About American Access Institute

Meet the Board of Directors


Dr. Pamela M. Donnelly

President

Dr. Pamela M. Donnelly has been an equitable education visionary for more than two decades in her mission to increase college access. She graduated with her PhD in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University, and holds an MA degree in Literature as well as a BA in Literature and Secondary Education from Columbia University in the City of New York. She is a four-time business founder committed to championing teens in foster care, having built her professional reputation as a performance-focused executive. Her specialization in higher education for over twenty years has provided processes optimizing individual and organizational objectives. Data-driven, her leadership aligns people and resources to consistently deliver exceptional student outcomes.

Dr. Donnelly has been widely featured in the national media, including Time Magazine, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She is conversant in Spanish and committed to ensuring language barriers do not impede student aspiration in AAI’s programs. A first-generation college student and second-generation CASA, she has built a solid network of influential stakeholders across federal, state, and local educational entities. Her values-based expertise is based on carefully curated research, theoretical foundations, and real-life experience in classrooms, board rooms, and offices up to and including advisory for divisions within the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Vicki L. Holmes

Treasurer

Dr. Vicki L. Holmes is an experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. She graduated with a Doctorate of Adult Literacy degree from UNLV, and holds a Master’s degree from Arizona State University in Educational/Instructional Technology. A Professor Emeritus from UNLV, she is skilled in e-learning, instructional design, and curriculum development. She is an avid reader, dog mom, wife, and community activist. Volunteerism includes participating on the Board for Anthem Country Club,

Dr. Holmes is an expert in ESOL training, and certified to instruct in Spanish by the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, a skill which will come in handy given the fact that a large percentage of teens in the Nevada foster care system are from Latino homes and speak English as their second language. During her tenure working toward her doctorate focused in Adult Literacy from University of Nevada Las Vegas, she witnessed firsthand the incredible hurdles faced by young adults who have not benefited from proper educational support and career pathways mentorship. In addition to her other work at UNLV, she has worked for the College of Education as a facilitator for Alternative Route to Licensing (ARL) teachers who are working in the Clark County School District.

James Bridgeford

Secretary

James (“JJ”) Bridgeford is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster youth, specializing in helping young teenage men. Having seen firsthand the need for special types of career- and college-readiness support among students he’s been assigned to help, he is delighted to join the AAI mission and ensure all CASAs, social workers, teachers, foster parents, and others surrounding teens in foster care have the resources needed to ensure that again out does not mean dropping out. J.J. holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Phoenix. A trusted realtor who owns Bridge The Gap Real Estate LLC, his offices are affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway serving the greater Las Vegas area. As a trusted business owner, he is committed to giving back to his community through charitable donations and volunteerism.


Pamela and JJ in April 2024 attending the CASA Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon in Las Vegas.

Meet the Regional Management Team


Joanie Till

Nevada Regional Manager

Joanie Till oversees the Nevada region for American Access Institute, identifying nonprofit partners, organizing events, and spreading the word about AAI’s offerings. She is an Independent Educational Consultant who has a proven track record helping students gain admission to top colleges and universities as well as success with admission to the Service Academies. Her knowledge of the ROTC scholarship process, career readiness, academic scholarships, building college lists, and identifying need-based aid make her a great asset to the organization. She is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Higher Education Consultants Association, the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. Joanie earned her BS degree in Business Management from Florida State University, her MBA from the University of West Florida, and a graduate-level certificate in College Counseling from the University of California, San Diego.

Meet AAI’s Curriculum Team Leaders


Digital Curriculum Design

Dr. Lisa DeLeon

Google and Apple are just two of the tech giants who have relied upon Dr. Lisa De Leon to create and develop top tier educational content. A PhD in Global Leadership and Change, Dr. DeLeon has accrued experience including university-level consulting, including co-authoring the Gender-Lensed Curriculum at Texas A&M. As a Guest Lecturer at San Diego State University, she offers engaging instruction in Leadership to diverse students.

After earning her M.Ed, her international teaching expanded to the Fiji Islands and Uganda. Cross-cultural work continued at the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture spanning research, policy writing, and curriculum development for foreign universities.

Dr. DeLeon oversees American Access Institute’s UX for its digital platform, which is specifically designed for use by foster youth in grades 9-12. At the forefront of equitable education and committed to measurable student outcomes, she applies her experience as an in-demand User Experience Writer from Silicon Valley to perfecting the simplification of complex information for specific audiences. In AAI’s case, our focus includes a Lexile level of 7 within a gamified, interactive series of student trainings.

Dr. Laura McReavy Hearnsberger

Dr. Laura McReavy Hearnsberger, holds her Doctor of Education Career in Organizational Leadership and is a seasoned educator and sought-after data strategist. A specialist in data visualization, she provides easy-to understand graphics distilling even the most complex subjects. Professional experience includes early time as a classroom teacher coach that evolved toward a career as a technology curriculum integration specialist. She has worked at both the district and state levels in senior management overseeing data and accountability, and director of innovative programs.

It was during her doctoral pursuit that she recognized the need to democratize analytics, leading her to found her cutting-edge consulting firm called Reflect, Plan, Do. Notable accomplishments include creating the Engagement Culture Construct, which measures the value schools place on intrinsic motivation and develops an interactive school map that has been used thousands of times by lawmakers, advocates, and educators to gain quick insights on public schools in Texas.

Dr. Hearnsberger co-creates American Access Institute’s curriculum with Dr. Leon. She oversees Tableau content, a digital tool which empowers users to interactively understand the college admissions process, job trends, career readiness, and more.

Why AAI’s Work Matters


The Ugly Reality


In 2022, the Nevada Department of Family Services received over 30,000 calls of abuse or neglect, made more than 16,000 referrals for services, and opened more than 13,000 child welfare investigations. Las Vegas police report that roughly 400 minors and many more young adults are picked off the streets from prostitution each year as a result of running away to escape such circumstances. An alarming number of these in southern Nevada become enslaved into sex trafficking. Without a viable career plan and the means to make it a reality, teens in foster care are at particular risk to wind up engaging in sex work or gang activity to survive–and from there their lives can get very dark.

Not Enough Helpers


Clark County, Nevada is currently facing a foster care crisis. During Super Bowl LVIII, multiple ads were run to highlight the need for volunteers to become Court Appointed Special Advocates for children in foster care and to encourage community members to consider opening their homes to children in care.

Shining the Light


Research shows that children in the child welfare system who are placed in a stable foster home and/or who have a stable mentor in their lives are significantly more likely to graduate from high school, find and maintain regular employment, and avoid repeated contacts with law enforcement. AAI aims to provide that expert mentorship through its programs. Volunteers play an important role in working with youth in care to provide emotional connection, academic support, and guidance.

AAI and affiliated organizations are here to shine the light of hope and make a tangible difference for more than 1.200 children in foster care in our community on any given day. Many teenagers living at the Child Haven campus wait for placement in safe and stable foster homes that never arrives. While there, at St. Judes, or residing in other group homes, critical time is ticking by. We seek to intervene early enough to offer students as many options as possible, whether that means career readiness, college readiness, or both.

Dedication