Meet Our Certified Trainers/Coaches, Model Practitioners, & Partners

Volunteer San Diego provides a network of certified coaches/trainers, model practitioners and partners that support service-learning through any and all aspects of creating and implementing a successful service-learning project.

Certified Trainers and Model Practitioners:

Youth Service California in partnership with the California Department of Education, CalServe unit, is responsible for developing the capacity of each region in California to provide high quality technical assistance and training in service-learning.

Their two specific strategies to achieve this goal are:

1) identifying, training, and promoting qualified people willing and able to facilitate high quality service-learning professional development events for teachers, administrators, community-based educators, and others. These individuals are referred to as Certified Trainers/Coaches.

2) identifying and showcasing Model Practitioners – typically teachers – who demonstrate and illustrate what high-quality service-learning looks like.

Volunteer San Diego serves as a Regional Lead in Service-Learning and provides leadership and collaboration with others to build capacity for service-learning in K-12 schools throughout San Diego County.

Congresswoman Susan Davis Award Outstanding Adult Empowering Youth in Service 2008   Jennifer Sims is recognized for admirable leadership in service-learning and inspiring students to serve the community. Through her continual hard work and dedication, Jennifer engages students to transform our community with passion, commitment and a promise for a better tomorrow.

Certified Trainers/Coaches

Jennifer Hamilton Program Director, Volunteer San Diego Regional Service-Learning Lead jhamilton@volunteersandiego.org (858) 636-4137

Jennifer Hamilton is a Program Director Volunteer San Diego.  Jennifer serves as Regional Service-Learning Lead for San Diego County, as designated by the California Department of Education.  Jennifer is certified by California Department of Education as a service-learning trainer and coach. She is also the only Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute certified trainer in San Diego.  In September 2002, Mrs. Hamilton became a LEAD San Diego graduate. During her over five years as Program Director at Volunteer San Diego, Jennifer’s responsibilities include:  managing the youth empowerment division; facilitating youth and educator trainings; facilitating student created service and leadership projects and philanthropy; budgeting; preparing and managing grants; and supervising staff and AmeriCorps members.  Jennifer coordinates San Diego County’s Service-Learning Council and facilitates its two committees: Resource and Outreach.  Prior to accepting the position as Director, Jennifer served 3 ½ years on the Volunteer San Diego Board of Directors as Chief Financial Officer and adult volunteer advisor to the SAVY Leaders, youth leadership and action council.  Mrs. Hamilton serves as Chief Financial Officer for Excel Youth Zone’s Board of Directors.  As an advisory member, Jennifer volunteers with University of San Diego’s Character Development Center and Youth Service California's. Back to top

Tiveeda Stovall   Executive Director/Founder, Excel Youth Zone (XYZ) tstovall@excelyouthzone.org

Tiveeda Stovall is the Executive Director/Founder of Excel Youth Zone and is a state Certified Trainer of Service Learning through the California Department of Education and Youth Service California. Ms. Stovall has served as an adjunct professor of Sociology at a local community college. She has had over 20 years of social work and counseling experience with children, adolescents and families in community, educational and medical settings. She has consulted for schools, public health departments, medical professionals and community organizations on psycho-social issues of youth and families. Originally from Washington DC, Tiveeda Stovall grew up in Colorado and received B.S. in psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder. After moving to California in 1988, Tiveeda Stovall received her Master’s in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. Ms Stovall relocated with her family to San Diego County in 1997 where she currently resides. She led the efforts to institutionalize a Service-Learning Department at San Diego Mesa College. Ms. Stovall is the recipient of the 2007 Congresswoman Susan Davis Award for an Adult Actively Engaging Students in Service. Back to top

Nancy Hemmings Manager of Service-Learning, Community Relations Department of San Diego Unified School District hnemmings@sandi.net (619) 725-5597

As part of the Community Relations Department, Nancy works with partnership maintenance and partner recruitment, OASIS Intergenerational Program, LEARN & SERVE Service-Learning Program, and program materials. Back to top

Jessie End Service-Learning Consultant, Volunteer San Diego jend@volunteersandiego.org (858) 636-4137

Jessica End works as a Service-Learning Consultant with Volunteer San Diego, where she trains and equips teachers, non-profit professionals and after school educators in how to integrate student service to the community with academic learning.  As with the rest of her coaching peers, she is a certified service-learning trainer, as designated by the California Department of Education.  Jessica also works as a Field Instructor with the Endangered Habitats League, leading youth from Title I schools in standards-based outdoor education programs and service-learning habitat restoration projects.  Jessica is involved both as a member of the Advisory Board for Lincoln High School’s Ninth Grade Center for Social Justice, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Kids For Peace, a small non-profit focused on cross-cultural education.  Before moving to San Diego, Jessica served for two years as an Environmental Educator with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua, where she helped her community build a local library.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Brown University and is committed to making learning relevant for students around the globe.  Back to top

Jennifer Sims International Baccalaureate Program Coordinator, Pacific Beach Middle School Model Practitioner hardisonsims@gmail.com View Jennifer's Blog

Jennifer Sims is available to help coach your teachers or organization to create relevant, meaningful learning experiences integrating service learning with subject areas and 21st century skills. Her experience as an Elementary classroom teacher, certificated Library Media Teacher K-8, International Baccalaureate Program Coordinator Prek-8, and Volunteer/Business Partnerships Coordinator, qualifies her as a California Department of Education Service Learning Practitioner. She sees service learning as as the answer to keeping students engaged and excited. Her middle school students logged over 11,000 service hours in 2007. Jennifer can help link curriculum to standards-based teaching and learning as well as help build bridges between schools and private enterprise. Back to top

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Service-Learning Partners

Our service-learning partners include California Volunteers and the Community Relations Department of San Diego Unified School District’s Learn & Serve Program.