Staff
Joseph Alvarez
Senior Transition Program ManagerJoseph Alvarez
Senior Transition Program Manager
Joseph joined Let’s Get Ready in November of 2018. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University. Joseph served, first as a verbal Coach and later as a Site Director, with Let’s Get Ready at Malden High School. He’s spent the last three years working with Tutors for All, facilitating tutoring programs for middle and high school students throughout the Boston area. He’s thrilled to rejoin Let’s Get Ready as a College Access Manager. email
Grace Bianciardi
Chief Program OfficerGrace Bianciardi
Chief Program Officer
Grace has served as a teacher, instructional leader and trainer in schools throughout New York City, Boston and in rural Massachusetts. She began her career in the classroom as a high school and elementary school teacher and used these experiences to jump start 15 years in leadership roles at education non-profits. After teaching, Grace joined Citizen Schools, which partners with middle schools to expand the learning day with the purpose of preparing students to achieve long-term academic, social and career success. As the Director of Citizen Schools at the Edison Middle School, Grace led the campus to achieve the largest academic gains in the network. These experiences demonstrated to Grace the impact that quality teaching, training, coaching and curriculum have over educational outcomes for young people They also provided the focus for her work as a Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Peace First and her recent work as a curriculum and training consultant. Grace is thrilled to bring this experience and passion to Let’s Get Ready. She holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s in education from Antioch University. email
Courtney Crawford
Associate Director, Data Analysis & ReportingCourtney Crawford
Associate Director, Data Analysis & Reporting
Courtney joined Let’s Get Ready in January 2022, and is responsible for internal data reporting, evaluation and assisting with data quality assurance and management. She has a Master’s in Public Health from Oregon Health & Science University. She began her career as a data analyst in health policy research, providing data to support making healthcare more accessible to families. Later she served the State of Oregon as an infectious disease epidemiologist where she ran surveillance systems for influenza and RSV, and provided analytical work for a peer-based program to help people who inject drugs access curative treatment for Hepatitis C. Most recently she has served the State of New Mexico as an occupational health epidemiologist, collecting and analyzing data to improve worker health and safety. She is excited to be a part of the LGR team, because she believes many inequities that she has seen over her career could be better addressed by a more diverse workforce in healthcare, social services and public health. A more diverse workforce starts with improved access to higher education! email
Audrey Davis
Associate Director of SuccessAudrey Davis
Associate Director of Success
Audrey joined the Let’s Get Ready Team August 2016 as the College Success Program Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Prior to working with Let’s Get Ready, Audrey has spent the past few years working in college access providing guidance and support to high school students in New York City as they prepare for their college journey. Audrey is originally from California, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Saint Mary’s College of California. She also holds a Master of Art in counseling from Manhattan College. Audrey is passionate about helping others, and is dedicated to helping students get to and through college. email
Dennis Dumpson
Chief External Affairs OfficerDennis Dumpson
Chief External Affairs Officer
Dennis Maurice Dumpson joined Let’s Get Ready in October 2022. He has a 20+ year professional history that intersects activism, community organizing, nonprofit leadership, fundraising, narrative development, and justice in local communities and nationally. Before joining Let’s Get Ready, Dennis founded and was the principal consultant of #InvestBLK. His racial equity strategy firm focuses on vitiating anti-Blackness in nonprofits, small businesses, and government. Before that, Dennis served as an externally facing leader with KIPP Philadelphia Schools as their Managing Director, Development & External Impact; Director of Community Engagement & Outreach for the Philadelphia International Airport; Vice-President, Development at Opportunity Finance Network; as well as many other roles.
Dennis has secured more than $38MM in new funding and more than $100MM in stewarded gifts throughout his career. As a seasoned fundraiser, he regularly teaches fundraising, philanthropy, racial equity, and narrative. He recently developed La Salle University’s Nonprofit Center’s Abolition, Reform, and Expansion of Philanthropy course with two other colleagues and teaches Introduction to Fundraising. Dennis is an active organizer and volunteer and sits on the boards of EducationWorks, Boundless Freedom Project in California, and PHL Pride Collective. He is also Co-Chair of the Abortion Liberation Fund of Pennsylvania. Dennis is the author of two books that center on the lived experiences of Black folk. His latest book, Black Washed: A Collection of Essays, Poems, Dreams, and Letters Addressed to Black Folk, was released in 2021, and in 2023, he will release his third, Other Side of Soil: Our Journey through Mud & Magic.
