Hip-Hop Association

Martha Diaz | Founder and President

Martha Diaz is a Hip-Hop educator, organizer, curator, social entrepreneur, and filmmaker. She has been dedicated to elevating the community through Hip-Hop for 15 years. Martha used her knowledge and experience in Hip-Hop culture, media, and education to form the H2A (Hip-Hop Association). Starting with an idea of creating a Hip-Hop film festival, Martha would gather a group of filmmakers, executives, activists, and educators to help launch the largest festival of its kind. She later would develop other initiatives and other projects with the same strategy of mobilizing and empowering the community.

She is the co-editor with Marcella Runell Hall of the Hip-Hop Education Guidebook Vol. I, the first ever book of its kind to offer an array of innovative, interdisciplinary standards-referenced lessons written by teachers for teachers. Martha is releasing her second book entitled, Fresh, Bold and So Def: Women in Hip-Hop Changing the Game in July 2009 and the second volume of the Hip-Hop Education Guidebook in September 2009.

She is Editor-At-Large for Word Beats and Life Journal, Artist and Community Advisory Council member of The Laundromat Project, and a Clinton Global Initiative University member. Martha is completing her Master’s Degree on Hip-Hop Culture as Tool for Human Rights and Social Change at the Gallatin School for Individualized Study at New York University, and is the recipient of the Catherine B. Reynolds Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurship.

Diana Noriega |Interim Executive Director

Diana Noriega began her involvement in youth community building and diversity project management as a youth peer educator at the age of 14 with the NYC Board of Education Youth Setting Standards project promoting the new math and science standards for high school students. Her experiences in high school inspired her to produce a range of youth community programs during college, professionally for a junior community college in NYC, and later, diversity and community programming at Teachers College, Columbia University.


She is currently pursuing an interdisciplinary master’s degree in cross-cultural community building at NYU. In the future, Diana would like to continue her work in alternative cross-cultural community building, promoting human rights, diversity training, empowerment and project management. She is extremely interested in nourishing her creative abilities, further developing her skills as an educator and as a healer. Diana optimistically believes that despite systems of hierarchy and social differences, communities of mutual respect can be created. Individuals have the ability to transform their lives and understanding of their relationships to each other.  This hopefulness and passion anchors her professional pursuits. 

Mona Ibrahim | Director of Programming and Distribution Development

Mona Ibrahim is dedicated to utilizing the arts to promote social consciousness and social change. She is working to cultivate links between organizations, artists, and activists from around the world to unify, educate, and empower global communities. Mona oversees and facilitates all programming partnerships with cultural, educational, and media organizations across the globe.  In this role, Mona has facilitated the exhibition of global hip-hop films on an international front, creating hip-hop film programming from the organization's extensive library of films for festivals and events in London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Marseilles, Capetown and various cities within the US addressing a myriad of themes from social justice to women's issues to the African Diaspora to the global mediascape.

Mona worked as the 2nd Assistant Director on acclaimed filmmaker Haile Gerima's independent feature "Teza," which was shot on location in Ethiopia and which won the special jury prize in 2008 at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. Mona also worked as the Assistant Programmer for the 2008 10th anniversary edition of the BFM, Black Filmmaker Magazine, International Film Festival, the largest Black World Cinema event in the UK.

Mona holds a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Psychology from Stanford University. During her time at Stanford, Mona participated in a study abroad  program at Oxford University in the UK for one semester, where in addition to her courses, she completed an intensive tutorial on the independent Black film movement in the UK.

Andreas Jackson | Director of Online and Business Development

Andreas Thai-yan Jackson is an arts administrator, media maker, & entrepreneur with over a decade experience in utilizing culture for social change through his company MediaClectic LLC. Over the past several years Andreas has provided programming and creative services for institutions including: Bowery Poetry Club, The National Hip-Hop Political Convention, Hip-Hop Association, WBAI Pacifica’s Hip-Hop Takeover radio marathon, & Beat Boxer Entertainment (management). Presently, Andreas serves as curator, advisory board member, and new media consultant for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s International Hip-Hop Festival in addition to working with United Nations Education committee on youth culture as well as St. John’s University with arts education. Andreas received a B.A. in communications/ broadcasting from the College of New Jersey and is currently pursuing studies in Media Psychology and Social Change. His early social media work has been the subject of featured articles and he regularly blogs on andreasjackson.com.


Andrew Landers | Co-Director of Education Initiative

Andrew Landers is a teacher with over twelve years of education experience. He has a B.S. in education from the School of Education at Boston University, and a Master of Science in Literacy from the City College of New York. He incorporates hip-hop songs in the classroom, as well as welcoming student contributions and input in his lessons. As the Education Committee Leader, Andrew oversees the compilation and maintenance of all research materials and lesson plans for The Hip-Hop Association’s educational initiatives.


Sarah Montgomery-Glinski |Co-Director of Education Initiative

Born in Boston, Sarah Montgomery-Glinski has experienced both progressive and traditional public education. Presently working towards a Masters in Elementary Education, Sarah is currently in her second year teaching. With a B.S. in Education Policy and Urban Education from New York University, Sarah has spent extensive time analyzing the efforts of the U.S. and South African governments to equalize access and achievement in public education. Sarah is passionate about understanding and manipulating the effects of race, class and the greater economy to help realize educational equality. Stevie Wonder, Hip-Hop and chocolate have nurtured and maintained her through all stages of her life.


