KATIE KING | November 20, 2017

This fall, Standing with Our Neighbors expanded from one school to seven.

Due to the tremendous success of Standing with Our Neighbors‘ first year, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation was asked to expand the program from one Atlanta Public School to seven. To support the 2017 – 2018 school year, AVLF hired six new full-time program staff this fall. 

Standing with Our Neighbors began its pilot year (2016 – 2017) with two staff members, both located in the Thomasville Heights neighborhood — specifically Thomasville Heights Elementary School. Their presence influenced dramatic change within the school: enrollment turnover dropped 36% and 20 evictions were stopped. (Want to learn more about what we accomplished? Check out the full story.)

Thanks to our generous funders, Standing with Our Neighbors is now in seven schools and 31 neighborhoods. Each new staff member is bringing additional services to the clients living in their communities and focusing on community outreach. Multiple staff members jumped head-first into outreach in their first few weeks on the team, attending and throwing fall festivals throughout the month of October. 

Learn about each of our new staff members below and where they’ll be working.

Carver Cluster

Staff members located in the Carver Cluster work in Thomasville Heights, historic South Atlanta, and the surrounding neighborhoods. The Carver Cluster initiative began at Thomasville Heights Elementary School in 2016 and recently expanded to Slater Elementary School and Price Middle School. 

Nekesha Whitaker
Community Advocate

Nekesha usually goes by Kesha. She’s a Community Advocate based at Slater Elementary and Price Middle School. 

Previously a family advocate at an early childhood education center, Kesha worked with families experiencing homelessness to find resources that lead to family stability: jobs, legal help, childcare, and housing. Originally a native of southern California, she moved to Georgia in 2009 to pursue a degree in criminal justice and sociology from Clark Atlanta University. She also holds a Masters in Social Work from Georgia State University. 

Kesha joins Ayanna and Christal, our first two Standing with Our Neighbors staff members. 

NPU-V

AVLF focused on expanding to the communities within Neighborhood Planning Unit-V throughout last year. We’re excited to have begun working in the neighborhoods of NPU-V, including Pittsburgh, Adair Park, and Mechanicsville. Staff members are located at Barack and Michelle Obama Academy, Kindezi at Gideons Elementary, and Dunbar Elementary School. 

Lauren Washington
Staff Attorney

Lauren is the staff attorney based at Gideon’s Elementary School, Dunbar Elementary, and Barack and Michelle Obama Academy.

Lauren previously worked at the law firm Thomas Kennedy Sampson. She received her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. Prior to practicing law, Lauren participated in the Teach for America 2010 Corps where she taught English, step, and dance. When she isn’t working, Lauren enjoys visiting museums and participating in dance classes. 

LaKeta Whittaker
Community Advocate

LaKeta is one of AVLF’s community advocates based in Dunbar Elementary, Gideon’s Kindezi, and Barack and Michelle Obama Academy. She has lived with her family in NPU-V for ten years.

LaKeta has a deep passion for her local community and has served on the Annie E. Casey Community Investment Fund Board for three years. She brings over 13 years of advocacy for income-stricken populations to the position. In her spare time, LaKeta enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.  

Katrina Monroe-Pettaway
Community Advocate

Katrina is our other community advocate based in the schools in NPU-V. 

Katrina lives in Pittsburgh and has lived in NPU-V for 20 years. She is the mother of two sons and the proud Gigi of three grandchildren. Katrina taught in Atlanta Public Schools for 20 years before joining AVLF’s team. In her spare time, she loves to cook, bake, and shop. She lives with her wonderful husband and a dog named Snoopy, who is the family hero. Spending time with her family is the most important thing in her life. 

Westside

For the 2017 – 2018 school year, AVLF also expanded the Standing with Our Neighbors program to Atlanta’s Westside. With two staff members based in Hollis Innovation Academy, the team serves English Avenue, Vine City, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Erik Provitt
Staff Attorney

Erik is the staff attorney for Atlanta’s Westside communities.

Previously, Erik spent 15 years in the financial services sector, where he most recently was a Senior Fraud Investigator with SunTrust Bank. Erik earned his J.D. from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. There he was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Award and the Renata Turner Public Interest Scholarship. Erik also holds a B.S. in Marketing and an M.B.A. He resides in Gwinnett County with his wife and four children.

Shameka Dixon
Community Advocate

Shameka works out of Hollis Innovation Academy on the Westside.

Born and raised in west Atlanta, Shameka has worked in social services for a decade. Previously, she taught preschool for nine years. Shameka received her B.A. from Fort Valley State University. When she’s not helping families in Vine City, English Avenue, and Ashview Heights, you can find Shameka trying new restaurants and working on Pinterest projects. 

Want to know more about Standing with Our Neighbors? Check out the program page for resources and more in-depth information. 

Katie King

Check out more from this author. 

Katie handles all of the online communications for AVLF, overseeing the organization’s social media campaigns, newsletters, and website. She is passionate about community engagement and the city of Atlanta. Katie holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi. Follow her on social media at @katiecarterking.