Sarah Zeller-Berkman

Academic Director of Youth Studies Programs at CUNY SPS

Headshot
Contact

101 W. 31 street 7th floor 

NY NY 10001

Phone: (212) 652-2862

Areas of Expertise
  • Participatory Action Research
  • Youth Studies
  • Critical Youth Studies
  • Intergenerational Policy-Making
  • Youth-Adult Partnerships

Sarah Zeller-Berkman, PhD is Academic Director of the Youth Studies Program which includes a BA, MA and Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies which she developed and runs.  She is a Distinguished Lecturer in the program.  Sarah is also a founder and director of multiple grant funded programs included a longitudinal, critical, participatory action research project called ‘The Intergenerational Change Initiative (ICI)’ and a paid gap year program for 18-24 year-olds interested in supporting the wellbeing of youth and communities called ‘Working the Gap’.

Prior to joining CUNY SPS, Dr. Zeller-Berkman worked on various initiatives for city government, foundations and non-profits including Mozilla Foundation, the Mayor’s Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline and the Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives.  For seven years she was a director at The Youth Development Institute where she led the Community-Youth Development Unit.  She also was a fellow at La Guardia Community College, taught in Youth Studies at Brooklyn College, and a founding member of the Public Science Project at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Zeller-Berkman holds a BA from Emory University and a Doctorate from CUNY Graduate Center’s Social Personality Psychology Program.  Dr. Zeller-Berkman has spent the last 25 years as a practitioner, researcher, evaluator, capacity-builder, professor and scholar in the field of youth and community development. She has worked in partnership with young people on participatory action research projects about issues that impact their lives such as sexual harassment in schools, incarceration, parental incarceration, economic mobility, housing and high-stakes testing.

Courses

YS 610 - Youth Development 
YS 699 - Capstone

Academic Programs

Graduate Program

Youth Studies

Advanced Certificate Program

Youth Studies

Additional Areas of Expertise

Recent news

Photo of Reverend Dr. Alfonso Wyatt

New Scholarship Will Support Youth Studies Students to Realize their Educational Dreams

April 03, 2025

Named after Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, a pioneer in the field of youth development, the scholarship will offer financial support to eligible BA and MA Youth Studies students.
Photo of protesters at a Black Lives Matter rally featuring a mother and child

Sixth Annual Youth Studies Conference Showcases Youth-Led Activism

February 10, 2025

This year's conference featured two film screening and a panel discussion that explore the current state of youth policy and social change.

Legislature Should Reconsider Youth Vote for School Boards

November 04, 2024

Brattleboro Reformer

Op-ed article mentions a CUNY SPS Youth Studies affiliated program, the Intergenerational Change Initiative (ICI). The opinion piece spotlights the important work the ICI does by empowering youth groups in the process of policy and legislative decisions.

Youth Studies Professor Showcases Latest Book in Panel Discussion

May 22, 2024

During the event, Dr. Bishop discussed her recently published book Whiting Out: Writing on Vulnerability, Racism and Repair.

Youth Studies Program Introduces Film Series for Annual Community and Youth Organizing Event

March 07, 2024

This year's Community & Youth Organizing series featured screenings of three documentaries that demonstrate youth and/or community organizing principles in action.