Meet the Say Yes Staff

• Corcoran Quadrant Site Staff
• Fowler Quadrant Site Staff

Administrative Staff

Rachael Gazdick, Say Yes Syracuse Executive Director

Prior to her position with Say Yes, Rachael was the Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Integrative Learning and Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University. She also taught 10 years in the School of Social Work. As Director, she was responsible for overseeing a number of community-focused programs, including the International Young Scholars Program, the Sojourner Storytelling Conference, Hoops for Peace, Chess Camp for Kids, and Roots & Wings, an after-school apprenticeship program for children.
 Her extensive experience in community-based programs includes serving as executive director of Syracuse’s Near East Side Community Development Organization. She was also a site director for Citizen Schools in Boston and a special needs elementary school teacher for Teach For America in Los Angeles and Lake Arthur, La.
 
Gazdick holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from SU, a master’s degree in community organizing, planning, policy and administration from Boston College, and a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University. She currently is working to complete a doctorate in the Cultural Foundations of Education program at Syracuse University.

Rachael can be reached at ragazdic@syr.edu or 443-4260.

Monique R. Fletcher, M.S.W., Associate Director, Say Yes Syracuse

Monique attended the University of Missouri where she received her B.S.W.  She later attended Syracuse University where she received her M.S.W. with a concentration in Community Organizing, Planning, Policy, and Administration.  Ms. Fletcher leads the health and wellness program for Say Yes, striving to ensure that all children in the city of Syracuse have proper health care coverage. She is committed to strengthening communities for the future of young people and believes with the proper support from peers, family, and community; all students can be a success.  She is also an Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University where she teaches Diversity in Social Contexts.  Ms. Fletcher currently lives in Clay, NY.

Monique can be reached at mofletch@syr.edu  or 443-9955.

Christopher Walsh, Director Higher Education Initiative, Say Yes to Education

Chris works closely with the Syracuse City School District and Compact member institutions to coordinate scholarship policy and procedures. He works actively with prospective students and their families to help guide them in the college selection process and oversees the certification and disbursement of awards and continued eligibility.

Chris joined Syracuse University in 1980 in the Office of Admissions where he was responsible for admissions processing and records. Prior to joining Say Yes, he was the special assistant to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, focusing on the University's strategic approach to recruiting and educational funding. His long-standing contribution and service to Syracuse University was recognized in 2005, when he received the Chancellor's Citation for Distinguished Service.

Chris’ knowledge and expertise have also been recognized nationally. In 1992, he was elected a member of the College Boards Middle States Regional Assembly. In 1997, Gov. George E. Pataki nominated Walsh to the Board of Trustees of the New York State Higher Education Services Corp., on which he served until 2003, including two years as vice chair. He is currently serving a three-year term as a member of the College Scholarship Service Board.

Chris holds a bachelor's degree in American literature from the SUNY College at Geneseo and a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University at Albany.

Chris can be reached at cwalsh@syr.edu or 443-3426.

Susan began at Syracuse University in 2004 as the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Division of Student Support & Retention, where she created and implemented strategic marketing, communications and recruitment plans for 14 programs and services, most of which targeted under-represented student populations, and/or involved partnerships with the Syracuse City School District,  various colleges and universities and corporate partners. She was assigned to Say Yes to Education in June 2009 to provide professional leadership in the development and implementation of the city-wide Say Yes strategic marketing plan and community outreach initiatives.
 
Prior to her position at SU, she was the marketing director for the Everson Museum of Art and the PR director for OCC. As a former magazine editor and free lance writer, Susan has written hundreds of articles and columns for various local and regional publications and websites on topics including health and wellness, family finance, parenting and education. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Carol M. Baldwin Fund.
 
Susan holds a bachelors degree in magazine journalism from the University of Kansas.
She can be reached at sfeightn@syr.edu  or 443-1525.

Lori Alexander, Senior Administrator, Accounting

loalexan@syr.edu, 443-3474

Assistant Director Higher Education Initiative

lalorenz@syr.edu 443-9993

Tina Mishko, Administrative Specialist

tmmishko@syr.edu, 443-4260

 
Lauren Britton-Smedley, Administrative Specialist

lmbritto@syr.edu, 443-4558