To reach any of our national staff members by phone, please call (212) 293-5480 and enter the extension listed below.
NATIONAL STAFF
Cheryl Alleyne
Office Manager
Ext. 16 | e-mail
Lori Donoho
Managing Director of Training & Support
(301) 686-9380 | e-mail
Courtney Joseph
Accountant
Quinton Lampkin
Manager of Partnerships & Operations
Ext. 35 | e-mail
Julie McAllister
Director of Development & Marketing
Ext. 22 | e-mail
Eugena Oh
Legal Counsel
Director of College & Alumni Engagement
Ext. 19 | e-mail
Laura Persichette Owens
New Model Project Director
Ext. 17 | e-mail
Sonali Thimmaya
Director of Finance & Administration
Ext. 18 | e-mail
Melodi White
Director of Operations & Performance Management
Ext. 36 | e-mail
Cheryl Alleyne
Office Manager
Cheryl joined the "I Have A Dream" staff in January 2003. In addition to her duties as Office Manager, she provides general administrative support to the national staff.
Prior to joining "I Have A Dream", Cheryl worked at the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), where she was a member of the national staff for 13 years. She studied computer programming at Fordham University. Cheryl is a member of the North Central Bronx Hospital Auxiliary Board advocating for improved patient care for a predominantly immigrant community.
Lori A. Donoho
Managing Director of Training & Support
Lori joined the "I Have A Dream" national team in November 2004 as the Director of Programs after serving six years as the Program Director of an "I Have A Dream" program in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Chris & Sue White. Eighty-six percent of her Dreamers graduated from high school, and 70% entered higher education. Now the Managing Director of Training & Support, Lori is responsible for providing guidance, training, and technical assistance to the "I Have A Dream" network.
Immediately prior to working with "I Have A Dream", Lori served as an Education Program Specialist with the Eisenhower Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education at SERVE (Southeast Regional Vision for Education), where she provided research-based technical assistance and professional development for mathematics and science education reform to school systems. Lori was also a Teach for America charter corps member, teaching mathematics at Northdale Magnet Academy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She then went on to serve as the Southeast Regional Recruiter for Teach For America. Lori graduated from Emory University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science. She plays an active role in her church as a member of the drama ministry and women's group, and through her work with the church's high school.
Courtney Joseph
Accountant
Courtney helps to manage the finances part-time at the "I Have A Dream" Foundation. Courtney previously worked at The Children's Scholarship Fund as a Controller for five years. After that tenure, he started his own accounting and bookkeeping company and works as a tax preparer.
A graduate of Iona College with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Courtney serves as treasurer for a football league and a softball league in New York City, and also plays both sports.
Quinton Lampkin
Manager of Partnerships & Operations
Quinton joined the "I Have A Dream" Foundation in January 2012. As Manager of Partnerships & Operations, Quinton contributes to the strategy, development, and implementation of an ambitious program that aims to support K-12 schools in their efforts to significantly increase college readiness and graduation rates among students in low-income communities.
Quinton's journey from a rural town in Georgia to becoming a first generation college student, with degrees from leading universities in both the United States and the United Kingdom, was largely made possible by a scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Becoming a Gates Millennium Scholar has opened a world of possibilities for Quinton. As part of his forward momentum, he is committed to expanding educational opportunities for children in low-income communities.
Prior to joining "I Have A Dream," Quinton served as a Domestic Policy Council intern at the White House where he supported federal policy issues including college affordability, career and technical education, STEM education, early learning education, and K-12 reform. He has previously worked in management consulting as a business analyst with Deloitte Consulting, and has also served as an Education Pioneers fellow where he interned with the Education Equality Project (EEP), a national non-partisan advocacy group focused on closing the achievement gap in education.
Quinton holds a degree in business administration from American University, a Masters degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Masters degree from the University of Cambridge. He enjoys whitewater rafting, traveling, journaling, and lots of laughter! He hopes to participate in the 2013 New York City marathon.
