About Us

Joseph Olchefske serves as Chief Executive Officer of Springboard Education in America. Joseph has been a leader in the educational community for over twenty years, holding significant executive positions in for-profit, non-profit and public sector educational institutions.  He previously served as President of three different companies in the K-12 learning marketplace and as Managing Director of the School District Consulting Practice at the American Institutes for Research (AIR).  Joseph also served as Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools from 1998 to 2003; as SPS Superintendent, he served as the leader of a public-school system with 47,000 students, 100 schools, 4,500 teachers and an annual operating budget of $435 million. Joseph began his career at the investment firm Piper Jaffray, where he spent 12 years as an investment banker in the firm’s public finance department.

In addition to his other professional roles, Joseph serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education where he teaches graduate level courses focused on instructional leadership.  He also served on the Board of the Education Industry Association (EIA) for seven years including two years as Chair of the EIA Board.

Joseph holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree from Harvard University. He has been married to his wonderful wife Judy for 31 years and they have one daughter, India, who also graduated from the University of Chicago and is now a professional ballerina in California.

Michael T. Fay is the Chief Operating Officer and a member of the senior executive team. He leads over 400 field-based staff in 11 states and more than 100 schools. He brings to Springboard significant operational management experience and expertise.

Prior to joining Springboard, Michael held multi-state operational leadership roles at several major retailers, including Target and Lane Bryant. In these roles he was responsible for operations management and growth strategy, including launches and rapid business expansions.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Gwynedd Mercy College in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Post University in Connecticut.

In his current role, Michael leads Springboard’s field team and various in-office support teams. Using his operational experience, Michael is focused on connecting innovative and academically-based curriculum with effective business practices to create quality extended-day programs for school partners and students.

Sherman Carter is the Chief Financial Officer for Springboard and a member of the senior executive team. He has over 20 years of global experience in finance, holding leadership positions in organizations ranging from middle market to Fortune 500.

Prior to joining Springboard, he served as Head of FP&A at Visiant Health.  He has also served as Director of Finance at Pearson Education and Director of Operations Analysis at Fresenius Medical Care.  At Pearson he was responsible for budgeting and forecasting, accounting, as well as strategic modeling and analysis for the global services business supporting higher education and global schools (K -12).

Sherman Carter holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts.  He also holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Babson College.

In his current role, Sherman leads as a player/coach with accountability for all aspects of Finance and Human Resources and serves as a member of the senior leadership team responsible for driving strategy and profitable growth.

Elizabeth Sears is the Director of Accounting for Springboard Education, where she oversees all general accounting functions, including Voucher Administration, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Financial Reporting support. A key role in the organization, Elizabeth is tasked with the implementation and maintenance of policies and best practices that will facilitate Springboard’s goals of growth and enterprise readiness.

Elizabeth has worked in various business environments –  from large corporations to small non-profits. Her experience spans over eight years of financial consulting for charter public school start-ups in the state of New Hampshire, where she was Business Manager for the first charter school in the state.

Elizabeth received her Bachelor’s Degree from Bentley University.

Carmen Senter is the Regional Director for Springboard Education in America.  In this role, she supervises field operations for several geographic areas and continues to advance our educational mission.  She brings to Springboard 20 plus years of progressive education experience and a passion about opportunities Springboard can provide to its students.

Prior to being a Regional Director, Carmen served as an Area Director for Colorado and Utah.  Under her leadership, Colorado nearly tripled in size all while maintaining close relationships with school partners. She also spent over a decade as the Head of School for a charter school specializing in students with unique learning styles.  She is a visionary leader with a natural ability to win the respect of her staff and school stakeholders in every setting.

Rhondalyne Reed is a Regional  Director for Springboard.  She brings a vast experience in Social Work and working with students and parents for more than 20 years.  Prior to Springboard, Rhondalyne has management and education experience as a School Counselor, manager of multi-site child development centers and a CPS manager for state government.

Rhondalyne holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Southern University in Tennessee and a master’s degree in Social Work from University of Tennessee.

In her current role, Rhondalyne is responsible for oversight of the staff and all programming components of her assigned schools.  Using her managerial experience and academic awareness, Rhondalyne trains and coaches the staff while still placing great emphasis on building parent relationships and delivering academically sound, student focused programming.

Jill Ashley is the Director of Operations Support. Jill holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has several years of financial analysis experience in the computer and healthcare industries.

