Our People

staff

ERICA AVANT

HOUSING MANAGER

A native of Chicago’s South Side, Erica has devoted her life to directly serving the communities in which she has lived—

communities that she fights for daily because they have too often been forgotten about and where poverty, homelessness, lack of resources, and countless disparities continue to harm so many. Her own experiences of the foster care system and homelessness propelled Erica to focus her work on supporting those harmed by systemic inequities. Erica has spent the last decade supporting individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS, fighting for healthcare equality, providing comprehensive care for the LGBTQ community, and working for housing justice for all. In Erica’s words: “I have been blessed to know my purpose in life is to make sure I do my best to love, understand, give back, help, and make a difference in anyone’s life that is in need. It costs nothing to love and to have compassion for all people.” Most importantly though, Erica wants everyone to know that she is a House Head for life!

NAOMI BOROWSKY, LSW

YOUTH ADVOCATE

Naomi Borowsky is a youth advocate who is committed to accompaniment, care and housing justice in Chicago and beyond.

She most recently worked with a youth leadership council where she supported high school students to create and facilitate trainings for adult educators and to host their own summit for other youth. She also has experience working in community mental health, crisis hotlines, community schools programming, and outdoor education. Naomi is a Licensed Social Worker and holds a master of social work from Northeastern Illinois University. Naomi has also been part of grassroots organizing in Chicago to redistribute resources away from the carceral system and into communities. She’s originally from Minnesota so you can challenge her to a snowball fight or find her at the lake. She was LYTE’s first intern and couldn’t stay away!

TANKA BRADFORD

OFFICE COORDINATOR AND YOUTH ADVOCATE

Tanka Bradford is a youth advocate who holds an abundance of knowledge and skill in navigating systems that impact young people experiencing poverty and homelessness.

Tanka’s patience, wisdom, persistence, incredible organization skills, and sense of humor are among the many traits that make her a valued and reliable resource to young people, her colleagues, and her family and friends. Tanka wants to share with young people that she has experienced homelessness firsthand. She has been where you are. She has been afraid to ask for help but discovered that these people at these programs are great people and want to see you make it in any way possible. Tanka holds a high school diploma from Youth Connection Leadership Academy. She enjoys baking, arts and crafts and laughing, AND has a renowned nail polish collection.

JOSEPH BRAUN

DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Joseph Braun has over 13 years of experience in fundraising, primarily working at larger Chicago, regional, and national nonprofits.

He was inspired to join LYTE Collective because of the opportunity to use his skills to help a community based organization that has innovative programming. Joseph has spent the last 9 years of his career in Chicago primarily working in safetynet healthcare. Prior to coming to LYTE Collective, Joseph established a track record of successfully developing new public and private funding sources and led several turnaround initiatives for grant funded programs. Joseph is also an instructor in the Northeastern Illinois University Social Work Department. Prior to entering the fundraising world, Joseph spent his time thinking deep thoughts about unemployment as a philosophy PhD student. He holds bachelor degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and a master of arts in philosophy from the University of Kansas. When he isn’t pretending to be busy at work, he enjoys cooking, canoeing, board games, and learning new things.

JEROME DAVIS, SR

CHIEF BUILDING ENGINEER

Jerome “The Captain” Davis, Sr. serves as Chief Building Engineer for LYTE Collective. Mr. Davis proudly served for 13 years as an engineer in the United States Army.

During his service, he earned several accolades, including the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Race Relations Certificate while stationed in Germany. After retiring from the military in 1985, Mr. Davis spent the majority of his career as a Total Maintenance Facility Engineer for Chicago Public Schools until his retirement in 2009. Since then, he has not slowed down a bit! Mr. Davis is the father of 8, grandfather of 10, and has called Greater Grand Crossing his home for over 15 years. He serves as a Union Steward for Service Employees International Union, teaches Sunday School at his church, and actively participates in neighborhood committees. Mr. Davis believes that information is the key to success, and he is excited to share all of his knowledge and pass along his skills and infinite wisdom to young people.

