Our Governance

Our schools and network are each guided by an all-volunteer board of trustees

Brooklyn Prospect Charter School Board

Gravelle Pierre, Chair

Gravelle Pierre is a Portfolio Manager at Schottenfeld Group – Koyote Capital.

Prior to joining Koyote Capital, Gravelle served as Chief Investment Officer and Founder of Iron Harbor Capital Management, a multi-asset investment firm. Before launching Iron Harbor, Gravelle was a currency and interest rate trader at Goldman Sachs.

In addition to holding a MBA from the Sloan School at MIT, Gravelle holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy-West Point, a M.S. in Organization Leadership from Central Michigan University, and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Antoinette Chukudebelu

Antoinette is the Chief People & Equity Officer for Murmuration, an organization that amplifies the power of civic engagement by providing data, digital tools, and research-driven insights to community-focused organizations so that together we can create an America where everyone can lead healthy, free, and dignified lives. In this role she is responsible for overseeing Murmuration’s human capital strategy, performance management, talent acquisition, HR, DEI, culture, and professional development processes.

Antoinette has a passion for supporting people and organizations through change and transformation in an equitable way. Over the course of her career, she has held many different roles in the education and tech sectors. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher in the NYCDOE and held multiple roles at Relay Graduate School of Education where she helped grow the organization from 30 to over 300 people across the nation.

Antoinette received her M.P.A from New York University, a M.S.T in Early Childhood from Pace University and a B.A in History and Communications from the University of Pittsburgh. She also holds coaching certifications from Columbia University and iPEC. Antoinette currently serves on the ASU/GSV Workforce Insights Board for workplace development and learning.

Antoinette enjoys traveling, documentaries and exploring New York City with her husband and four children.

Sagar Desai

Sagar Desai is a continuous learner who brings more than 15 years of experience in improving education and economic mobility outcomes, having worked with nonprofits, for-profits and NGOs in start-up, scaling and sustaining roles. He is currently an Executive Coach and Senior Consultant for Nonprofit Leaders and Organizations helping clients move towards their hoped-for future and impact.

Previously Sagar was the Managing Director of innovation at StriveTogether, where he built and scaled training programs for community leaders to transform systems in service of more equitable outcomes in communities across the country. Prior to StriveTogether, Sagar was a senior consultant with Ballmer Group, where he built and executed a national strategy to attract and prepare more racially diverse and proximate leaders to work in community partnerships, investing $35 million in national training and fellowship organizations.

Prior to Ballmer Group, Sagar served as a managing director and COO for the Commit Partnership in Dallas. The Partnership is the largest educational intermediary in the country: a coalition of more than 200 organizations serving 750,000 students. In 2019, Sagar launched a statewide campaign to systemically reform how Texas funds public education, resulting in a $6.5 billion increased investment in public education. In addition, he has incubated and scaled regional coalitions to systemically and equitably improve educational outcomes, helping to ensure that every student has an effective educator and that every student graduates college and career ready .

Sagar received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. He currently sits on the Board of Govern for America and Brooklyn Prospect Charter Schools.

Joanne Garce-Rodriguez

Joanne, an Afro Latina from Washington Heights, is currently the Director of Diversity Initiatives at New York University (NYU).

She directs an array of programs and services to support students with career exploration, planning, and development. She maintains relationships with campus, employer and global partners to expand the professional prospects of NYU students. Joanne previously lived abroad for 7 years and worked in learning and development. Her higher education experience in the areas of admissions, recruitment, enrollment management, and operations includes Columbia University, INSEAD Business School, Murdoch University and St. Thomas Aquinas College. Joanne has an MA in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College, a BA in Architecture from Barnard College, a Professional in Human Resources Certificate from the HR Certification Institute and is fluent in Spanish.

Sara Keenan

Sara Keenan is the Managing Director of the Charter Network Accelerator, a national program that supports leadership teams of small charter networks in building the foundation they need to grow with quality.

Sara joined Achievement First in 2008 and worked there for 5 years as the VP of Leadership Development. In that capacity, she managed the professional learning for principals, created leadership pipeline programs, and strengthened the network’s talent strategy and practices. Before working at Achievement First, Sara was a high school English teacher in Wisconsin, a middle school English teacher in Chicago, and a coach, supporting New York City teachers on integrating technology and media into their classrooms. Sara is an alum of Education Pioneers and the Broad Residency. She received her undergraduate degree in English Education from the University of Wisconsin and a masters degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. Sara and her husband, Vance, live in Brooklyn with their two kids.

Theresa Sanchez

Theresa Sanchez has been an administrative professional for almost 19 years with the City of New York, she currently serves as the Operations Coordinator with the Department of Buildings. Theresa has been a member of the BPCS community for 5 years; she became an active PTSO member at WTMS when her oldest daughter started in September 2018. She served as a grade representative for the first 3 years and was voted in as PTSO President which granted her the opportunity to be a part of the President’s Council monthly meetings, partner with our schools principal & faculty, and get a chance to learn more about the community, our purpose and who we are. Theresa is excited to become a member of the board as a PTSO/Parent for our High School.

Prospect Schools Network Board

Penny Marzulli, Chair & Secretary

Penny Marzulli is the Deputy Executive Director of Brooklyn Prospect Charter Schools and a member of both the school planning and founding teams. A veteran of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, she brings a wealth of communications, development, and program administration experience to Brooklyn Prospect.

Following a career in law firm recruitment, Penny and her husband moved to London for six years where they enrolled their children in the British education system. Engaged by the increasingly international community, Penny gained an appreciation for a global viewpoint in education. Upon her return to New York City, she chaired a number of fundraising initiatives and managed a summer program for youth, aged 5-16 years. Penny additionally trained as a crisis counselor and has worked for several local hospitals.

She earned both a Collegiate Professional Certification in secondary education and a B.A. from the University of Richmond, where she played varsity lacrosse.

Ahmed Haque, Vice Chair

Ahmed Haque is the Founder and CEO of Didactic Labs, an ed-tech company focused on incubating disruptive models in teaching and learning.

Previously, Ahmed was an early executive and Chief Academic Officer at Trilogy Education. Founded in 2015, Trilogy was one of the fastest-growing education companies in the past decade. As CAO, Ahmed developed and oversaw a series of adult training programs that ultimately helped over 40,000 adult learners at 50 universities transition into the tech sector. Ahmed is based out of New York City and is also an investor and advisor to early-stage ed-tech companies. As a member of Trilogy’s initial executive team, Ahmed helped scale the company from its initial 20 person staff to its current 2,500+ workforce — and through its eventual acquisition by 2U, Inc. for $750M in 2019. He is also currently an investor and advisor focused on supporting mission-driven companies in the education, health, and wellness sectors. Ahmed and his wife reside in Crown Heights.

Kate Walker, Treasurer

Kate Eberle Walker is an Education CEO/Investor/Advisor, and for two years was CEO of The Princeton Review, a leading provider of tutoring, test prep and admissions services.

Kate Eberle Walker is the CEO of Presence, the leading provider of online special education therapy services for K-12 schools. Kate has more than 20 years of experience leading, advising, acquiring and investing in education companies. She was CEO of The Princeton Review, a leading provider of test prep, admission and tutoring services, including online on-demand tutoring under the Tutor.com brand. Previously, she managed strategy and investments for Kaplan, Inc., a large and diversified global education company.

Throughout her career, she has actively supported early stage EdTech companies and non-profit education initiatives. With years of executive leadership and experience, she has prioritized female mentorship and leadership within companies and her broader network. Her passion for career development for talented women is what brought her to PresenceLearning, where among its network of nearly 1,000 licensed clinicians, 97% are women and 75% are working parents.

Kate received her MBA from Harvard Business School, and her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband Chris and their two daughters.

Sagar Desai, Ex-offico

Michael Ambriz

Michael Ambriz is a service-oriented, equity-driven, transformational leader who enables people to do and be their best through strategy, systems, and collaboration.

In 2024 he joined the KIPP Foundation as its Chief Operating Officer to support the organization’s ambition to become the best K-12 public school system in the country.

Prior to joining KIPP, Michael co-founded Acuity Consultants to help organizations solve their most pressing problems and find clarity in their path forward. In addition, he is the founder and program director for the Futurity Fellowship, a leadership development program for aspiring COOs in the education sector. Bringing 20+ years of leadership experience in education organizations to bear, he is the former Chief of Operations at Uncommon Schools, a charter management organization that grew under his 13+ years of leadership from 11 to 55 schools serving over 20,000 students in six cities. During his time at Uncommon, Michael stewarded the growth of the flagship network North Star Academy in Newark, New Jersey from four schools to 14; spearheaded the opening of schools in Camden, New Jersey–Uncommon’s first-ever expansion project; and oversaw the organization’s response to COVID in 2020.
Before his time at Uncommon, Michael spent five years at Teach for America through significant years of growth, culminating as the Managing Director of National Institute Operations where he helped architect the organizational support and accountability systems for its summer training institutes. Michael is a Pahara-Aspen Fellow & moderator, a FOX Fellowship coach & advisory board member, and has a certificate of business excellence from Columbia Business School. He is a certified practitioner in the Meyers & Briggs Instrument (MBTI), as well as the Six Types of Working Genius from The Table Group. He holds a B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and currently lives in Harlem, NYC where he hopes to one day invent a machine to transport LA weather to the east coast.

Stephen Bailey

Stephen Bailey is the Founder & CEO of ExecOnline. Stephen brings a passion for helping executives and their companies solve their most pressing strategic challenges through innovative technology solutions.

Before ExecOnline, Stephen served as the CEO of the Frontier Strategy Group (FSG), a venture-backed software and information services business serving Fortune 500 executives who have responsibility for emerging economies.

Stephen grew the business from an early-stage start-up to a company that serves nearly half the Fortune 500 across a range of international markets and business functions.

Eldrige Gilbert

Eldridge H. Gilbert III earned a bachelor’s degree in Africana studies and Psychology from Brown University in 2005. After graduation, Eldridge joined Teach For America and worked in Houston for 11 years, during which time he earned his master’s degree in business administration from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. While in Houston, he worked for YES Prep Public Schools and was the founding school director of YES Prep North Forest, a Grade 6 to 12 campus of approximately 850 students. After leaving Houston, Eldridge worked as the Managing Director of Schools for KIPP Bay Area Public Schools in California. In 2018 Eldridge moved to Brooklyn, NY where he served as the Chief Schools Officer for Coney Island Prep charter schools for five years. He is currently the Senior Vice President Head of Scholars at SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity) where he manages their High School and College Scholar programs in New York, San Francisco, and Greensboro, North Carolina. He also works as an Executive Coach and Principal Success Coach for the KIPP Foundation.