Our Team

Menna is excited to join the On-Ramps team as a Research Specialist to help them reach their mission of sourcing talented and diverse candidates for leadership positions. She is passionate about making a social impact and doing meaningful work that positively impacts individuals and communities.  

Menna brings six years of experience in medical informatics and clinical research. She currently works as a clinical study manager and leads multiple clinical research studies evaluating medical technology and clinical solutions.

Menna holds a B.A. in Biology and Business Management from Wittenberg University and an M.S. in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Pittsburgh. She was a PULSE (Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience) fellow for a year, where she practiced servant leadership and worked closely with local non-profits in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. She also ran research projects in Malawi for two years and worked to improve patient care in a low-resource clinic.

Menna believes in the power of research to improve healthcare and other sectors. She enjoys taking road trips with her partner, running, gardening, and visiting her home country, Ethiopia.

Robert has been with On-Ramps since 2022. As a Research Specialist, he collaborates with search teams by providing behind-the-scenes sourcing support, with the ultimate goal of producing viable job candidates and generating robust and diverse candidate pipelines.

Robert has spent nearly two decades in the nonprofit sector and works full-time as Director of Operations and Facilities on Manhattan's Upper West Side, managing a 45,000 sq.ft. multipurpose facility and a very mighty Operations Team. 

Robert holds an MBA from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the City College of New York. He is a proud native New Yorker and lives in Astoria with his wife of 20 years and his son. In his spare time you can find him literally running around the city training for half marathons, reading, and playing pick up basketball games

Josh began his work with On-Ramps in 2019, currently managing and providing project support on multiple searches across issue areas and functions. He enjoys learning about and supporting the specific leadership needs and opportunities at On-Ramps' partner organizations. Josh also contributes to the maintenance and strategy behind On-Ramps' internal database.

Before joining On-Ramps, Josh worked a Program Manager at Breakthrough New York, an education non-profit in New York City. In that role, he facilitated after school and summer enrichment programming for high-achieving middle school students at BTNY's Bronx program location. He also provided academic advising services to students and families in the program.

Josh obtained his B.A. in International Relations from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Originally from Arlington, Virginia, Josh moved to New York after graduating to pursue work in the social sector. Outside of work, he enjoys playing pick-up soccer and visiting museums.

Kayla joined On-Ramps as a Search Specialist in 2022 after nearly 25 years of working with a wide range of mission-driven organizations. Her professional journey has included roles in youth development, humanities, public radio, and performing arts, providing her experience in the areas of research, evaluation, program development, fundraising, marketing, community engagement, and volunteer coordination. Most recently, she served 9 years as Executive Director for a professional chamber music presenter, where she was responsible for all administrative facets and fundraising to annually produce over 60 concerts, events, and educational presentations across Alaska. During her tenure she also led a $4.7M capital campaign to purchase and renovate an historic building to become the organization’s permanent home. Along the way, Kayla dabbled in various hobbies and part-time jobs, including teaching beginning violin to children, performing in a regional orchestra, hosting a weekly radio show of swing music, running a small event venue, and bartending.

Born and raised on a farm in Iowa, Kayla enjoyed a few years of city life in downtown Minneapolis before moving to Sitka, Alaska, where she lived for 20 years. Out of a desire to spend more time with family and dear friends in the Lower 48, Kayla and her husband recently relocated to Mathews County, Virginia, where they spend their free time playing Americana/roots/rock music, riding on Rails to Trails bike paths, enjoying good food and craft cocktails, and taking as many road/camping trips as possible.

As a Search Consultant, Kristen partners with clients across industry and function, advising on equitable hiring practices and guiding exceptional, mission-driven candidates from diverse backgrounds through hiring processes.

Kristen spent the first 15 years of her career supporting top talent in non-profit organizations. She most recently served as Director, Talent Acquisition & Business Partner at Leadership for Educational Equity, where she executed hiring, staffing, business partner coaching, compensation, and employment branding. Kristen began her career at Teach For America, first recruiting corps members then leading within the internal human resources function on employee engagement, performance management, and analytics/reporting.

Kristen earned an M.S. in Human Resource Management & Development from New York University and a B.S. in Organizational Communication, Learning, & Design from Ithaca College. Kristen lived in New York City for a number of years and is currently based in her hometown of Buffalo, NY. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, and working on DIY projects.

Jordan joined On-Ramps in June 2022 as a Search Consultant. On his searches, he functions as a project manager, making sure we meet deadlines and benchmarks for each search, delegating tasks to the search team and facilitating huddles, ultimately setting clients up for success with high performing talent, and placing candidates with employers where they can thrive.

Jordan began his journey working several years in the hospitality industry and earned his BA in Sociology at Nyack College during that time. A couple years after graduation, he then pivoted to full cycle non-profit talent management and recruitment at iMentor in 2017. At iMentor, Jordan built on his passion for creating systems and programs for belonging, which included managing several searches across different levels of the organization, all-staff meetings and retreats, onboarding, and numerous culture building initiatives.

