Meet the Team

Beki Bahar-Engler is the VP, Finance and Operations at LEE. Prior to joining LEE, Beki was responsible for strategic projects and planning as Teach For America’s Vice President, Strategy. She previously served as Director of Strategy at Sprint Nextel, and also served as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. serving telecommunication and consumer goods companies. Beki started her career at the National Democratic Institute, where she ran political and civic organizing programs in Eastern Europe for five years. Beki has an M.B.A. from Georgetown University, an M.A. in International Relations from the American University, and a B.A. in Political Science and History from Adelphi University.

Jenna Borgia is the Manager of Development and Support at LEE. She manages LEE's development work and website and supports LEE’s Executive Director. For the past year and a half, Jenna worked on Teach For America's Public Affairs team. Prior to joining Teach For America's staff, she was a 2007 corps member. Jenna taught for 3 years in New York City, first as an 8th grade English Language Arts teacher at M.S. 319 The Maria Teresa Mirabal School, and then as a 6th grade Reading teacher at Harlem Village Academy. As an undergraduate, Jenna interned with Senator Dianne Feinstein and the John Kerry for President Campaign. She is a graduate of Georgetown University.

Mike Buman is LEE's Executive Director. Most recently, he was a Partner in the New York office of McKinsey & Company. Mike was a leader in the Financial Institutions practice focusing on Insurance and Asset Management. He has also worked with many education organizations throughout New York City. Prior to McKinsey, Mike worked at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in software development. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and New York University Stern School of Business.

Johnny Capers is the Finance Manager at LEE. Prior to joining LEE, Johnny was the Director of Finance and Administration at My Sister’s Place, Inc., a domestic violence organization in Washington DC. Johnny has worked with several non profit organizations implementing and developing accounting systems and policies. Additionally, he owns Capers Capital, Inc. which is a portfolio management company and wrote a book titled Look Young Stay Young. Johnny has an M.B.A. in Administrative Management and a B.S. in Accounting from Bowie State University.

Mitra Jalali Nelson is an Associate with LEE’s Leadership Trainings & Initiatives Team, where she supports LEE’s political trainings for members and other special projects for LEE staff. Mitra was an activist and organizer on campus for the D.C.-based issue advocacy network Campus Progress, as well as for media watchdog organization One Wisconsin Now. She joined Teach for America in 2008, where she taught social studies in New Orleans's Recovery School District for two years at an alternative high school. She then returned to her home in Minneapolis after the corps to spend a third year in the classroom with KIPP Minnesota before joining LEE’s staff as an Associate. She now works to support LEE’s members on their paths to political and public leadership around the country. Mitra holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Mandara Meyers is the Managing Director of Training Programs at LEE. In this role, she manages LEE's trainings and fellowship programs and supports LEE members around the country. Prior to joining LEE, Mandara spent four years as the National Director of Programs at the Center for Progressive Leadership (CPL), a nonprofit, nonpartisan political training institute, overseeing training programs in six states and training more than 450 leaders annually. Mandara previously practiced employment and health care law with a large firm in Philadelphia. Her policy and advocacy experience includes issues ranging from immigration and gender equity to health care and access to higher education. Mandara has worked with and consulted for the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, the Management Center, Genocide Intervention Network, the Women’s Law Project, Project Pericles and the Empowerment Group. She has also volunteered on a number of candidate and issue-based campaigns. Mandara is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In recognition of her leadership and commitment to the public sector, Mandara had the honor of participating in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and the Rockwood Leadership Institute.

Dan Nieman is the Managing Director of Field Engagement at LEE. Dan is the liaison between Teach For America and Leadership For Educational Equity, managing the partnership and ensuring that our members are on track to succeed in the fields of politics, policy, and advocacy. Dan began his career teaching elementary school in Harlem and the South Bronx for four years. After teaching, Dan moved back to his hometown of Los Angeles and participated in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. Prior to joining staff, Dan worked for three years as the Director of Community Affairs for Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Marlene Canter. There he served as a liaison between the principals, teachers, parents, and constituents of 120 schools and the school board member. Dan has B.F.A. from the University of Michigan School Of Art and Design and an M.S.Ed. from the Bank Street College of Education.

David Schapira is the Vice President of Political Programs at LEE, responsible for supporting and coaching our members as they pursue elected office. David is currently the Arizona Senate Minority Leader, representing the communities of Tempe and South Scottsdale in the Arizona Legislature since 2006. He also serves on the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board and is an adjunct faculty member in the Political Science Department at Arizona State University. David has spent most of his professional life in public service. He is most proud of his work as a public high school teacher in Phoenix. He also previously served as an aide to US Senator Tom Daschle in Washington, DC and as principal of a political consulting firm. David, a cancer survivor, has also worked with the American Cancer Society on staff and as a volunteer. The focus of David's legislaturive service has been the education of Arizona’s children. He has served as the ranking member of the Education Committee for three years, in addition to his membership on the Appropriations Committee. Among other significant honors and awards, David was named one of six "Lawmakers Who Made a Difference" and one of five "Emerging Leaders Worth Watching" by The Arizona Republic. A product of Arizona public schools, David holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Neeta Sonalkar is the Manager of Trainings and Partnerships at LEE, where she helps organize and evaluate leadership trainings and fellowship opportunities for LEE members. After college, Neeta moved to Los Angeles to participate in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. She then worked as the Program Director for RenewLA, an educational nonprofit that provides free academic support to students in Downtown Los Angeles. Previously, she supported Teach For America alumni as an intern with the Social Entrepreneurship and School Leadership Initiatives, and served as a Local Director for LIFT-Evanston, a student-run social service organization. She holds a Masters of Public Policy from University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning, and Development and a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University.

Catherine A. Sylvester is Manager of Data and Operations at LEE. Prior to joining LEE, Catherine worked as Manager of Compensation and Planning for Teach For America. Catherine is a Gates Millennium Scholar and Ronald E. McNair Fellow. She has presented at several national conferences and received numerous awards for her research. Catherine actively participates in community service initiatives, primarily through her membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and New York Urban League. Catherine received a Master of Public Policy and Urban Planning from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Brianna Twofoot is the Director of Organizing and Advocacy for the Policy and Advocacy Leadership Initiative with Leadership for Educational Equity. After graduating from Bryn Mawr College with a B.S. in Political Science, she taught for two years in a rural community in the Mississippi Delta through Teach For America.  While teaching in Mississippi, she co-founded the Delta Student Health Initiative, to address issues of reproductive rights and comprehensive sexuality education in Mississippi’s public schools. She then served as the Director of School Culture at Indianapolis Lighthouse Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana. Upon moving home to Portland, Maine, she joined the staff of the Maine affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, eventually leading as the Field Director. While working at the ACLU, Brianna sat on the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, Coalition for Maine Women and the Maine Freedom to Marry Coalition. She was treasurer of the Maine Choice Coalition. She is also a member of Emerge Maine’s Class of 2011, an organization that trains Democratic women to run for office. In her free time, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Maine Women’s Lobby.

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© 2011 Leadership for Educational Equity