board of directors
We are taking bold action for equity, especially racial equity.
Five Frogs, Inc. is led by a diverse founding Board with wide-ranging expertise and life experience. We share a passion for ending racism and building a more equitable future in Connecticut.
Jennifer Barahona
CEO, Norwalk ACTS
Jennifer Barahona
Jennifer serves as the CEO of Norwalk ACTS, a collective impact partnership working to transform systems by ensuring resources, policies, practices, and power structures actively dismantle racism and drive equitable outcomes for every Norwalk child and young person. She previously served as the Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer for the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation. Founded after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Foundation played a critical role in the development of short- and long-term funding support and recovery strategies for the community and those most impacted by the tragedy.
Jennifer received her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. As a licensed clinical social worker, she has spent her career in the social sector. Jennifer served as the Director of Youth Services at FCA in Norwalk for 13 years, a legislative researcher and lobbyist for the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, and started her career as a youth advocate working with victims of domestic violence. She credits the late Richard Cloward, her influential graduate school professor, for her passion for social justice and engagement of disenfranchised communities. Eager to help grow the macro-level perspective in the field of social work and develop new talent, Jennifer has also served as an adjunct professor in the Social Work Department at Sacred Heart University.
Jennifer has been a passionate supporter of the LDR program since her participation in 2013 and is excited to support the evolution and growth of Five Frogs as a board member.
Omar Garro
Chief Financial Officer, Family & Children’s Agency, Inc.
Omar Garro
Omar is honored to serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the Family & Children’s Agency, Inc. in Norwalk, CT. He is an experienced financial leader in the nonprofit arena, with over twenty years of professional experience in the fields of non-profit finance, business administration, and process improvement in the US and South America. Omar is passionate about the power of standardization, process improvement, and key process indicators management in every level of the organization. Previously Omar was the Chief Financial Officer at Liberation Programs, and Yerwood Center, both nonprofit organizations located in Fairfield, CT.
Omar is a native from Lima, Peru. He has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Pontific Catholic University of Peru, and an MBA in Management from Sacred Heart University. He is currently a board member of the Center for Nonprofits at Sacred Heart University, and a former Co-chair and Treasurer of the Hispanic Council Advisory of the Greater Stamford. He is also an alumnus of the 2009 Fairfield County cohort of the Leadership Development Roundtable Program (LDR).
Johnathan Gibson
Co-Founder & COO, Odyssey Learning Inc.
Co-Owner of Gibson Educational Consulting LLC
Johnathan Gibson
Johnathan is the Co-Founder & COO of Odyssey Learning Inc. as well as the Co-Owner of Gibson Educational Consulting LLC. Johnathan specializes in creating and strengthening educational opportunities for children in the field of early childhood education up through high school. Prior to his current roles, Johnathan spent over a decade in the nonprofit sector focusing on educational access for students of color where he has helped hundreds of students gain admission into high-performing public and independent schools across the country. Johnathan is passionate about servant leadership and supporting students to achieve their fullest potential both in and out of school. In addition to recently becoming licensed foster parents, Johnathan is happiest spending time with his wife Monisha, his two daughters and the family dog.
Meghan Lowney
VP Strategy and Impact, The Tow Foundation
Meghan Lowney
Meghan is a fierce advocate for equity and justice, advising philanthropic, nonprofit and public sector leaders in support of their efforts to achieve impact as Principal at Ripple Effect Consulting. Previously, Meghan served for nine years as the Executive Director of The ZOOM Foundation, a Connecticut family foundation focused on education and climate change. In 2008, she founded Leadership Development Roundtable (LDR), now the flagship program of Five Frogs, Inc., an organization building a powerful movement of diverse leaders with the competencies, mindset, drive and relationships necessary to create lasting, positive change for an equitable Connecticut. Meghan served for a decade as the Executive Director of Operation Hope of Fairfield, providing innovative solutions to homelessness in greater Bridgeport. She was promoted to director from a direct service role supporting women who were homeless. In recognition of her work, Fairfield University bestowed upon her an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2007.
Meghan currently serves on the boards of Five Frogs, Inc. and Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. She earned her BA in Applied Psychology & Human Development and Communications from Boston College and a Master of Social Work in Community Organizing from the University of Connecticut. She is a 21/64 certified multi-generational advisor to philanthropic families. Meghan is a Connecticut native and resides in Fairfield.
