National Staff

Management Team:

MICHAEL LOMBARDO

Chief Executive Officer

Michael came to Reading Partners in 2006 after five years in senior administrative positions at the University of California, Berkeley, including Director of Development and College Relations for the College of Letters and Science and Director of Scholarships for the Alumni Association.

During his tenure as CEO, Michael has transformed Reading Partners from a small local organization working with just 6 schools in Silicon Valley to the national leader in its field. Reading Partners has grown to serve over 60 schools in 3 states, with its total operating budget expanding from $500,000 in 2006 to over $8,000,000 in 2011. Michael recently led Reading Partners through a highly competitive Social Innovation Fund process administered by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, resulting in Reading Partners being selected for a $7,000,000 growth capital investment--one of only 9 grants made among 225 applicants.

Michael has a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and attended the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He lives in Berkeley with his wife and two young children, one of whom proudly attends a public elementary school.

MATT AGUIAR

Chief Operating Officer

Before joining Reading Partners, Matt was the Director of Scholarships at the University of California, Berkeley, where he oversaw the largest alumni volunteer program in the country. During his time with Reading Partners, Matt has successfully grown the Reading Partners volunteer tutor corps from 230 in 2007-8 to a projected 3,000+ in 2011-12. Matt has a degree in economics and business administration from UC Berkeley and has attended the Harvard Business School’s executive education program on program measurement and evaluation.

ALLISON COHEN

Director of Development

Prior to joining Reading Partners in 2009, Allison was a Head Kindergarten teacher in Ann Arbor, MI. Concurrently, she worked as a Research Associate at the University of Michigan’s School of Education, studying the early literacy achievement gap in low-income pre-schools. Before making a career change into education, Allison worked as an Operations Manager for Capital Services, Inc., an events planning firm in Washington, DC. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Masters in Elementary Education from Johns Hopkins University.

DEAN ELSON

Senior Director of Evaluation

Dean most recently served as Vice President for Research & Evaluation at Jumpstart, where he was responsible for vision and leadership for vision and leadership to increase internal knowledge of program effectiveness and generate external validation of Jumpstart programs. In addition to his Jumpstart work, Dean is an advisor on the Boston Mayor’s Thrive in Five Data and Research Team and Associated Early Care and Education’s EQUIP Data Advisory Board. Prior to joining Jumpstart's staff in May 2004, Dean worked for five years at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in early learning services as well as school and district accountability. Dean holds a joint master’s degree from Tufts University in Child Development and Urban & Environmental Policy, as well as a BA from Duke University.

NICHOLE GANGITANO

Regional Director, Silicon Valley

Nichole Gangitano joins Reading Partners after spending several years in the early care and education field, primarily focusing on early literacy intervention with preschool age children. From working one-to-one as an AmeriCorps tutor to overseeing the largest Jumpstart program in the nation, Nichole brings a large range of program management experience. Nichole has a BA in Child and Adolescent Development and a Master’s in Public Administration focusing in Nonprofit Administration both from San Francisco State University.

LILLY GREEN

Executive Director, Field Operations

Lilly brings a wealth of classroom instruction and program development experience to Reading Partners. From 2001 to 2003 she served as an AmeriCorps leader for the San Francisco Urban Service Project. As a social worker from 2004 to 2006, Lilly worked with families and schools in Harlem and Brooklyn. Later she worked in NYC public schools as a special education teacher before she returned to her native state of California to work with Reading Partners. Lilly has an MSW from Columbia University, an MEd from Bank Street College, and a BA in Sociology and Politics from UC Santa Cruz.

LAURA GROSSMAN

Director of Policy & Advocacy

Before joining Reading Partners in August 2011, Laura was a Presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where she served Secretary Shaun Donovan and his leadership team. During her time there, she worked on a broad portfolio of community and economic development programs, spearheaded policy development efforts, and supported the Secretary’s organizational change agenda. Previously, she held a field management role on the Obama Presidential campaign. She has also served in served in several state and local government roles in her home state of Pennsylvania, including as a Research Associate with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, and in the offices of then-Senator Joe Biden. Laura holds a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government and a BA from Cornell.

MOLLIE KAZAN

Associate Director of Development

Mollie comes to Reading Partners after two years on the development team at Jumpstart for Young Children, where she managed institutional and individual giving in support of Jumpstart's early literacy programming in California and Washington. Prior to joining Jumpstart, Mollie worked as an Account Manager at Google, directing online advertising sales and strategy for web-based businesses. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago.

JASON LODY

Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic

Jason Lody is a native of New Jersey but has studied and worked internationally. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in School Administration from Catholic University in Washington, DC. He also holds advanced degrees in Theology and Counseling. Jason is currently completing doctoral studies in Education Policy and Leadership. In 2004, after finishing 2 years teaching undergraduate education courses at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, Jason took a sabbatical during which he joined and trained with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. Jason served as a patrol officer, training officer, and finally as a gang investigator with the DC Police Department before returning to education as a founding principal of a public charter school in Washington, DC.

DESIREE PEREZ-BARAHONA

Regional Director, Bay Area

Desiree received her BA in Child Development with a Multiple Subject Teaching Option from California State University Los Angeles. Always wanting to be part of a community building team, she worked for the City of Los Angeles Commission for Children, Youth and Families and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment before earning her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and teaching sixth through eighth grade English and History. She joined Reading Partners in 2008 as the Site Director at Washington Accelerated School in Pasadena.

POOJA SHAH

Interim Chief Financial Officer

Pooja Shah joined Reading Partners in 2010 after graduating with an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she spent her MBA summer at the KIPP Foundation in San Francisco working with the CFO and Chief of Staff on developing KIPP's 2015 strategic and financial plan. Prior to Harvard, she spent 4 years in the for-profit sector, first in Technology Investment Banking at Lehman Brothers and then in Corporate Business Development at Cisco Systems. Thereafter, she worked as a Site Coordinator at Sports4Kids (now Playworks), a non-profit founded to reinstate safe, healthy “play” into K-8 schools in low-income communities. Pooja graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Economics and a minor in Business Administration.

ERICA TRULLINGER

Executive Director, Los Angeles

Erica studied English at Loyola Marymount University; during this time, she also discovered her passion for education while volunteering in local schools. She joined Teach for America and taught Special Education in Phoenix for two years. Since moving back to Los Angeles, her work has focused on supplementary programs for students in under-resourced schools.

Other National Staff Members:

VONNIE CHAN

Human Resources Manager

Vonnie joined Reading Partners after 10 years with ZeroDivide, a non-profit foundation that invests in technology and media initiatives in underserved communities. At ZeroDivide, Vonnie wore a number of hats, first serving as the Operations and Finance Manager and then spending the 7 years as the Human Resources and Operations Manager. Vonnie also founded and runs a children's clothing company in her spare time.

JESSICA GAIBER

Development Strategist

Before coming to Reading Partners in 2011, Jessica held senior fundraising positions at Teach for America (TFA) for six years, before taking a hiatus to start her family. Most recently she was the Managing Director of Operations for the TFA national fundraising team. Jessica also held the position of Development Director for the Bay Area and taught third grade as a TFA corpsmember in Atlanta for three years. Jessica lives in San Francisco with her husband and daughter. She has a BA from the University of Michigan.

JOHN HAYES

Assistant Controller

John joined Reading Partners in 2011 with 13+ years of non-profit accounting and financial management experience in areas such as HIV prevention, community outreach, and philanthropy.

GRACE JORDAN

Development Associate

Grace began working with Reading Partners in 2009 as a Program Assistant while attending UC Berkeley. During her time at Cal, she was an active member of the Leadership Award Scholars Association, a student organization with the Cal Alumni Association. She held several leadership roles including the Programming Division Director. In her directorship, Grace developed and operated monthly programs for Cal students and alumni including the Overnight Stay Program, a 24 hour visit to the campus for high school seniors to help them make their matriculation decision, yielding 95% of participants. She holds her BA in Sociology and a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies from Cal.

REBECCA KIM

Development Associate

After graduating from Brown University in 2010 with a degree in International Development, Rebecca came to work at Reading Partners as the New Sector Alliance Resident in Social Enterprise. As a resident, she worked on a variety of projects with the CEO and the Development team. She joined the Development team in 2011 and is based in New York, NY.

ELIZABETH SILVA

Executive Assistant

Elizabeth began her Reading Partners career as a tutor at Berkley Maynard in Oakland and then became a Site Coordinator at Daniel Webster Elementary in San Francisco. Before Reading Partners, Elizabeth owned a Bay Area publishing company while immersing herself in various community organizations such as Rotary, P.A.L. and the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce. She served as the first female president at her Rotary Club and chaired numerous fundraising events. Elizabeth is a San Jose State graduate, and she resides in the East Bay with her two teenage daughters.

ZYDNIA VAZQUEZ

Zydnia came to Reading Partners in 2011 with 13 years of experience in the non-profit sector, having spent 4 years as an Accountant at Catholic Charities of the East Bay in Oakland.