WANDA DUKES, MA, LSW

YOUTH ADVOCATE

Ms. Wanda Dukes has been providing supportive care to youth and women in high-risk situations for over 25 years.

In addition to being an extraordinary youth advocate at LYTE Collective and the best Double Dutch turner at the LYTE Lounge. Ms. Dukes is the Administrative Assistant and Certified Pearson Vue Test Administrator at the Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS), where she runs the GED Testing Center where over 6,000-test takers from across the Chicagoland area have completed their certification. Ms. Dukes is a McNair Scholar who holds a B.A. in Inner City Studies/Interdisciplinary Studies, a M.A. in Inner City Studies and a Master of Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University. She was inducted into the Phi Alpha Honor Society of social work students and in 2022 Ms. Dukes was awarded “Best of 2022 Chicago Award” for transforming, educating, and empowering children & humanity: Social Assistance Award. When not in one of her many roles mentoring and cheerleading students and young people, you can find Ms. Wanda dominating on the tennis court.

CASEY HOLTSCHNEIDER, PHD, LCSW

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dr. Casey Holtschneider has over 20 years of experience leading housing and support programs for youth facing poverty and homelessness

and she is currently an assistant professor of social work at Northeastern Illinois University. Through her research and work at LYTE, Casey spends her days focused on increasing, and improving, the support available for young people who have been excluded from the resources, opportunities, relationships and safety all youth deserve. She completed her MSW at the University of Michigan and PhD in Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work. Casey has a profound love for radical youth work, people fighting for a better world, bringing back 90s dance moves, and macaroni and cheese.

ISMAEL VARGAS JR.

LYTE LOUNGE DIRECTOR

For over 13 years, Ismael “Izzy” Vargas Jr. has dedicated his career to serving Chicago youth and families. Ismael is an experienced program director with extensive expertise in youth development, restorative justice and violence prevention.

Prior to joining LYTE, Ismael successfully oversaw a drop-in youth center in Cicero (Fuerza Youth Center) and led several violence prevention and intervention programs to help reduce gun violence on Chicago’s West Side. Throughout his career, Ismael has worked alongside various organizations and stakeholders, both at the city and state level, to improve safety and wellness for youth and families across Illinois. This includes serving as co-chair of the Cicero Youth Task Force (CYTF), a volunteer coalition of over 50 different organizations dedicated to the well-being of children, youth and families in Cicero and nearby neighborhoods. Ismael is a passionate individual of faith who believes in creating deep roots within communities for true change and is dedicated to growing and uplifting communities of color, through collaborative work with youth and families. He received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and received a certificate in Nonprofit Business Excellence from the University of Notre Dame. When not at LYTE, Ismael’s favorite places to be are anywhere spending time with his wife and two kids, at the gym sharing his love of boxing with others (former Junior Olympics and Golden Gloves champ here, my friends!), or any place there is access to a steady M&M supply.

MEGAN WICKMAN, LCSW

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Megan Wickman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has spent over 15 years working with youth in settings including schools, the foster care system, street and health outreach and housing programs,

and served as director of the first drop-in and resource center for youth experiencing homelessness on Chicago’s south side. She believes that relationships and community are the foundation of collective impact and has a passion for developing programs defined by youth leadership, self-care, and developmentally and culturally affirming spaces. She holds a master’s of social work from Loyola University and a master’s of science in child development from Erikson Institute. Megan is immensely grateful to all of the young people she has met for teaching her about strength, courage and living in truth… and for putting up with her mediocre cooking.

board of directors

WILL BULKA

VICE CHAIRPERSON

Will Bulka is a computer systems analyst at ComputerWorks of Chicago. He has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit organizations

including 9 years as the director of supportive services for an organization serving youth experiencing homelessness on Chicago’s south side where he worked with young people and a range of community stakeholders to improve education, employment and recreation opportunities for youth experiencing homelessness across the city. Before his work with youth facing homelessness, Will managed programs for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients as well as children with autism. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Iowa and a degree in Liberal Studies from Viterbo University. Will, a beard grower from the 90’s, is currently unable to shave due to the adverse reaction of loved ones to his actual face. He suffers the same fate of his father, a mustached man, forced to hide his true identity for the comfort of those around him.

