Our Staff
Bud Lavery, Executive Director
919.403.1936 x22
bud@cisdurham.org
Bud Lavery has a Masters in Social Work and more than 20 years of experience in the field, including six years as a social worker and program manager. A graduate of Duke University, Mr. Lavery has been in a leadership position with CIS of Durham since 2005.
Elizabeth Levene, Program Director
919.403.1936 x21
elizabeth@cisdurham.org
Ms. Levene has more than seven years of experience with evidence-based programs as a staff member at the non-profit Prevent Child Abuse and with CIS of Durham. She also has over five years of experience as a professional education trainer.
Tracie Miller, Development Director
919.403.1936 x24
tracie@cisdurham.org
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Government and a minor in Biology. Mrs. Miller has over 5 years of experience working with non-profits. She began her career as a software consultant specializing in fundraising databases. She then transitioned her career working in development departments for Any Baby Can of Austin and later Ballet Austin. Mrs. Miller has also served as Treasurer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) for the Greater Austin Chapter, steering committee member for United Way of the Greater Triangle's Young Leaders Society and member of the AFP Triangle Chapter. Recently she was a recipient of AFP’s Chamberlain Scholarship.
Cassandra Davis, Research Analyst
919.403.1936 x26
cassandra@cisdurham.org
With five years of experience working specifically with the at-risk population, Cassandra has a high interest in the families and students that are served through CIS of Durham. In addition to serving as a research analyst, Cassandra is currently working on her Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Culture, Curriculum, and Change at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her research interests include dropout prevention, transition programs for students who are at-risk, comparative research and mixed methodology.
Kendra Rosa, Family Support Specialist
919.403.1936 x25
kendra@cisdurham.org
Kendra currently coordinates the Incredible Years Program and Strengthening Families Program (10-14), and facilitates Strengthening Families Program youth groups. A graduate from the MPH program at UNC's Maternal and Child Health Department, Kendra has experience working with at-risk youth and a special interest in adolescent health.
Kirsten Aleman, Project READS Coordinator
919.403.1936 x27
kirsten@cisdurham.org
Kirsten has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. She is a former elementary school teacher, and has worked on several school and community collaboration projects, including NC Ready Schools with the North Carolina Partnership for Children.
Sarah Carucci, Graduation Coach, Durham PLC
919.560.9190 x11230
sarah@cisdurham.org
Sarah graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2006 with a B.A. in Public Policy in Sociology. She then joined Teach For America and taught middle school Spanish for three years in Warren County, NC. During the 2009-2010 school year, she attended Harvard University where she earned her M.Ed. in Risk & Prevention, with a focus on developing and providing services for those young people who are most at-risk for negative social and academic outcomes. While at Harvard she also served as a Counseling & Administrative Intern for the BRIDGE Program, an alternative middle school in Lowell, MA for students with chronic behavioral and emotional difficulties.
Keyma Clark, Graduation Coach, Hillside High School
919-560-3925
keyma@cisdurham.org
Keyma Clark is a native of Albermarle, N.C., and a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He is currently enrolled in the Culture, Curriculum and Change Education Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, Keyma plans to continue working with youth in the school system through his position as a CIS Graduation Coach.
Zakiyyah El-Amin, Graduation Coach, Southern High School
919.560.3968 x11230
zakiyyah@cisdurham.org
Zakiyyah El-Amin graduated from Winthrop University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Social Work, then received a Masters of Social Work from Savannah State University. In 2011, she received her Master's of Education in School Counseling from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has several years of experience working with victims of child abuse, child welfare, and counseling at-risk children and adolescents.
Sarafina Robinson, Graduation Coach, Neal Middle School
919-560-3995
sarafina@cisdurham.org
Sarafina Robinson is a graduate of Furman University in Greenville, S.C., with a B.A. in Communication Studies. She has five years of experience working with at-risk youth and is specifically interested in the role the community plays for families with school-aged children. Sarafina served two years as Director of Family Affairs and Programming for an all-girls mentoring group while at Furman. She has worked with various educational non-profits and furthered her experience in youth and teen services as a program specialist with Durham Parks and Recreation.
Alisa DeMao
919.403.1936 x23
alisa@cisdurham.org
A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Alisa DeMao worked as a reporter for a dozen years before moving into non-profit work. As an education reporter in Athens, Georgia, she covered the opening and first two school years of the Performance Learning Center in Clarke County. She joined CIS of Durham in February 2010.
Meredith Richbourg, Project READS Durham Coordinator
919.403.1936 x22
meredith@cisdurham.org
Meredith graduated from NC State University with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2008. Several years of volunteer experience as a guardian ad litem for abused or neglected children led her to pursue a Masters in Social Work from NC State University. Meredith is passionate about Project READS and other preventative programs that help change outcomes for Durham kids.
Katie Stuart, Volunteer Coordinator
919.403.1936 x32
volunteer@cisdurham.org
Katie Stuart graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011 with a B.A. in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication Studies. She has three years of experience working with at-risk students and plans to pursue a graduate degree in social work or counseling psychology in the next year.
Savanah Banta, Graduation Coach Intern
919.560.3898 x68272
savanah@cisdurham.org
Savanah graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2011 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Social and Economic Justice. Her passion for education and serving others led her to pursue a Masters in Social Work.
She is currently in her first year of the MSW program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As part of the program, she is excited to have her first-year field placement at CIS of Durham and Southern High School as a Graduation Coach intern.
