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our facilitators

Abbey, a junior in high school, is interested in psychology and mental health and loves to gain new perspectives of the world through travel. She became involved with dis/connect because she wanted a better understanding of the relationship between technology and mental health. She hopes to be able to share her experiences with others to spread awareness of digital wellness.

Abbey, facilitator

Neva, a junior in high school, loves volunteering and giving back to her community, as well as spending time outside in nature. Neva is involved with dis/connect because its programs have helped her understand her relationship to her phone, improving her mental health and allowing her to cultivate stronger relationships with friends. Neva wants to share her new insights with others. She hopes to help others learn tech hygiene and mitigate their own harm reduction, recognizing that phones aren’t bad, but that good habits are essential.

Neva, facilitator
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Gabbi, a sophomore in high school, loves to learn new things and help others. Gabbi joined dis/connect so that she can become more in tune with herself, her peers, and Christ. She also hopes that through what she learns in dis/connect she can help other teens learn more about their relationship with their phones. Through dis/connect Gabbi has learned that her relationship with her phone is not something she needs to get rid of, but something she needs to have more control over.

Gabbi, facilitator
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staff

Kat identifies as an ex-teacher, full-time educator. After seeing the sadness phones were causing in her students’ lives, Kat developed Dis/connect’s meeting model. Using her 15-years of teaching experience, Kat now helps teens and young adults transform from tech victims into tech leaders in their communities.

Kat Zilka, co-founder & exec director

Joseph Dallas Westerfield is passionate about rethinking the way we engage with technology and each other. As Director of School Partnerships at dis/connect, he works closely with educators to develop meaningful, school-wide strategies that foster focus, balance, and real-world connection. With a background in language education and cultural immersion, he understands the power of presence and intentional communication. Whether training facilitators or collaborating with school leaders, Joseph is dedicated to creating learning environments where students and educators can engage more deeply—with their work, their communities, and themselves.

Joseph Westerfield,  school partnerships
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Dalyn is a full time tech executive. As a technologist, he is interested in the impact phones and mobile devices have on emotional well-being, mental health, and cognition. He believes that understanding this impact and developing the tools needed to create healthy relationships with technology are among the most important problems to solve today.

Dalyn Ward, co-founder & ops
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Kavon Cortez Jones, asst. camp director
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Kavon Cortez Jones is a Milwaukee-born poet, storyteller, and educator who believes in the power of words to inspire young minds. Mentored by Kwabena Nixon and Muhibb Dyer in seventh grade, he discovered poetry as a tool for self-expression and has been writing ever since. Whether leading workshops or performing in schools, he helps kids recognize the value of their own voices. Through poetry and conversation, Kavon empowers young people to share their stories with confidence.

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