Board of Directors

 

Brittany Baines

 

Brittany Baines, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Phenomenal I Am, Inc., is a native of New Haven, CT. Brittany serves as the Project Manager of Mentoring and Prevention Program Providers and Co-Chair of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership Greater New Haven Mentoring Collaborative, 2nd Vice President of The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club (NANBPWC), New Haven Club and a host of other professional networking groups. Brittany earned a Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Connecticut in Human Development and Family Studies with the concentration in Families and Relationships: Services and Counseling and a Master’s Degree from Quinnipiac University in Organizational Leadership with the concentration of Non-Profit and Public Service. Brittany is dedicated to her adaptive leadership capabilities as she gives back to her community. Brittany has acquired skills and experiences that have equipped her to be an effective and efficient leader, with the specialty of designing, developing, implementing, and monitoring quality-based youth services.

Brittany’s passion is to educate, empower and improve the overall well-being of youth and families. Brittany believes that every girl is phenomenal in their own right and decided to do the work necessary to help them to see just how phenomenal they are. Brittany believes mentorship is empowering and is inspired to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloudy sky because….

 

“When you learn, teach… When you get, give….”. ------Maya Angelou

 

Tomi M. Veale

 

Tomi M. Veale is the Program Coordinator for Youth@Work at the City of New Haven where she is responsible for ensuring the success of the Youth@Work initiative to provide summer and year-round employment and career exposure to youth of New Haven. She also works at Gateway Community College as an adjunct Professor of Sociology in the Social Services Department. Prior to working at the City of New Haven, Tomi was the Alumni College Dean for Amistad Academy where she provided college support services to postgraduate non-traditional students and students transitioning from two-year to four-year colleges through the college application process. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Central Connecticut State University and later earned her Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of New Haven.

 

Tomi is an active member of the Order of Eastern Star and chairs her chapter’s scholarship committee along with being the State Youth Director. She lives in New Haven where she was born and raised.

 

Chanel Rice

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Chanel earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut, double majoring in psychology and

individualized in children at risk. As a result of her summer work with New Haven youth through LEAP (Leadership, Education, Athletics in Partnership) during her undergraduate tenure, Chanel decided to pursue a Master of Arts in school counseling from Fairfield University. Chanel has served as a

school counselor for New Haven Public Schools and just completed her 13th year as the lead school counselor at James Hillhouse High School.

 

Due to her passion for her field, Chanel also serves as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) at her own private practice in the New Haven area. Chanel mainly services children and adolescents but has worked across all age groups. She genuinely enjoys helping inner-city youth to ensure academic and personal success in difficult environments. Due to this work, Chanel returned to embarking on her own educational journey and completed her 092 administration certification and 6th Year Certification in SEAL (Social-Emotional and Academic Learning) at Sacred Heart University, where she earned the Dean’s Leadership Award in 2021. Due to her passion for this work, Chanel is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in SEAL as well at Sacred Heart University. Her future dissertation area of interest is racial disparities in student discipline. Chanel is a member of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), American Counseling Association (ACA), and Connecticut School Counseling Association (CSCA). Chanel truly loves her work and enjoys being able to work both within the mental health field and educational field. In her free time, Chanel is the varsity assistant for the girls’ basketball team at James Hillhouse High School as well. 

 

Yakeita Robinson

Yakeita Robinson was raised in Bridgeport, Conn. She moved to New Haven in her teens, where she attended Wilbur Cross High School. Robinson then earned her B.A. in psychology from Albertus Magnus College. She has over 18 years of experience working with youth and young adults. Currently she serves as the Chief of Staff at Leadership, Education, Athletics in Partnership, Inc. (LEAP). Yakeita has always had a passion for working with youth and giving back to her community. She currently volunteers at local organizations to provide resources such as books, school supplies and emergency relief materials.