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
Mario Tano
he/himAssistant Director of Recruitment & Preparation, Break Through Tech
Program Site Directors
Advisory Committee
Carla Brodley
she/hersDean of Inclusive Computing; Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Computing at Northeastern University
Dwana Franklin-Davis
she/hersCEO, Reboot Representation
Ann Kirschner
she/hersFounder and CEO, Comma Communications | Professor, Arizona State University
Colleen Lewis
she/hersAssistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne
Kate Hogan
she/hersMarket Unit Lead- US West at Accenture
Nicola Palmer
she/hersChief Technology Ambassador , Verizon
Leslie Smith
she/hersNational Director, GET Cities
Judith Spitz, PhD
she/hersExecutive Director, Break Through Tech
Eva Tardos
she/hersChair, Computer Science Department, Cornell University
Kristen Titus
she/hersExecutive Director, Cognizant Foundation
Laurel Yamaguchi
she/hersSenior 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