Our Board
Board of Trustees
Carey Schroer, President
Kevin Koller, Vice President
Ramez Fiani, Treasurer
Alex Derkson, Secretary to the Board
Cierra Campell
Dorothy Corbett
Kieli Ferguson
Victoria Fresh
Jane Garvey
Laura Leonard
Gary Lewandowski, PhD
Louie Randolph
Martha Mayoral
Jenifer Moore
Robert Zimmerman
Steve Zins
Carey joined the BTC board in December, 2019 and became Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee in 2023.
Carey has also served as a member of the Development Committee and the Executive and Strategic Planning Committees. She also participated in the Executive Director Search Committee. As part of her role on the development committee, she coordinated BTC’s efforts through the semi-final and finals phase of our Impact 100 grant application which resulted in an award of approximately $104,000.
In addition to serving on BTC’s board, Carey serves as a volunteer for the Assistance League of Greater Cincinnati and has served on the Board of Directors for Ohio Valley Residential Services for over 20 years (was two term Past President). She was also Past President of the Park Hills Civic Association and served as Past President CFA Society of Cincinnati.
Carey Schroer, President
Kevin Koller, Vice President
Kevin first served as a Breakthrough (then Summerbridge) Teaching Fellow in the summer of 2001. He returned as a Teaching Fellow in the summer of 2002, before serving as the Dean of Faculty in the summer of 2003. Kevin then served as Program Director from 2003 to 2007 and as Executive Director from 2007 to 2009. He joined the Breakthrough Board in 2018 and works locally as an attorney.
Alex Derkson, Secretary to the Board
Alex (he/him) is a Director at 17A. He focuses on leading 17A’s legal and compliance function, building 17A’s impact strategy, and developing partnerships with like-minded companies and organizations.
Alex has deep expertise working with federal, state and local governments on complex economic development projects. Prior to joining 17A, Alex worked as a real estate attorney both at Amazon, supporting the development of the company’s distribution network, and at Frost Brown Todd LLC, where he led numerous Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and New Markets Tax Credits projects in economically distressed communities. Alex also led JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s philanthropic work in Ohio and Kentucky, investing the firm’s capital in promising workforce development, affordable housing, financial health and small business projects.
Alex also taught History to sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Breakthrough Cincinnati from 2004-2006.
Alex loves being in the great outdoors – hiking, kayaking, camping, gardening – reading philosophy, learning about the solar system, traveling the globe, and as a Cincinnati native of course loves a good hot dog at a Cincinnati Reds game in the summer.
Cierra joined the board of Breakthrough Cincinnati is 2025! A native of Cincinnati, Cierra has a passion for math and science and holds degrees in Biochemistry and Chemical Technology!
Currently, Cierra works at P&G, where she works on new products in the Hair Care department, a role that challenges her physically and intellectually.
Outside of her work, Cierra enjoys reading, writing poetry, and being with her family, and she has a passion for investing in others.
Cierra Campell
Dorothy Corbett
Dorothy joined the board of Breakthrough in 2024. She volunteers with Pro Bono Partners Ohio, providing free legal services to nonprofit organizations s in the Cincinnati area, and served as a truancy mediator in Roberts Paideia Academy.
She served as a trustee on the boards of the Seven Hills School, The Children’s Theatre and Ronald McDonald House Charities and volunteered with the Junior League of Cincinnati. Dorothy is currently an Assistant General Counsel at Johnson and Johnson. Prior to that, she was in the Law Department at Duke Energy. She also spent several years in private practice in Cincinnati, most recently with Thompson Hine, LLP.
She graduated from The Seven Hills School, then received an AB from Harvard College and JD from Georgetown University Law Center.
Kieli Ferguson
Kieli G. Ferguson was born and reared in Cincinnati Ohio by two amazing parents, the late Osie Casey and Minister Rita Casey. She is a proud graduate of Kentucky State University, University of Kentucky and Miami University. She is currently the principal of North Avondale Montessori, and has led successful school improvement as a school Administrator for the past 12 years. She is known to be very data driven, and will often respond to her teams with... “Show me the data!” before making decisions! She is intentional about recruiting minority educators so that students see leaders in her schools that look like them.
Prior to serving the community as an Administrator she worked at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as the Educational Specialist. Her career in education began as a teenager spending summers working at daycares and babysitting for family and friends.
When she is not educating children and adults professionally, she enjoys serving in leadership at her church, Christ Emannuel Christian Fellowship leading youth ministry lessons and activities, spending time with family and traveling to Jamaica. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Forest Park, Ohio Chapter. She is also a member of the Cincinnati Montessori Society Board. Her proudest moments are being the wife to honey do Neal, mother to 3 and grandmother to 6. Her favorite scripture can be found in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Victoria Fresh
Development & Marketing Director, American Legacy Theatre
Victoria joined the BTC board in 2021 after serving a year as a pro bono development consultant.