Shana Louallen | Director of Communications and Media Relations

Shana Louallen has become a trailblazing figure in Public Relations over the past 4 years. As a Binghamton University graduate, she began working in beauty and later branched out into the fashion, lifestyle, entertainment and art industries. She's worked for many notable brands including Infusium Haircare, Tanqueray Gin, and Staple Design. She's developed strategies for some great  projects such as Boost Mobile's Artist Content Collaborations, Better Dayz R&B Music Showcase with Emily King, and Miami's Arrive Boutique. She's continues to assist on major events in need of sponsorship through her ties to NUVO,  Moet Hennesey, Red Bull, Bank of America and a host of other companies. Shana's recent campaigns include the first all women's art collective, YOUNITY Arts, the Fort Greene Music, Film and Food Festival as well as the Hip Hop Association's Womanhood Learning Project. Although adept at securing traditional press, she continues to consult small businesses on new cross cultural platforms with a special interest in blogs and social media outreach.Lastly, Shana also speaks at a variety of engagements that involve teenage at-risk youths; stressing the importance of an education as a key component for success.


Alecia Chakour | H2A Operations Manager

Alecia Chakour is an educator, organizer and singer whose work focuses on using the arts as a driving force in providing a meaningful education of critical literacy.  As an educator and organizer, Alecia's work history includes developing community arts nonprofits, creating youth summer arts camps, producing large scale youth arts festivals and serving as a teacher at public schools, performing arts schools and teen summer arts intensives throughout Massachusetts and New York.  As a singer, Alecia has opened for both James Brown and KRS ONE, who have helped to foster her lifetime love of hip-hop and through their example have inspired her to get involved in sustaining hip-hop as a tool for empowering education. Alecia holds a B.A. in both Education and Dance from Smith College.

Andrew Landers | Co-Director of Education Initiative

Andrew Landers is a teacher with over twelve years of education experience. He has a B.S. in education from the School of Education at Boston University, and a M.S. in Literacy from the City College of New York.


He incorporates hip-hop songs, quotes, and aesthetic in the classroom, as well as welcomes student contributions and input to his lessons. As the Education Co-Director, Andrew oversees the compilation and maintenance of all research materials and lesson plans for The Hip-Hop Association’s H2Ed Wiki, eats cake with Sarah O.G., and continues the discussion of how to best serve students in urban communities.


Sarah Montgomery-Glinski | Co-Director of Education Initiative

Born in Boston, Sarah Montgomery-Glinski is a 9th and 10th grade teacher working at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School. With a B.A. from NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study concentrating in Education Policy and Urban Education, and an M.A. in Elementary Education from Mercy College, Sarah is passionate about reaching her students using any number of resources, including Hip-Hop. Sarah has contributed lessons to the Hip-Hop Association's Hip-Hop Education Guidebook, Vol.1 and the compilation Conscious Women Rock the Page by JLove, Black Artemis, E-Fierce and Marcella Runell Hall. Stevie Wonder, Hip-Hop and chocolate have nurtured and maintained her through all stages of her life.

Marcella Runell Hall | Editor - H2Ed Guidebook Series

Marcella Runell Hall is currently completing her doctoral studies in the Social Justice
Education program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her dissertation is entitled, “Education in a Hip-Hop Nation: Our Identity, Politics and Pedagogy. She is also the Associate Director of the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs at New York University. Marcella Runell regularly presents her work at conferences, colleges and universities and community-based events. Marcella co-edited her first book entitled, The Hip-Hop Education Guidebook with Martha Diaz, and co-wrote a journal article entitled Confronting Islamophobia in Education, in the Journal of Intercultural Education (2007). Other publications include: The Ten Most Influential Hip-Hop Artists (Scholastic/Rubicon 2008), Conscious Women Rock the Page: Using Hip-Hop Fiction to Incite Social Change (Lulu/ March 2008) and forthcoming, Hip-Hop Education Guidebook Volume 2 (Lulu/August 2008)

Beth Sachnoff | H2Ed Development Associate

Beth is committed to using media as a tool for social justice and works with the Hip-Hop Association to provide resources for educators interested in using Hip-Hop in the classroom. Beth works as an Administrative Assistant for ZeroDivide, a San Francisco based foundation that supports communities leveraging technology to spark change. Beth graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Community Studies and is a proud San Francisco native.

Renee Moore | Research Assistant

Renee Moore is a research assistant with the Hip-Hop Association.  Since 2008, she has also worked for the Fund for Modern Courts and the City College of New York where her jobs include being an office assistant and an ombudsperson.  In her current role at the Hip Hop Association, she ensures that the relevant research activities for the Womanhood Learning Project are of high quality and that all project components are well-integrated. She holds a B.A. in Poltical Science and Philosophy from Christopher Newport University and a B.A. in English and Black Studies from Old Dominion University. She is currently a psychology student at the City College of New York.  When not working, Renee likes to read, write and listen to music.


Malika Reid | Marketing


Malika Reid is the marketing assistant for the Hip-Hop Association. She has a B.S. in Mass Communication from Florida International University, where she majored in advertising. She is currently studying graphic design and exploring many other visual arts such as photography, film production and creative writing. She's an avid consumer of Hip-Hop and fashion and believes that anyone can be a vehicle for social change.