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Jessica Herman is in her 20th year with City Year, serving as the Chief of Staff with City Year Kansas City. In this role, Jes oversees all people work and development including hiring and onboarding, all financial and operational work at the site, and partners closely with the Executive Director on all site-wide strategic initiatives and board development.

She started as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Chicago in 2005, then served as the Civic Engagement Manager—leading physical service events for volunteers across the city. In '09, Jes served as an Impact Manager for a new school as part of the Diplomas Now (DN) collaborative. She would go on to serve as the national Deputy Director for Diplomas Now, focused on building the network-wide collaborative. In ’15 she returned home to KC to help build City Year's work from the ground up in her hometown. Jes is also a PROUD University of Kansas alumna twice-over—receiving her BA in sociology in ’05 and her master's degree in public administration in ’18. Recently, Jes was privileged to join the KC Chamber of Commerce Centurions Program, a leadership development initiative for KC’s rising community leaders. Jes spends her free time with her husband Ben and daughters Violet and Marigold, and they are a proud Kansas City Public Schools family.

Mariela is currently in her 12th year with City Year. She serves as the Senior People & Operations Manager for City Year Kansas City. Prior to her roles on staff, Mariela served two years with City Year Sacramento. Through her service as an AmeriCorps member, Mariela has been able to witness the impact City Year has had on students, and she wishes to continue supporting AmeriCorps in building strong relationships with students. Although not a fan of Midwest weather, Mariela has come to love Kansas City and the city's passion for service.

Emanual is a Sr. Impact Manager with City Year Kansas City. He is a strategic leader at the intersection of program management and educational innovation. With a master's degree in educational technology, he excels at leveraging instructional design principles and learning systems to develop, scale, and implement high-impact initiatives. His approach is grounded in data-driven analysis, collaborative stakeholder engagement, and clear, effective communication. He is committed to achieving measurable outcomes, strengthening organizational capacity, and cultivating meaningful community partnerships.

Kat, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, holds a degree in Astrophysics from New York University. After graduating, she served two years in the City Year Kansas City corps, an experience that fueled her interest to continue working alongside schools to support students. As an Impact Manager, she is able to use her creative problem solving and data-driven approach to support AmeriCorps members in improving student outcomes. In her free time, Kat enjoys traveling and music.

Hailing from San Antonio, Alyssa Dickinson is dedicated to the development of our future learners and leaders. As a previous AmeriCorps member in City Year San Antonio, she was able to engage with the community in different ways. From participating and facilitating community events to engaging in right sizing meetings to keep the integrity within the school districts.

When she’s not saving the world, she enjoys baking and photography.

Shelby is excited to be serving her eighth City Year as Managing Director of Impact in the city she has spent her most formative years in. Shelby is a proud Mizzou alum and has worked in various non-profits prior to joining the CYKC team. She is a founding KC Equity Committee member and National Equity Advisory Council convener dedicated to developing anti-racist practices and advocating for inclusion that ultimately serves our students and communities. Her hope is to inspire young students, AmeriCorps members, and staff to recognize their potential through their connection and service with City Year. In her spare time Shelby enjoys reading, traveling, and being a big sister to three wonderful siblings.

Rachel Ibok’s passion for the nonprofit sector can be traced back to her childhood and assisting with her father’s nonprofit, Lanell Cares International Mission. She is a proud graduate of William Jewell College, where she earned a B.A. in Nonprofit Leadership and became a Certified Nonprofit Professional. In 2019, Rachel earned a Certification in Volunteer Administration.  She became an Advanced Certified Nonprofit Professional in 2023.

An AmeriCorps alum, Rachel takes pride in inspiring people to positively impact their community. She serves as the Community Partnerships Manager at City Year Kansas City, where she provides opportunities for 18–25-year-olds to contribute to the fight for education equity while investing in their own futures.

She is a lifelong learner who loves to share knowledge. As an accomplished speaker, she has spoken at the Volunteer Management Institute and appeared on panels and podcasts on topics ranging from risk management to food equity. 

In her free time, Rachel loves to read anything except romance and thrillers. She writes poetry and is working on her first novel.

Abbie LoMonaco is originally from Overland Park, KS and now serves as the Events and Communications Manager at City Year Kansas City. She is a proud alum of The University of Texas at Austin (hook ‘em) and has worked in various non-profits prior to joining the CYKC team. As the Events and Communications Manager, Abbie aims to amplify City Year’s impact within the KC community and support our students, schools, and AmeriCorps members. When not working, Abbie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, going to concerts, and spoiling her dog, Maslow.