IndyKidsTeam

Isis Phillips
Executive Director

In 2011, Isis co-founded and spearheaded the kid reporter program believing that the way to educate social justice issues and the next generation of critical thinkers and leaders is through peer-to-peer learning. Isis is also the financial manager at Democracy Now!, a daily TV/radio news show. She holds a BFA from Marymount Manhattan College and studied Accounting and Finance at Baruch College. She is dedicated to consulting on finance and management in the nonprofit sector. In addition, Isis has a passion for art, and her photography has been featured in solo and group exhibitions. 

Emma Gaffney
Emma Gaffney Editor-in-Chief & Program Coordinator

Emma has been the editor-in-chief of the IndyKids newspaper and a program coordinator with the IndyKids mentorship program since January 2020.

Originally from Scotland, Emma has lived and worked in five continents. After gaining her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Dundee, Emma moved to South Korea when she taught American English for two years. Following this, Emma lived and worked in various roles with nonprofits all over Central and South America, and later in Australia.

She moved to New York City with her wife four years ago, where she was a regular contributor to and proofreader for the Indypendent newspaper.

Em Löwinger
Education Manager

Em is IndyKids’ education manager, workshop instructor, and the executive producer & editor of the IndyKids Climate Crisis Podcast. 

Em recently worked as a producer at WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show and is a member of SAG-AFTRA’s Broadcast News & Information division.

Prior to the pandemic, Em worked at Academy After Hours at Bergen County Academies (in Hackensack, NJ) for almost a decade and taught 3 signature courses in acting, musical theatre & screenwriting.

David Rojas-Leon
Designer

David has been IndyKids‘ designer since 2018. He was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. In 2014, he moved to New York City, where he is still based.

David previously worked at Casa Editorial El Tiempo, one of Colombia’s largest daily newspapers. Then, in 2010 he began working with the local government for the Housing Authority of Bogotá. He remained in the public sector, working with the Urban Studies Institute at the National University of Colombia as a designer and visual communicator. 

His experience in New York City includes serving as a Visual Design Fellow for the United Nations Foundation, working on the Foundation’s Mashable Social Good Summit 2015 and the Earth to Paris Summit 2015. In 2015 David joined Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, interning for the Digital Team. In 2016 he started at the Global Health Department at Mount Sinai as a Lead Visual Designer and was then promoted to Senior Experience Designer. David is currently a Senior Interaction Designer at Frog Design NY.

 

Meet IndyKids Reporters