Dennis is a Ph.D. student studying Social Justice Education at the University of San Diego. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy (English Literature) from the nation’s first HBCU, Lincoln University of PA, and an MBA in Global Finance from Saint Joseph’s University.
Board of Directors
Ryan Blackwell, Chief Revenue Officer, Renaissance
Jung Chai, Community Volunteer
Peter Cole, Senior Macro Analyst, Caxton
Laurent Desmangles, Secretary, Senior Partner and Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group
Lena Eberhart, Chief Executive Officer, Let’s Get Ready
Portia Green, Vice President, Org Strategy, Talent Development, Inclusion, Direct-to-Consumer, NBC Universal Comcast
Jeffrey A. Jacobs, Private Wealth Advisor, Merrill Lynch Private Banking & Investment Group
Joanne Jensen, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank
Grace Lamont, Retired Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopersLLP
Kate Levin, College Professor, Retired
Gary S. Matthews, Vice Chair, Chief Executive Officer, Seven Oaks Acquisition Corp.
Jordan May, Investor, Prime Finance
Patricia McWade, Dean of Student Financial Services, Georgetown University
Adrian Mebane, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer, AmeriHealth Caritas
Priscilla Natkins, Marketing Consultant
Brook Payner, Chair, Partner, Pinehouse Capital LLC
Eugenie Lang Rosenthal, Founder, Let’s Get Ready
James Quinn, Principal, Quinn ADR LLP
Kate Rubenstein, Managing Director, The Blackstone Group
Alan Schoenfeld, Partner, WilmerHale
Ben Tagoe, Founder, Fairfield Enterprises
New England Advisory Board
Meg Brooks Swift, Associate Dean of Admissions, Bowdoin College
Margery Arsham, Community Volunteer
Jeannette Mitchell, Chair, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Jesse Ge, Vice President, Charlesbank Capital Partners
Austin Greenwalt, Assistant Vice President, Wellington Management Company
Scott Levy, Director, Fidelity Investments
Jamie Muldoon, Vice President, Global Atlantic Financial Group
Martin Ouimet, Partner and Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group
Kate Stephens Pinto, Consultant, Parthenon-EY
Lionel Silberman, Senior Architect, Kronos Inc
Mary Tamer, Research Director, SchoolFacts Boston
David Wallace, Managing Partner, Gamechange LLC
Associates Council
Visit here to learn more about our Associates Council.
Student Leadership Council
Visit here to learn more about our Student Leadership Council.
Lena Eberhart
Chief Executive Officer
Lena joined Let’s Get Ready in June 2016 after fifteen years in the college access and success field, and with broad experience in program implementation and design, organizational growth, and partnership development. She began as a college counselor at the I Have a Dream Foundation, and transitioned to Comprehensive Development, Inc. (CDI) where she served as Director of College and Career Services at their founding high school, and then as Site Director overseeing CDI’s first expansion to multiple sites. Lena worked at iMentor as Managing Director for the NYC program, steering the site through a period of strategic growth. As a consultant for Phoenix House, Lena developed and facilitated student and parent curriculum focused on drug abuse prevention programs for adolescents. Lena received a BA in Religion from Reed College and a MS in Urban Studies from Hunter College.