She started her career at Springboard in 2009 as the system administrator for the online enrollment system and provided telephone and email support to Springboard families. In 2015 Jill was promoted to Manager of Customer Care and was instrumental in the implementation of a new online enrollment and account management system, the Parent Portal. In her current role, Jill provides office support to the field leadership team. Both her business background and history with Springboard play an essential role in supporting field leadership and providing cohesiveness between the office and the field.

Tatiana Comparoni is the Principal Financial Analyst for Springboard. She has over 15 years of global experience in finance and accounting. She has significant experience creating financial models and providing financial consulting and strategic support to senior executive teams.

Prior to joining Springboard, she served as Senior FP&A at NC Pharma and CPFL Energy. She also worked as a Staff Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In these roles, she was responsible for managing, budgeting, forecasting, and preparing quarterly/monthly reports.  She also supported senior management team and departments heads with in-depth analysis. She implemented business intelligence tools and dashboard reports.

Tatiana Comparoni holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Saint Judas University. She also holds a master’s degree in Corporate Finance from Getulio Vargas Foundation.

Carlena Vaden serves as Area Director of Springboard Education of America. Carlena brings to Springboard over 15+ years of increasingly responsible experience in the educational field. She has been in leadership with in the educational sector for 7+ years. She has led and pioneered several school-based and non-school based projects that increased leadership functionality, raised revenue, and brought moral support to institutions. These projects include but were not limited to seminar sessions, consulting of leadership services, and educational consulting for instructional and managerial support.  Carlena has been highlighted in the Early Childhood Report, February 2017 issue on leadership and professional development.

Carlena holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Political Science from Morgan State University and a Master of Education Degree (MEd) from Strayer University. She is currently her Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership and Management form Capella University.

In her current role, Carlena leads her staff with the intention to support, develop, and nurture the leader within them.  She is passionate about developing strong educators and leaders in education.  It is her desire to see the impact that great leadership has on the student’s educational journey.

Doneesha received her Bachelor of Social Work from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. Doneesha has an extensive background in child care and working with children with mental health disorders.  Her focus is on delivering the highest quality programs and fostering relationships with children, families and our school partners.

Nicole Baur is the Senior Area Director of  PA/NJ with 10+ years of management experience and 4+ years of multi-unit operational experience. Nicole is responsible for leading 40+ staff members at 11 schools in Central NJ and Eastern PA. Prior to joining Springboard, Nicole held leadership positions in several growing companies, including Target and Wawa, where her fast-paced leadership style and focus on shifting business priorities made her successful.

Nicole holds a bachelor’s of science in biology with a microbiology concentration from West Chester University.

In her current role, Nicole uses her prior leadership experience to support and challenge her staff to achieve operational excellence. She focuses on delivering outstanding service and support to the diverse families that utilize Springboard’s care.

Ashley Olt is an Area Director for programs in Washington, DC.

Prior to joining Springboard, Ashley served as a Master Teacher and culture coordinator in DC Public Charter Schools, specializing in bilingual education.

Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from The George Washington University in Washington, DC and a master’s degree in Education with a focus on Education Policy and Leadership from American University.

In her current role, Ashley is focused on bringing academically-driven curriculum with a focus on promoting social and emotional development to extended-day programs in DC and IL.

Kelly Kinnibrugh is an Area Director in Colorado. Before becoming an area director, she taught English at the secondary level for 12 years and served as Blackboard Administrator for the Artesia Public School district in Artesia, NM. During that time, Kelly also ran the credit recovery program in the district and taught night school courses through an online platform. As Blackboard Administrator, she instructed students and staff using the LMS Blackboard, created curriculum for English III and IV through Blackboard, coauthored an end of course exam in English III for NM PED, and assisted with transferring curriculum to common core standards

She received her M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, TX.

Kelsey Aldrich started at Springboard as a Program Manager and, due to great leadership skills, was promoted to Area Director. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Family Studies and Human Development from Abilene Christian University.  Kelsey has worked in before and after school programs for four years, and is passionate about providing quality and educational programming to our students and families.

Tanise Dixon is an Area Director in New England. She has 15 years with summer camps and 10 years experience in the Before and After School programs. Prior to coming on board with Springboard, she served as Program Director for the YMCA Before and After School Programs in Denver. She also serves on the board for the YMCA of the Rockies. Tanise has a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation Management and a Master’s Degree in Organizational leadership.