BRIYA - Key Persons

Abbamin, Zuhra

Job Titles:

Adult Education Lead Instructor

Abera, Naomi

Job Titles:

Business Administrator
Finance

Alejandra Sandoval

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Board Member, Briya Student
Student

Alejandra Sandoval is a Briya student in the Advanced 1 English class. She is from Mexico and came to the United States in 2003 without speaking English or knowing anyone except her husband. Alejandra first began studying at Briya in 2011. She has three children, the youngest of whom is currently part of Briya's toddler class. At Bancroft Elementary School, where her older children attend, Alejandra is a member of the parent-teacher organization and Local School Advisory Team, attends weekly parent coffee events, and has led fundraising initiatives. She also participates in education advocacy with the DC parent organization PAVE. Alejandra plans to continue improving her English and hopes to attend college in the future. She has served as a Briya board member since 2018.

Alexander, Patricia

Alfaro, Jose

Araujo, Clara

Job Titles:

Outreach & Registration Specialist

Argueta, Elsa

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Assistant Teacher

Arias, Olga

Job Titles:

CDA Instructor

Arias, Silvia

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Manager

Batista, Claudia

Job Titles:

Patient Care Technician

Beltran, Maria

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Teacher

Benavides, Marcela

Job Titles:

Administrative Site Coordinator

Benitez, Roxana

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Teacher

Bergner, Elizabeth

Job Titles:

Adult Education Lead Instructor

Bill Bletzinger - Treasurer

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Treasurer
Board Treasurer, Retired

Bill Bletzinger comes to the Briya board with over forty years of professional experience with nonprofit management in the areas of finance, fundraising, membership database management, sales, marketing, and public relations, including twenty years in arts administration and association management, eight years in health care, and fifteen in education. In the twenty-three years professional experience in support of immigrant populations, Bill spent eight years of those years as the CFO of Mary's Center for Maternal and Childcare and was original incorporator, board member, and spent the past ten and half years as Director of Finance and Administration of Briya Public Charter School. He retired December 31, 2019. With a BFA in Drama as a Directing Major from Carnegie Mellon University and a MFA in Theatre Administration with a finance focus from the Yale School of Drama, Bill has a lifelong interest in theatre and drama and is currently studying the history of Elizabethan stage at home on his own. He also has an MPH from George Washington University in Community Oriented Primary Care and continues to advocate for immigrants health and well being through financial contributions and political activity.

Blanco, Wendy

Job Titles:

Registration Coordinator

Bowman, Elizabeth

Job Titles:

Adult Education Director

Brenda Martinez

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Analyst for Amazon
Board Member, Private Deal Analyst, Amazon

Brenda Martinez is currently a Private Deal Analyst for Amazon. In her current role, she performs contract reviews, pulls relevant data and performs analysis for leaders on her team using QuickSight. She holds a bachelor's degree from Catholic University in Business Management. While she was still a student at Catholic, she worked summer and during the semester at Briya as an Administrative Assistant and upon graduation became a Finance and Business Administrator.

Brittany Pope

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Board Member, Economic Security Supervisor, Bread for the City
Economic Security Supervisor at Bread

Brittany Pope serves as Economic Security Supervisor at Bread for the City, a non-profit organization in Washington, DC, which provides comprehensive services to DC residents living with low incomes, while also striving to help them develop power to determine the future of their own communities. She leads the Economic Security team, which focuses on coordinating, supporting, and advocating for guaranteed income projects and policy change. Prior to joining Bread for the City, Brittany was a Student Services Coordinator at Briya. This enriching experience inspired her to pursue a master's degree in Social Work from Catholic University, with a concentration in Social Justice and Change. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Brittany believes in uplifting the residents of our city and striving for a just society for all.

Canizales, Gladis

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Coordinator

Cara Sklar

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Board Member, Deputy Director, Early & Elementary Education Policy at New America

Cara Sklar is deputy director of Early & Elementary Education Policy for New America. She leads a team working on new ideas for improving children's birth through third grade learning experiences. Prior to joining New America, Sklar gained education policy experience working at the federal, state, and local levels. She was a federal policy analyst for Zero to Three, an education research analyst for the District of Columbia Government, and the director of research and policy for Briya. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Georgetown University and a master's degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Cardenas, Maria Alejandra

Castro, Mau

Job Titles:

CDA Coordinator & Instructor

Cerullo, Billy

Job Titles:

Family Services Coordinator

Chavez, Daniel

Job Titles:

Adult Education Lead Teacher

Chirino, Violeta

Christie McKay

cm..@briya.org

Job Titles:

Executive Director
Member of the Leadership Team

Cruz, Berta

Job Titles:

IT Manager

Daniela Grigioni - Chairman

Job Titles:

Chairman
Member of the Board of Trustees
Board Chair, Executive Director at After - School All - Stars DC

Daniela Grigioni began working in education as a second career in 1998. A physician by training, she came to the United States from Italy in 1990 with young family. The more she became involved in her three children's education, the more she realized the importance of contributing to this field. Daniela worked over 20 years for DCPS, and two years at Briya, called Education Strengthens Families Public Charter School at that time. After 8 years at DCPS central office, managing partnerships in the afterschool and summer school space, she transitioned to her current job as Executive Director of After-School All-Stars DC, serving seven Title I schools with free afterschool programming. Daniela was born in Rome, Italy. She holds a medical degree and came to the United States with her family in 1990, living in DC since with her family.

