Administrative Staff

Suma Karaman Rosen
Executive Director
Dynamic classroom teacher turned nonprofit leader, Suma’s experience in corporate, nonprofit and educational settings has brought depth to her leadership of InsideOut since 2017. Suma is inspired by the resilient and empowered InsideOut students, and brings this passion to all corners of our work, from managing finances and fundraising, to amplifying students’ voices far and wide.

Lia Greenwell
Operations Coordinator
Lia brings masterful organization to her work as Operations Coordinator, where she focuses on capacity building, marketing, and office-wide systems. Serving as the hub where program and administration meet, Lia is equally skilled in supporting the InsideOut team and providing high quality customer service to external stakeholders. A poet and essayist, her writing has appeared in the Kenyon Review, the Missouri Review, and elsewhere.

Maureen Okasinski
Grants & Evaluation Coordinator
Maureen combines her love of numbers and a passion for arts into key processes such as program evaluation, grant coordination and reporting. A social worker by training, Maureen’s an empathic team player who helps us know that our programs work and enjoys telling the story of their impact.

John Randolph
Development Associate
With a deep commitment for finding the perfect intersection between donor passion and organizational need, John coordinates InsideOut’s individual and corporate giving, as well as fundraising campaigns. John previously served as a Campaign Manager at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields and a Vista Volunteer with Hunger Solutions Minnesota. He experienced the transformational power of writing as a teen and is thrilled to support InsideOut in sharing that power with students throughout Metro Detroit.
Program Staff


Alise Alousi
Director of School & Community Partnerships
Alise has grown with InsideOut from the ground up. As a former Writer-in-Residence at Cody and Cass Tech High Schools, Alise learned first-hand how to cultivate and empower student voice. She brings this on-the-ground knowledge and many years of non-profit youth program experience to her work as Program Director, which she held from 2009-2019, and in her new role as Director of School & Community Partnerships. Alise is a talented poet whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, and is a recipient of a Knight Arts Challenge Detroit award.


Michelle Bolofer
Program Director
A native Detroiter, experienced educator, and lifelong Diversity and Inclusion advocate, Michelle is dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for students and communities. As a classroom teacher, corporate educational consultant, and start-up nonprofit director, she has worked to improve educational equity and expand access to resources. With her passion for youth development and community empowerment, Michelle leads the InsideOut program and directs our program vision.


Shawntai Brown
Schools Coordinator
With a passion for literacy and pedagogy, Shawntai works with Writers-in-Residence and classroom teachers to cultivate impactful and meaningful learning. In addition to attending InsideOut programs as a student and working in the classroom as a Writer-in-Residence, Shawntai has a Master of Arts in Literacy Learning and has worked as an educator with students of all ages as well as adults. Shawntai is a playwright with the Extra Mile Playwrights and poet whose work has appeared in Kaleidoscope, Cactus Heart, and Synaesthesia Magazine.


Peter Markus
Senior Writer
Pete found his calling as a Writer-in-Residence with InsideOut and has been with the organization since it was founded 1995. In addition to inspiring students in the classroom, Pete partners with schools to create programs that fit their needs. Pete has published widely about the transformative power of writing, co-editing To Light a Fire: 20 Years with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project, and most recently a memoir, Inside My Pencil: Teaching Poetry in the Detroit Public Schools. A Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow, Pete is the author of the novel Bob, or Man on Boat as well as five other books of short fiction.


Jassmine Parks
Lead Teaching Artist
A dedicated educator who excels at creating safe spaces for youth, Jassmine joined InsideOut as Leading Teaching Artist after serving in teaching roles across our programs. Jassmine believes in the power of language to reflect on past experiences, build agency, and create a future in which we exist as our best selves. A Detroit slam poetry champion who has performed internationally, Jassmine’s work has been published through SlamFind, All Def Poetry and Wusgood? Magazine.


Justin Rogers
Citywide Poets Coordinator
Justin’s journey with InsideOut began first as a student at Cody High School where a Writer-in-Residence encouraged his writing and recruited him to join Citywide Poets. Since then, Justin has performed for international audiences and published his writing widely. Justin now coordinates our Citywide Poets program, elevating youth voice through weekly sessions around the city, guest writer workshops, performances, and open mic opportunities for youth.
Writers-In-Residence

Joumana Altallal
Writer-In-Residence
Joumana Altallal was born in Baghdad to Iraqi and Lebanese parents and is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia.

Cat Batsios
Writer-In-Residence
Catharine Batsios is from Flint, and currently stays in Detroit. She writes poems about the cities that build her.

Christiana Castillo
Writer-In-Residence
Christiana Castillo is an educator, activist, urban gardener and writer.