Katie Flood
Director of Enrollment & Rural Programs
Katie joined Let’s Get Ready in the Fall of 2015 as the Waterville, Maine Access Program Manager. Prior to joining Let’s Get Ready, Katie was a guidance counselor for Upper Kennebec Valley High School for 13 years. During her time as a guidance counselor, she specialized in college access for students from low-income, rural backgrounds and first-generation-to-college students. Her average graduatig class had 20 students! Before working as a guidance counselor, Katie was the Residential Coordinator for Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maine and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Maine as well as certification as a school counselor. email
Rae Hawkinson
Associate Director of Data, Operations, and Salesforce
Rae joined Let’s Get Ready’s program team full-time in February of 2016, after having served as a college student Coach and Site Director at LGR’s Fordham location from 2012-2015. She earned her B.A. in French Language and Literature from Fordham University. In her current role, Rae offers operational and systems support to the program team. She’s thrilled to be able to do work that supports the program team to create the best possible experiences for Let’s Get Ready students! email
Jordan Wesley
Managing Director of Partnerships
Jordan leads Let’s Get Ready’s continuum of services for the Mid-Atlantic region. She started her career in neighborhood renewal and summer youth programming in West Texas and has worked in New York City since 2011, first at iMentor managing mentoring relationships and then at Comprehensive Development, Inc (CDI) leading the college and career readiness programs at the High School for Health Professions and Human Services. Her love of community-based programs, PTAs, volunteer associations and all things local-people-centric continues to fuel her leadership in youth development and college access and success. She currently volunteers on the vestry of the All Angel’s Episcopal Church, supporting their shelter and social service programs for people experiencing homelessness. Additionally, she has served as a Lecturer in the Columbia University School of Social Work and teaches a short course on Non-Profit Outcomes Measurement at African Christian College in Swaziland. She holds a BS and a MS in Social Work from Abilene Christian University. email
Sean Fischer
Senior Director of Data and Evaluation
Sean joined Let’s Get Ready in April 2018 and oversees the organization’s data-related systems and evaluation activities. He has a Ph.D. in community psychology from New York University and most recently operated an independent consulting practice called The Change Workshop. Prior to that, he worked as a research director at the New York City Department of Education and served as an evaluator and program deputy director at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He has also supported research activities in other content areas, including school climate experiences of LGBTQ students and issues related to housing and homelessness.
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Wanda Montañez
Managing Director of Programs
Wanda leads the College Access and College Success programs in the New England region. She brings extensive experience designing and implementing systems and programs to boost college access and completion rates, both at the high school and collegiate level. Prior to joining Let’s Get Ready, Wanda served as the Director of College Success for the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association where she was responsible for guiding and supporting the development of college counseling programs for charter high schools. Wanda holds a BA in psychology from Framingham State University, an EdM in counseling from Boston University, and an EdD in higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston. email
Jacqueline Rivera
NYC Civic Corps Member
Tyrone Foster
Senior Grants and Communications Manager
Tyrone joined Let’s Get Ready in March of 2019. He holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology and a Masters in Sports Leadership, and has a background in the nonprofit sector working with youth from urban and low socioeconomic communities. Tyrone is excited to join Let’s Get Ready to continue to empower youth from underprivileged areas and develop their skills in and outside of the classroom. email
Emma Missett
Operations Manager
Emma joined the Let’s Get Ready team in March 2019 as the Program Operations Coordinator for the New England region. Prior to working at Let’s Get Ready, Emma worked in volunteer engagement at Cradles to Crayons, a Boston-based non-profit that focuses on addressing childhood poverty. She has also previously worked in the Boston Public School system, where she developed her passion for increasing access to educational resources for students of all backgrounds. Originally from Connecticut, she got her Bachelor of Arts from Boston College, studying English Literature and Film. email
Virna Johnson
Associate Director of Curriculum and Training
Costin Thampikutty
Marvin Vilma
Lauren Rosen
Lauren joined the Let’s Get Ready team as the Enrollment & Partnerships Manager in September of 2021. She graduated from the CUNY Macaulay Honors College on the Hunter College Campus in May of 2021, with a major in Sociology and minors in Psychology and Women’s & Gender Studies. Across five semesters, Lauren has worked with Let’s Get Ready as a volunteer SAT coach, an Access Site Director, a Virtual Access Coach, and as an Access Program Coordinator/Manager. She is eager to continue building a strong support network for our underserved youth and encourage students from all backgrounds to pursue their dreams. email
Theo Thompson
Managing Director of People & Operations
Theo joined Let’s Get Ready in September 2021 with over a decade of nonprofit and education operations experience. Prior to his role here, Theo served as Director of Operations at The Urban Institute in Washington, DC. He began his nonprofit career with Entrepreneur Works; a Philadelphia-based microfinance organization, where he served as Program Manager for the signature training program. Theo then transitioned to Friendship Public Charter Schools in Washington, DC as Manager of Operations and spent the next few years as Director of Operations for a variety of high-performing charter and public school systems located in NYC/NJ, DC, and Denver. In these roles, Theo was responsible for steering the financial, strategic, and operational health of the organization. Theo has recently served on the board of trustees for Two Rivers Public Charter School in DC and as an Advisory Board member for Pace University in NYC.
Theo obtained his BA in English & Communications from Westminster College in Missouri, a Master’s in Public Administration, and a Master’s in Community Development from Rutgers University. A proud St. Louis native, Theo now resides in Washington, DC. email
Elizabeth Faroul
Associate Director of Access Programs
Elizabeth joined the Let’s Get Ready team in October 2021 as the Associate Director of Access Programs. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Elizabeth has years of experience in managing education programs, coaching/training staff and developing courses for adult and child learners. She recently worked as the College Access and Persistence Manager for The LEAH Project. Elizabeth has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Bridgewater State University, a Masters of Science in Management from Lasell University, and is currently working on a Doctorate of Education in Christian Leadership at Liberty University. Elizabeth is thrilled to continue working with individuals that support student’s success. email
Nava Kidon
Senior Program Manager, CORE
Danielle Wheeler
Senior Development Operations Manager
Danielle joined Let’s Get Ready in March of 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Ecology from Ohio University. She worked for the international non-profit organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society directly after college, entering as the Gift Processor and departing as the Development Director. She then switched gears to be an entrepreneur and went on to own and operate an electrolysis business. During that time, she also was a development consultant for other organizations. Non-profit development is near and dear to her heart, because she values the far-reaching impact that it has on the mission of an organization. Danielle was thrilled to find an opportunity to work for Let’s Get Ready, because as someone who grew up in a rural area in Kentucky and is first-generation-to-college she understands first-hand the need for young people to have increased accessibility and guidance to and through college. email
Kamaly Pierre
Director of Marketing and Communications
Kamaly leads Let’s Get Ready’s marketing and communications strategy and brings over ten years of experience in brand and content development. Passionate about digital media and storytelling, she draws on experiences like working on the Emmy-winning Bill Moyers Journal TV show to produce original content and impactful media that foster deep connectivity and brand loyalty. Her love for youth development began over a decade ago when she and a group of friends came together to host a nationwide concert tour, with the mission to connect with and inspire underserved high school students to go to college. Fueled today by the impact of that experience and affiliate work for the New York City Department of Education, Kamaly looks forward with excitement as she helps push the LGR brand forward and drive students across the nation to success. email
Ella Harris
RISE Fellow
Ella is serving Let’s Get Ready as an intern for the summer of 2022 from her home in Maryland. She matched with Let’s Get Ready through Princeton RISE (Recognizing Inequities and Standing for Equality), a fellowship program at Princeton University. She is a rising sophomore at Princeton and a prospective Psychology major with possible certificates in African American Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies. At Princeton, Ella works in the Princeton Baby Lab as a Research Assistant and is a part of the Princeton University Mentoring Program. Ella became invested in learning about educational equity through experiences at her own high school and doing independent research on culturally responsive curriculums in world language classrooms. Ella will integrate her internship experience with academics as a part of Service Focus this upcoming academic year by taking service-related courses related to educational policy in the United States. email
Elliot Urgent
Careers in the Common Good Intern
Elliot is a rising junior at Brown University, concentrating in International and Public Affairs with a focus on policy. At Brown, he is heavily involved with the music community, co-founding the Brown Organization of Producers and Songwriters and working on the executive board of Sounds @ Brown, a group that organizes student concerts. Throughout college, he has worked as a management consultant for the Chicago Public Library, Roast Me, Willie’s Superbrew, and Kyoo. On campus he works as a Campus Center Information Specialist and Residential Peer Leader (RA). Elliot is interested in education and education policy, and is passionate about addressing educational inequity. email
Tanisha Kuykendall
Senior Program Manager, Success
Tanisha Kuykendall joined Let’s Get Ready in July 2022 as the Senior Program Manager for College Success. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Grand Rapids, MI to attend Grand Valley State University. Tanisha graduated twice from GVSU, in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting and in 2017, a Masters of Education with an emphasis in Student Affairs and Leadership. She brings years of student affairs experience and a wealth of knowledge in financial aid and student access. . email
Clennie Murphy
Program Manager, Success
Clennie joined Let’s Get Ready in July 2022 as a Program Manager for College Success. Clennie was born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Prior to his position here he was a paraeducator at Benjamin Banneker Middle School. In college he was a coach for the Let’s Get Ready Transition program. Clennie graduated from Lafayette College with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Environmental Studies. email
Sarah Tran
Program Manager, Transition
Prior to joining Let’s Get Ready, Sarah was a college and career adviser through Pennsylvania College Advising Corps for McCaskey High School. She managed a large caseload of seniors and worked closely with counselors to help students figure out what they wanted to do after high school, guided them through the processes of applying, advocating for themselves, and finding additional opportunities along the way. She graduated from Dickinson College in 2020 with a bachelor of arts degree in English. At Let’s Get Ready Sarah is passionate about helping students from a low income and first generation background, like herself, get the resources and support they need to advance in their education and career goals. email
Isabel Rolof
Program Manager, Access
Isabel spent the summer of 2020 at Let’s Get Ready as a Virtual Access Coach, and she is thrilled to rejoin the team in September 2022 as a Program Manager. After graduating from Temple University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Sociology and a minor in French, she served as an AmeriCorps member with College Possible, where she supported and mentored a cohort of college students from low-income backgrounds as they worked toward earning their degrees. She has also spent a lot of time tutoring math, so she is excited to manage the virtual SAT preparation program here at LGR. Most of all, Isabel looks forward to continuing her work to support college access and equity within education. email
Pam Hasbun
Enrollment & Partnerships Manager
Pam recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she got her Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Creative Writing. As a first generation Latinx graduate born in El Salvador, she believes it is her mission to give back to students in need. She discovered her passion for mentorship while working with Matriculate as an Advising Fellow, helping low-income, high-achieving students throughout the college application process. Later, she joined the fight against educational inequity by serving as an Ambassador for Teach for America. Before she graduated, she became a Peer Advisor at UC Berkeley’s Career Center, assisting a diverse range of undergraduates and first-gen students like her. Pam deeply resonates with LGR’s mission to help underrepresented students achieve success. She firmly believes that everyone deserves to go to college and cannot wait to continue furthering her work in higher education. email
Dennis Dumpson
Chief External Affairs Officer
Dennis Maurice Dumpson joined Let’s Get Ready in October 2022. He has a 20+ year professional history that intersects activism, community organizing, nonprofit leadership, fundraising, narrative development, and justice in local communities and nationally. Before joining Let’s Get Ready, Dennis founded and was the principal consultant of #InvestBLK. His racial equity strategy firm focuses on vitiating anti-Blackness in nonprofits, small businesses, and government. Before that, Dennis served as an externally facing leader with KIPP Philadelphia Schools as their Managing Director, Development & External Impact; Director of Community Engagement & Outreach for the Philadelphia International Airport; Vice-President, Development at Opportunity Finance Network; as well as many other roles.
Dennis has secured more than $38MM in new funding and more than $100MM in stewarded gifts throughout his career. As a seasoned fundraiser, he regularly teaches fundraising, philanthropy, racial equity, and narrative. He recently developed La Salle University’s Nonprofit Center’s Abolition, Reform, and Expansion of Philanthropy course with two other colleagues and teaches Introduction to Fundraising. Dennis is an active organizer and volunteer and sits on the boards of EducationWorks, Boundless Freedom Project in California, and PHL Pride Collective. He is also Co-Chair of the Abortion Liberation Fund of Pennsylvania. Dennis is the author of two books that center on the lived experiences of Black folk. His latest book, Black Washed: A Collection of Essays, Poems, Dreams, and Letters Addressed to Black Folk, was released in 2021, and in 2023, he will release his third, Other Side of Soil: Our Journey through Mud & Magic.
Dennis is a Ph.D. student studying Social Justice Education at the University of San Diego. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy (English Literature) from the nation’s first HBCU, Lincoln University of PA, and an MBA in Global Finance from Saint Joseph’s University.
Jylisa Scruggs
Senior People Manager
Jylisa joined Let’s Get Ready in January 2023 with extensive experience in Human Resources and people management. She’s held positions in Training and Development, Talent Management, Recruiting, and HR in a variety of industries. In her most recent roles as a HR Business Partner she partnered with executives and senior leaders to achieve HR and business objectives. She currently serves as a board member for Resurgence Leadership foundation and a committee member for YoungLife.