Darryl Clay - COO

Job Titles:

Director of Operations
Member of the Leadership Team

De Paula, Gracia

Job Titles:

CDA Instructor

Diaz, Glenda

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Assistant

Diaz, Kenny

Job Titles:

IT Specialist

Diaz, Pablo

Job Titles:

IT Specialist

Diaz, Percy

Job Titles:

IT Specialist

Doris Garay

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Social Worker
Vice Chair
Board Vice Chair, Family Engagement Facilitator / Social Worker for the Department of Family Services, Fairfax, Virginia

Doris Garay is a Family Engagement Facilitator Social Worker III for the Department of Family Services in Fairfax, Virginia. Doris holds a degree in Multicultural Adult Education from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in Infant and Family Education/Early Childhood from Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. She has over 20 years of experience working in education and social services in the metropolitan DC area. Doris is a former Briya staff member.

Elizabeth Bowman

eb..@briya.org

Job Titles:

Member of the Leadership Team
Academic Dean

Escamilla, Shiela

Espinoza, Diana

Job Titles:

Administrative Assistant

Evarts, Elaine

Job Titles:

Adult Education Lead Instructor

Farah, Raquel

Job Titles:

Student Services Coordinator

Ferdous, Zannatul

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Teacher

Flor Buruca

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Secretary
Board Secretary, Briya Student

Flor Buruca is a Briya student in the Two-Generation Program and a 2019 graduate of Briya's Child Development Associate (CDA) Program. She is from El Salvador and came to the United States in 2005. Flor started taking classes at Briya in 2012, and since has progressed from the Basic 1 English class to the Advanced 1 English class. Flor's husband, Cristian, is also a Briya student. She has two children who attend a public DC elementary school, where she has been an active parent and member of the PTO. She has also served as a member of Briya's student council and as a Briya outreach ambassador, and participates in education advocacy with the DC parent organization PAVE. Flor plans to continue studying at Briya and hopes to work as an early childhood educator after earning her CDA credential. She has served as a Briya board member since 2018.

Gaitan, Maria Dolores

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Teacher

Gebrekidan, Zaid

Job Titles:

Administrative Assistant

Geovanna Izurieta

gi..@briya.org

Job Titles:

Director of Finance and Administration
Member of the Leadership Team

Gerkin, Thomas

Job Titles:

Adult Education Workforce and CASAS Administrator

Gomez, Katia

Job Titles:

Special Education Director

Gomez, Lorena

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Coordinator

Granados, Alejandra

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Teacher

Grijalva, Sonia

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Assistant

Guardado, Daysi

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Teacher

Guardado, Mirna

Job Titles:

Registrar

Guardado, Moris

Job Titles:

IT Assistant

Guardado, Wendy

Job Titles:

Administrative Manager

Hapuarachchi, Shanika

Job Titles:

Development Specialist

Hawkins, Allison

Hertzler, Karen

Job Titles:

Director of Accountability & Development

Ihaza, Jodi

Job Titles:

Director of Charter Data & Administrative Manager

Izurieta, Geovanna

Job Titles:

Director of Finance & Administration

Jennifer Dalzell

Job Titles:

Member of the Leadership Team
Director of Adult Education

Jennifer Huang

Job Titles:

Finance
Member of the Board of Trustees
Board Member, Finance Lead, EdOps

Jennifer Huang is a Finance Lead under the New Market Division for EdOps. With experience in financial reporting, internal control, budgeting and facilities accounting, she currently performs as an outsourced CFO for a portfolio of 5-8 schools across the national finance team client base. Prior to her current role, she had worked closely with Briya, as a Finance Specialist at EdOps, for almost 8 years. She holds a master degree in accountancy from George Washington University.

Ji Sung Yang

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Board Member, Corporate Services Senior Analyst, Office of the Secretary, Inter - American Development Bank
Corporate Services Senior Analyst, Inter - American Development Bank

In her current role, Ji Sung assists and advises the Deputy Secretary of the Inter-American Development Bank. She has experience in communication and stakeholder engagement, and works on the coordination and preparation of institutional events. Prior to her career in multilateral development banks, Ji spent several years working in the shipping industry as Manager of a small Korean consulting firm for international P&I Clubs, where she oversaw cases from the firm's Seoul office. (As a Korean who grew up in the warm tropics of Costa Rica, the move to Korea proved to be a great opportunity for her to learn more about the Korean culture and get to know her relatives.) Ji was a Brent Scowcroft Fellow at the Aspen Strategy Group and also worked as a political analyst at the Korean Embassy in Washington. She graduated from the Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University where she majored in regional comparative studies, and continued her studies at Johns Hopkins University where she obtained her master of arts in communication.

Johnson, Lena

Job Titles:

Director of Early Childhood Education

Juarez-Escamilla, Maribel

Job Titles:

Early Childhood Coordinator

Judy Mortrude

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Trustees
Board Member, Senior Technical Advisor, World Education, Inc

Judy has more than 30 years' experience developing, delivering, and evaluating workforce education aimed at low-literacy and high-barrier adults. Judy is a Senior Technical Advisor for World Education, Inc where she directs the LINCS Professional Development Center and will continue supporting state efforts to scale and sustain integrated education and training and assist states in meeting the state leadership requirements set forth in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Section 223. She has been a classroom teacher, school administrator, and state agency staff. Her most recent job was as Senior Policy Analyst and the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Prior to that, Judy co-designed and directed the Minnesota FastTRAC integrated education and training program for the Minnesota Department of Education and Economic Development.