Bervin Harris, Co-Founder and CEO of Renaissance Youth Center brings over 30 years of social development experience in the areas of youth services and community development. As CEO, he has helped create and manage several successful programs for Renaissance and throughout the Bronx community.

While overseeing the vision and development for Renaissance Youth Center, Harris also manages, writes and directs for our MWAM Band, performing with them in close to 100 shows a year. Harris is also the Creator, Director and Host of the TLTsquared show (Teens live to tape), a teen television variety show. Harris’ new initiative is the Citywide Renaissance Youth Council where over 1,000 teens are currently signed up.

DNAinfo.com follows Harris' and Renassiance Youth latest community interactions.

Harris was a recipient of the 2011-2012 Fellows award by wearethebronx.org.

He has created many partnerships for Renaissance including: The NYPD (P.O.P program), Carnegie Hall and Department of Probation (NeON program), NYC Parks Department (through various community park initiatives), Berklee College of Music (Pulse Program), and many more...

Prior to Renaissance, he was the program director at a Beacon program where he more than tripled the annual budget and was recognized as one of the 4 “Model Beacons” by the Department of Youth and Community Development.

Harris is also an accomplished musician, singer, song writer who has worked with industry icons such as Mary J Blidge, Freda Payne, Howard Hewitt, Backstreet boys, Eddy Murphy and Hip-Hop legend KRS-1. He received his undergraduate degree from Old Westbury College and management certificate from Fordham University.

When you want to get the job done – call Ginette! Growing up in the Bronx, Ginette Diaz, knows first-hand the false stigma related to growing up in the “Boogie Down” and has dedicated her career to assisting educators establish quality education reform programs that directly impact this community.

Ginette joined the Renaissance Youth Center family in 2013 and has helped launch new campaigns, new platforms and has crafted an internal control structure for the organization. With over 10+ years of experience working in education, Ginette has developed a strong sense of devotion for youth development.

She received her M.A. in Sociology from Columbia University and eventually earned a spot directing operations for schools and non-profits throughout NYC. In addition to her work with youth, Ginette founded a consulting company, which mentors and provides coaching for young women in the workplace. These experiences have given her a deep appreciation for how Renaissance Youth Center improves the quality of life for the youth of New York City; one child at a time.

Clay has a passion for education and working with students from all backgrounds and walks of life. He has devoted his career to educational non-profits, previously serving several organizations in both program support as a teacher and education director and in administration as fiscal manager and artistic director. He brings that wealth of knowledge and passion for administration to this role overseeing the operations of RYC.

He received a B.A. from the University of Georgia and an M.Div from Union Theological Seminary. In addition to working for non-profits, Clay is also a writer, actor, and producer who has developed projects for film, television, and the stage.

Clay is devoted to Renaissance Youth Center’s core mission of changing lives and improving the opportunities for students to grow and thrive through STEM and arts education.

Rickey Turner is a multimedia professional with over 13 years of experience in the field. He has been a part of the Renaissance Family for over 3 years, helping grow the social presence of RYC by creating engaging and creative content, combining his skill set with his passion for education. From music videos to narrative full-length documentaries, he is determined to share the stories of our youth while simultaneously heightening brand awareness. He is also a Music Production instructor for the Music on Wheels program, teaching students the benefits of creating compositions digitally.

Rickey graduated from the Art Institute of New York City, majoring in Digital Filmmaking and Audio Production. Shortly after graduating, he acquired various media internships and participated in film festivals such as the “On My Block Film festival”. Before Renaissance, Rickey began working for Radio and Media companies such as RadioOne, The Urban Daily, Hello Beautiful, VladTV, and Ebony Magazine, evolving from a video editor and videographer to the Senior Video Producer in charge of all media-related content.

Board Members

• Sarah Dunn, Chair of the Board
• Nathaniel Litwak, Treasurer of the Board
• Veena Mosur, Secretary of the Board
• Howard Altarescu, Chair Emeritus
• Manika Garg
• Matt Gulmi
• Anne Hasegawa
• Toby Jackson
• Alison Jones
• Devin Jones
• Ten Loh
• Kristen Mancini
• Jonathan Orner
• Joseph Robillard
• Josh Silverman
• Melissa Valcovic
• Emerson Verrier

• Yocasta Belliard
• Kelly Chen
• Nailah Harris
• Melissa Hernandez
• Zaid Karim
• Dante Plush
• Roxana Razi
• Emerson Verrier
• Joe Yeres