Perpetuating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as belonging has been a long-standing driving force for Jordan’s career choices and has created spaces and affinity groups in efforts to offer high support to people across differences. Jordan’s personal interests range from a love of Broadway and the performing arts to consuming comic book and anime content and on any given weekend can be caught singing or hosting an event or engaging in comprehensive discussion on his opinions of the artistic direction of any comic book franchise.

Sukanya is a movement artist and non-profit administrator and brings with her 10 years of experience in the arts and non-profit sector. She currently works as the Director of Human Resources at the YWCA Jamestown handling executive candidate searches, recruitment,  employee relations, compliance, payroll and benefit administration. She also leads the DEIA committee at the YWCA Jamestown with her goal of continuously building an inclusive and equitable workplace for women and people of color.

She holds a graduate degree in Chemistry from St. Xavier's College and a Diploma in Movement Arts and Contemporary Dance. She was recently selected to be one an artist-in-residence at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Curriculum in Motion for 2021-2022. Her passion project is to raise awareness, accessibility and provide opportunities in Indian Classical Dance through arts education.

She resides in Jamestown, NY with her husband and four cats. When not working, you can find her taking long walks while listening to podcasts or drinking chai on her front porch and people watching.

Monica is thrilled to join the On-Ramps team as a Search Specialist supporting the team in connecting equity centered, dynamic leaders to mission-driven organizations that are making lasting impact.

Monica possesses twenty- five years of experience leading teams in sales, marketing, talent, and diversity, equity and inclusion
capacities. During her corporate career, Monica was responsible for increasing the distribution and creating marketing strategies for cable television networks and other emerging platforms for companies such as BET- Black Entertainment Television and Disney and ESPN. In her Talent and DEI roles, she’s led and directed strategic DEI efforts while consulting with and guiding executive leaders on how to create an inclusive, equitable, and collaborative work environment
for all of their employees.

Monica’s experience also spans the nonprofit sector inclusive of social services, higher education, and K-12 education. Monica currently serves in a Talent capacity for a San Diego based non-profit that support transition aged foster youth. And since 2014 Monica has been partnering with for-profit companies and non-profit organizations as a consultant to help advance their equity, inclusion, and belonging commitments in the workplace and in their communities.

Monica is originally from the Chicago area and currently calls Fayetteville, NC home. She received a Bachelor of Science in Mass Media Communications from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK and a Master of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago, IL. In her spare time, Monica enjoys eating delicious food, traveling, and attending live sporting events.

Angela is an experienced researcher and advisor with a demonstrated history of working in secondary and post-secondary education. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. As a research specialist at On-Ramps, Angela supports the firm's mission by identifying diverse candidates to fill leadership positions in the social sector. 

Prior to joining the On-Ramps team in 2022, Angela was a Ph.D. candidate completing her dissertation in cultural anthropology. Before graduate studies, she worked as a high school English teacher in Dallas, Texas. 

Angela holds a B.A. with distinction from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Angela enjoys salsa dancing, yoga and volunteering with various community based organizations. 

Prior to joining the On-Ramps team, Yahira was a Candidate Lead at Bridgewater Associates where she managed the end-to-end candidate experience for senior through entry-level roles across the Client Service and Trading teams. Before Bridgewater, Yahira spent several years working at Citadel where she supported the recruiting efforts of one of the long/short equity platforms, Surveyor Capital. There, she was responsible for the full candidate life cycle of Portfolio Manager, Associate (including MBA Summer Associate) and Analyst candidates.

Yahira began her career at the University of Chicago where she spearheaded the creation of an alumni giving program for the University of Chicago's Annual Fund, and ran a portfolio of Fortune 1000 companies that sponsored undergraduate students in the university's flagship internship program.

Yahira holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago. A native New Yorker, she currently resides in the Bronx with her adorable dog Charlie.

Scarlyn began her role as a Search Analyst with On-Ramps in 2021. She currently provides project support across several searches. 

Prior to joining On-Ramps, Scarlyn started her career as a Consultant at Ernst & Young. Specifically, Scarlyn worked on client engagements in the Financial Services sector, where she provided support on the organization and implementation of various projects. Scarlyn also assisted EY’s Campus Recruiting team by participating in the interview and onboarding process for summer interns. 

Scarlyn graduated form Bentley University and holds a B.S. in Management, with a concentration in Computer Information Systems. She is a native New Yorker from The Bronx, who enjoys music, writing, outdoor activities, holistic wellness and traveling. 

Imani has been with On-Ramps since 2018. As a Search Consultant, Imani supports searches across industry and function through building relationships with clients, managing project plans to achieve time-sensitive goals, and conducting candidate assessments and outreach. She is the leader of the firm's Communication and Community initiatives, elevating best communication practices across the firm and managing the creation of content that best represents the organization. She is also deeply involved in building the company's culture through increasing team engagement and improving systems to make workstreams more efficient.

Before joining On-Ramps, Imani worked in e-commerce at Jet.com, where she was responsible for driving revenue growth and creating the optimal online customer experience. Prior to Jet, Imani was an African-American Studies major at Yale University, finding the right balance across a rigorous course load, extracurricular activities, and volunteer work. Some of her extracurricular and volunteer activities included Latin dance, mentoring young Black women, and driving marketing for a university-wide conference.

A born and bred New Yorker, Imani is a proud resident of Brooklyn, NY. In her free time, you can find her curating music playlists, searching for her next piece of home decor, and creating space for others to bring their entire selves into a conversation.

Rachel is a creative professional and has experience in various fields throughout her 15+ years in the workforce. She is passionate about collaborating with mission-minded organizations to generate expression, connection, and action, and is excited to be a part of the On-Ramps team. In her most recent role as Artist Tour Manager at Suite Tours, she has helped facilitate over 170+ live performances of a national touring group at various venues across the U.S. in 2018. In her role as Research Specialist, she supports On-Ramps search teams in the researching, sourcing, and the market outreach process. 

She holds a B.A. in Communication from Brooklyn College and currently resides in Richmond, VA with her husband and pup. When not working, she enjoys songwriting and performing, and attending live concerts.

Aida L. Epifanio brings 15+ years of experience serving in management and leadership roles across various non-profit, government, and higher education institutions. Aida is passionate about an array of social justice issues. She is excited to bring her years of experience in affordable housing, urban & economic redevelopment and education to On-Ramps and looks forward to further supporting mission-driven organizations.

Aida currently serves within the Office of Strategic Operations at the New Jersey Department of Education. During her time with the Department, Aida has been able to further the Department's goals by developing innovative operations, reenvisioning policies and procedures, and revamping intradepartmental communication protocols. Additionally, Aida has had the opportunity to support many of the Commissioner's priority initiatives directly.

Aida holds a dual-BA in Psychology and Women's & Gender Studies from The College of New Jersey and a MS in Global Affairs from Rutgers University. In addition, she is an alumnus of New Leaders Council – New Jersey and Lead New Jersey. She currently serves as a Founding Board Member of Latina Civic, an organization focused on the growing Latina engagement in civic and electoral activities in New Jersey. When not working or volunteering, Aida loves binge- watching television, enjoying her parents' exceptional Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisine, discovering new music, and finding fun weekend activities in South Jersey to enjoy with her husband and kids.

Recently joining the On-Ramps team is Stephanie as an Administrative Coordinator. She is currently involved in scheduling interviews for our search teams while expanding her knowledge of the company and its culture.

Before joining On-Ramps, Stephanie studied at CUNY Bernard M Baruch College and worked as an Executive Assistant to the CEO of a privately-held real estate firm in New York City. Part of her responsibilities included managing some of the most popular LED signs in Times Square, such as Coca-Cola, M&Ms and Samsung to name a few. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Stephanie just moved to New Jersey with her newly expanded family.

Sarah, a Founding Partner, brings over twenty five years of experience in human capital consulting and people management to On-Ramps. With experience both as a strategy consultant and Head of HR, Sarah brings deep talent and strategy experience, with and a strong focus on creating change and impact. Sarah has successfully served a wide-variety of clients, leading large change efforts and designing and implementing a range of talent development programs. When Sarah is not collaborating on searches, she is actively engaged in the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work and talent strategy work. 

Prior to On-Ramps, Sarah was an Engagement Manager at Katzenbach Partners, LLC, where she led projects focused on human capital issues and where her work was profiled in the Wall Street Journal. Prior to working at Katzenbach, Sarah was Director of Organization Development at Skinklinic, a start-up skin care company, where she designed and led the recruiting, training, and performance management programs for nurses, doctors, and a retail team. Having helped build an organization from the ground up, Sarah understands the importance of not only attracting but also retaining great people.

Sarah is a graduate of Brown University where she received a B.A. in History. Originally from Arizona, but now very much a New Yorker, Sarah resides in Brooklyn with her husband, daughter, and dog Pepper.

Zoë joined On-Ramps as a Search Specialist in 2023 after nearly 10 years of working in the nonprofit sector. Her professional experience has included roles as Recruitment Coordinator and Recruitment Director, with Conservation Legacy where she focused on getting young people and military veterans engaged in conservation careers. Most recently, she served 4 years as National Associate Director for American Conservation Experience's EPIC NPS Division, where she was responsible for building and supporting partnerships with the National Park Service. Through her career, Zoë has had the chance to live, travel and explore across the country. She is passionate about the environment and connecting people to the outdoors, as well as public service and connecting people to opportunities. 

Zoë received her BA in English and Creative Writing with a minor in Art from Warren Wilson College. She currently lives in Asheville, NC, and when she is not at work she can be found hiking a trail, working on one of her creative hobbies which include silversmithing, quilting and other traditional crafts, or spending time with her family, which includes her husband, daughter, two cats and a dog. 

Michelle joined On-Ramps in 2022 as a Search Coordinator. She currently provides project support across multiple searches.

As a first generation student, she previously obtained her B.A. at Rutgers University. It was here she developed her passion for social justice and activism, especially as it pertains to systemic racism and its ties to income inequality and access. Michelle later joined Teach For America, where she taught Middle School English and Social studies within NYC charter schools. 

