staff

Amanda Jefferson, Executive Director
Olanike Ayomide, Program Director
Lauren Dodington, Program Associate
Edward Hill, Program Associate
Jared Epler, College and Post-Secondary Program Coordinator
Elizabeth Stamm, Development Manager

Amanda Jefferson, Executive Director
ajefferson@summersearch.org
Amanda Jefferson received a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Maryland. During this time, she studied abroad in Spain and Chile, which ignited her love for travel and adventure. After graduating from Maryland, she moved to Washington, D.C. and began working in the international education arena, working with Youth for Understanding International Exchange and Hostelling International. Amanda then joined Chemonics International to support international development projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Her travels then led to her to Santiago, Chile, where she lived for two years while working at the Chilean-American Chamber of Commerce and pursuing her MBA from the Universidad de Chile in conjunction with Tulane's Freeman School of Business. Upon moving back to the U.S., she joined the Wharton School’s Executive Education division where she served as Director of Partnerships for Social Impact. After several years volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Summer Search Philadelphia’s Young Professional Network, she joined Summer Search as Executive Director in March 2011.

Olanike Ayomide, Program Director
oayomide@summersearch.org
Olanike comes to Summer Search with experience in community and school based youth leadership programming including the Eastern High School Choir in Washington, DC, the King’s Center in Frankfort, KY, and BuildOn in Philadelphia, PA. Her education in Liberal Arts, Business Marketing, and Nonprofit Management, in addition to her AmeriCorps experience and a United Way Board Training program give her a wide range of experiences and a varied toolkit that will support the growth and success of Summer Search Philadelphia.

Lauren Dodington , Program Associate
ldodington@summersearch.org
Lauren joins Summer Search with a passion for youth development and urban education. After earning a degree in sociology and adolescent education at Vassar College, Lauren was a founding faculty member at the Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction in Manhattan where she taught 11th grade U.S. history and supported students in the college application process. Since moving to Philadelphia in 2008, Lauren has worked with the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children developing leadership and high school retention programs for youth attending West Philly’s public schools. She is currently completing a certificate in nonprofit administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government and is delighted to join the Summer Search team.

Edward Hill, Program Associate
ehill@summersearch.org
Edward Hill earned a B.A. in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh before engaging the city of Philadelphia as a Treatment Foster Care social worker for Pennsylvania Mentor. It was here where he developed a passion for helping young people and stressing the importance of their education. While attaining a M.Ed. in Sports and Recreation Administration from Temple University, he took advantage of experiential learning experiences by working for the Philadelphia Eagles Community Relations department and volunteering as a career counselor for Peirce College. His excitement for joining the Summer Search team is only out weighted by his commitment to youth development.

Jared Epler, College and Post-Secondary Program Coordinator jepler@summersearch.org
Jared joins the Summer Search team after spending two years working as an admission counselor at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.  His time in admission allowed him the opportunity to work exclusively with students from the Philadelphia area and develop a passion for college access.    Jared is an active member of the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC), serving as a member of the Communications committee and writing articles for the association’s newsletter – The Pacer.  Also an alumnus of Albright, Jared earned a B.A. in Communications and Music from the college in 2009.  

Elizabeth Stamm, Development Manager
estamm@summersearch.org
Elizabeth comes to Summer Search Philadelphia with over 7 years non-profit development and strategic planning experience. Prior to joining the staff, she served as Director of Enforcement at the Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania, where she actively participated in grant writing, management and reporting, as well as event planning and program/development expansion. In addition, Elizabeth serves as a volunteer Development Coordinator for Children’s Safe Harbor, Inc., a Hispanic youth development organization located in North Philadelphia. Elizabeth is bi-lingual in English and Spanish, enjoys endurance/extreme sports and has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and Europe. She is a graduate of Temple University and holds a Masters degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago.