Summer 2021 Professional Learning Series

Lindsey joined the Gus Bus in 2019 and has since been promoted to program and partner manager. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Central Arkansas. Prior to joining the Gus Bus team, she served as the Assistant Director to the after-school program, UrbanPromise Arkansas.

Maria worked from 2016-2017 as an Early Literacy Program Specialist for the Gus Bus, and since 2019 as the Program and Volunteer Manager. A former newspaper reporter, she has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Florida Atlantic University, with a concentration in political journalism. Before joining the Gus Bus, she served as a teacher and facilitator at Raw Learning, a K-12 private school founded on the democratic education model. During her fifteen years as a reporter, she covered beats ranging from municipal government to health and human services and won several Virginia Press Association awards.

Vannessa joins Learn Fresh with over a decade of experience in Positive Youth Development and Education Outreach. She is committed to enabling all young people to thrive and reach their greatest potential.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Vannessa studied Nonprofit Management at Arizona State University. Throughout her work with out-of-school time programs such as ASU’s Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program and Arizona Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley, Vannessa learned the value and importance of bringing diversity and fun to learning. Combining her love of sports, the arts, and education, Vannessa has gravitated to programs like Math Hoops to provide high quality and impactful experiences for youth. She was humbled to be recognized as a Learn Fresh All-Star Educator for her advocacy of the NBA Math Hoops program within the Boys & Girls Club community.

Vannessa now serves as Program Leader at Learn Fresh. She is dedicated to supporting and inspiring educators and youth development specialists nationwide, to engage today’s youth with high quality and fun experiences through learning. Outside of her work life, you can find Vannessa planning her next adventure as a solo traveler. She enjoys music, theatre, and the arts, along with anything to do with being outdoors. Vannessa is a long-time fan of the LA Dodgers, Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, and all things ASU. She values time spent with her family and friends, and enjoys the best of auntie life with her niece and nephew.

Rebecca was born and raised in San Francisco, California where she graduated from Lowell High School and went on to earn her degree from San Francisco State University. She has been involved with the Asian Basketball Community since she began playing at the age of 8 years old and now coaches young ladies with the same passion for basketball. Rebecca also has a love and appreciation for Polynesian culture and can be found Hula and Tahitian dancing with a local dance group. In addition to basketball and dance, Rebecca is passionate about food, traveling, all things Disney and the Golden State Warriors! Rebecca spent ten years working as a Program Coordinator with the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center at Ulloa Elementary School in San Francisco, where her focus was around STEM and Art & Health Learning. She has partnered with many organizations within the Bay Area to bring new enriching experiences that motivate students to see their potential and encourage family time. At Ulloa, Rebecca not only led a popular and successful NBA Math Hoops program, but she has also helped spark student interest in mathematics and athletics. In 2017, Rebecca was honored to be selected as a Learn Fresh All-Star Educator, and was eventually asked to be part of the Learn Fresh Educator Advisory Board. In 2019 she accepted a position with Learn Fresh as the National Program Coordinator, and now currently acts as the Director of Programs.

Calvin Sibert is a “Game Changer”, and serves as the Chief Academic Officer for Learn Fresh Education Company. His innate ability to impact change is evident in the way in which he approaches the classroom, his role as a father and his community involvement. He attended Western Michigan University and received his baccalaureate degree in education in 2002. Upon completing his degree, he initially had aspired to become a print and runway model. Nevertheless, he knew that he had been called on to become a role model instead for students in the inner city of Detroit. After his first year of teaching, Calvin created a behavior/financial literacy program called “The Money System.” This educational platform promoted character education, academic excellence and financial preparedness for young people. During his 20 years in the field of education, he has coached basketball, soccer, and cross country. In addition, he founded a ballroom dancing league called “The Smooth League” which introduced young people to the intricacies of ballroom dancing along with its etiquette and protocols. 

Amanda (Davis Holloway) Lynch is a trauma-informed specialist at Greater Richmond SCAN and Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond. She is also a best-selling children’s book author and a licensed educator and an expert in trauma-informed practices and mindfulness in the classroom. Lynch began working as a Special Education teacher in Richmond Public Schools in 2003. Amanda began practicing yoga in 2013 and instantly recognized the countless healing benefits yoga has to offer. She completed her RYT-200 in 2019. As a native of Glen Allen, a suburb of Richmond, she was very naïve to the poverty and trauma that plagued many of my students and their families. She sought out more information about substance use disorder, cultural responsiveness, and historical trauma as she navigated the systems and resources that could best support her students both in and outside of the classroom. For nearly twenty years, Lynch worked in a variety of capacities in public education, and briefly in correctional education.  It wasn’t until 2006 when her best friend, Angel J. Jackson, and her father, Herbert Sharpe, Sr., were brutally murdered that she truly understood how deeply trauma could impact an individual and their family. This single event changed the trajectory of her career.