Board of Directors

Charles Pierce-El

Charles was born and raised in Syracuse. He currently is the President of the South Side Community Coalition and is a retired employee from Chrysler.

He is also the president/chairperson of the South Side Homeowner Association, chairperson of Saving Our Society and a member of a couples of more organizations in an around the city of Syracuse.

Besides this, he enjoys bowling, swimming, chess, jogging, cooking and reading.

He sees The Stand as a great opportunity for the youth of Syracuse’s South Side and the community as a whole. He hopes many will get involved in the project. “The Stand can only go as far as we take it.”

In the future, he would like The Stand to be run by the community. He believes this is a wonderful opportunity to the community. “It’s a great jewel for our community; it represents all sectors of the city of Syracuse. Everyone can get something out of it. We include everyone.”

Shanteashia Harris El

Shanteashia is a graduate of Henniger High School and holds two nursing degrees: a bachelors of science from the University of Rochester and a masters of science from Upstate Medical University. She currently works as a nurse practitioner. She has volunteered her time at Moorish Science Temple of America and in the past, with the Big Brother Big Sister program.

She loves traveling and religion.

She would like to see articles of religious, political, cultural, food (recipes) and health content featured in The Stand.

Reginald A. Seigler

Reginald volunteers as the coordinator of Jubilee Homes Inc. Southwest Showcase Sundays by acting as a strong promoter to these community events held at the Spirit of Jubilee Park in the summer. He is an active member in the Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, contributes to The Post-Standard as a Newschaser and also serves as the bandleader for Soft Spoken Band.

He is helping to launch an entertainment column, A Friendly Five, in The Stand that highlights the music and history of the local music scene. He also hopes to see The Stand become involved with South Side schools and be an outlet for the community to voice their concerns.

In his free time, he enjoys recording and mixing audio, videography, photography and writing.

Deborah A. Willis

Deborah graduated from Central Tech High School and has earned two associate degrees in accounting and as a paralegal. She has an extensive background in administrative and computer technology and is a licensed tutor through the Literacy Guild of America and the Laubach Literacy Society of Indiana and a Notary Public for New York state. She currently works with the American Red Cross as a community ambassador.

Deborah notes her greatest accomplishment is her spirituality and commitment to God. She is member of Hopps Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Syracuse. Her expertise consists of working directly with religious leaders, residents and community-based organizations to provide awareness, training, research and information in a variety of areas, including health and safety, youth development and senior advocacy.

John A. Young

John is retired two times from his careers in communications and information with the Department of Defense (The Pentagon) civilian and the U.S. Army in public affairs. He also worked for many years in Syracuse media companies in TV, radio and cable. His major life career has been as a photojournalist in many parts of the world.

John majored in radio and television at Onondaga Community College and worked for WHEN (WTVH-5) TV and WCNY-TV stations. In radio, he worked for WONO and WSEN; he also became the first sales manager of Rogers Cable in Syracuse (now called Time-Warner Cable).

He had his start in the South Side of Syracuse as a self-trained photographer at Central Technical High School in 1965. His family has always been based in education and socially in support of the Syracuse community. He enjoys playing chess, listening to jazz and classical music and enjoys non-contact sports and fishing.

Monica Richardson

Monica, a former mental health counselor, is currently the youth development program coordinator for Prevention Network where she actively engages the community-at-large to cultivate support and opportunities for young people.

Monica has spent her professional career training youth and adults in core competency areas such as communication, self-awareness and resiliency. Monica is passionate about education and works tirelessly to eradicate the social and emotional barriers, which presently hinder the success of today’s youth; she holds a master’s degree in psychology and specializes in ‘at-risk’ populations. Monica is a firm believer that “people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge” and her professional and personal goals revolve around inspiring the gifts and talents inherent in every child.

When she isn’t traveling to Buffalo to visit her family, in her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, writing poetry and attending movies and theater.

In addition to poetry and recipe submissions, Monica would like to see The Stand publish articles written and developed by youth.

Yolanda L. Beckon

Yolanda is a native of Syracuse and currently a student at University College, located at Syracuse University. She graduated at the top of her class as valedictorian from Bryant and Stratton College in 2003 with an associate degree in business management and was the first student at Bryant and Stratton College to have an article published in The Post-Standard, a local newspaper.

Yolanda currently works for Syracuse Housing Authority where she advocates for low-income families, under the Human Service Department. Her ability to advocate for the families gives her joy.

In her efforts to see teenagers in Syracuse Housing Authority have the opportunities to go to college or Job Corps, Yolanda has networks with On Point for College. She has referred several students to educational organizations each year. One idea Yolanda has for The Stand is to see a column she would call “Whacky Words,” which would introduce SAT words to the community to broaden their vocabulary.

During her spare time, Yolanda enjoys volunteering as a dance instructor. She has taught hip hop dance lessons at the TAPS summer program, Boys and Girls Club and Percy Hughes Elementary School. She also loves to spend time with her children and family.