Michael Cirelli

Founder, National Youth Poet Laureate Program

Michael Cirelli served as Urban Word’s Executive Director for over 15 years, and in 2008 he founded the National Youth Poet Laureate Program. His work supports the strategic growth of Youth Poet Laureate Programs nationally, and elevating platforms for young poets, leaders and changemakers.

Cassandra Quayson

National Youth Poet Laureate Program Network Manager

Cassandra Quayson is a Ghanaian American writer, educator, and graduate of the New York University MFA Program, where she was a Goldwater Fellow. She is a Writing Consultant at the Columbia School of Social Work and the 2024 Poetry Coalition Fellow at Urban Word NYC. Her writing, which is informed by love, abolition, and her studies in sociolinguistics, can be found in West 10th, Confluence, and The Gallatin Review. As Network Manager for the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, Cassandra supports the national network of 100+ partners while championing the artistic and civic success of youth poet laureates across the country.

Mahogany Browne

Artistic Director

Mahogany L. Browne, Artistic Director of Urban Word, was selected as Kennedy Center’s Next 50, is the Executive Director of JustMedia, a writer, playwright, organizer, & educator. Browne has received fellowships from Arts for Justice, Air Serenbe, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research & Rauschenberg. She is the author of recent works: Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky, Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby, & Black Girl Magic. Founder of the diverse lit initiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne’s latest poetry collection Chrome Valley (Norton) due to drop Spring 2023 is a promissory note to survival. She is the first-ever poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Eboni Hogan

Program Director

Eboni is a Brooklyn-based poet, screenwriter, visual artist and educator. Her expertise in instructional design and differentiated learning was forged through over a decade of experience in youth-based nonprofits and educational technology. As a curriculum specialist, she co-authored Fresh Ed: A Field Guide to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (2016), later serving as Project Director for the Fresh Ed integrative arts program. Eboni attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts before going on to become the 2010 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion and the recipient of the 2018 Friends of Literature prize (Poetry Foundation). As Program Director at Urban Word, Eboni manages our roster of teaching artists as well as our core and off-site programming, including school residencies and general artist requests.

Board Of
Directors

  • Eric Adisa

    Board Chair
    Assistant Principal, Hunter College
    Elementary School

  • Edward J. Jacobs

    Partner
    BakerHostetler LLP

  • Amanda Jacobs Wolf

    Visual Artist

  • Luis (Lou) Abad

    Principal
    KPMG LLP

  • Tina Jacobson

    Chair
    Space Matters Inc.

  • Jason Wadlow

    Standard Chartered Bank New York

  • Kevin Buddhdew

    Board Treasurer
    Director , Credit Suisse

  • Nkosi D. Shields

    Counsel
    BakerHostetler LLP

  • Ayana E.S. Walker

    Director
    HBO
    Product Management

  • Camonghne Felix

    Writer/ Poet Communications Strategist

  • DK Bartley

    Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer
    Moody's Corporation

Interested in joining our Board of Directors?

Are you or is someone you know looking for ways to be more involved in your community, support a vital Black-led organization, and amplify the creative, educational, and professional development of young people in NYC and across the country? As we expand our capacity and community, we are excited to grow our board. We welcome expertise and fresh ideas from all industries. If this is exciting to you, email shanelle@urbanwordnyc.org and our Board Development Committee will quickly be in touch.