““We can change outcomes for our city’s youth by equipping them with skills to write and advocate; and we can change our city by ensuring youth voices are heard.” ”
OUR TEAM
Whitney WARD Birenbaum, Executive Director
Whitney taught middle school Language Arts and Humanities in Baltimore City Schools for 13 years. She has been recognized locally and nationally for her work in the classroom. She co-founded CHARM because she saw how much her students grew—both academically and in their self-confidence—when they produced writing that made an impact on the world around them.
Donte Kirby, Journalism Coordinator
Donte is a Philadelphia native that spent the last year and a half as an education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Rwanda, where he taught English to over 150 students. He is currently a Report for America Fellow covering digital equity in Baltimore for Technical.ly, a Baltimore-based news source publishing stories about the impact of the technology economy on growing cities and focusing on the entrepreneurs and technologists that make up that ecosystem. He is looking forward to seeing the stories of Baltimore's youth and helping them delve into journalistic storytelling.
Yifan Luo, Lead Graphic Designer
Yifan is an illustrator with a passion for storytelling and visual journalism. She holds a BA from Brown University and an MFA in Illustration Practice from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). In recent years, she has collaborated with nonprofits, food justice organizations, local businesses, and more to bring their visions to life.
Madison Mattison, Field Trip Facilitator
Madison Mattison currently works as CHARM's Partnership Coordinator and focuses on maintaining working relationships within the CHARM community. She is a graduate of Goucher College and received her BA in Professional and Creative Writing. Madison is a Baltimore native who loves crabs, the Orioles, walking around her neighborhood and hanging out in Fells Point. She has poems published in CHARM Lit Magazine and her debut short story published in Grub Street of Towson University.
Albert Phillips, Jr., Program Manager
Albert is a Baltimore-based writer and educator whose work encompasses the alchemy wrapped within contemporary and past Black life. He often writes stories about the intricacies of family, Baltimore life in the late 90s’, and the necessity of community. He earned a B.S. in Print Journalism from Morgan State University, M.ED from Johns Hopkins University, and he’s an MFA candidate at the University of Baltimore.
Annalies WInny, Workshop Coordinator
Annalies Winny is a journalist covering the intersection of public policy, development and urban life. She has reported from several cities including Baltimore, Monrovia, Liberia, London and New York. Her work appears in Global Health NOW, The Guardian, VICE News, The Atlantic’s CityLab, Prospect Magazine, Baltimore City Paper and others. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Nonfiction Writing from The New School in New York City. Twitter and Instagram: @annalieswinny Website: www.annalieswinny.com
Jakerya Randolph, Communications Specialist
Jakerya is a skilled IT and communications professional, bringing a wealth of experience from higher academia, government organizations, and lifestyle brands. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and Marketing from Frostburg State University and holds both an MBA and a Master’s in Information Systems from Bowie State University. Jakerya enjoys strategic problem-solving, innovative storytelling, and leveraging technology to drive impactful communication.
Nere Eyeguokan, Program COORDINATOR
Nere Eyeguokan is a former elementary and middle school teacher, having taught in Baltimore City Public Schools for 5 years. A Teach For America alumni, he is committed to working towards educational equity for all students in Baltimore and beyond. Outside of CHARM, Nere works for Reading Partners Baltimore creating equitable access to literacy education as a Program Manager. In his free time Nere is a hobbyist analog photographer and enjoys binge-watching TV series.
Kendra Bryant, Publications COORDINATOR
Kendra Bryant is a senior majoring in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism at Towson University. She is an alumni of CHARM, having served as an editorial board communications member, a Summer 2022 CHARM intern, and a 2023 Summer internship coach. Currently, she holds the role of Publications Team Coordinator on CHARM’s editorial board.
In addition to her work with CHARM, Bryant is the President and Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus: Towson University and contributes and contributes as an Arts and Life writer for The Towerlight newspaper.
OUR Advisory Board
