Staff
Eric Komoroff, Founder and Executive Director
As founder of Community of Unity, Eric has created, designed and delivered Life Skills and Youth Culture Building theories and programs that have reached hundreds of schools, enrichment programs, therapeutic environments, and tens of thousands of youth, families, and educators around the world. He is a recognized leader and expert in the fields of youth development, program development, urban education, relationship building, and youth empowerment. He has taught School Culture Development and Advisory Program Development at The Bank Street College of Education, and parenting classes at The A-HA! Learning Center, and special education classes in therapeutic nurseries and day treatment centers throughout New York. He is a collaborator with organizations including A Better Chance, The Institute for Student Achievement, Northside Center for Child Development, The New York City Department of Education, Union Seminary, The YMCA of NY, and Big Brother Big Sister of NY. He is the host of YOUTH EMPOWERED, a weekly Blog Talk Radio show, and a frequent speaker at conferences nationwide. Eric sits on the Educational Advisory Board of Newsday Newspaper and is a member of the Alumni Board Task Force at The Bank Street College of Education. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Early Childhood Special Education from SUNY Empire State College is a certified Art Therapist from The New School for Social Research, and a Certified Mentor Supervisor from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Josh Borkin, PhD, Director of Youth Culture:
Dr. Borkin graduated from Clark University with and MA/BA in American History in 1997. An interest in Religion and Social justice led him to Chicago where he led peer facilitation workshops for high school students for the Institute for Cultural Affairs. From 1999 until 2004 Josh directed youth programming for the Council for a Parliament of the Worlds Religions. Internationally, Josh helped organize parliament events in Cape Town, South Africa, and Barcelona, Spain. Locally, he helped develop an inter-religious organizing immersion course for Chicago Colleges and organized an inter-religious coalition of diverse religious institutions in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. For the last five years Josh has been enrolled in a doctoral program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Josh also works as a program associate at Auburn seminary.
Julia Ahumada Grob, Director of Youth Programs:
Julia Ahumada Grob graduated from Brown University with BA in Africana Studies in 2005. She has been working in youth development for the past six years. An activist born and raised in New York City, Julia has taught for Girls Inc. (Oakland, CA), New Urban Arts (Providence, RI), Ovideu Rom- Romania, and Community Works – New York City. She is the founding Theater Teaching Artist of the Life Stories Youth Ensemble, a project of the New Group/Urban Arts Partnership. Her collaborative video and activist curriculum, The Beat Back Bush Workout, has toured nationally. Julia’s writing has been published in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the U.S. (Oxford University Press, 2005), and We Got Issues! A Young Woman’s Guide to a Bold, Courageous, and Empowered Life (Inner Ocean Press, 2006). Julia currently sits on the board of Action for Health in the Americas, a foundation set up to help support the development of sustainable, community-based initiatives promoting justice and health among economically marginalized communities in Latin America.
Marisa Brown Zullin, Director of Special Projects:
Marisa is a doctoral candidate in New York University’s Department of Teaching and Learning, where she plans to focus her research on the history of academic structures in secondary education. For the past 10 years, Marisa has worked with elementary, middle and high school students in both New York City and Atlanta, Georgia. At New Design High School, she served as Chair of the Science Department and coordinator of a Regents-level Biology course. In previous teaching appointments, she mentored teachers in the International Baccalaureate Programme of Inquiry, and developed and implemented inquiry-based curricula for elementary and middle school students. As part of her Master’s level work, Marisa developed a collaborative scriptwriting process, which was presented at the convention of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 2005. As part of her doctoral work at New York University, Marisa has taught Inquiries into Teaching and Learning III, a master’s level course in the foundations of pedagogical philosophy. The teaching strategies she developed for this course focused on the use of technology for collaborative research, and were presented at the NCTE convention in 2007. In the early years of her teaching career, Marisa worked as the Assistant Director for an overnight camp in Atlanta, Georgia, where she organized creative programming for campers, and trained staff to meet the holistic needs of children ages 7-16. Marisa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Emory University, and a Master’s degree in English Education from New York University.
David You, Grant Writer, Development Associate:
David received his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Colgate University, and a Masters of Science in Public Policy from CUNY Hunter College. Through he studies, he conducted research via qualitative interviews and applied statistics in a quantitative format. He worked closely with the New York Immigration Coalition with their efforts of becoming a greater umbrella organization for all immigration needs. As a consultant for the Human Resources Administration David wrote policy directives and bulletins concerning different social services for New York City residents such as unemployment, immigration, and cash assistance. Furthermore he coordinated with different City officials to determine the best way in which to inform New York City residents about the program offerings.
David was also a director at SCORE! an educational center where he was responsible for overseeing the Extended Advantage Program which aided students ages 4-16 with their academic studies while acting as a positive role model. David was a Peace Corps volunteer in the children, youth, and families at-risk program. During his tour he worked with PANI, the Costa Rican child protection services in cases of abuse. In conjunction with local community leaders he carried out various workshops on self-esteem, communication, drugs, etc. that enriched the lives of many young people. He also created and implemented programs including Prevention Projects for neighborhood children and adults, founding The Summer School Makeup Exam Program for students, leading Adolescent Boys Group to teach outdoor education and build self-confidence, and helping to organize and implement a Domestic Violence and Self-Esteem Conference for adolescent girls. David is currently a Sergeant in the New York Army National Guard. Having graduated in the top ten percentile from Basic Training and with High Honors from Advanced Individual Training.