Breakthrough Miami Staff and Board News

Breakthrough Miami Welcomes New Staff!

Michele Gasiewski,
Senior Program Director, Breakthrough Miami

Michele joined the Breakthrough Miami staff in February 2006 after the closing of the New Orleans program following Hurricane Katrina. When she first joined the staff at SBNO, Michele served as the Alumni Coordinator and then transitioned into the role of Dean of Faculty. Prior to her fulltime position, Michele was the English Department Mentor teacher during the 2004 summer program, and was a summer teacher in 2000. Michele graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in May 2002 with a B.A. in Sociology and Visual Arts - Studio. Prior to working with Breakthrough, Michele completed a two-year commitment to Teach for America, teaching first and second grade at Joseph A. Craig Elementary School in New Orleans.

José Filpo,
Site Director

José joined the staff in September of 2007 after serving as founding Administrator of the Life Skills Center of Miami, a charter school option for students who had dropped out of high school, one that allowed them to return in an individualized, computer based program designed to operate at their own pace. After graduating from Wesleyan University, he served as Assistant Dean of Admission there for three years before dedicating himself to widening the pipeline of students of color applying to selective colleges. He next served as Associate Director of the Wight Foundation in Newark, NJ, a program which facilitated a boarding school education to students from the inner city. He then joined the staff of The Oliver program from 1998 to 2003 where he rose from counselor to Deputy Director. Having been a Prep for Prep scholar at the Collegiate school as a student, he enjoyed placing students from a similar background at highly selective independent schools and supporting their growth and progress. Seeking new challenges, he moved to Miami in 2004 with his trusty dog JJ. He has also served on the staff of the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools for the last six years.

Karlisa Callwood,
College Bound Coordinator, Breakthrough Miami

Karlisa joined the Breakthrough Miami staff in April 2007. Prior to her arrival at Breakthrough, Karlisa worked at the Miami Science Museum. In the summer of 2003, she joined the Youth Programs team at the Museum as a mentor for their summer program, IMPACT (Integrated Marine Program and College Training). In early 2004, she transitioned to the role of Youth Programs Coordinator, where she managed the Upward Bound Math/Science Program, the BioTRAC (Biomedical Training Research and College prep) program, and the Museum Magnet Program, an innovative partnership between seven cultural organizations and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In addition to coordinating the activities for these programs and developing curriculum and hands-on experiments to enhance them, she was also responsible for assisting students with college prep activities. Karlisa graduated from the University of Miami in 2003 with a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology.

Ryan Pontier,
Dean of Students

Ryan joined the staff at the beginning of June after completing his third year as an elementary school teacher. Ryan graduated from Boston College where he earned a degree in Hispanic Studies. To complement his studies he spent his junior year living and taking classes in Madrid, Spain. Upon graduation, Ryan moved to South Texas to serve as a third grade Spanish Language Arts teacher at Runn Elementary as part of a two year commitment with Teach For America. Ryan moved to Miami to teach second grade English Language Arts, Reading, and Math at a dual language charter school. He loves to travel when he has the opportunity, relax at the beach, and spend time with friends and family.

Lauren Kellner,
Dean of Students

Lauren joined the Breakthrough Miami staff at the beginning of June. She was the site facilitator for BT Miami during the 2006 summer program. She has been teaching in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools for the past three years. Lauren taught in Exceptional Student education for two years and ran the gifted program at F.S. Tucker Elementary School (one of BT Miami’s summer sites). In addition, she organized the after school journalism program. Lauren attended the University of Miami where she received her B.S. of Education in Special Education. She returned soon after to work on her M.S. in Special Education and Reading which she completed in December of 2006.

Advisory Board to pass torch to new Breakthrough Miami Board

Since its inception Breakthrough has enjoyed the support of a group of community leaders dedicated to the organization’s success. Over the years, volunteers who served on the Advisory Board have always helped raise funds necessary to sustain the program. As Breakthrough incorporates and forms a new organization, the Advisory Board will be dissolved and a new 501-c-3 Board of Directors will take its place. Breakthrough Miami owes a debt of gratitude to the following individuals who have served the program faithfully for many years: