Trel completed his undergraduate studies at Southern Connecticut State University in Political Science (2018); he founded the SCSU-Juvenile justice/Youth Expo as the SCSU-NAACP Juvenile Justice Chair (2015) and continue to lead those efforts later in the chapter as the 1st Vice President. Trel is also a Founder of the Brotherhood, Scholarship and Excellence, a collegiate mentoring program aimed at holding minorities young men accountable to graduate on time at SCSU.  Trel then went to the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, earning a Master’s in Social Work, Class of 2022.

Trel is CEO/Founder of Daniel’s Company Youth Leadership Mentoring Program. Trel is an award-winning Mentor recognized by Former Governor Malloy’s Administration and the current Governor Administration, the Honorable Ned Lamont. Trel serves as the Former Chair of the New Haven Mentoring Collaboration-Subcommittee on Youth and Gun Violence and is passionate about bringing resources to underserved communities impacted by community violence. Trel served as a Commissioner in the Town of Hamden (Human Service Commission) from 2017 to 2020 as the youngest Commissioner at the time in that commission and in the town. Trel also served as a Board of Director of the Southern Connecticut State University-Alumni Association from 2018- 2023.  Trel is a consultant serving as a valuable resource to non-profits that are starter-up in Violence Prevention work.

Trel has over 15 years of community service and had earned numerous accolades for his leadership, mentoring youth and selfless service towards others. Trel is an expert in the area of Forensic Social Work (areas include Juvenile Justice, and victim services) and pride himself on advocating for individuals who are the least, lonely and left out in society.  During, Trel spare time, he enjoys lifting weights, traveling and eating good food. In addition, Trel also write poems, short stories and novels that are aimed at giving Black and Brown individuals voices in society and are often based on contemporary and social issues that minorities have to deal with in their communities.

Natasha A. Stapleton is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, class of 2016. Since graduating, Natasha began her employment with CREC – Capitol Region Education Council, where she started her career as a School Social Worker. In this role, Natasha works with a variety of students and families helping to support a variety of social and emotional needs. Natasha is also an active member of the school leadership team; she is a Culture and Climate Coach and is member of the safety committee. Through these various roles, Natasha has a voice in advocating for the equitable practices for diverse students across the school, within curriculum and activities that are provided at the school. As a social worker, Natasha is responsible for educating staff about various diagnosis and how to engage students from a trauma informed lens. Part of this work is supporting staff in recognizing their biases and its impact on educating student from diverse backgrounds. Natasha has over 15 years of experience providing community-based support and therapy to both children, families and adults.

This passion for advocacy is also seen through her volunteer work. Natasha was a member of the juvenile review board for approximately two years. In this role, she served on a panel with juvenile probation officers, police officers and a variety of community advocate across Hartford. The team provided restorative interventions for at risk youth and first-time offenders. Through this work, the panel successful in diverting many youths from juvenile court for minor violations. She also volunteered for several years with Dress for Success, a program built around inspiring women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and tools to assist women both in work and life.  Currently she volunteers with the Hartford CERT team, Community Response Team. In this capacity, she has developed skills in disaster response and hazard awareness. She also works with the Hartford Fire Fighters to educate individuals within the community about fire safety and supporting the community through a variety of volunteer events around Hartford.

Natasha grew up in Windsor, where she graduated from Windsor Public schools where she ran track and played basketball. Her experience graduating from high school five months pregnant fueled her desire to serve her community and ignited her passion for advocating for families and children. Natasha has also developed a passion for traveling. She has traveled to more than 40 countries around the world where she has had many immersive experiences like hiking a volcano, scuba diving, seeing the pyramids of Giza and visiting several indigenous villages from Colombia, Panama, Egypt and Peru. She also enjoys tasting different foods, visiting museums, theater, photography, meeting new people and alone time. Natasha believes that her experiences while traveling continue to change and shape her as a person and it’s an experience that she has begun sharing with her students. Her goal is that student from challenging situations can see world beyond their experiences and be inspired to want more.

Yolanda has been employed by the Department of Children and Families for 25 years. Yolanda currently is a Social Worker in the Statewide Quality Improvement Division’s Case Practice Review Unit. In this role she conducts case reviews to assess for compliance with policy and identifying areas of needs for staff. Prior to this she worked for the regional office where she conducted various case reviews, provided one to one coaching for staff, participated in various Quality Improvement Teams, served as the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Liaison, and worked on special projects.  Yolanda provides technical assistance to the Region 4 Citizen’s Review Panel which is made up of community members who review policies, practices, and procedures and evaluate the extent that the region is meeting its child protective services responsibilities.

Yolanda has experience working with families as a Social Worker in the Ongoing Social Work Unit, Sexual Abuse Specialty Unit, Medically Complex Specialty Unit and Permanency Specialty Unit. Yolanda has also worked for the Foster Care & Adoptive Services Division where she provided oversight and support to foster parents, conducted training for kinship providers, facilitated support groups, licensed kinship foster homes and relicensed foster homes.

Yolanda is actively involved in various groups and committees within the office. Yolanda is Co-Chair of the office Wellness Team, a member of the Hartford Office Council and member of the Advisory Council. In addition, she takes a lead role in organizing and planning office wide events.

Within the community Yolanda is Co Leader of the Latinas in Motion Hartford Chapter. This organization encourages, inspires, and empowers women to get active.

Yolanda earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut in 1998 with a major in Human Development and Family Relations and a minor in Criminal Justice. Yolanda earned her MSW in 2005 with a Major Method of Community Organization and a focus area in Puerto Rican and Latino Studies. She has served on the Board of Champions since 2022.