The Sprouting Readers Team

Caitlin Farrell

Caitlin Farrell Skelton is a Research Strategist and Program Specialist at Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, with 6 years of experience in scientific research and community health support and 10 years of experience working with children. In 2021 Caitlin moved to Atlanta, GA to attend the Rollins School of Public Health, MPH Global Health and Community Health Development with a focus on disease prevention. Caitlin was connected with Janet Mao through the Emory Urban Health Initiative (UHI).

The Sprouting Readers (SR) program was developed after seeing a need in the community to increase literacy, provide opportunities to love reading and learning and support established community organizations. Sprouting Readers combines many of Caitlin’s passions, including a love of reading, education, empowerment, gardening, and science. Caitlin is inspired by the joy that SR kids bring into the classroom and the work that the community partners, volunteers, and the development team do to make Sprouting Readers the best that it can be. In her spare time, Caitlin loves to read, go for hikes with her dog, tend to her garden, and attend community events.

Joan Wilson

Joan Wilson is a public health leader focused on global women’s health and international human rights and currently serves as the Assistant Program Director for the Urban Health Initiative (UHI), Emory School of Medicine. Some of Joan’s recent other projects have included the development of the HOPE for Girls Initiative (Health, Opportunity, and Prosperity through Education), as she strongly believes that there is a direct correlation between the education of girls and the health and well-being of their families and communities. Joan also participated in a research team to study health disparities and service gaps related to Black maternal and infant healthcare in the State of Georgia. Originally from Atlanta, Joan has worked for a number of healthcare, academic, and scientific research institutions over her career, including the Global Collaborating Center for Reproductive Health, Yerkes Primate Research Center, Crawford W. Long Memorial Hospital, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Grady Health System, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory University School of Medicine prior to her work with UHI. Additionally, she has worked independently as a consultant for federal administrations such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the United States Department of Education (DOE), as well as for foreign governments in Nepal, Northern Ireland, and Japan. Joan has a long history of engagement with her local and “world” community. For 20 years, Joan was involved in advocacy issues for Native Americans on federal Indian reservations, as well as for those living in urban poverty. She has helped refugees with resettlement and worked with migrant workers living in extreme poverty conditions. She has organized public health teams and traveled to rural parts of Central America to help to improve the living conditions that were associated with a high rate of infant mortality. Her background in aviation (and experience as a pilot) has been instrumental in helping to improve safety in third-world airports that are essential for infrastructure as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid. Some of her current projects (outside of GCC/RH) involve addressing food insecurity issues in urban Atlanta and teaching business skills, literacy, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects to inner-city youth in an entrepreneurial program that she developed. Her latest program to address food access combines education in gardening with literacy and STEM (science, tech, engineering & math) for K-3 rd graders. As an established teacher and trainer, her educational activities have touched military troops learning aviation and aerospace, as well as graduate students, medical students, and medical residents learning about the social determinants of health. Joan received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Mercer University, a Master of Aeronautical Science degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Juris Master's degree with a focus in Global Health Law and International Human Rights from Emory Law School. She is board certified in Healthcare Administration and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Senior Fellow in the Global Collaborating Center for Reproductive Health.

Isabel González Whitaker

Isabel González Whitaker is currently the Associate Vice President for Public Engagement of the Moms Clean Air Force, which is a program of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) focusing on protecting children from air pollution and climate change. She is also the Director of EcoMadres, which is a part of Moms Clean Air Force that protects the health of Latino families and pursues environmental justice. In this role, she serves as an advocate representing this organization to legislators on Capitol Hill and before key federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Prior to this role, she was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of All in Together, a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing women’s leadership through civic participation. Before this, she was Principal Advisor, Executive Strategic Communications, for ALSAC, the $2B+ annual fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital headquartered in Memphis.

Before this, she was Deputy Editor of Billboard in New York City, and prior to that, Features Editor at InStyle. During her 18-year career as a journalist and editor, she wrote numerous cover stories and produced profiles on a range of people from President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Representative Veronica Escobar, to Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez. She also wrote news stories on major events. Isabel continues to freelance as a writer covering a wide array of topics with her work appearing most recently in Elle. She also has been published in Time, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, and Refinery29.

In 2018, Isabel was selected a Presidential Leadership Scholar, a social-impact leadership program established by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. As a scholar, Isabel designed and opened a multi-purpose park named after her mother. The Sara J. González Memorial Park is the first memorial and park in the State of Georgia to be named for a Latino individual. Of the park, President Clinton wrote “it will have a lasting positive impact on the community [and] inspire all those who visit it in the years to come.”

Janet Mao

Janet Mao graduated from Northwestern University in 2019 with a B.A. in Neuroscience, a minor in Business Institutions, and an Integrated Marketing Communications Certificate. At Northwestern, she was an undergraduate research assistant involved in concussion studies and a member of the golf team. She went on to play professionally for two and a half years on the LPGA Epson Tour, then worked as a Referrals Care Coordinator at an FQHC in Chicago. She is now a first-year medical student at Emory School of Medicine and will be pursuing an MD/MPH during her time here. She is passionate about learning how to better serve underserved populations and learning how to connect patients and facilities with local resources and initiatives.

Sandy Feliciano

Sandy Feliciano is a development professional dedicated to creating community impact. As a manager at Coxe Curry & Associates, Sandy helps nonprofit clients across Atlanta develop fundraising strategies that further their missions and make lasting change. She previously served as Associate Director of Development Operations for The Atlanta Opera, leading data strategy for their $45 million comprehensive campaign.

As a volunteer, Sandy serves as Community Engagement Director for Sara J. Gonzalez Park, on the Steering Committee of AJC ACCESS Atlanta, and as an Adjudicator for the ArtsBridge Foundation’s Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards. She is a member of the 2022 Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta Class and of the 2023 LEAD Atlanta class.

Sandy holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance from the University of South Florida and a Certificate in Graphic Design from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.

Eva Li

Eva Li is an undergraduate student at Emory University studying Human Health on a pre-medical track. She works as a clinical medical assistant at Emory University Hospital’s Winship Cancer Institute, conducts environmental health research at Emory Rollins’ School of Public Health, and works with AirEmory to create educational sessions on air pollution for Atlanta-area middle- and high-schoolers. She serves as an EPASS tutor for chemistry and a Learning Assistant for organic chemistry.

Additionally, she is the co-president of Emory’s Climate and Analysis Solutions Team (ECAST), the social media chair of Emory’s Lifestyle Medicine Team, and a member of the Human Health major’s Student Advisory Board. She has been involved in Sprouting Readers since her freshman year at Emory and served as a Sprouting Readers intern in the summer of 2023. She is very passionate about working directly with local communities to understand their health concerns and to create effective and community-oriented programs to eliminate health equities.

Mica Einhorn

Mica Einhorn is an undergraduate student at Emory University pursuing a degree in Physics on a Pre-Law track. She is an employee at the Emory University School of Law. There, she conducts research in the intersection on Physics Law and Religion. Additionally, Mica is a lead volunteer for the Autism Center where she works to support adults who identify with an autism spectrum profile.  Mica has extensive legal experience including an internship with the Miami Dade State Attorney's Office,  and a job at Van Horn Law Group in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Mica is a professional singer and has sung the National Anthem for sports teams including the Miami Marlins, Miami Heat, Miami Sharks, NASCAR and Miami Dolphins.  Mica is dedicated to public service and ensuring academic opportunity for students in Atlanta. As the co-president of Sprouting Readers Mica hosts a book club every Saturday for children of all ages. Through Sprouting Readers Mica works to foster literacy and instill a love for learning, and academic confidence in each of her students.