Closing Plenary

Learning outside the typical school day is critical to the social, emotional, and academic development of children and young people. Research shows that access to quality expanded learning programs is key to improving youth outcomes in school and in life—especially for youth of color and youth living in poverty.

At the heart of these programs are the professionals who provide spaces where young people can feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive. The youth development workforce is critical to program quality and the well-being of the young people they serve.

During this conversation, our facilitator, Katherine Plog Martinez, will be joined by youth development providers Sheryl Blessing, Mohamed Olow, and Monique Marines to highlight stories of what it looks like to dedicate a career to this field. They will share their perspectives on growth and support that make a difference, the challenges providers face, and why they remain passionate and optimistic in this work.  

Meet Our Facilitator

Katherine Plog Martinez is a strategic facilitator and youth development systems leader with over 20 years of experience in the field. She is the founder and principal of Katherine Plog Martinez Consulting, where she supports a portfolio of local, state, and national intermediaries, funders, and youth-serving organizations to strengthen their strategic capacity through facilitation, organizational development, and research. She holds an Ed.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, where her dissertation research examined the foundational knowledge that underlies youth development practice, work that speaks directly to how out-of-school time providers build and sustain the expertise their fields depend on.

Prior to building her consulting business, Katherine spent eight and a half years at Denver Public Schools, serving in roles including Director of Extended Learning and Community Schools and Executive Director of Whole Child Supports. She is a co-founder of the Denver Afterschool Alliance.