Our Team
Our team is a collective of dedicated people striving to build democratic futures
Nakia Hamlett
Co-Principal Investigator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. Hamlett is the William Meredith Assistant Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College. She previously served as an Instructor and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. She completed her pre- and post-doctoral fellowships in that same department. Her clinical and research interests include child, adolescent, and young adult mental health, complex trauma, race-based traumatic stress, personality, and psychological assessment.
For nearly two decades, beginning with a career in special education, Dr. Hamlett has worked with youth and families struggling with educational and cultural marginalization as well as related mental health and psychosocial challenges. In addition to her academic work and research, Dr. Hamlett works as an independent psychological evaluator and consultant.
Jefferson A. Singer
Co-Principal Investigator
Pronouns: he/him/his
Jefferson A. Singer is the Faulk Foundation Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College. He has authored six books: The Proper Pirate; Robert Louis Stevenson’s Quest for Identity (Oxford University Press); Positive Couple Therapy: Using We-Stories to Enhance Resilience (with Karen Skerrett; Routledge); Personality and Psychotherapy; Treating the Whole Person (Guilford Press); Memories that Matter (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger); Message in a Bottle (The Free Press); and The Remembered Self: Emotion and Memory in Personality (with Peter Salovey, The Free Press).
He has published over 100 articles and chapters in the fields of memory, personality, and clinical psychology. Dean Singer is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and past recipient of the Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award.
Nicole Broadus
District Wellness Manager
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Nicole Broadus is a mother of two small boys ages, 6 and 10 and has been working in the New London community for over 10 years. Graduating from Central Connecticut State University, Nicole went on to intern for Safe Futures where she began teaching as a Violence Prevention Educator. Later, Nicole went on to work for New London Public Schools where she saw the need to change the ways the school system was functioning and how they do not benefit young people, especially young people of color. In the summer of 2022 Nicole began working as Organizing Manager for Hearing Youth Voices where she hopes to influence positive change for the youth in her community as well as youth in Connecticut.
In addition to being an Organizing Manager, Nicole also works at New London Youth Affairs and also represents New London County on Connecticut’s Parent Cabinet Committee which serves as a parent advising committee for the state. She also directs the youth choir at Shiloh Baptists Church where she also sits on the board, and Co-chairs the governance committee with Safe Futures Board of Directors.
Jerry Fisher
Community Fellow
Pronouns: he/him/his
Jerry Fischer holds a B.A. from City College of New York and an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Hunter College, CUNY and in Musicology from Harvard. At Harvard, he conducted graduate studies in folklore and anthropology, specializing in French folk music in Nova Scotia and a Steel Drum band in Dorchester. After serving in various roles in Jewish Community Centers, he became the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut in 1984, retiring from that position in 2019. During his tenure he developed influential programs on holocaust education and African American experiences in Eastern CT and substantially expanded adult Jewish education. He also led over 25 educational trips to Israel. He is an accomplished documentary filmmaker, focusing on New London County’s ethnic groups. He is currently working on the documentary, “Henny and Hannover” for CPTV, depicting the story of a Holocaust survivor who settled in Colchester, CT.
Antonio Vargas
Community Fellow
Pronouns: he/him/his
Antonio Vargas Jr. is a native of New London, serving as Pastor of his home faith community, Church of the City’s English Ministries. His commitment to children and youth advocacy, education, justice, and worship embodies his approach for the local church: providing spaces where people are known and loved for holistic health and transformation.
Antonio received his undergraduate degree from Gordon College, Mass., studying Religion and Culture, and Business Administration. While at Gordon, Antonio served in various capacities – from working directly under the President of the College, to co-founding a multilingual and multi-ethnic worship team. He was awarded Collegian of the Year, and was named by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as one of “25 Young Adults to Know.”
The child of two Puerto-Rican migrants, he brings his love for cooking “Carne Guisado”, a Hispanic-stlyed beef stew, and his life-long goal of learning about ‘untold stories’ to the Just Futures project.
Kolton Harris
Community Fellow
Pronouns: he/him/his
Kolton Harris is an artist, musician, director, facilitator, and creative visionary from Groton, CT. He has worked as an arts administrative leader in various capacities for the past several years, developing arts integration curriculum focused on social justice and youth development. As a creative director, he has directed new works of theater, interdisciplinary events and community-based programming. Through his eclectic approach as a musician, he has positioned himself as a vessel through which hope and unity are expressed in the midst of the harsh realities of the modern world. As a fierce advocate for the centrality of art to the human experience, he has continued to build bridges between arts and different sectors to demonstrate the universal necessity for creativity in all fields and experiences. Graduating with honors from Connecticut College in 2014 with a BA in English, Kolton’s interest in the power of narrative led to his work with the New London-based nonprofit Writer’s Block InK, an organization that empowers youth to create new works of art for social change, where he served as the Executive Director. His work centers on diversifying representation within arts-based industries and demonstrating the power of the arts to heal, transform and flourish humanity.
Alana Reiss
Student Assistant
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Alana is a senior at Connecticut College double majoring in Human Development and Education with a minor in Psychology. She is planning to pursue a Master’s in Education and a Multiple-Subject Teaching Certification with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. Previously, Alana has been a Breakthrough Collaborative Teaching Fellow and taught at Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School. She is a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology.
Linh Nguyen
Student Assistant
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Linh Nguyen is an international student from Vietnam. She is currently a sophomore at Connecticut College, majoring in Computer Science. She has experience with web development and she aspires to be a Software Engineer.
Ken Prestininzi
Professor
Pronouns:
Lorum Ipsum
