Our Team

Our Team

Our passionate, dedicated team collaborates to develop and deliver innovative programs that help diverse college women and non-binary students break through in tech. Spanning national HQ and local sites in New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston, with trusted advisors all over the country (including some of our students), we are a diverse group united by our belief that a better future depends on all of us.

 

National Team

Judith Spitz, PhD

she/her
Founder & Executive Director

Debbie Marcus

she/her
Senior Director, Break Through Tech
Christian McIntire

Christian McIntire

he/him
Senior Director, Break Through Tech AI
Megan

Meghan French

she/her
Director, External Affairs & Development
Hari

Hari Raghavan

he/him
Director of AI Studio, Break Through Tech AI
Melissa Ference

Melissa Ference

she/her
Director of Special Projects, Break Through Tech AI

Corrine Doron

she/her
Director of Sprinternships, Break Through Tech
Mario

Mario Tano

he/him
Assistant Director of Recruitment & Preparation, Break Through Tech

Sheny Bhopti

She/Her
Program Director

Nalini Ramdeo

she/her
Computing & AI Program Intern

Aderinsola Gilbert

They/Them
Data and Operations Coordinator

Kristina Rodriguez

she/her
Senior Director of Industry Partnerships & Business Development

Program Site Directors

Amita Shetty, Director of Break Through Tech Chicago

Amita Shetty

she/her
Director, Break Through Tech Chicago
Chu Huang

Chu Huang

she/her
MIT Site Director, Break Through Tech AI
Kevin Graham

Kevin Graham

he/him
UCLA Site Director, Break Through Tech AI

Shantriya James

She/Her
Director of Tech Equity at CUNY

Nirmala Arunachalam

She/Her
Director, Break Through Tech Miami

Amelia Tidona

She/Her
Cornell Site Director, Break Through Tech AI

Tyla Daniels

She/Her
Program Operations Coordinator, Break Through Tech AI Virtual Program
Amanda O’Donnell

Amanda O’Donnell

she/her
Virtual Site Director, Break Through Tech AI

Advisory Committee

Carla Brodley

Carla Brodley

she/hers
Dean of Inclusive Computing; Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Computing, Northeastern University
Dwana Franklin-Davis

Dwana Franklin-Davis

she/hers
CEO, Reboot Representation
Ann Kirschner

Ann Kirschner

she/hers
Acting President, Hunter College

Colleen Lewis

she/hers
Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne

Kate Hogan

she/hers
Market Unit Lead, US West at Accenture
Nicola Palmer

Nicola Palmer

she/hers
Formerly Chief Technology Ambassador, Verizon
Leslie Smith

Leslie Smith

she/hers
National Director, GET Cities
Judith Spitz

Judith Spitz, PhD

she/hers
Executive Director, Break Through Tech
Eva Tardos Headshot

Eva Tardos

she/hers
Chair, Computer Science Department, Cornell University
Kristen Titus

Kristen Titus

she/hers
Principal, Kristen Titus, LLC
Laurel Yamaguchi

Laurel Yamaguchi

she/hers
Senior Program Strategy and Investment Manager, Pivotal Ventures

Student Advisors

  • Ammran Mohamed, Columbia University
  • Melissa Poggioli, the City University of New York
  • Chenille Lawrence, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Valeria Gogunska, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Shruti Sekar, George Mason University
  • Eileen Nolan, George Mason University
  • McKenna Shay, University of Maryland
  • Abril Arias, University of Maryland
  • Skipper Garcia, the City University of New York
  • Wildline Lincifort, the City University of New York