• Elisabeth Rudin

  Program manager

  Elisabeth is a program manager in Harlem. She grew up in Maryland and DC and currently loves living in Harlem. She attended Boston University, studying Theatre Arts and African American Studies. She has previously worked in youth development focused on art and mentorship. Elisabeth loves dancing, cooking, and painting. Her favorite author is Elif Shafak.

• Megan Ross

  Senior major gifts officer

  Megan joined the Reading Partners New York team in 2015 as the first senior major gifts officer in the network. Prior to Reading Partners, Megan served for six years in a similar role at City Year New York. Megan's experiences focus primarily on individual and corporate giving, major gifts programs, and relationship development on all levels. Megan lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children and has seen firsthand the importance of developing strong literacy skills at a young age. Outside of work, Megan serves on the Annual Fund Advisory Board at Duke University where she double majored in Public Policy and Spanish. You can reach Megan at megan.ross@readingpartners.org.

• Rhea Quinones

  Community Engagement Director

  Rhea is honored to join Reading Partners as the community engagement manager for the New York region. Rhea spent three years with Achievement First Charter School Network where she developed community partnerships in Brooklyn, ensured strong family engagement, and managed community outreach for student recruitment efforts. Prior to her work with Achievement First, Mrs. Quinones worked as a community organizer for a decade, supporting grassroots education, housing, and transit organizing in Mammoth Lakes, CA, Chicago, IL, Manhattan, NY, and Patterson, NJ. Rhea is committed to giving all students access to an amazing education and is passionate about using volunteers to help address critical problems facing our country.

• Thara Nugues

  Community engagement associate

  Thara Nugues was born in France and has been calling New York City her home for almost ten years. Before joining the team, she completed one AmeriCorps service term as a volunteer coordinator with Reading Partners NY at P.S.38 and P.S.171. Thara is excited to work once again with individuals who are passionate about educational equity and thrilled to be joining the team as a community engagement associate. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Foreign Languages, a Master’s Degree in International Studies and volunteered with New York Cares for over seven years. Thara is a certified scuba-diver and in her spare time she loves trying out new restaurants, baking and wood-working.

• Louisa Moyse

  Development director

  Louisa Moyse is the development director at Reading Partners NY. Before joining the team in September 2021, Louisa lead development and external relations efforts at Public Prep Network, a single-sex charter school network in NYC. In her role at Reading Partners, Louisa is responsible for leading the strategy and execution of the short- and long-term development goals. Louisa has a Bachelor's Degree in international studies from SUNY Cortland. She is thrilled to be on the Reading Partners New York team where she can continue her commitment to providing equitable access to high-quality educational experiences.

• Clara Monk

  FAO Schwarz Fellow

  Clara Monk is currently the FAO Schwarz Fellow with the community engagement team at Reading Partners NY. Clara recently graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Economics and Education Studies and is excited to be working in an education equity organization. In addition to her work at Reading Partners, Clara is a dancer, general manager for a dance company, standardized test tutor, and avid foodie. You can reach Clara at clara.monk@readingpartners.org

• Carly Elliott

  Program director

  Carly firmly believes that literacy is a human right and is passionate about the role early intervention plays in closing the literacy gap. Before joining the Reading Partners team, Carly served as a Program Manager at The Literacy Lab in Washington, DC. Prior to shifting to the nonprofit space, Carly spent six years as an elementary Special Education teacher and a second-grade teacher in the District of Columbia. Carly is an alumna of Teach For America and completed two years as a Corps Member in Washington, DC. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education from George Mason University and her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, Carly enjoys cooking and playing with her rescue dog, Lemon.

• Kimberly De Jesus

  Program manager

  Kimberly De Jesus considers herself a lifelong learner. She is a recent graduate from the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where she received a Master's in Public Administration with a specialization in Management and Leadership. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Culture with a minor in Spanish from Howard University. Her journey as an educator began as an afterschool step coach for elementary-aged children in Washington D.C. She later joined Teach For America (TFA), serving two years as an elementary school teacher for the Greater New Orleans region. After her TFA commitment, she continued teaching, focusing on differentiating instruction for English Language Learners and children with exceptionalities. As a program manager, she continues to pursue her passion for educational equity by designing and implementing educational opportunities for students and families across the NYC region.

• Derrick Bell

  Program manager

  Derrick is the program manager for the Bronx. He grew up in Louisiana and later moved to Maryland where he completed high school. He attended Fordham University in the Bronx where he got a crash course on living in NYC. He studied Sociology and Communications with a focus on social work while also being a D-1 collegiate football player. Derrick enjoys good conversation, dancing, singing, and both watching/playing sports.
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  Primo Lasana

  Executive director, New York City

  Primo Lasana is honored to become the executive director of Reading Partners NYC. Primo joins Reading Partners after eight years with iMentor, a national college access program that leverages volunteers for student success. At iMentor, he held leadership roles in program implementation, volunteer recruitment, fundraising and national program expansion. He started his career at City Year Chicago, where he completed two years of service in Chicago Public Schools as an AmeriCorps member. Primo is proudly born and raised in New York City. Outside of work, he serves on Brooklyn Community Board 9 as the co-chair of the Youth Services Committee. In 2021, Primo graduated from NYU Wagner with an executive master’s in public administration and completed his bachelor's degree at CUNY Hunter College.

Advisory board

Kerri Martin Bartlett, Tutor at PS 123

David Berg, Corporate Partner, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLP

Amy Caton, Partner, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Gillian Francis, Sustainable Solutions, Lockheed Martin Energy

James Hobson, Chief Executive Officer, Attune Insurance

Elizabeth John, Tutor at PS 171

David Levine, Senior Managing Director, The Blackstone Group

Eliberty Lopez, Associate General Counsel, Privacy @ Meta

Brandon Lower, Head of Financial Sponsors Group, William Blair & Company

Melissa Magner, Director, BlackRock

Peter Martelli, Mergers & Acquisitions Partner, Kirkland and Ellis

Elise Rosenberg, Managing Director at Seven Bridges Advisors, LLC

Erika Stallings, Associate General Counsel, Facebook

Alexis Strongin, Retired Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician, Tutor at PS 38

Andrea London, Senior Vice President at Lincoln Land Services, Co-Board Chair

Stephen G. Tomlinson, P.C., Partner, Real Estate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Co-Board Chair

Daniel Zarkowsky, Partner at Apollo

Associate board

AJ Alexakos, Investment Analysis, LCM Asset Management LLC

Mackenzie Berman, Senior Associate, The Blackstone Group

Zack Coleman, Associate, Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC

Joe Fiorie, Account Manager, Dealogic

Andrew Gothelf, Associate Board Chair, Senior Manager, AppExchange Marketing, Salesforce

Raquel Grazi Fischer, Vice President at Mousse Partners

Heather Heinz, Investment Analyst, Real Estate, Kemnay Advisory

Ramyata Joshi, Winton Capital

Sam Zaretsky, Associate Board Vice Chair, Real Estate Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Tutor advisory council

Joan Stamler, Tutor Advisory Council Chair

Christina Auriana

Devi Ramchandran

Gerald Simpkins

Mary Gherty

Sophia Trugerman

Thomas Wornom

Iris Keitel