Our Team

B.A. in Psychology, Washington University in St. LouisM.A. in Child and Adolescent Development, Tufts UniversityAmee joined Breakthrough Greater Boston in 2009. As the Senior Director of High School Programs, Amee oversees all aspects of BTGB’s 9th-12th grade work at our Cambridge and Dorchester campuses to ensure that all students receive the support and resources needed to help them apply for — and be ready for — college. Prior to joining Breakthrough, Amee was an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Washington University in St. Louis.Amee has amassed quite a few favorite memories during her time at Breakthrough — everything from seeing student alums return to Breakthrough as Teaching Fellows to indulging her love for trivia by playing Jeopardy after school with Breakthrough high school students (and staff).Email: anaik@btgbmail.org

B.A. in Sociology, Boston College

Email: cdalton@btgbmail.org

Bio to come!Email: esamler@btgbmail.org

B.S. in Business Administration: Finance, Northeastern University

M.Ed. in Education Policy and Management, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Jennifer joined Breakthrough Greater Boston in 2016. As the Director of Operations, Jennifer supports BTGB programs by managing the day-to-day operations including human resources, informational technology, finance, and other administrative duties. Prior to joining Breakthrough, Jennifer was the founding Director of Operations at Brooke Charter School East Boston.

Jennifer’s favorite subject in school was math because she loved the way numbers could be manipulated to tell a story and to solve real problems. Her fascination with numbers has continued throughout her career, and she can often be found working in an Excel spreadsheet.

Email: jstange@btgbmail.org

B.A. in American Studies: Education and International Studies, American University

M.A.T. in Secondary Education, University of North Carolina Charlotte

Lyndsea joined Breakthrough Greater Boston team in 2016. As Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Lyndsea oversees all aspects of teaching and learning for our middle school summer and school-year programs at the Boston campus. Lyndsea is responsible for hiring, training, and supervising Teaching Fellows and Instructional Coaches; ensuring high-quality curriculum and classroom instruction; and evaluating student learning and teacher performance.

Prior to joining Breakthrough, Lyndsea taught middle school English in India on a yearlong Fulbright grant, and was a high school Social Studies teacher for four years in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lyndsea’s hobbies include yoga, movie trivia, escape rooms, and her cat Doodlebug.

Email: larikian@btgbmail.org

B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies, Boston University and M.S.W., University of Denver

Angela joined Breakthrough Greater Boston in 2019. As Development Manager, Angela manages and writes grants to generate critical funding for the organization and to deepen relationships with a wide variety of partners. Angela is a nonprofit professional with experience that includes mental health counseling, youth development, program development, community outreach, and fundraising. As a daughter of Chinese immigrants, she is passionate about social issues and dedicated to serving disadvantaged populations.

Angela is a fan of crime documentaries, young adult fiction, board game nights, yoga, the Patriots, and the Cleveland Browns.

Email: aodonnell@btgbmail.org

B.A. in History, Macalester College

Evan joined Breakthrough Greater Boston in 2017.  As Director of College Access Programs, Evan oversees all supports and programming for 11th and 12th grade students and families in Boston and Cambridge. Through workshops, individual meetings, and connections to academic and test preparation resources, he ensures that Breakthrough students reach their goal of attending college. Prior to joining Breakthrough, he worked as a Senior Access Counselor at Bottom Line, coaching high school seniors through the college application and financial aid processes. Outside of the office, you can find Evan exploring Massachusetts on his bike, hunting for new music, or cooking.

Email: esoken@btgbmail.org

B.A.in African-American Studies and English, Rollins CollegeM.S.W., Boston College Graduate School of Social WorkM.Ed., Harvard Graduate School of EducationJennie originally joined Breakthrough Greater Boston in 2007 as a Program Intern. She spent four years at Breakthrough before leaving for graduate school. After completing the School Leadership Program at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, she became the Founding Assistant Principal at the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School in Roxbury. After four years at Dudley Street, Jennie transitioned to the Taylor Elementary School in Mattapan where she continued in the role of Assistant Principal. She rejoined the BTGB team in 2017 to lead the expansion into Somerville. As the Somerville Site Director, Jennie oversees all aspects of Breakthrough’s third campus. One of Jennie’s favorite Breakthrough memories is watching the 6th graders her team recruited back in 2008 and 2009 stand in front of the classroom as Teaching Fellows in 2017.Outside of Breakthrough, Jennie spends time cooking and mastering nuanced character voices during story time with her son.Email: jmcdonaldbrown@btgbmail.org

B.A in Anthropology, Union College

Michael first became involved with Breakthrough as a Teaching Fellow in the summer of 2015. As Manager of Student Services, Michael oversees all aspects of student and family support services as well as program management for our seventh and eighth-grade school-year and summer programs in Boston. Prior to joining Breakthrough, Michael was a Program Advisor for the College Success Academy with The Steppingstone Foundation.

In his free time, Michael enjoys running, working out, reading, and exploring restaurants in the Boston area.

Email: mvallejo@btgbmail.org

B.A. in Political Science and International Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Shoko first became involved with the Breakthrough Collaborative as a teacher at Breakthrough Manchester in the summers of 2006 and 2007. Her experience there led her to pursue a career in education, first at the Teacher Residency program at the MATCH School in Boston, and later as a 7th grade teacher at KIPP DC, a public charter school in Washington DC, where she taught math and science for four years. She is thrilled to be a part of the Breakthrough family again as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. In this role, Shoko oversees academic programming for our 7th-9th grade students and our Teacher Training Program. She ensures that all students benefit from rigorous, engaging curriculum and effective, differentiated instruction while our teachers are provided the best possible introduction to the field of education.

Outside of Breakthrough, Shoko enjoys cooking, traveling, and taking long walks to explore Boston with her husband and dog.

Email: sfox@btgbmail.org