Community Action Partnership Staff Members

Peter is the Communications and Dissemination Program Associate at the National Community Action Partnership. Prior to joining NCAP, Peter worked within the National Association of Counties research team, focusing on creating content on how local governments can incorporate equity into their administration and policies. Additionally, he brings experience in youth development, administration, and operations from several other non-profit organizations, including the Brookline Community Foundation, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and the Boy Scouts of America. Peter holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature and Criticism from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at American University. His graduate studies centre on the effects non-profit and community organizations can have on socioeconomic outcomes. 

Tiffany N. Day joined NCAP’s Practice Transformation team in July 2021 as Director of Whole Family Approach Innovations.  In this role, she partners with local CAA’s, key stakeholders, and agencies at the local, state, national and federal level to adopt and advance whole family approaches.  This work includes elevating replicable, scalable evidence-based models while surfacing systemic barriers that prevent families from reaching their full potential.

Prior to joining NCAP, Day served for three years as Systems Change and Policy Analyst for Ascend at the Aspen Institute. There she worked to advance family-centered policy, practice and systems change through a two-generation (2Gen) approach.  Her work in the whole family space began during her seven-year tenure in the Tennessee Department of Human Services’ Commissioner’s Office. There she served in various capacities, including, but not limited, to Executive Advisor and 2Gen Consultant where she co-led the Department’s 2G for Tennessee! and Building a Thriving Tennessee 2Gen grant-making strategy, managed the department’s then $20M+ 2Gen investment portfolio, and worked with various state agencies and community-based organizations to design and implement 2Gen approaches. She also served in the Commissioner’s Special Projects and Business Intelligence Support (SABIS) unit, where she managed Department-wide leadership institutes to promote organizational change and 2Gen capacity building, coordinated inter/intradepartmental collaborations for improved service coordination and delivery, managed the Department’s annual performance plan under Customer Focused Government as liaison to the Governor’s office, and conducted research and planning on various topics, including, but not limited to, increasing access to quality early childhood education, poverty reduction, and anti-human sex trafficking.

Day is a “creative” by nature and a strong advocate for racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equity. She believes that bringing our authentic selves to this work is imperative to realizing real and sustainable change. Her lived experience as a student parent and someone who has interacted with various systems throughout her life helps her to take an informed approach to family-centered practice, policy and systems change.

Ryan Gelman serves as the Senior Associate for Public Policy and Advocacy for the National Community Action Partnership. He recently completed a legislative fellowship in the U.S. Senate focusing on pretrial justice and previously served as Legislative Director for a Massachusetts State Senator. He has a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law where he concentrated on constitutional law and public policy.

Alexandra Haesler is a Program Associate in Membership and Administration for the Partnership. In this role, she is responsible for membership recruitment and database management. She also provides general support to the events and membership team. She comes to the Partnership with nonprofit experience in several areas, including education, youth development, human services, volunteer management and community services. She worked in Boston for the last five years before relocating to DC. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Communication from Vermont and a Masters of Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from the University of Arizona.

Tiffney Marley, MDIV, CCAP, NCRMT is the Senior Vice President for Practice Transformation at the Partnership, where she leads training and technical assistance strategies to maximize impact and transform anti-poverty practices of the Community Action Network. Since 2015, Tiffney’s portfolio has grown to include the National Learning Communities Resource Center (LCRC), Whole Family Approach Initiatives, and the Transforming Leadership and the Human Services Ecosystems Initiative. This work has included leading multiple intensive technical assistance cohorts aimed to innovate, transform, and implement effective programmatic and organizational practices; and collaborating with governmental and private stakeholders on special initiatives to transform organizations and systems.  Tiffney is an institutional equity expert and serves as a thought-partner to the CEO on national equity implementation and other strategic initiatives. 

Tiffney is a Head Start Alumni and touts her personal transformation from being Community Action customer to becoming a national Community Action leader. She has 10 years of Community Action professional experience, having served as the Training Coordinator for the North Carolina Community Action Association prior to joining the Partnership team.

Tiffney is the former Director of Black Church Studies at Duke University Divinity School and has over 18 years of senior-level experience in the academic, faith-based, and nonprofit sectors.  She is a Certified Community Action Professional, Nationally Certified ROMA Master Trainer, and a Rx Racial Healing Practitioner.  She also holds a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from North Carolina State University.  Her biggest accomplishment is that she is the mother of twins, Randi and Jesse, whom she is grooming to become future leaders.

Aimee Roberge is an experienced social services professional, most recently having managed operations and development for an advocacy nonprofit in Washington D.C. and served as an advisor for young pregnant and parenting mothers in a New York City homeless shelter.  She has research and data analysis skills and has studied the intersection between policy, practice, and organizational systems supporting low-income youth and families.  As the LCRC Program Associate, Aimee is responsible for resource curation, development and dissemination as well as communications and grants management support. She holds a Human Development and Family Studies/Human Rights degree from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College with a focus in nonprofit management and social policy. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, concerts, reading, meeting new people, and exploring.

Lillie has over 15 years of service with the Community Action Network. She currently serves as the Director of Practice Transformation for the National Community Action Partnership and is a Nationally Certified ROMA Trainer. Prior to joining the Partnership, Lillie worked at a local Community Action Agency where she served as the Deputy Director. In this role, she managed and supported Administrative and Programmatic Operations, including Human Resources, Fiscal, IT, Procurement, Grant Management, Head Start, Early Head Start, and CSBG-Funded Services. Lillie is an avid traveler and enjoys spending time with family.

Gabriel Smith is the Senior Associate for Learning and Dissemination at the National Community Action Partnership. Gabriel brings experiences from the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in Tampa Florida,  the Congressional Black Caucus, and the U.S. House of Representatives to the partnership. Smith holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in History from Tuskegee University and Auburn University respectively, with emphasis on the Civil Rights Movement and economic resistance to White Supremacy. Gabriel enjoys traveling abroad and participating in trivia competitions.

With a passion for increasing the economic mobility of America’s most vulnerable citizens, Jovita A. Tolbert joined the Community Action Network, working with the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP), shortly after graduating college. During her ten year tenure at NASCSP, Ms. Tolbert gained a wealth of experience providing management support and technical assistance to all levels of the Community Action Network. More specifically, she provided policy guidance and advocated for the preservation and advancement of the Community Services Block Grant. Ms. Tolbert coordinated and provided local, state, and national trainings with the goal of increasing the Network’s capacity and effectiveness. She also worked with Community Action to document and disseminate best practices from within Network and the anti-poverty field as a whole.

During her four year tenure as Deputy Director with the national Community Action Partnership, Ms. Tolbert has assisted in managing agency operations and human resources. She also oversees member services, benefits, recruitment and retention. Another key responsibility is the coordination of annual conferences and other training events. Ms. Tolbert also oversees agency and member communications.

Ms. Tolbert holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Public Policy, Management, and Planning from the School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, CA.  

Madison Wicks is a Program Assistant at the Partnership. In this role, she takes an active part on the Events and Membership teams and provides support the Leadership Team and Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in International Affairs and Anthropology from the George Washington University.