 Julie McAllister
Director of Development & Marketing
Julie joined the "I Have A Dream" Foundation in September 2012. As Director of Development & Marketing, Julie will be responsible for implementing a fundraising strategy and creating the marketing materials for the Foundation. Prior to joining "I Have A Dream", Julie worked as an associate in the Project Funds Group at Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager. There she focused on the marketing and fundraising effort for a number of Brookfield sponsored private equity funds. Prior to that Julie was an associate in the Real Estate Finance & Securitization Group at Credit Suisse where she was responsible for marketing and selling below investment grade commercial real estate debt.
The compelling mission of "I Have A Dream" and the passion exhibited by each of her coworkers is what drew Julie to the Foundation. Julie received a B.A. in European History from the University of Rochester. In her free time, Julie enjoys running, cooking and spending time with her family.
 Eugena Oh
Legal Counsel
Director of College & Alumni Engagement
Eugena joined the "I Have A Dream" Foundation in November 2011. As Director of College & Alumni Engagement, Eugena engages colleges, corporations, alumni, and other champions in supporting our scholars as they progress through college admissions, matriculation, and completion. Eugena also serves as IHDF's Legal Counsel, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance while promoting IHDF's interests in matters related to contracts, general business law, risk management, and insurance. Prior to joining "I Have A Dream," Eugena practiced commercial and products liability law, and served in development, strategy, and operations roles within several non-profit organizations, including Teach For America - New York City, Rock The Vote, and Washington State Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Eugena received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and her J.D. from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Outside of work, Eugena supports the work of the Korean American League for Civic Action (KALCA) as well as Asian and Pacific Islander America Vote (APIAVote), and is an active alumna of the University of Pennsylvania, serving on the board of the New York UPenn Asian Alumni Network and as a member of the Penn Secondary Schools Committee. She enjoys practicing yoga, running, cooking, and eating delicious and new foods.
Laura Persichette Owens
New Model Project Director
Laura Persichette Owens joined the "I Have A Dream" Foundation in December 2011. Laura is leading the new model start-up team, helping to facilitate the launch of an ambitious new program model that aims to bring together some of the nation's most effective college success programs with "no-excuses" schools to ensure that many more students are fully prepared to enroll in and graduate from college. Before joining "I Have A Dream," Laura worked at the New York City Department of Education on a variety of projects. In her most recent role as Director of Talent for the Division of Academics, Performance, and Support, Laura was responsible for all human resource processes across a division of 300 people and directed key projects and pilots, including various performance management processes, a division staff satisfaction survey, and staff professional development opportunities. Prior to that role, Laura worked as a project manager on the ARIS project, a website that provides parents, principals and teachers across NYC the ability to view student information, explore instructional resources, and collaborate with other educators across the city. Laura also worked in the Division of Portfolio Planning supporting new school development for the Office of Charter Schools.
Laura has a Master of Public Administration from NYU Wagner and a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University Maryland. She serves on the Director's Council for Coney Island Prep Charter School and in her spare time enjoys running, cooking, and traveling.
 Sonali Thimmaya
Director of Finance and Administration
Sonali has a Masters in Finance from the London Business School and a Bachelors in Commerce (Major in Finance) from McGill University, Canada. Previously, Sonali was a Vice President at Industry Corporate Finance Ltd., a London based specialist investment bank focused on industrial mergers & acquisitions. There, she was responsible for all aspects of sourcing and executing M&A transactions. Prior to business school, Sonali worked in the Treasury department of International Flavors & Fragrances, a specialty chemical company, in New York.
Sonali's interest in joining the IHDF team stems from her belief in the power of education. She is a strong believer in the positive impact that access to higher education can have, especially in terms of social and economic mobility.
She is an avid reader, sports fanatic and fitness enthusiast.
Melodi White
Director of Operations & Performance Management
Melodi joined the "I Have A Dream" Foundation in January 2009. As Director of Operations & Performance Management, she is building out the foundation's infrastructure and expanding organizational capacity so that "I Have A Dream" can continue to help more students gain access to college.
Melodi joins the team with 10 years of private-sector experience as a management consultant for both PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM. Over the years, she helped clients address technical issues through large-scale system implementations, developed reporting processes to track portfolio performance for global sales efforts, and drove education work streams for emerging solutions in Corporate Social Responsibility. More recently, Melodi decided to pursue her strong interests in education and public service. She holds a master's degree in Education Policy & Management from Harvard's Graduate School of Education and a bachelor's degree from Cornell University.
Board & Staff
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