The Merancas Foundation Board Member, Director of Strategy & CAPS Scholarship Fund

Nicole earned her MBA with a special interest in non-profit management from UGA in 2001 and her B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill in 1997. She has served as a family board member of the Merancas Foundation since inception in 1989 and has been actively involved in guiding the Foundation’s footprint within her local community of Atlanta, GA. In 2021 Nicole joined the Foundation staff as Director of Strategy giving her the opportunity to pilot some new initiatives including the CAPS Scholarship.

Prior to joining the Merancas staff, Nicole always worked on the operational side of non-profits combining her passions for the arts and working with teens. In 2007 she co-founded D’AIR, an aerial dance organization in Atlanta, GA where over the span of 12 years she and fellow coaches mentored numerous teens facing challenges at such a critical juncture in their lives transitioning into adulthood. This ultimately became the impetus for the origins of the CAPS Scholarship initiative.

Contact Nicole

Carolina Youth Coalition Co-Founder & Executive Director

Aaron earned his M. Ed from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2013 and a B.A. from Cornell University in 2011. Having previously worked in youth development through the Boys & Girls Club of Columbia County and the YMCA of Tompkins County, he began his career in education as a City Year AmeriCorps volunteer, tutor, and mentor at Belaire High School in Baton Rouge, LA. (Read More)

After teaching middle and high school Social Studies, Aaron joined the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition in 2015 as Director of Sophomore Programs where he played a lead role in program implementation, curriculum design, and special event execution.

Aaron is driven by a fervent belief in the power of education to create lasting generational change. He is an avid sports fan and relocated to Charlotte, NC in 2017 with his wife, Lizzy.

Contact Aaron

College AIM Founder & Executive Director

Sam began his career in education teaching math at Towers High School in 2011. His students mastered academic content, but too often they graduated from high school without postsecondary plans. In partnership school faculty, Sam founded College AIM in 2013 to help his students forge paths to and through college.

​College AIM has now grown to support more than 1,000 incredible students each year. As the Executive Director of the organization, Sam works with community partners to expand College AIM's reach and direct the vision of the organization. Simultaneously, Sam leads College AIM's advocacy work and serves as a college advisor for a cohort of students each year.

​Sam holds a Bachelor's Degree from Cornell University. He was a 2019 Civic Innovation Resident and 2018 Civic Innovation Fellow at the Center for Civic Innovation, was named to the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Atlanta's 30 under 30 in 2018, was a member of the Class of 2016 with New Leaders Council in Atlanta and was named Towers High School Teacher of the Year in 2016.

Contact Sam

College AIM CAPS Scholarship Manager

Joanne oversees the awarding process and supplemental programming for College AIM's CAPS Scholarship recipients. She also manages the mentorship component of the program including volunteer recruitment, matching and training.

Prior to this role, Joanne served as College AIM's Associate Director and was responsible for operations, communications and data management. She also played a key role in fundraising and events. With 15+ years of experience in education and the nonprofit sector, Joanne is dedicated to ensuring all students have access to the knowledge, support and resources needed to achieve their goals.

Joanne holds a BA in English from Boston University, MS in English Education from Nova Southeastern University, MBA from Florida International University and a College Counseling Certificate from UCLA Extension.

Contact Joanne

Carolina Youth Coalition Director of College Programs

LaShawn Robertson is the Director of College Programs at Carolina Youth Coalition. LaShawn has worked in college admissions and college access for the last 10 years, assisting under-resourced students while filling their backpacks with resources and knowledge. She earned her Bachelors Degree from the University of Louisiana Lafayette, where she also worked as a Admissions Counselor and Recruiter from 2007-2014, enrolling high-achieving minority students into college. She transitioned from college admissions into college access in 2014 at the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, where she worked hands-on with students, instructing, encouraging, and guiding students in finding best-fit colleges they could attend with as little debt as possible.

LaShawn's passion is and has been to fill the gaps of educational inequality by providing guidance and support to any student who wants to attend college. She is motivated by the belief that all students, regardless of social-economic status, have the right to pursue and be prepared for higher education. LaShawn's free time is spent with family and friends, cooking, watching basketball, and discovering new adventures.

Contact LaShawn