Erica Ahdoot

Diana Gasperoni

Diana joined GO in September 2006 as the GO Project's second, part-time social worker and was promoted to full time Director of Social Services in July 2008. Diana held previous positions with Teen Choice, the Greenwich House Counseling Center, and Grand Street Settlement, and maintains a private practice. Diana possesses a Master of Social Work from New York University School of Social Work, a BS in Psychology from Salem State College, and completed a one-year program at the Center for Modern Psychoanalysis. Diana also teaches yoga.

Mattie Guishard

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Mattie is a 9-year veteran of New York City public schools, having taught 3rd and 6th grades and Social Studies in Kindergarten through 5th grade. She became a Teacher Leader Fellow at Bronx Lighthouse Charter School in 2008-2009, she taught 5th grade Humanities and directed the Scholastic Enrichment Afterschool program.  She served as the Director of Instruction for the Upper Academy and the Principal for grades 5-9 at Bronx Lighthouse Charter School in 2010-2011. She is currently a Title One Instructional Supervisor with a private organization. Mattie earned a Bachelors degree in Education and Social Studies from the College of Mount Saint Vincent. She earned a Masters degree in Literacy and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Lehman College.  

Daniel Guillen

Daniel joined the GO Project in September 2012 with 10 years working with Community Board Organizations, NYC Public Schools, and elected officials. Daniel began working with community organizations like Alianza Dominicana, where he served as the Program Coordinator of after school programs and instructor of an investigative folkloric dance group. In 2004, he served as President of the Dominican Student Association at City College of New York, spearheading a city-wide Latino voter registration initiative, receiving a Proclamation from the City Council of New York. Recently, Daniel served as Area Site Manager for the BELL Foundation where he was a recipient of the Dr. Robert Peterkin Educational Leadership Award.

Theresa Grimmig

Finance Manager

Theresa joined the GO Project in September 2009. She is new to the non profit sector, arriving at GO after a long career as Director of Fixed Income and as a Short Term Money Market Specialist at UBS Investment Bank. Terry has a daughter attending school in NYC and lives in lower Manhattan.

Allie Kramer

Allie joined the GO Project in December 2012. Prior to joining GO, Allie held a career as an Elementary School teacher in New York City Public Schools, engaging students in a curriculum that reinforces the fun of learning and using data to drive differentiated instruction.   Upon graduating from Lafayette College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Allie became an educator through New York City Teaching Fellows.  The fellowship allowed her to earn her Master of Science in Education at Lehman College while working as a teacher. Now, Allie continues to serve public school students and brings her experience in education to help launch GO Project’s new site at Avenues.    

Yuriko Matsuda

Olivia Nunez

Olivia joined the GO Project in September 2007 as a full-time Program Analyst and ensured strong student enrollment, engagement, and retention through building strong relationships with GO parents and GO’s public school partners. In 2011, she transitioned to Volunteer Manager and was charged with recruiting and training GO’s volunteers who work in the classrooms alongside the teachers and help maintain a low adult-to-student ratio and support individualized instruction. In 2012, Olivia became the GO Project’s first Director of Community Engagement where she is responsible for overseeing the entire community engagement effort which includes strategy oversight for recruitment, training, and ongoing support of over 250 volunteers. Additionally, Olivia develops and maintains relationships with public and private school partners, a critical component of the GO model, encouraging meaningful dialogue around the broader issue of educational equity. Olivia earned a BA in Political Science from Dartmouth College and a Masters in Political Science from Queens University, Belfast. She is graduate of Coro's Immigrant Civic Leadership Program.

Ji Young Park

Ji Young Park joined the GO Project team in December 2011 with over 10 years of experience as an educator, program developer and manager. Ji Young began her career as a fourth grade teacher, preparing students for statewide exams through experiential learning techniques. During her time as a teacher she also founded and directed the Theater & Arts Afterschool program that helped students to increase their self-esteem and develop social awareness. Following her work as a fourth grade teacher, she was a K-1 Lead teacher at the Dorothy Day Program in Harlem. In October of 2004, Ji Young joined Groundwork, Inc. to launch an extended day program with The United Federation of Teachers Elementary Charter School in East New York, which grew to serve over 340 students and where she managed over 50 full and part-time staff members. In early 2011, she transitioned into the international education arena by working as a curriculum developer and facilitator in Thailand. While in Thailand she also founded an ESL project-based afterschool and summer camp that aimed to provide a creative and whole language approach to learning called O.W.L. (Opening the Wonders of Learning). Ji Young earned her BA in Sociology at CUNY of Queens College in 2001. In 2010 she was awarded the Emerging Leaders of Education Scholarship to attend Columbia University's business school for her Masters certification in nonprofit management. She also received Master of Arts in Education certification from Build-a-Bridge Foundation in 2009.

Sadie Slootsky

Sadie Slootsky joins the GO Project team with over 15 years of professional fundraising experience. Most recently, Sadie served as the Director of Foundation Relations at iMentor, an organization that strives to improve the lives of high school students from underserved communities through technology-enabled mentoring. While at iMentor, Sadie led the team responsible for securing local and national foundation support from key funders, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lumina Foundation for Education. Prior to her time at iMentor, she led the development team at Groundwork Inc, a non-profit organization that supports the development of youth in Brooklyn, NY. During her time at Groundwork, Sadie played a vital role in the strategic growth of the organization as part of their senior leadership team. During her six years at Groundwork the organization’s annual operating budget grew from $1.5 million to over $5 million. Formerly, Sadie was also the Vice President at J.C. Geever, a fundraising consulting firm based in New York City. Sadie received her bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Delaware, and is currently an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Sadie resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

Liz Trout

Development Manager

As the GO Project’s Development Manager since March of 2013, Liz assists with all fundraising efforts.  Funds for the GO Project are raised through special events, individual giving, foundations, government, and corporations.  In addition, Liz is responsible for the communications, marketing, and public relations strategies of the organization. Before coming to the GO Project, Liz was a Grant Writer for youth development programming and general operating support at the Educational Alliance, a 125-year-old community-based organization in the Lower East Side. During her time at the Alliance, Liz secured approximately $2,000,000 every fiscal year.  Prior to this, Liz worked for five years at Kardon Institute for Arts Therapy, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that offers art, music, and dance movement therapy to individuals with special needs. Increasing her professional fundraising responsibilities over the years, Liz managed all aspects of development, communications, marketing, and public relations with the Executive Director. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English/Professional Writing from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and currently resides in Northern New Jersey with her husband.

Tyron Vereen

Tyron joined The GO Project in September 2012. Tyron’s previous employers include The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University College of Medicine, and The Family Planning Council where he managed various youth-centered programs. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Management from Howard University, a Master of Science degree in Education from Saint Joseph’s University, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Tyron’s range of professional experience includes: education, social services, youth development/empowerment, public health, grant writing, and work­force development.

Dana Wheeler

Dana joined GO Project in the summer of 2010 as a substitute teacher and became a head teacher that fall. She previously worked in NYC independent schools including, The Children's Storefront, Village Community School and The Collegiate School. Dana possesses a BS from Drexel University in Business Administration/Marketing and a MS in General Education from Bank Street College of Education. Before becoming a teacher, she was the Online Customer Service Manager for Live Nation Entertainment. Dana's interests include studying NYC history, discovering good music, sewing and video games.