Our Team
NexUp team works with the applicant(s) and local partner organizations to best define how requested activity(ies) meet the needs of the community and fall under the NexUp Pillars
Jermaine Tallio
NexUp Lead
Jermaine grew up in Bella Coola – Bear Clan. Starting as a NexUp participant, Jermaine has grown into a leadership role and now supports the NexUp team as a Youth Lead. He is often seen playing video games, hanging out with his cat, and generally horsing around.
Moe Mohammad
Youth In Residence
Moe who is of Syrian Kurdish background started as a participant with NexUp and took lead on supporting youth in shaping their ideas to the NexUp team. Moe became the Youth In Residence with NexUp-DCS whose main focus is Youth Engagement- building relationships with the youth. Being that NexUp is Youth Lead, Moe leads the Youth Advisory Team to cross their ideas to NexUp as we aim to implement their needs.
Kyler Tang
Project Assistant
Muhaned Shalash
Project Coordinator
Muhaned is the Project Coordinator with NexUp-DCS who’s main work is Youth and Community Engagement. As the project Coordinator, Muhaned has started the Core Projects with NexUp which reflect the NexUp pillars. With over a decade of youth and community work, Muhaned connects to the youth through shared experiences. Through previous Youth work opportunities- Muhaned has gained the life skills needed to communicate with vulnerable youth who have experienced past traumatic events in their homeland.
Marco Caffiero
Community Relations Coordinator
Marco is of mixed ancestry. His mother is Anishinaabe (Rainy River First Nation) /Polish, and his father is Chilean, Spanish, and Italian. Marco was born and raised in Coast Salish Territory on Vancouver Island. Marco has over 24 years experience in martial arts and fitness which includes Capoeira, Kickboxing, and MMA. He currently works for the DUDES Club Society as a Community Relations Coordinator on Vancouver Island.
Rome Mahdavi
Administrative Coordinator
Rome (They/Them) is a first generation immigrant with a variety of lived and professional experience. They find their best self in creative and challenging spaces. Rome always looks forward to developing their worldview and knowledge through community connections and meaningful conversations. In their spare time, you can find them with their cat Babylon, playing video games, or chilling at the park.
Leona Lu
Administrator
As the operations manager for DUDES Club Society, Leona has demonstrated exceptional leadership and organizational skills, driving significant improvements in the organization’s overall efficiency and effectiveness. Leona holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and comes from a Han Chinese background. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and spending time with her dog and two cats.
Frank Cohn
Co-Director
Frank has more than 20 years of experience in managing and evaluating Community Development, Social Impact, and Education Programs, in 22 countries; with leadership capacity building work with over 10,000 people in over 100 rural villages and urban neighbourhoods. Frank also serves as the Exec. Director of the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture.