Rachel Cawkwell
Writer-In-Residence
Originally from New York, Rachel Cawkwell is currently a graduate student in English at the University of Michigan.

Tony DeGenaro
Writer-In-Residence
Tony DeGenaro has an MFA in poetry from the University of San Francisco, and is currently a Ph.D. student in rhetoric & composition at Wayne State University.

Bayan Founas
Writer-In-Residence
Bayan Founas is an educator and artist currently studying at the University of Michigan to receive a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy.

Alana Gracey
Writer-In-Residence
Alana Gracey has worked with vulnerable populations since 2004, dealing with issues of homelessness, intimate partner violence, and human sex trafficking.

Justin Groppuso-Cook
Writer-In-Residence
Justin Groppuso-Cook is a poet, musician, and Metro Detroit native.

Reynaldo George Hinojosa Jr.
Writer-In-Residence
Reynaldo George Hinojosa Jr. is a Tejano born writer and musician.

Rose Gorman
Writer-In-Residence
Rose is the Resident Fellow for the Tuxedo Project literary center, and a member of the the 808 Writers Collective, a residency for queer writers of color.

Shayla Harris
Writer-In-Residence
Shayla Harris is a recent graduate of Eastern Michigan University where she studied Creative Writing, and Arts and Entertainment Management.

Suzanne Honda
Writer-In-Residence
Suzanne Honda is a Michigan-born poet, fiction writer, and educator.

Kyle Hunt
Writer-In-Residence
Kyle Hunt is a poet, painter and photographer from West Texas and Middle Tennessee.

Mahogany Jones
Writer-In-Residence
Mahogany Jones is a lyrical force, hailed internationally for her work, as a recording and performance artist, arts educator, and US musical ambassador who’s served 18 countries to date.

Audra Kubat
Writer-In-Residence
Detroit Music Award winning singer/songwriter Audra Kubat has released 6 albums to critical acclaim in a career that spans over 20 years.

Kassy Lee
Writer-In-Residence
Kassy Lee received an MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Annesha Mitha
Writer-In-Residence
Annesha Mitha is a Fiction Fellow at the Helen Zell Writers’ Program and teaching artist with InsideOut Detroit.

Wafaa Mustafa
Writer-In-Residence
Wafaa Mustafa is a recent Graduate of WSU, where she majored in English and minored in philosophy.

Madelyn Porter
Writer-In-Residence
Madelyn Porter, has worked as a professional storyteller/actor for the past forty years, and is a member of Actor’s Equity Association.

Jennifer Quartararo
Writer-In-Residence
Jennifer Quartararo is a Detroit-based writer with Maine roots.

Isabel Ries Neal
Writer-In-Residence
Isabel Ries Neal is a Chicago-based writer and educator originally from Massachusetts.

Kelsey Ronan
Writer-In-Residence
Former Writer in Residence of the Hub City Writing Project, her work has appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Kenyon Review, New Ohio Review, and elsewhere.

Nia Shumake
Writer-In-Residence
Nia Shumake is a storyteller and educator from Detroit who graduated from the University of Michigan in 2016.

Daniella Toosie-Watson
Writer-In-Residence
Daniella Toosie-Watson is a poet, visual artist and educator from New York.

Naidra Walls
Writer-In-Residence
Naidra Walls is an artist, educator, and real estate agent.

H.R. Webster
Writer-In-Residence
H.R. Webster is a poet and educator from New Hampshire, currently living in Ypsilanti, MI.

Khila Williams
Writer-In-Residence
As a recent alumni of Citywide Poets, Khila is proud to join InsideOut as a Writer-in-Residence.
Board of Directors
Teresa McAlpine, President
Director of Marketing Operations
Plante Moran (retired)
Kevin Rashid, Vice-President
Honors College Academic Service Officer
Wayne State University
Laura Stevens, Treasurer
Director of Budgeting and Forecasting
Handelman Corporation (former)
Cindy Myers, Secretary
Executive Vice President
Chief Human Resources Officer
Flagstar Bank (retired)
Maureen Clinesmith
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA (retired)
Annmarie Erickson
Executive Vice President
Van Dyke Horn Public Relations
Sasha Griffin
Assistant Corporation Counsel
City of Detroit
Michelle Krebs
Director of Automotive Relations
Cox Automotive
Dwight Levens
Executive Director
Children Matter Forever (retired)
Linda Spight
Principal
Detroit Public Schools (retired)
Samantha Walls
Senior Attorney
Dykema
Hiring
Writer-in-Residence – Applications now closed for 2020/21 school year.
Citywide Poets Writer-in-Residence – Applications now closed for 2020/21 school year.