With her eye for data, organization, and teaching experience, she was given an opportunity by the founder of her previous network, to act as a Seasonal Recruiting Coordinator for the summer, hiring MS tutors for a fall program. She later acted as the Director of Recruitment for the network.

After residing in Brooklyn for a few years, Michelle recently moved back to her hometown of Jersey City, NJ, driven by a commitment to mission-driven work and a love for her city. She loves trying new restaurants, swimming and traveling. 

As a Research Specialist, Les supports On-Ramps’ search teams in sourcing exceptional and diverse candidates for leadership roles at mission-driven organizations. 
 
Prior to joining On-Ramps, Les worked for several years in a variety of project management, instructional design, and client support capacities for academic technology services in higher education. Her other work experience includes teaching English as a Foreign Language classes for kindergarten through middle school students in South Korea. She has also done long-term, disaster relief volunteer work in Mississippi, Iowa, and Indonesia. 
 
Les has an MA in individualized studies from Goddard College, an MA in learning sciences from Northwestern University, and a BS in biology from Mary Baldwin University. Originally from the Chicago metropolitan area, she now lives in Henrico, VA. In her spare time, she enjoys writing and creating artwork, spending time with family, and being in nature.

Nakia has spent her career in leadership positions at organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, driving the development of their people and cultures. At On-Ramps, Nakia works with social sector organizations focused on changing the world, leading searches and advising leaders on best practices in recruitment and hiring. In addition to her work with clients, Nakia supports On-Ramps' internal talent/HR and operations work, as well as its work on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Prior to joining On-Ramps, Nakia was Vice President, People & Culture at Girls Who Code. In this role, she was responsible for establishing its people and culture philosophy by revamping recruitment strategies, developing initiatives to support both inclusion and diversity, and providing in-house leadership coaching.

Before joining Girls Who Code, Nakia worked at KIPP NYC as its Managing Director, People. By working closely with senior leaders and becoming the internal Human Resources consultant for the thirteen school and program leaders and regional directors, she transformed the Human Resources function from one managing only transactional interactions to one focused on strategic partnerships and led their diveristy, equity and inclusion initiative.

Prior to joining KIPP NYC, Nakia was the Director of Operations and Human Resources for the Manhattan Borough President's Office – Scott M. Stringer. Under her leadership, the operational and human resources functions of the two borough president's office locations and the twelve (12) Manhattan Community board offices were streamlined and strategically enhanced.

Nakia holds an M.P.A. from CUNY Baruch College, Marxe School of Public, and International Affairs, an M.S. in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College and a B.S. in Organizational Management from Nyack College. Nakia sits on the Board of Directors of STEM From Dance, a nonprofit organization focused on preparing Black and Latina girls for STEM education and careers through dance, holds the Lead Coach role with Represented Foundation supporting their V.E.R. Social impact Incubator fellows, facilitates equity training with MFEE (Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence) and continues to provide executive coaching and organizational development consultancy to nonprofit and for-profit leaders and organizaitons. Originally from Harlem, NY, Nakia lives in Montclair, NJ with her husband and two sons.

As a Partner at On-Ramps, Sarah leads strategic planning and internal operations, including talent and the firm's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. She also leads client engagements, partnering with organizations across a range of issue areas, with an emphasis on education and philanthropy.

Sarah spent the first ten years of her career focused on K-12 education. At Carnegie Corporation of New York, she helped implement the Corporation's grantmaking strategy related to talent management in urban education. She previously worked for the CUNY Early College Initiative, which provides students who are historically underrepresented in higher education with a rigorous college-prep curriculum and early access to college-credit courses. In her early career, Sarah worked as a Data Analyst at the New York City Department of Education and as a Research Assistant at Jobs for the Future.

Sarah holds a B.A. in Education Studies from Brown University and an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey with her husband and daughter. 

Lauren re-joined On-Ramps in 2021, bringing with her 5 years of experience in executive search and recruitment for non-profits nationally and also locally in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. As a member of the On-Ramps Research Specialist team, Lauren supports On-Ramps’ searches through strategic and meaningful sourcing and prospect research, in order to build strong and diverse talent pools.

With 10 years of experience in non-profit management, Lauren has expertise in fund development and program leadership. Through her work at Women In Distress (WID), a large-scale domestic violence (DV) center in South Florida, Lauren co-lead a $5M capital campaign and, as WID’s Director of Social Change, she drove the agency’s DV prevention and education initiatives.

Lauren earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Delaware and also received her Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management from Eastern University. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Pittsburgh, PA.

As Founding Partner, Michelle has been with On-Ramps since 2006. She currently leads On-Ramps Communications and Community (aka: CommSquared) working group, supports the firm’s strategy development, and manages financial forecasting.  She also leads client engagements, working with organizations across a range of issue areas, with an emphasis on impact investing, democracy, advocacy, and social services.

Before co-founding On-Ramps, Michelle worked in finance at Time, Inc., where she was responsible for both revenue growth initiatives and strategic cost containment. Prior to that, she worked at Deutsche Bank as an equity research associate. Michelle spent her early career working in elementary education, first as a teaching assistant and then as a classroom teacher.

