Elly Thompson

Community Engagement Specialist VISTA

elizabeth.l.thompson@duke.edu

Elly works to expand afterschool programming in Durham through volunteer and Federal Work Study recruitment, best practices, and program evaluation to fit volunteer and learner needs. She supports Duke America Reads/America Counts programming, SALUD (Scholar Academy for Latinxs United for Diversity), a Bass Connections Research Team that aims to support more Latinx high school students in pathways to health and science. And she maintains service opportunities for students and a pipeline for consistent volunteers in order to increase volunteer base and retention for National Service Days. Elly joined Duke in July 2020 as the 2020 – 2021 AmeriCorps VISTA for America Reads / America Counts and works as the Community Engagement Specialist. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Public Policy. Elly has experience as an afterschool counselor and tutor with the YMCA of the Triangle. At the 2020 YMCA National Advocacy Days, she also worked as a representative of the Y to advocate on Capitol Hill for legislative initiatives that expand policies for youth development, social responsibility, and healthy living.