Brian Benjamin, Founder
Brian Benjamin graduated from Brown University with a major in Public Policy and American Institutions. After finishing Harvard Business School, he worked at GTECH, a global lottery operator, where he focused on government relations in Providence, Rhode Island. In less than 2 years, Brian was promoted to Director of Business Development focusing on Caribbean opportunities.In 2006, Brian returned home to New York to accept a job as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. In May 2007, he got involved in local Harlem politics as a volunteer founding the Harlem4Obama effort. He subsequently created Young Professionals United for Change (YP4C), a group for professionals of color that fundraised for Barack Obama during the general election. After the election, Brian took a leave from Morgan Stanley and worked on former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe’s run for Governor of Virginia as the Richmond field director.
After the McAuliffe primary, Brian came back to Harlem to run YP4C and keep young professionals civically engaged. In September of 2009, YP4C launched a special initiative, Organizing for Harlem, to further this goal. Brian currently works as a partner with Genesis Companies, an urban real estate developer, to help with business development and government relations. President Obama’s Organizing for America has also recruited him to be a Harlem community organizer in order to support their uptown mobilization efforts as well. Brian is an active member of the West Harlem Independent Democratic Club.
Corey Blay, President
In 2004, Corey Blay graduated from the University of Chicago with a concentration in African-American Studies and Urban Policy. As a student, Corey worked as a tutor on the South Side of Chicago and as a coordinator for Columbia University's Summer High School Program. He currently works at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School as a 7th grade history teacher. Corey has helped lead various initiatives at school, from designing the Middle School strategic action plan to developing policies that address discipline, diversity, and equity issues among students. He became Diversity Coordinator for the Fieldston Middle School in 2010.
Outside of the classroom, Corey is an active political organizer in Harlem. In 2009, he was campaign manager in a city council race, where he tried to mobilize “Obama Generation” voters on a local level. He continues to serve the community as an elected member of the Manhattan Democratic County Committee and as president of Organizing for Harlem. Corey is the Financial Director for the New York City Chapter of the New Leaders Council, a national progressive leadership organization, and on the board of Think Blue, a local Democratic fundraising organization. He is also a 2011 fellow in the Management Leadership for Tomorrow MBA Prep Program.
Erinne Brown, VP of Community Initiatives
Erinne Brown graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Psychology and Politics. She currently works in Human Resources for HBO, and previously worked in HR for Sony Music Entertainment. Though she grew up in Maryland, she loves her home of New York City and spends much of her free time volunteering in that community, including service activities as a member of the New York Urban League Young Professionals, recent work for the Landon Dais for City Council campaign in Harlem, as a fundraiser for the Christ Foundation Academy in Ghana, and now as a vice president of Organizing for Harlem. Erinne's work with OFH allows her to fulfill her passion of making a contribution in the community where she lives, especially supporting the youth of color in the area.
Aaron Edmonds, VP of Strategic Partnerships
Aaron Edmonds graduated from Columbia University with a major in Political Science and a concentration in Comparative Ethnic Studies. He currently works in the Creative Services department as a production assistant for HBO. Community building has always been important to Aaron. While in school he was a tutor for the Double Discovery Center and facilitated the college mentorship and leadership training program The Brotherhood of African Heritage Project. Upon graduation he continued his commitment to community building as a deputy campaign manager of a local city council candidate. Afterwards, he joined Organizing for Harlem in order to collaborate with other service organizations and encourage young people in Harlem to do their part in improving the community they live in.
Althea Jack, VP of Civic Engagement
After receiving her Bachelor's Degree with honors in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University, Althea Jack joined the office of former Tennessee State Senate Speaker Pro Tem Rosalind Kurita. As Miss Tennessee International 2008, Althea expanded her efforts to encourage others to vote and get involved in civic affairs. Her experience in field operations and organizing is the result of hard work on various campaigns throughout the South and in New York. Althea recently completed her Masters of Arts in Politics and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is an active member of the New York Urban League, Democracy for America, and American Educational Researchers Association. Currently, Althea serves as the Vice President of Civic Engagement with Organizing for Harlem.
Danielle Chase, VP of Media and Outreach
Danielle Chase graduated cum laude from Binghamton University with a double major in Sociology and Pre-law and a minor in Africana Studies. She was accepted by Teach for America to serve in the South Bronx as an elementary teacher for students who speak English as a Second Language. She later received a Master’s of Science in Teaching from Pace University. Currently, she serves her community as the Vice President of Media and Outreach for Organizing for Harlem (OFH), founder and supervisor of the Harlem Youth Council (HYC), elected Democratic Manhattan County Committee Representative, and as an active member of Community Board 9. She also recently partnered with the NAACP Washington Bureau on educational policy and research, a partnership facilitated by the Policy and Advocacy Leadership Initiative (PALI) of Teach for America.
