Who is involved?

Meet our Funders, our Staff, and our Community Advisory Board Members.

 

  • Joan Hunt

    Pilot Director

    Non-profit management professional and Hudson native, Joan Hunt serves as the Pilot Director and oversees all operations, communications, and media/press. Joan also currently serves as the Executive Director of the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood in Hudson, NY and is excited and optimistic about the potential intergenerational impact of the Pilot for the Hudson community, in which she has established herself as a respected community organizer, advocate, and leader.

  • Leah Hamilton

    Principal Investigator

    Leah Hamilton, MSW, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Appalachian State University, Senior Fellow at the Jain Family Institute, and Faculty Affiliate at the Social Policy Institute of Washington University in St. Louis. She is serving in the role of Principal Investigator, conducting research on the Pilot’s impact on participants. Visit our blog to hear from Leah, follow her on Twitter, @HamiltonLeah, or check out her book, “Welfare Doesn’t Work: The Promises of Basic Income for a Failed American Safety Net.”

  • Nicole Fallon

    Assistant Pilot Director
    Research Assistant

    Nicole Fallon, LMSW serves as the Assistant Pilot Director and Research Assistant. She has worked in and with the Hudson community since 2015 and brings a unique, trauma-informed perspective from years of clinical experience and is passionate about addressing and challenging social issues perpetuating intergenerational poverty. She has conducted independent research on self-determination theory and brings passionate and empathic energy to ensure participants’ feel comfortable and empowered throughout the course of the Pilot.

HudsonUP Community Advisory Board

Our Community Advisory Board now meets quarterly to ensure that the Pilot remains community-driven and pursuant to its core values, mission, and vision for the future in Hudson and beyond. We are always looking to expand our Advisory Board and welcome recommendations or requests to serve as a member.

At present, our Community Advisory Board is comprised of the following individuals who represent community interests and / or community-based organizations:

City of Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson

Kaya Weidman (Executive Director of kite’s nest)

Sharece Johnson (Hudson native, Community Member)

Lira Campbell (HudsonUP Ambassador)

Bryan MacCormack (Executive Director of CCSM / Movimiento Santuario)

Susan Danziger (The Spark of Hudson co-founder)

Albert Wenger (The Spark of Hudson co-founder)

Created By

  • The Spark of Hudson

    The Spark of Hudson is a community learning hub in the City of Hudson, founded by Susan Danziger and Albert Wenger, aspiring to reinvent education .

    The Spark

  • Eutopia Foundation

    Eutopia’s generous financial support, in partnership with The Spark of Hudson, has provided the resources necessary to double the size of our Pilot’s first cohort, allowing us Eutopia Foundationto provide more than 1% of the City of Hudson’s population with monthly, guaranteed payments.

    Eutopia's CEO/Founder