Our Staff
Kate Reuther is the founder and director of Uptown Stories with the mission of providing young writers the chance to discover and develop their inner voices.
Over the past ten years, Uptown Stories has offered nearly 200 writing workshops, and championed the voices of more than 1,500 kids in Manhattan’s uptown neighborhoods.
Before Uptown Stories, Kate taught middle and high school Humanities for over 25 years, in both public and private schools, including the Tompkins Square Middle School, Calhoun, Fieldston, and Bank Street.
Her own fiction has appeared in The Madison Review, Brain Child, Salamander, and The Ledge.
Kate is a life-long New Yorker and has been living in Washington Heights since 2003 with her two kids.
Dorkys Ramos is the director of programs for Uptown Stories.
She is a bilingual writer, editor, artist, and teacher born-and-raised in Washington Heights/Inwood.
Her work has appeared in a variety of digital and print publications, including Travel + Leisure, BET.com, Time Out New York Kids, Parents Latina, the Syracuse Post-Standard, and the Manhattan Times, among others.
She currently teaches writing and art to elementary, middle school, and high school students in Washington Heights and Inwood and is part of the steering committee for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ metro chapter.
She’s a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications where she studied Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism and is also the founder and illustrator of stationery company Porcupine Hugs.
Melanie Thibeault is the director of marketing and operations for Uptown Stories.
She likes rules, guidelines and procedures, especially when they’re applied all at the same time. She also likes skateboarding and surfing, though she can do neither.
Melanie lives in Washington Heights, but would consider moving to the Bronx to be a zookeeper. (she/her/hers)
Sergio Jimenez is a Program Manager for Uptown Stories.
A spoken word artist and educator from the Bronx, with a discipline in poetry and performance, Sergio has been a teaching artist for Urban Word NYC, Cooper Union College, CityLore and The Dreamyard Project. He has also performed for Paypal, Etsy, Lacoste and dozens of colleges such as the University of Massachusetts. Sergio has been featured at The Apollo Theater, The Mist, The Snapple Theater, and has been spotlighted on Telemundo and New York One News.
Sergio is excited to help children feel empowered through their writing, and support each and every one of our teaching artists along the way.
He is double-jointed lefty, and his favorite animal is a hyena!
Liana Wilson-Graff is a Marketing & Operations Coordinator for Uptown Stories.
She recently earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Haverford/Bryn Mawr Colleges where she also focused her studies on English and Africana Studies minors.
Liana is a passionate dance and performance studies writer, interdisciplinary thinker, and artist with published writing in the Journal of Art Criticism and dance reviews in Splash Magazine.
As a born and raised uptown kid, Liana is so happy to be back home and giving back to her community through Uptown Stories.
Jourdan Pérez is a Development Coordinator for Uptown Stories.
Born and raised in Harlem, he took a four-year break from the city at Bard College upstate, where he received his B.A. in Sociology.
Here, he began his work in developing and supporting community engagement initiatives, publishing a study on the role of community and social relationships in the lives of LGBTQ+ youth.
Returning to the city, he spends his free time as an amateur cook, amateur photographer, and generally trying new experiences.
Andrea is a Development Assistant for Uptown Stories.
She recently graduated from Bennington College in May 2026 with a B.A. in Biology and Latin American Studies, paired with a “minor” concentration in Creative Writing. Her unique selection of studies has allowed her to perform an exciting range of unusual academic tasks, from translating surrealist Spanish poetry to analyzing the ectoparasites of the Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). She is excited to keep using her skillset to help out at Uptown Stories, ever since originally starting as an Education and Writing Intern in the winter of 2023.
Andrea originally hails from North Brunswick in New Jersey, where she lives with her Peruvian family. She's happy to either birdwatch locally when the weather is nice, or to create digital illustrations and experiment with vocal synthesis technology when she has to stay indoors.
Ella is a Publishing Coordinator at Uptown Stories.
Born in Washington D.C. and raised in the Bay Area, she discovered her love of stories back in 3rd grade, and continued pestering librarians throughout high school and college. After discovering an interest in journalism and publishing in college, she briefly explored radio and community history in California's Santa Cruz Mountains, before heading back to the East Coast.
Ella hopes that her work at Uptown Stories will encourage kids to take themselves and their writing seriously, by showing them that other people are really invested in their work too.
