MEET OUR GREAT STAFF...

Emily Wingfield, Executive Director, joined the Breakthrough community in June of 2009. In her senior year at the College of Charleston, she attended a panel discussion on the achievement gap and was moved to pursue a career in education. She taught sixth grade in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with Teach for America for three years. After her tenure with Teach for America, Emily pursued a master’s degree from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. In 2005 she received a MS with a concentration in Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Since moving to Minnesota two winters ago, she has lead a reading intervention program and community outreach programs at Pratt School. Outside of her work, Emily enjoys hiking with her one-eyed pit bull Abby and traveling.

Jennifer Otremba, Program Director, joined Breakthrough Saint Paul in August 2007. After graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in Natural Science from the College of Saint Benedict, Jennifer spent five years teaching for the Saint Paul Public Schools at Valley Branch Environmental Learning Center. During that time she also worked in a leadership capacity for programs at the Science Museum of Minnesota Youth Science Center and the Five-District Integration Partnership. Jennifer is an M.Ed candidate in the University of Minnesota’s Youth Development Leadership program. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys participating in outdoor recreational activities, doing yoga and remodeling her fixer-upper house!

Ashley Cooper, Student & Family Liaison, joined the Breakthrough Saint Paul staff in the fall of 2008. After earning a B.A. in psychology from the University of Minnesota, she became an aspiring English teacher at Breakthrough during the 2008 summer program. Ashley brings her experience working as an academic peer advisor at the University of Minnesota and as a youth worker at Community Partners with Youth where she organized academic after-school programming for elementary students. During her free time, Ashley enjoys boating, traveling, downhill skiing, and running.

Chris Yoshimura-Rank, High School Program Coordinator, graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2009. During college, Chris worked with a variety of legal aid groups such as Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services and HOMEline Tenant Hotline. Christopher joined the BSP staff in August as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. Chris is responsible for overseeing the success of our high school laptop program, Breakthrough Anywhere. Chris' enthusiasm and passion for education will serve our organization and high school students well in the coming year.

Melinda Yang, Hmong Family Liaison, is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota, studying education. Melinda taught for Breakthrough Saint Paul during Summer 2007.

OUR EX OFFICIO STAFF MEMBER...

Jeff Ochs, Founding Director, started Breakthrough Saint Paul in the summer of 2005. His initial vision for the program came as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, when he proposed expanding the national Breakthrough model to Saint Paul as part of a scholarship application. After graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in history, Jeff approached Mounds Park Academy and Saint Paul Public Schools with his proposal, which they accepted. Jeff’s three years of teaching experience with the Breakthrough program in Minneapolis laid the foundation for his six years of leadership of Breakthrough Saint Paul. As of August 2009, he is off to new personal and professional adventures in Beijing, China.