Our Team
Youth Advisory Board
Naya Dukkipati, 20, Texas
Naya Dukkipati is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Southern California, pursuing a dual degree in Cybersecurity and Public Policy with the goal of practicing digital law after working in digital forensics or security engineering. She loves writing and reading in her free time and you can find her self-published poetry book, Enough, on Amazon.
Bridgitte Thao, 19, Minnesota
Bridgitte Thao (she/her) is a Hmong-American poet with a passion for cultivating creative spaces, especially for young artists. She is from St. Paul, Minnesota and is currently studying at Yale College. Her works draw from her vibrant childhood in Saint Paul, her love for fantastical worlds, and her desire to create a space for healing. Bridgitte’s involvement with Youth Be Heard began in 2021 when she first attended a Poets Be Heard event. Since then, she has officially joined the youth advisory board and piloted a peer mentorship program for young, disadvantaged creators. Additionally, she contributes monthly pieces exploring self-identity and relationships at the intersection of unique 21st century forces. In 2022, she won a Gold Medal from the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards for her poetry collection, “The Unveiling.” Besides writing, Bridgitte enjoys reading fantasy novels, walking around her neighborhood, and listening to Beyoncé.
Will Lieber, 21, Illinois
My name is Will Lieber, and I am a college freshman majoring in neuroscience and I love to play the tuba. I enjoy writing for Youth Be Heard because it is a place to make my voice heard among others in the same season of life. In many ways, we are more alike than we realize. As a high school senior in 2020 who lost a lot of experiences to covid, I empathize with many like me who are struggling to find their identity, purpose, and meaning. I want to encourage people our age to articulate these struggles through writing in order to show others that they are not alone. I think knowing how to write well is one of the most valuable skills you can have, whether it is for a college application, a job, or just a general communication of ideas.
Abi Zajac, 21, Missouri
Abi Zajac is a graduate student at Missouri State University pursuing a master’s in writing. Zajac’s love for writing began with journalism and grew to include poetry, fiction, and any other form she can get her hands on. In spring of 2021 Zajac self-published a children’s book titled “Bobby Conquers Anxiety”. When she is not writing, Abi enjoys baking and doing yoga.
Jordan Muscal, 17, Texas
Jordan Muscal is a junior at a Performing and Visual Arts in Texas, where she is on the staff of her school’s newspaper and literary magazine. She has loved writing since elementary school, and enjoys experimenting with all forms of creative writing including journalism, poetry, and screen writing. She has participated in the Adroit Summer Mentorship Program and had her writing recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She is so excited to be a part of Youth Be Heard’s Youth Advisory Board!
Alexis Casner, 17, Minnesota
Alexis is a senior in high school and is serving her first year on the Youth Be Heard board. Through monthly editions of the school newspaper, online poetry contests, and now submissions to YBH, she has grown a passion for all things writing. Alexis is civically involved in her community and finds joy in being a member of the League of Women Voters as well as a local Election Judge. She leads her school’s Mock Trial and Creative Writing Club, and her community’s 4-H Club—though some of her success should be attributed to her wonderful co-captains. In her spare time, she works as a balloon artist at birthday parties and fairs!
Renee Childs, LMSW- Founder, Executive Director
Renee Childs is the Executive Director and Editor of Youth Be Heard. After a career in business, Renee returned to school for her Master’s of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. Working with East St. Louis high school students inspired her to start YBH. Renee has written for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the HuffPost, and Business Insider. She is a mother of two who loves to adventure and eat too many desserts.
IG: @raisingthehumans
Jonathan Sato, MDIV- Board Member
Jonathan Sato is the Superintendent for The Free Methodist Church in Southern California. He and his wife (Jenn) have adopted two amazing girls and a 6-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He dreams of playing on the PGA Tour and hopes one day to create a world where adoption and fostering are the norm.
Sydney Stigge-Kaufman, MSW- Board Member
Sydney Stigge-Kaufman is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for East St. Louis School District 189. She has a Masters in Social Work and over 20 years of experience in the non-profit and education sectors. Sydney is passionate about educational equity.
Greg Gordon, PMP, ITIL, DevOps, CTBME- Board Member
Outside of being the Chief Delivery Officer at Easy Dynamics Corp, you’ll find Greg visiting a national park with his family, out enjoying nature, or playing pickleball.
Britt Lueken, LMSW- Board Member
Britt Lueken has a bachelor’s in fine arts and received her MSW from the Brown School at Washington University in 2018. Since then, she has worked as the creative director at Educational Multimedia Inc. (EMI), combining her background in art and Montessori education with social work and public health. As a creative person, she understands how important and meaningful artistic expression can be for self-discovery, building confidence, and processing emotions and experiences. She is passionate about ensuring that young people have opportunities and the means to reach their potential and their goals.
Leslie Nance- Board Member
Leslie Nance has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Masters in Business Administration from University of Missouri. While her career has not led her to the journalism industry, she uses the skills she learned in school every day working in financial services as a product manager. Leslie is a mother of 3 who enjoys spending time with her family either boating at a nearby lake or attending one of her kids’ activities. She believes in the power of the written word and is excited to help enable youth to learn to harness that power.
Christina Schwaller, BS, BA- Managing Editor
Christina Schwaller has a BS in Linguistics and a BA in English from Truman State University. She worked as a freelance copyeditor and tutor before moving into publishing, where she worked for 9 years as an editorial specialist. She is now changing career paths and working on a Master of Library and Information Science at University of Missouri. She plans to go into public librarianship, which will allow ample opportunities for creativity and for assisting people of all ages and backgrounds with their information needs.
Anne Accardi- Editor
Anne graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with degrees in English Literature, Marketing, and German. She has years of experience with copywriting and editing for both creative and business writing and currently works as a writer at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. She feels that there are so many ways to be a good writer and loves helping people find their writing style and make it their best.