Whether writing stories or taking a morning walk, she enjoys paying attention to the tiniest details. Ella loves birding, although she has a really bad memory, and design. She recently built her own bedside table.
Owen Ruderman is a Publishing Assistant for Uptown Stories.
Having recently moved to Brooklyn from California to pursue a career in publishing, Owen has been thoroughly enjoying himself. A creative writing lover, he finds the creativity and bravery of Uptown Stories writers inspiring.
Owen is excited to have this opportunity to learn as much as he can about editing and publishing. He is also passionate about working with kids, so he can't wait to do their material justice!
Owen can drive a car with manual transmission, and when he was a kid, he was a drummer in a rock band!
Rafael Tillery is an Americorps Civic Corps Member (2025-26) for Uptown Stories.
Rafael Tillery is a Midwest-born dancer, choreographer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans performance, teaching, spoken word, and art activism. He holds a B.A. in Theatre and Dance from Austin Peay State University and an M.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Florida State University. Rafael’s creative and scholarly research focuses on the intersections of identity and interdisciplinary performance as well as the utilization of dance as a modality through which to excavate various ontologies around Blackness and Queerness.
Rafael is excited to develop his administrative, project management, and event planning abilities to support Uptown Stories. He is also bringing his expertise in movement education to bring another dimension to our LEAPS afterschool programming at Amistad Dual Language School.
In his free time, Rafael loves to dance, of course, listen to different types of music, and study astrology!
Sphynxx Oakley is an Americorps Civic Corps Member (2025-26) for Uptown Stories.
As a Two-Spirit mixed media visual artivist and educator from the Bronx, Sphynxx's artistic practice is rooted in the conviction that creativity is essential for both personal and collective liberation. They are passionate about awakening artistry in those who may not consider themselves artists but are curious enough to explore.
Sphynxx is most excited to witness and facilitate the transformation of young students into published authors through our LEAPS afterschool program at Muscota New School, supporting their creative process from first draft to final anthology.
Some fun facts about them are that they love horror movies, they have 3 cats, 1 dog, and a sweet tooth!
Kristilyn Waite is a Development Assistant at Uptown Stories.
She is a Brooklyn based writer, cartoonist, illustrator, and educator. Her work has been featured in various anthologies, gallery shows, and magazines. Her illustration work reflects her love of music, and she has created art for celebrated musicians including Money Mark, Binky Griptite, and Bernie Worrell of Parliament Funkadelic. She is Adjunct Writing faculty at Northeastern University and the University of New Hampshire, and she has also taught a variety of comics and zine making workshops for community based organizations around New York City.
I am excited to empower and inspire young people to do creative work.
She grew up skateboarding and snowboarding, and once accidentally locked herself and a raccoon togther in an apartment!
Our Board
Ted Altschuler has worked for 30+ years with nonprofit organizations and higher learning institutions to connect the public to culture. His programs have increased public understanding of science and health, championed the creation of new theatre, music, and multidisciplinary work, promoted conversations in the literary arts, and amplified the voices of marginalized artists.
His work as a director of theatre and opera includes more than 45 productions at Rode Hoode (Amsterdam), Phoenix Repertory Theatre, New York City Opera, Lincoln Center’s Kaplan Penthouse, The Juilliard School, and others.
Ted has taught acting internationally at conservatories and young artist programs. He served as Associate Director of Mint Theatre Company.
He holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and conducted research on autism spectrum disorders at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Most recently, he provided artistic and administrative leadership of the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York, presenting over 300 programs and serving more than 48,000 patrons annually.
Gloria's passion and experience revolve around using communications as a force for social good. For 25 years, she led communications and media relations for Cigna and the Cigna Foundation, helping Cigna develop a social responsibility strategy and working in tandem with community partners around the world to help improve health and well-being.
Gloria has taught for 10 years as an adjunct professor at Rowan University in a course she developed in healthcare communications, and she began a scholarship in her name to instill a sense of community service among communications students. She began writing children's books 12 years ago and visiting schools to help promote health, self-esteem, kindness and love of reading.
Glora is excited to begin working with Uptown Stories to help further the mission of empowering young people to tell their stories.
Christian is a Director in the Trust Solutions practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, serving large banking and financial services clients. For 10 years, Christian has been a trusted advisor to clients through periods of change, as well as a leader on large, multi-national teams. He recently returned to the New York area after a three-year tour in Zurich, Switzerland.
