Together, we can make a difference
Rashida Abuwala, Principal, has worked for close to 20 years as an applied researcher, foundation and non-profit executive for social, racial and economic justice. She works with diverse stakeholders, including lived-experts and community members to partner on grant-making, research, policy solutions, and systems change in child welfare/family regulation and the juvenile legal system.
Before founding New Tomorrow, Rashida was a Director at the Redlich Horwitz Foundation, where she spearheaded deinstitutionalization efforts to move children out of restrictive and harmful foster placements throughout New York state. It resulted in a 45% decrease in institutional placements over five years and was scaled across the state through public-private partnerships involving investments of over $3.5 million.
Prior to this Rashida led a transformation of services at the historic Boys’ Club of New York. As Chief Program Officer, she co-developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan, resulting in new supports, improved youth outcomes, an increase in stakeholder engagement and over one million dollars in new funding.
Rashida started her career as a community organizer, and has worked in criminal justice reform, youth development, and community development supporting babies to seniors. She has presented at national and local conferences and authored several articles and papers on related topics.
A proud graduate of New York City public schools, Rashida also holds an honors BA from Wesleyan University and an honors MSc from the London School of Economics. She is a member of the Advancing Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation Network, a graduate of Coro Leadership NY and has served on the boards of the Wesleyan University Center for Prison Education, the South Asian Womxn’s Creative Collective and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.
Mariel Charles, Senior Analyst, is a connector, educator, and fierce community advocate dedicated towards advancing equity and justice at every level. She values a culture of learning, reflection, and deep connection in building strategy towards true systems-level solutions. Prior to New Tomorrow, Mariel co-launched and led the parent-organizing group of South Bronx Rising Together (SBRT), a community-driven collective impact initiative, in her home community of the South Bronx. SBRT positions community residents, faith leaders, parent advocates, and youth at the forefront of decision-making processes. Under her leadership, Mariel mobilized over 200 parents through a community education train-the-trainer program, significantly increasing access to early childhood services in the South Bronx.
As a former middle-school teacher, Mariel combined her love of language and appreciation for history to provide students with Language Arts and Civics instruction that was relatable to their lived experiences and conducive towards activism and change-making within their collective communities. Mariel has also worked as a qualitative researcher, and as a project manager at an equity-driven consulting firm servicing philanthropies such as the Hewlett Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Amplify Fund. Having worked in community and the non-profit, philanthropic, and government sectors, Mariel is eager to see how relationships formed between each of these sectors can lead to transformational change.
Mariel was a Coro New York Leadership Center Fellow, a Gates Millennium Scholar and is a proud alumna of Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.
Mishelle Mayer, Associate, specializes in administrative support at New Tomorrow. With expertise in invoice management, research coordination, scheduling support, and project management, Mishelle ensures the smooth operation of our administrative functions. Mishelle brings over a decade of experience from her previous career as a dedicated early childhood educator. Her extensive experience in early childhood development and her commitment to supporting children have equipped her with exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills, which she now applies to her role in administration.
