YELLS Staff
Monica Freeman, MHA – YELLS Director of Programs
Monica Freeman graduated from Eastern New Mexico University and received a Master of Healthcare Administration and Public Administration from the Jones International University in Centennial, Colorado, as well as a certificate in nonprofit Executive Leadership from the Spillett Leadership Academy. Monica formerly served as the Senior Executive Director for several Boys & Girls Clubs in Georgia and has led education and child safety prevention programs and training for over 500 youth-developed professionals. As Director of Programs at YELLS, Monica is responsible for ensuring all YELLS initiatives successfully empower youth and families to achieve personally while positively shaping their community. She leads our outcome measurement and results-based accountability process while also supporting staff to lead impactful programs and implement data-driven strategies effectively.
Sandy Mitchell – YELLS Operations Manager/ELA Specialist
Sandy, a lifelong Georgia native, has been working with youth and serving local communities since she was a junior in college. After graduating from GA State University with a degree in Sociology and Nonprofit Management, she was searching for a role that would allow her to continue uplifting youth and supporting communities. After learning of the YELLS mission and vision and meeting some of our amazing youth, she knew this was a place she would feel right at home and has been a part of the YELLS team ever since! When she isn’t working you can find her exploring a new hiking trail, painting, volunteering, cooking a new recipe, or spending time with her family and redtick hound dog, Ziggy!
Sherri Burrell, M.Ed. – YELLS Youth Center Program Coordinator and Lead Teacher
Sherri Burrell is originally from Brooklyn, NY, the youngest daughter of Jamaican immigrants. She received her undergraduate degree at Alfred University, and received her Masters of Education at Simmons College. She has worked in education for almost 20 years and has a passion for developing cognitive and emotional abilities in students. After many years of working in public and private schools, she turned her attention to working in nonprofits which led her to YELLS.
Brittany Timmons – YELLS Mentoring Program Coordinator
Brittany Timmons was born and raised in Washington, DC and received her BFA with a concentration in acting from North Carolina A&T. It was during her junior year of high school that she was able to explore the arts and find her passion for theatre and performance. Along with a fellow peer and a Howard University Masters student-teacher at the time, Brittany started the theatre program at her school. That quickly turned into the three of them being founders of a non-profit organization called Teens-N-Theatre that for 10 years changed lives one performance at a time. It was through this organization that Brittany began to realize that she was helping shape the minds and hearts of young people, and this motivated her to keep tackling her mission as a professional actor. That mission of pursuing her acting career brought her to Atlanta, GA, where she was blessed with the opportunity to be the YELLS Mentoring Coordinator. Brittany truly believes that being in this position for the past two years is nothing but divine orchestration. Working with young people is heart work for her and will ALWAYS be fuel and motivation for her life.
Dito Montaña – YELLS AmeriCorps VISTA Marketing and Community Engagement Specialist
Dito Montaña was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and has been passionate about serving others from a young age. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s in Journalism with a Sociology minor, he applied for AmeriCorps with the hopes of using his storytelling skills to uplift disadvantaged communities, and this ultimately led him to YELLS. During his free time, Dito loves to play soccer and go camping with his Australian Shepherd, Cooper!
Jamie Hartley – YELLS Scholar Success Specialist
Jamie Hartley grew up in rural southern Oregon. From a young age, small town life showed her the importance of having a good community and support. She received her undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology at Eastern Oregon University and received her Master of Social Work at Walden University. She has over 20 years of experience working with children, families, and individuals as an agent of support and guidance. Her professional life includes a commitment to serving the needs of children and families as a Social Worker and Success Specialist. She is a lifelong learner inspired by the abundance of opportunities available to broaden and enrich the lives of her students. Her passion for working with children and families led her to partnerships with a variety of non-profit organizations and eventually led to her finding a home at YELLS.