AMANDA DUNNAVANT

DIRECTOR

Amanda Dunnavant comes to LYTE Collective with over seven years of experience in finance including her current work as the accounting coordinator at NextGen Global Resources, LLC

and previous position as a purchasing analyst at Leo Burnett. For years, Amanda has been a fierce advocate for youth facing social and economic injustice, helping to shape services within both housing and employment programs for young people in Chicago. Amanda, an accomplished musician and vocalist, is also a champion for the power of music and arts-based programming to transform lives. She is an incredible singer, songwriter, painter and social change thought leader. And if you think that’s impressive, just wait until you see what she can do with a spreadsheet.

DERRICK FISHER

DIRECTOR

Derrick Fisher comes to LYTE’s board of directors with nearly a decade of experience bringing media and technology services to Chicago through his current work with RCN and previous positions with AT&T and Comcast Corp.

For over fifteen years, Derrick has devoted his life to advocating for the needs of young people experiencing poverty and homelessness, serving as an advisor for several youth organizations in Chicago, a mentor for countless young people, and previously holding an elected position on the National Network for Youth’s advisory council. Derrick believes that all young people deserve to live in communities that protect and invest in them and he is a champion for the power of sports, music and education to transform lives. When not bringing technology to the masses or uplifting young people of Chicago, Derrick can generally be found engrossed in a debate about hip hop while devotedly cheering on (most) Chicago professional sports clubs but yes, also…the Yankees.

PATRICIA POSEY

DIRECTOR

Patricia Posey currently works for Apple Inc. and has over 12 years of experience in sales, customer relations and information technology.

For nearly 15 years, Posey has helped guide the mission and services of multiple organizations serving youth experiencing homelessness. In 2004, she was elected the GLBTQ chair of the National Network for Youth policy board where she served for two years before her advancement to the National Network’s executive board. Posey has also served on the advisory councils of UCAN’s LGBT Host Home Project as well as Teen Living Programs in Chicago, Illinois. In 2008, in recognition of her activism on behalf of the rights of young people, Posey was honored as one of the Windy City Times 30 under 30. While we are grateful that Posey chose to spend her days making the world a better place for all of us through technology and the advancement of human rights, as the funniest person we have ever met in our lives, we can’t help but wonder what would have become of her stand-up career.

DARRIN SHILLAIR, MBA

SECRETARY & ACTING TREASURER

Darrin Shillair joins LYTE Collective with over 12 years of experience in management consulting and project management. He is the President of Specialty Sales and founder and managing principal at Eagle Tower Capital.

He previously led the strategic initiatives team at Guggenheim Partners and was a consultant with PriceWaterhouse Coopers. Darrin received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. In his free time, he enjoys bike-riding (slowly), pretending he has a jump shot, and living his truth through 2 dozen hot wings at a time.

BONN WADE, MA

CHAIRPERSON

Bonn Wade, a clinical social worker and therapist with Beverly Therapists, has over 20 years of experience in social services providing, directing and designing housing and supportive services for LGBTQA youth within trauma informed frameworks.

In addition to direct service, they are the co-founder and former associate director of UCAN’s LGBTQ Host Home Program, an appointee on Cyndi Lauper’s Forty To None Project advisory board, and also a former board member for Task Force and Community Services and Youth Empowerment Performance Project. Bonn holds the vision that every youth in Chicago deserves a safe and stable home to not only survive but also thrive. Bonn holds a master’s degree from The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. When not building community and youth programs, Bonn is busy planning their annual block party, specifically, the pet parade!