About Us

 

Marcus Littles
Founder
Director of Organizational Development

Marcus Littles specializes in organizational development, particularly within the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. His work experience includes TCC Group, the Ford Foundation, where he served as a Program Associate in Community and Resource Development, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Littles is the founder of Frontline Solutions, and provides leadership to projects in organizational development, policy advocacy and philanthropic engagement. A native of Mobile, he is a graduate of Auburn University and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, with a concentration in Nonprofit Management, from the University of Delaware.

 

Ryan Bowers
Partner
Director of Community Engagement

Ryan Bowers is a community engagement and policy advocacy specialist. At Frontline, he directs applied research projects, provides consultation on policy solutions, and partners with clients to develop community engagement strategies. He recently served as Community Engagement Coordinator for the office of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. In his role there he worked to ensure the voices of parents, students, and community stakeholders were heard in the development and implementation of education policy and reform. Before serving in the mayor’s office, Bowers worked for Public Private Ventures and taught 6th grade with Teach for America.

 

Micah Gilmer
Partner
Director of Research

Micah Gilmer is a specialist in applied research and social enterprise with a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University. He currently serves part-time as Social Entrepreneur in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. His academic work focuses on the intersection of cutting-edge youth development practices with “mainstream” contexts like education and athletics. At Frontline, Gilmer provides leadership to applied research teams, directs the creative process for reports and oversees public communication.

 

Bianca Robinson
Associate Director of Research

In the world of academia, there are rare scholars who produce field-changing research and there are critical social leaders who build institutions and communities capable of sustaining academic movements. Bianca Robinson is both. Currently, she serves as the day-to-day leader of our Research unit, developing partnerships and projects with our network of scholars.

 

Karen Cherfils
Operations Coordinator

Karen Cherfils is the brains of the operation. She manages Frontline’s virtual office and provides support to our three real ones. Karen is also co-founder of Our Health, a health and wellness social network for women of color. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, and a Master’s degree in Public Health.

 

 

Brian Baughan
Director of Communications

Brian Baughan oversees Frontline’s communications and public relations ventures, connecting the company to the diverse set of fields it serves. He also contributes to Frontline’s ongoing research, and since joining the team has co-authored The State of Black Male Commissions: A Survey and Changing the Face of Integration: Tides Foundation’s Africa Family Planning and HIV Integration Fund. A native of Philadelphia, he has nine years of experience in educational publishing and nonprofit development.

 

 

Emily Hylton
Project Assistant

Emily Hylton embodies value of community and commitment to excellence. She began her work with Frontline as part of Project: Innovation, a launching of a campus-wide social innovation initiative at UNC Chapel Hill. She has maintained an active role with the initiative while providing support to some of Frontline's other projects. An Arab Culture and Political Science double-major with a minor in Creative Writing, Emily plans to graduate from UNC in May 2010.