Board of Directors
service. Expertise. Passion.
The board comprises of a unique set of gifted individuals who help support BuildaBridge International's mission.
Ami Yares is a singer/songwriter, educator and social activist. Ami’s experience in arts programming ranges from research on the arts’ impact on social wellness to conflict transformation programming and design. Ami uses music as means to convey understandings about society and culture and has traveled the world, performing and teaching. BuildaBridge captures Ami’s passion for the necessity and urgency for the arts to play a more integral role in the healing and wellbeing of society. The organization is a natural nexus of Ami’s passion and he looks forward to seeing BuildaBridge develop into an even more impactful organization.
Ami Yares
executive director
Dr. Stephen J. Tyson Jr. is a musician, educator, and documentarian. He is the founder of JusListen Entertainment, a multimedia arts company that uses music, film, photography, and podcasts to promote critical thinking and freedom of artistic expression. Dr. Tyson earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and teaches at Arcadia University on the history and global impact of Hip Hop culture.
Stephen J. tyson
board member
Hope is a comedian, comedy educator, and cofounder The LaughtHER Collective, a community for underrepresented people to develop comedic skills in a safe space. Hope serves as an Outreach Program Coordinator with Wellness Together, focused on their Laughing Together program bringing improvisers into schools and organizations to bolster communication and SEL skills using improv. Hope plans and manages their annual conference, the largest student mental wellness conference in California. With a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Manhattan College, Hope has worked throughout the SUNY system, as well as Harlem Children’s Zone where they built out their scholarship program. Hope has comprehensive training from the Upright Citizens Brigade and The People’s Improv Theatre where they studied stand up, improvisation, and sketch comedy.
hope dobrzynski
board member
Stevie Neale (they/she), an avid supporter of BuildaBridge for over 10 years, first traveled as a BaB drama teacher in 2010 to Guatemala. After that crash course in the BaB model, Stevie earned their Masters of Urban Studies: Community Arts with Eastern University which operated at the time in partnership with BuildaBridge University. Stevie taught musical theatre and playwriting as a teaching artist throughout the Philadelphia area from 2010-2020 until Covid forced a career shift. Stevie earned a second Masters of Science in Computer Science and transitioned into a career as a systems administrator currently with Myriad Genetics, Inc. Stevie continues to use art in their everyday life, especially while parenting their two children and working in their garden with their wife. It is a Good Life.
stevie neale
board member
Jonathan is a tour guide, leading journeys across the globe to explore this crazy world we live in. After a stint on Wall Street, Jonathan pivoted to studying Roman archeology, guiding thousands of individuals throughout the Mediterranean, Europe, and the US, under the label Cicerone Travel. He co-founded CharacTours, an organization that focuses on youth education exploring themes of immigration where each group has both a guide and an improvisational actor bringing history to life. He has served on the board of his residential coop as well as his community garden, and is very excited to be part of BuildaBridge.
Jonathan goldstein
board member