Michelle holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, and an M.Ed. from Columbia University, Teachers College. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles. Originally from Long Island, Michelle is now a proud resident of Brooklyn, NY. In her spare time, you can find her admiring her cat and dog, riding her bicycle, or working as a volunteer political organizer.

Monica joined the On-Ramps team in 2022. As a Search Consultant, Monica supports clients across the social sector to hire talent who will amplify their impact and ultimately help to achieve their mission. She accomplishes this through partnering closely with clients to understand their unique business needs and organizational cultures; building strong relationships with candidates with highly aligned skills, experiences, and interests; and managing an efficient, effective, and equitable search process that brings the best matches together. 

Monica started her career in the nonprofit sector, working as Director of People Operations and Chief of Staff at a global health organization based in Nepal. She subsequently led talent acquisition for an early-stage social venture; advised clients on human capital challenges and talent/DEI best practices as a consultant at Deloitte and boutique firms; and co-designed curricula on organizational design and development as a research and teaching assistant. Monica received her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 2020, bringing a broad understanding of management and leadership to her work. She also holds a BA in Global Affairs & International Development from Yale University and has years of experience living, learning, and working overseas, which informs her perspective on how to build and lead inclusive teams.

A proud and passionate New Yorker, Monica spends her time outside of work walking around the city; eating food with friends; peddling on her Peloton; running with the New York Road Runners; or hanging out with her husband and cat, Freddie Mercury. 

Laurel joined On-Ramps in 2021 as a Search Specialist. She currently provides project support across multiple searches.

Laurel brings more than ten years of experience supporting New York City schools through professional learning communities and coaching dedicated to eradicating disproportionate achievement for public school students. As a program manager since 2011, she has experience leading project management, recruitment, hiring, and retention. She served most recently as Director of Program Planning for the NYC Department of Education, supporting a network of schools with a shared focus on strengthening supports and outcomes for Black and Latinx multilingual learner students in grades 6–8.  Prior to this role, Laurel worked in support of adult learning throughout the NYC DOE and taught English as a Second Language in China.  

Laurel holds a B.A. in Chinese History from Columbia University. Originally from Kansas, Laurel has lived in Manhattan since 2000. In her spare time, you can find her on adventures across the five boroughs with her family.

Passionate about building inspired relationships, Suzi joined the On-Ramps team in 2022 as a Search Specialist, bringing over a decade of experience in the nonprofit and social impact sector. At On-Ramps, Suzi helps organizations and changemakers shine by finding the best fit for both while bringing increased equity to the process.

Over her career, Suzi has been led by a desire for communities and individuals to know their power, push for new possibilities, and act justly with compassion and courage. A few of her recent projects include consulting on successful local advocacy campaigns for just energy transitions and affordable housing access, spearheading fundraising campaigns for transportation alternatives in under-resourced neighborhoods, and catalyzing the launches of new local food cooperatives. Through all of this, Suzi is most at home when embedded in the work of organizing, strategizing, and relationship building. Having invested in staff, consultant, and board leadership roles, she brings a breadth of wisdom on the many collaborative perspectives needed to make good change grow.

Suzi holds a B.A. in Cultural Communications from James Madison University, studied Spanish literature and art at the University of Salamanca, Spain, and is currently working towards certification with Academy for Coaching Excellence. In addition to her role with On-Ramps, Suzi is also a career coach, moving from frontline advocacy to behind-the-scenes capacity building to facilitate change through what matters most — the people.

Originally from New York, you can now find Suzi rolling around the mountains and streams of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where she lives with her partner and their son. Suzi devotes time to organizing for adoptee and child welfare justice, brushing up on her salsa and Spanish, fair-weather bike commuting, reading, and pretending she still does yoga.

Julissa Martis is a true HR generalist, she has over 15 years of experience in creating HR Strategy, recruiting, people operations, employee relations, employee engagement, compliance, HR project management & creating human-centered processes and policies to support team members to continue to do their best work.

She is the Principal Consultant for Legacy HR Consulting, a firm that helps mission-driven organizations attract and retain their top talent through progressive HR strategy and support.

She has worked in small to medium-sized businesses in the Nonprofit, Health, Maritime, Architecture, and Engineering industries, building the HR function from the ground up. Throughout her career, she has always been tasked with developing the HR function from the ground up, creating HR strategy and policies that meet the strategic goals of the organization.

Julissa was born and raised in Bronx, NY, spent most of her time in Oklahoma City, OK, and currently calls Houston, TX home. She obtained her Bachelor of Science from the University of Oklahoma and her Master of Business Administration at Oklahoma Christian University. She is currently a certified Human Resource Project Manager. She is also certified as a LUMA Human-Centered Design Practitioner.

Shanna has been with the On-Ramps family since 2021. As Search Consultant, Shanna manages searches across industry and function, and partners with the On-Ramps team to recruit exceptional, mission-aligned leaders from diverse backgrounds and advises clients on best practices for equitable hiring processes. 

