet and quality time with her family during the weekends