She is an alumni of BTC and enjoys supporting an organization that has been so impactful in her personal and professional life. She hopes to continue to bring awareness (and dollars) to BTC for years to come.
Jane Garvey
Jane is a recent retiree now working on being a better community volunteer, spouse, mother, grandmother, family supporter and friend.
Jane has enjoyed an eclectic career leading the communications function at Cincinnati Children's and Convergys Corporation, global marketing at Chiquita Brands International and marketing positions at Burke Marketing Research, Home Box Office, and Time Warner.
A Breakthrough board member since 2020, Jane is also engaged in mentoring high school students at Oyler School, and serves on the boards of the Community Learning Center Institute, the Cincinnati Museum Center and Cincinnati State.
She has a BA from Williams College and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Laura Leonard
Laura is the Dean of Students and History Teacher at the Seven Hills Upper School. Before returning home to Cincinnati, she was a teacher and department chair in Denver Public Schools and Somerville (MA) Public Schools. In addition to teaching, Laura has coached boys and girls tennis for 15 years. One of Laura's formative early experiences in education was as a Breakthrough Teaching Fellow. Laura graduated from Tufts University (BA and MA) and Harvard Graduate School of Education (MA).
Gary Lewandowski, PhD
Gary is a Professor of Computer science and Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives at Xavier University. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Chicago and PhD in Computer Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Gary started working with Breakthrough Cincinnati in 2014, assembling student volunteers to help run Saturday events and helping to recruit and fund summer teaching fellows from Xavier University as part of a National Science Foundation grant. He is also the proud parent of former Teaching Fellow Carl Lewandowski (2018, 2019). He joined the Breakthrough board in 2023.
Martha serves as a Finance Senior Director at Procter & Gamble, where she has built a distinguished career over more than 25 years, holding increasingly responsible roles across diverse sectors and regions.
Holding a degree in Industrial Engineering, Martha teaches robotics at a local school in her spare time and is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of STEM leaders!
Martha Mayoral
Jenifer Moore
Jenifer Moore is an accomplished, results-driven communications and inclusive leader with more than twelve years of expertise in shaping compelling narratives and delivering strategies that drive engagement and strengthen brand reputation.
As head of organizational diversity, inclusion, and associate experiences for The Kroger Company, she responsible for driving Kroger’s purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit by leading the development and execution of enterprise-wide initiatives that foster a culture of belonging and engagement across our workforce—from store associates to corporate teams—through inclusive policies, cross-functional collaboration, enhanced associate engagement and meaningful community connections that reflect the diversity of Kroger associates and customers.Her prior experience spans corporate, nonprofit, and political communications, including roles as Corporate Affairs Manager for Kroger’s Cincinnati/Dayton division, communications lead for AAA Club Alliance, and holding senior communications roles with the Ohio Democratic Party and the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus.
She is deeply engaged in the arts and has participated in numerous arts-focused programs and initiatives, including the League of Cincinnati Theatres’ Stage Insights Reviews Program, the Cincinnati Arts Association Connectors Program, and ArtsWave’s BOARDway Bound Program, from which she graduated in 2017. She is a member of the Sigma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and a co-founder of the Greater Cincinnati Black Public Relations Professionals. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for The Sam Hubbard Foundation.
A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, she also holds an MBA from the University of Dayton. A native Cincinnatian, she proudly resides in Madisonville.
Louie Randolph
Louie serves as a wealth advisor with The Randolph Company, where he helps families and private foundations navigate the complexities of implementing a sustainable investment strategy.
Outside of his career, Louie has a passion for serving others, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Greenacres Foundation, Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati, and the Local Initiative For Excellence (L.I.F.E) Foundation.
Louie also worked as a Teaching Fellow for Breakthrough (SummerBridge Cincinnati) when he was in high school at CCDS!
Robert Zimmerman
Head of School at Cincinnati Country Day School
After 17 years as an attorney at Dinsmore, Rob returned home to his alma mater CCDS in 2021 as Head of School. Rob’s first job in education was as a Breakthrough (then Summerbridge) Teaching Fellow at CCDS in 2000. Rob joined the Breakthrough board in 2022.
Steve Zins
Steve is a Wealth Advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors where he works with individuals, families, and foundations to provide customized wealth management solutions to help them reach their goals. Steve has over a decade of experience in financial services, starting his career in Chicago at CIBC Bank. While living in Chicago, Steve first got involved as a mentor for high performing, but underprivileged high school students.
Steve graduated from Miami University and is a Cincinnati native. He joined the Breakthrough Cincinnati board in 2023 and also serves on the board for the Southern Ohio chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation where he is the Co-Chair for the foundation’s annual fundraiser.