Being deeply passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, Shanna has dedicated her career to leading talent and student recruitment efforts for mission-driven organizations that strive to unlock the potential of students from historically underrepresented communities. She began her career in student recruitment, community outreach, & program management for organizations focused on college access & success (The Steppingstone Academy, The Posse Foundation, and Brooke Charter Schools) before moving into the edtech space and managing school partnerships across the country for Ellevation Education and Girls Who Code. At Girls Who Code, she made the exciting shift into talent recruitment and managed the full-cycle recruitment for 50 full-time and part-time staff. Prior to joining the On-Ramps team, Shanna led the Brooklyn selection team at Uncommon Charter Schools. Her regional hiring team was responsible for hiring 400+ instructional and operations staff for the 21-22 school year across the network’s 24 Brooklyn campuses.

Shanna graduated from one of the most diverse universities in the country, the University of Massachusetts - Boston, with a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Policy. Originally from Boston, MA, Shanna lives with her husband in Queens, NY. As a lover of the arts, in her spare time you'll find Shanna with her family exploring NYC’s incredible culinary, theatre, and music scenes.  

Robert has been with On-Ramps since 2010. As a Partner, he leads client engagements across a broad range of issue areas including policy and advocacy, education, and philanthropy. He also leads the firm's client development work.

Prior to joining On-Ramps, Robert served as the Director of Young People For, a youth leadership development program housed in People For the American Way Foundation. There Robert built programs and raised funds designed to support historically marginalized college students beginning long-term careers in the Social Sector.

Robert started his career at The White House Project where he supported the development of a civic engagement program aimed at increasing women’s political participation. There, Robert helped recruit, hire, and support staff for the opening of four regional offices that have trained over 10,000 women to run for office.

Robert holds a B.A. in Philosophy and French from the University of Richmond. A lifelong New Yorker, Robert lives in Hell’s Kitchen with his family. When he's not in the office, you can find him practicing yoga, spinning, or testing a new recipe.

Cindy brings nearly 20 years' experience in the non-profit sector to her work at On-Ramps.

Previously, Cindy was the New York Executive Director at LIFT, a national nonprofit that works to break the cycle of poverty for families. In this role, she was responsible for strategy, fundraising and program development for the NYC site. She played a key role in helping the organization evolve its mission to focus on families with young kids, built and grew the local board and oversaw a relocation of the NYC office to the South Bronx.

Prior to joining LIFT, Cindy spent nearly 6 years at CFY (now called PowerMyLearning) with the last two years as the Executive Director of the New York City office. She oversaw significant expansion of CFY's programmatic work partnering with the NYC Department of Education in 100 public middle and high schools and hiring and managing over 40 full-time and 100 part-time staff.

In her early career, Cindy held various roles with a service learning organization in Washington D.C., Chicago and New York City. She also worked in a fundraising capacity with the Seattle and NYC AIDS Walks.

Cindy holds a M.A. in Community Development from North Park University, is a Coro Leadership-NY alum and served as an interim School Board Member in Richmond, VA where she resides with her husband and two daughters.

Diana joined the team at On-Ramps in 2019. As Principal, Diana leads searches in various functional areas and ensures clients are matched with talent that will bring the highest impact to their mission.

Prior to joining On-Ramps, Diana spent four years in education management working for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). Most recently, Diana worked as the Director of Strategic Projects for the Office of School Quality. Her responsibilities included managing data analytics and reporting as well as policy communications to internal and external stakeholders. During her time at the NYCDOE, Diana also worked as a data specialist for the Office of Assessment and data analyst for the Pre-K for All team.

Before joining the NYCDOE, Diana started her career at New York University as a project manager for several research studies that focused on child learning and development in urban settings. As the project manager, Diana's main responsibilities included the planning and execution of the studies, hiring, and training of data collectors, representing the research lab at conferences, and holding presentations for potential research partners.

Diana holds an M.P.A. in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a B.A. in Psychology from New York University. Born and raised in Queens, Diana now resides in Brooklyn. In her spare time, Diana can be found spinning on her bike to nowhere and spending time with her daughter and son.

Laura Polk is an anthropologist and brings experience as a researcher, nonprofit program manager, and ESOL instructor. She is passionate about working behind the scenes to support organizations committed to social change.
 
Laura holds a master's in Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and B.A. in Psychology from Eastern Mennonite University. After graduate school, she was part of an interdisciplinary research team studying faith-based organizations. This research involved conducting ethnography on two evangelical organizations in the DC area.
 
Laura has lived abroad in Ghana and Guatemala, and taught English in Honduras. A Nutella enthusiast, she lives in Richmond, Va and you can find her at a bookstore, museum, coffee shop or simply outside people-watching.

Claudia joined On-Ramps in June 2022 as a Search Coordinator. She conducts initial interviews with candidates and provides project support to several searches. 

Claudia brings a variety of work experiences within the social sector. Prior to On-Ramps, she supported COVID patients and conducted public health research with the NY Department of Health as a Case Investigator. She also worked as a third grade Teaching Assistant at the education nonprofit Harlem Children’s Zone. As an undergraduate, she worked in criminal justice reform with the Legal Aid society of NY, as well as sustainable community development with Bedford 2030. 