Christian obtained his undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a registered CPA in the state of New York. Christian was born and raised in New Jersey, where he currently lives. He is a proud husband, and father to a baby girl. Christian is excited to be a member of the Uptown Stories board, where he leverages his professional skills and love of reading and writing to help grow the organization.
Over the course of his professional life, when Stan wasn’t working as a teacher, he was working with other teachers or supervising them, principally at the Bank Street School for Children; or he was writing for teachers and children. Some of the places that have published his writing are the NYTimes Learning Network, The Library of Congress, WNET, Scholastic, Macmillan, the Parents League and the New Deal Network. His first published book was Black Stars, which was a collection of short biographies of African- Americans, written for middle grade readers.
He is a principal trustee in the Reich Fund, which supports organizations that help children. Stan works and lives with his family, two cats and a New Zealand Red bunny on the Upper West Side.
Retired as the Executive Director of Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, NJ, Frank Juliano brought innovation and community building to all aspects of his nonprofit work, including branding and strengthening core educational and horticultural programs; operations, cultivation, and fundraising; and the development of comprehensive and inclusive visual and performing arts initiatives. His work fostering community outreach includes programs targeting underserved populations—students, seniors, and people living with Alzheimer’s disease—as well as a job-readiness training program offering second-chance opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Frank is the recipient of the Fred Honold Award for Community Leadership. He is a consultant for many nonprofits, including ArtsConnection, Palisades Parks Conservancy, Fort Tryon Park Trust, Hebrew Tabernacle, and The Friends of the Paterno Trivium, and he serves on the SUNY New Paltz Alumni Council. He remains closely associated with Reeves-Reed Arboretum, serving as curator for art exhibitions in its gallery and for installations on its historic grounds.
Lei Bely-Cheng believes that every great story begins with finding your voice.
An immigrant, former attorney, Yale MBA, and wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley, Lei has built her career helping founders, families, and visionaries navigate moments of change and possibility. Having lived and worked across four countries, she is deeply passionate about education, entrepreneurship, and expanding opportunities for the next generation.
As a mother of two curious young storytellers, Lei is especially inspired by Uptown Stories’ mission to help children discover the power of their own words. She is honored to support an organization that gives young people the confidence to imagine boldly, write fearlessly, and be heard.
A native of New Jersey who now lives in Oakland, California, Jeff spent over 50 years litigating cases on behalf of workers, retired workers, and disabled people. He has served for many years and continues to serve on the Boards of Trustees of a large governmental pension plan and a sizeable health plan for retired employees and as an independent fiduciary of a group of small health plans. He is an avid reader and is married to a poet, memoirist, and writing teacher.
Hanna Griff-Sleven is a part-time Professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she specializes in teaching Jewish Folklore. Her dedication to education is further demonstrated by her tenure at the New School in New York City, where she taught Oral History and Folklore from 2006 to 2025 in the Department of Culture and Media Studies and Jewish Studies.
For over 16 years Hanna served as the Director of Public Programs and Intern Coordinator at the Museum at Eldridge Street. She was responsible for conceiving, developing, and administering the Museum’s programs. Among her notable achievements are the creation of the Lost & Found Music Series and the Museum’s signature event, the Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanadas Festival a beautiful event that celebrates the many cultures of the Lower East Side. After earning her Ph.D. in Folklore and American Studies at Indiana University, Hanna taught at Grinnell College. And then took a job teaching American Folklore and English at Sanyo Gakuen University in Okayama, Japan.
Hanna has conducted and directed oral history projects focusing on the Jews of Iowa, the South, and the Jews of the Lower East Side. In addition to her academic and programmatic work, she teaches memoir writing classes, sharing her expertise and encouraging others to explore their personal histories.
Deb Murphy has moved eighteen times during her life. She's managed to work for the book publisher, HarperCollins, for nearly 28 years. Her interests and travels have moved her towards reading great books, daily doses of art and nature, and meeting new people. She lives in Washington Heights with her wife, Nanci, and two mischievous cats.
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Jen Swetzoff is the co-founder and editor of Anyway, an independent print magazine for tweens and teens, and the director of marketing for consumer markets at PwC. With 20+ years of editorial and creative experience, she brings both strategic leadership and an entrepreneurial lens to everything she does. Outside of work, she's loves to read, practice yoga, and spend as much time outside as possible. After spending more than 18 years in New York City, she now lives in Westport, CT, with her husband, their two kids, and their dog Louie.