Pronouns she/her/hers

Leeyan Redwood is from Long Island New York and is a first generation woman with roots in Jamaica. She was on the Varsity Track and Field Team at Northeastern University, specializing in the shotput and discus throws. She then graduated from Northeastern University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication & a Minor in Media Production. Leeyan previously worked for the Boston Red Sox as a Non-Profit Programs Coordinator, and now specializes in youth mentoring as Program Associate at Summer Search. Being a part of organizations that prioritize providing valuable experiences to the youth is a privilege that she does not take for granted. In her free time Leeyan enjoys exercising during Zumba and HIIT classes, cooking with friends, and relaxing on the beach with a good book.   

Liz developed an awareness and relationship with nature during her first childhood camping trip. With the guidance of a mentor, she learned to read maps, kayak through rapids, deepened her sense of place, and returned often. Through this experience, Liz reflected on her own identity and representation in outdoor spaces, and has since forged transformative relationships with friends and community who have nourished her feelings of belonging, self-love, and self-efficacy. As a mentor, Liz hopes to navigate experiences alongside Summer Searchers in ways that deepen their sense of personal values and boundaries, and ultimately allow them to practice decision-making while being true to their authentic selves.

Prior to Summer Search, Liz dedicated ten years as an educator in public schools and non-profit organizations, with a focus on trauma-informed care, violence prevention and intervention, and working with newly arrived immigrant students. Liz holds a B.A. in Communications Studies and Philippine Studies from the University of San Francisco. In her spare time, she enjoys tinkering with her camera, checking out what is in season at local farmers markets, and trying to keep her plants alive.

Pronouns: he/him/his

Lorenzo Cannon-Umstead,a Philadelphia native, has been doing meaningful work in the city of Philadelphia, since around his junior year of high school.   Lorenzo is a graduate of West Philadelphia Catholic School.  He studied abroad in both high school and college.  Lorenzo has worked in youth development, voter registration and a few electoral campaigns. Now, he wants help students along a pathway upward mobility.  In his spare time, Lorenzo loves to create online content and podcasting pertaining to everything from sports to entertainment to politics. He loves his family, community and city, and will continue to dedicate himself to education.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Dr. Gretchen Mielke is the post-secondary director for Summer Search Philadelphia. Gretchen joins Summer Search with more than 15 years of experience in higher education focused on experiential learning, civic engagement, student development and local-to-global partnerships. Gretchen is passionate about access to education, fostering civic values and career pathways, forging deep partnerships, and training the next generation of change agents and purposeful professionals.

Previously, Gretchen served as the executive director of The Philadelphia Center, a fifty-five-year-old domestic study away center and internship semester. There she worked with faculty, and staff to bring college students from around the country to live, learn and work in Philadelphia. Students explored issues of race, equity and inclusion, urban economics, and gained work experience in 32 hour per week internships in the Greater Philadelphia region. Gretchen oversaw strategic planning, a marketing rebrand, a center build and relocation, and data reporting. Gretchen fostered relationships with key academic partners and external stakeholders including alumni, an advisory board, local employers, higher education institutional partners, and the state of PA.

As the former assistant dean for civic engagement at Widener University, Gretchen led the university’s civic initiatives including cultivating and sustaining meaningful, reciprocal partnerships with community organizations, supporting faculty’s experiential learning efforts including service-learning, community-based research and political engagement, designing and overseeing cohort scholarship students, and leading ongoing civic evaluation efforts.  Gretchen’s additional previous roles included: the manager of general education, academic living learning assessment at American University, the assistant director of academic community engagement and global partnership consultant at Siena College, and program associate at the Bonner Foundation. Gretchen also was a Fulbright grantee in South Korea.

Gretchen holds an Ed.D in higher education leadership from Widener University, a Master’s in international affairs from American University and a Bachelor’s of Arts in American Studies from Dickinson College. Her hobbies include going to the library, reading, watching HGTV and raising two little boys with her husband and dogs. Gretchen is also a lifelong advocate for neurodiverse children and adults.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Jacob has a passion for working with young adults and assisting in their social and emotional development during their formative years. At Summer Search he works as a Program Associate and enjoys the opportunity to help guide young students through their High School years.

Prior to coming to Summer Search, Jacob worked as the Director of Social Services for The Salvation Army in the South End of Boston, and as Canon Missioner for The Order of St. Martin de Porres. Additionally, Jacob formerly ran for City Council in the 4th district of Boston where he focused on addressing the challenges he faced growing up within a Low-Income Immigrant household in the city of Boston. Jacob is an alumnus of New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) where he participated in various certificate programs, and where he has since returned to complete a Masters in Divinity.

Jacob now resides in Providence, RI where he continues to advocate and support young adults and their families through extensive community/civic engagement work locally and nationwide. Outside of work you can find Jacob at the gym, traveling around to new destinations, or binge-watching the latest movies or series.

De’Andre identifies as a queer, first-generation, Afro-Latinx student development practitioner and advancement professional with a focus on social justice, equity, mentorship, and community & leadership development. He currently serves as the Director of Alumni Engagement at Seattle University and has a strong affinity for Summer Search. De’Andre was introduced to Summer Search in 2017 during his Summer Fellow internship. He eventually joined the Summer Search Seattle staff as a Program Associate & Leadership Advisor. De’Andre is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and holds an MEd in Student Development Administration from Seattle University and a B.S. in Family & Consumer Sciences Education with a minor in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Stout. In his free time, De’Andre is a foodie that enjoys bowling and exploring the pacific northwest with his dog, Koda.

Inducted – Term End: November 2022 – Sept 2026

Elissa Fink serves on several not-for-profit and corporate boards, including Summer Search, Dataiku, Qumulo and Pantheon. Retired from Tableau Software in 2019 after 11+ years as their CMO, she helped grow the company from ~$5 million to over $1 billion in revenue. She earned a BA in English and an MBA in Marketing. Fink is the daughter of two immigrants who highly valued post-secondary education for all 6 of their children, despite their not being able to have that privilege. She now enjoys time with her husband, teenaged daughter and 9-year-old son.

Inducted – Term End: January 2023 – Sept 2026

LeTia is passionate about challenging inequity and advocating for marginalized communities. After graduating from Brown University, she launched a career in admissions at three different highly selective universities, helping to provide access to underrepresented populations. During her time in higher education, she was able to pull from her own experiences as a first-generation limited-income college graduate and native Bronxite to work on projects that supported students from similar backgrounds. Recently, as a Recruiter, LeTia continues to draw from those experiences to support all her candidates, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. She now resides in Atlanta with her husband, Felix.