Claudia graduated from Bowdoin College in 2020 with a major in Government. In her spare time, you can find her trying out spicy recipes, running and swimming outside, and playing with her two cats. 

Saad brings non-profit education policy and advocacy expertise, as well as his work in diversity equity and inclusion to On-Ramps. Prior to joining the On-Ramps team, Saad served as an Outreach Director at Educators for Excellence, acting as a liaison between educators and elected leaders. Saad began his career as a high school Biology and Anatomy teacher in the New Haven Public School system. Saad graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS in Honors Biology. Originally from Pakistan and raised in Flint, MI, Saad now resides in Brooklyn. 

In his spare time, Saad volunteers on the boards of Act to Change and Teach for America New York Collective, advocating for students and educators of color. 

Victoria joined On-Ramps in 2023 as a Search Coordinator. She currently provides
project support across multiple searches.

Prior to joining On-Ramps, Victoria managed and supported programs for underserved
and justice-impacted communities at the nonprofit, Asia Initiatives. Victoria also
assisted with grant writing, and financial donor reports, and acted as a liaison and main
contact to students, staff, and other key stakeholders. She is an alumna of The Jewish
Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) SUNY Global Affairs Leadership Program,
where she developed an interest in providing support to underrepresented communities
through sustainable change and outcomes.

Victoria graduated from Stony Brook where she majored in Asian & Asian American
Studies and Sociology. She currently enjoys practicing her Korean and Mandarin,
listening to live jazz fusion performances, and tasting the delicious food that NYC has to offer.

Michael joined the On-Ramps team in February of 2023. As a Search Specialist, he conducts initial interviews for candidates and provides project support across several searches.

Previously, Michael worked at NPower, a national nonprofit that creates pathways to economic prosperity by launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities. Michael was the Founding Program Director of the New Jersey region, overseeing the expansion of entry level and advanced technology workforce training programs in Jersey City and Newark. Additionally, Michael served as a national liaison between field staff and data operations in creating Salesforce solutions that advanced the organization’s effectiveness. Prior to NPower, he worked at the county government level supporting justice-involved youth in rehabilitation services and the completion of their high school education.

Michael received his M.A. in Counseling from New York University and a B.A. in Criminology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He is a Lead New Jersey ’19 Fellow and a member of the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunity Fellows Network. Originally from Minnesota, Michael now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling, playing soccer, and trying new restaurants.

Jasmin joined the On-Ramps team in 2021. As a Search Consultant, she leads searches for a variety of clients supporting their talent goals.

Prior to On-Ramps, she spent over a decade building and leading volunteer programs for several national non-profit organizations. Most recently, she was the Senior Director of Mentor Engagement at iMentor NYC, a national mentoring and college access organization, where she led a team in successfully recruiting and engaging thousands of volunteer mentors. Prior to iMentor, she led community engagement operations at Reading Partners, a national literacy nonprofit organization. She began her career with Safe Horizon, NYC’s largest victim services organization, where she served as a domestic violence and crime victim advocate in the Queens Criminal and Supreme Court.

Jasmin holds a B.A. in Psychology and Art History from Vassar College. A native New Yorker, she now resides in the Hudson Valley with her husband and daughter. In her spare time, Jasmin enjoys kickboxing, kayaking on Lake Oscawana, spending time with her family, and volunteering in her community.

Jess Smith is a researcher and adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She brings with her a decade of public safety and educational policy experience, most recently with the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety. Jess recently completed her Ph.D. in Public Policy with a concentration in Criminal Justice at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs at VCU. Her research focuses on school safety and threat assessment. Jess also holds an M.S in Criminal Justice from VCU and a B.A. in Political Science from N.C. State University. 

When not working, Jess enjoys exploring new eats and outdoors in Richmond, Virginia and binge-watching shows with her two pups and cat at her side.

Virnalisa began her work at On-Ramps in April 2022 as an Administrator Coordinator for the Partners. She also builds relationships with potential clients and provides support with our existing clients. 

Before joining On-Ramps, Virnalisa Soares was a Rebate Supervisor for a Pharmaceutical insurance company for Medicaid members in 26 states. She managed a team of 40 and worked closely with 1 other supervisor to make sure manufactures were invoiced correctly. Living in New York she worked for a non-profit organization Independence Care System where she developed and managed their Transportation department and their Provider Relations department.

 Virnalisa born and raised in Bronx, NY, loves to travel, play softball and golf. She graduated from LaGuardia Community College and attended Baruch College. She also volunteers at FeedMore Food bank in Richmond, Va. She also runs her own Wellness Business, Healthy Coach, where she makes special body butter blends for her clients and helps people transition to a healthier lifestyle. 

Tracy is an artist, writer, and educator with over ten years teaching in higher education. She is currently an affiliate graduate faculty member in the Art History department at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to this role, she was an assistant professor of Fine Art at Hampton University, and served as the guest editor for the International Review of African American Art. Tracy holds a PhD in Media, Art, and Text from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and bachelors’ degrees in History and Art & Design from North Carolina State University. Her work has been published in the International Review of African American Art, Art Documentation, and Humanities Across the Arts.

Tracy lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her wife, two children, puppy, kitten, and fish. 

Andrew joined On-Ramps in 2021 as a Search Analyst. He currently provides project support across multiple searches.

Before joining On-Ramps, Andrew worked as a Recruitment Manager for Teach For America where he oversaw strategy, relationship-building, and support for candidates from colleges and universities across the Northeast. During his time on Teach For America’s recruitment team, he served as a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Council Member and co-led the LGBTQ+ affinity group. Prior to Teach For America, Andrew had also worked as a middle school teacher with a focus in students with disabilities in Brooklyn.

Andrew holds an M.Ed. from Brooklyn College and a B.A. from the University of Florida where he studied Political Science, Language, and Gender Studies. Originally from South Florida, Andrew now resides in New Jersey. In his spare time, you can find him listening to audiobooks, working on his music, or working out at the gym.

Lauren joined the On-Ramps team in 2023 as a Search Specialist. Prior to this role, Lauren spent over a decade working in the nonprofit sector in Philadelphia, PA and Charlotte, NC, primarily in development-related roles and also in operations and programs. She has also worked with teams to build internal capacity through the development of volunteer programs. She has served a variety of organizations to support causes focused around health disparities, hunger relief, the economic empowerment of women, and mentorship for at-risk youth. 

Lauren earned a B.A. in History and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and an M.S. in Organizational Development and Leadership from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. She also holds a certificate in Designing Leadership from the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.

Lauren is a Philadelphia native and currently resides in the city. She volunteers as a Peer Supporter with Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania (P2P of PA), and she previously served as a Board Member with the Pennsylvania Education for All Coalition (PEAC). She enjoys writing, photography, and spending time exploring nature. 

Talei has been with On-Ramps since 2021. 

Prior to On-Ramps, Talei managed high-volume recruiting as a Project Coordinator at Tradesmen International, a staffing agency in the construction industry. She also worked at Target as an HR Generalist for a year. 

Talei graduated in 2018 from the University at Buffalo, SUNY, and studied architecture before pursuing a major in English . Originally from Fiji, Talei spent the second half of her childhood on Long Island, NY, and resides in Troy, NY. In her free time you can find her going on a road trip with her son, trying out a new hike, or doing a boot camp with friends. 

Bianca has been with On-Ramps since 2022 as a Research Specialist. Prior to joining On-Ramps, Bianca spent the past two years focusing on supporting her two daughters. Before COVID, Bianca was a Talent Acquisition Representative for Dollar General where she managed high volume recruiting and hiring for several areas in the Northeast. Prior to that she was a Human Resources Business Partner for 5 years at Nordstrom where she supported the store manager and store leaders in managing and improving productivity goals. Bianca earned her BA in Sociology from Davidson College. Bianca currently resides in Atlanta, GA and in her free time she loves spending time with family, writing, and crocheting.

Harry, a Founding Partner, has over twenty years of experience in executive search and leads engagements across the social sector. He also oversees much of the firm's infrastructure (operations, technology, facilities, legal), and supports our continuous efforts to improve our search process.

Prior to co-founding On-Ramps, Harry worked for eight years at one of the nation's largest alternative asset recruiting firms, Glocap, where he was a Partner and Managing Director. As its first employee, Harry built and ran the company's Accounting and Operations division, and personally placed COOs and CFOs into many of the world's largest alternative investment funds and their portfolio companies.

Harry earned an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of Business and a B.A. in Paleobiology from the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from York, Pennsylvania, he now resides on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife, daughter and son. Before moving to New York, Harry traveled for sixteen months throughout Africa and the Middle East, eight months of which were spent atop a 1970s off-road motorcycle that he semi-successfully rode from Cape Town to Tel Aviv! Upon his return to the States, Harry co-founded and remains a Director of the Kalai Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that raises money for education in Africa. These days, outside of work, he can usually be found on the soccer fields cheering on his kids, in the kitchen cooking (and cleaning) for family and friends, or wandering around the streets and parks of New York in search of the perfect photo opp with his dog.

Brittany joined On-Ramps in 2023 as a Search Coordinator. She currently provides project support across multiple searches.

Prior to joining On-Ramps, Brittany was at Echoing Green where she was an Engagements Assistant for the Investments team. In this capacity, she helped project manage 3-4 Fellows recruitment cycles. With each cycle attracting over 1500+ applicants, Brittany is no stranger to providing excellent logistical support. As a mission-driven leader, DEI is at the cornerstone of how she does her work and she comes to On-Ramps with experience contributing to Echoing Green’s Racial Equity Task Force. Additionally, she is an alumna of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s RISE Fellowship program. In this program, Brittany learned about working in the social impact field and how to navigate as a young professional. 

Brittany graduated from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in December 2020 with a B.S. in Environmental Studies focused on Communication and Society and a Minor in Urban Environmental Science. 

In her free time, Brittany enjoys crocheting, watching cartoons, and spending time with her family, friends, and dog.