Franklin Mora
Director of Origination and Market Development, Vital Healthcare Capital
Franklin Mora
Franklin Mora is an Investment Principal with the Open Road Alliance / Ventures (“Open Road”), where he sources, originates, and conducts due diligence for impact first companies that are decreasing inequality or combating climate change across sectors and geographies.
Additionally, Franklin focuses on building new relationships with partners across Open Road’s in the U.S. and Latin America. He currently serves on the investment committee for Impaqto Fund, a revenue-based financing fund based in Quito, Ecuador for startups in the Andean region. He has also financed deals across sectors in healthcare, financial inclusion, education, renewable energy, and manufacturing.
Before Open Road, Franklin worked in Investment Banking with Wells Fargo covering tech, media, and telecom companies, where he worked on IPOs, private placement investments, debt and equity raises and M&A pitches.
As Deputy Director of the Queens Economic Development Corporation in New York City, Franklin helped create an award-winning social enterprise program and helped launch a food-based incubator for start-up businesses. Franklin has worked with Google, NBCUniversal, and ACCION USA. Franklin holds an MBA from the University of Michigan – Ross School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont.
Alexandra Ocampo
Chief People Officer, Southwest Community Health Center
Alexandra Ocampo
Alexandra (Alex) Ocampo is a bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural people professional with fifteen years of experience in human resources and multi-unit management and an additional three years of general management experience. Her professional experiences include big-box retail (Target), K-12 education (Achievement First), AmeriCorps, veterinary (Cornell University Veterinary Specialists), public health (Community Health Center Association of CT), and aerospace (Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin). She is currently the Chief People Officer at Southwest Community Health Center.
Alex has held the Society of Human Resources Management-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) credential since 2016 and is a 1994 US Department of Education Presidential Scholar, representing Rhode Island. She is the proud daughter of Colombian immigrants who came to the US in the 1960’s to work in the textile mills of Pawtucket, RI. She currently lives in Fairfield CT with her two senior pups, Sprocket and Liza, and her son Jonas when he’s not on campus at Eastern Connecticut State University.
In all things, Alex leads with her top five CliftonStrengths: Maximizer, Adaptability, Ideation, Strategic, and Self-Assurance. She is a passionate cheerleader for those who are on a nontraditional path. Originally Brown Class of ’98, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public & Private Sector Organizations in 2006 as a 30-year-old single mother and her Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Connecticut at age 43. She will always tell you that it is never too late; you are right on time.
Brent Peterkin
Social Impact Leader
Brent Peterkin
Brent’s leadership experience includes roles as Statewide Director of Project Longevity, Executive Director of Gather New Haven, and Manager of Government Affairs and Community Relations at Stamford Health. His focus spans social justice issues, including criminal justice, gun violence, environmental justice, food justice, early childhood education, and health equity. He has contributed to social change by serving on nonprofit boards and participating in initiatives such as the Governor’s Youth and Urban Violence Commission and the Bridgeport Mayor’s Initiative for Reentry Affairs. His educational background includes studies in public policy, public and business administration, nonprofit leadership, and social impact strategy at Fordham, Howard, Northwestern, and the University of Pennsylvania. He has earned recognition, for example, as part of Connecticut Magazine’s 40 Under 40: Class of 2017 and as a 100 Men of Color 2017 Honoree.
Tamara Smith
Executive Director, Teach for America-Delaware
Tamara Smith
Tamara is honored to serve as the Executive Director of Teach For America-Delaware. She has dedicated her career to ensuring educational equity for all students and has pursued this mission in various capacities. After graduating from Spelman College, Tamara joined Teach For America as a 2003 Philadelphia corps member. Following her tenure as an educator, Tamara joined the legislative team of former Congressman Robert Andrews, with a focus on economic development initiatives and education and immigration policy.
Previously Tamara was on staff at Teach For America as a Managing Director for both the Connecticut region and National team, with a focus on alumni work. Before returning to staff to lead the Delaware region, she served as the Executive Director of Operations and Co-School Leader of Great Oaks Charter School in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
A New Jersey native, Tamara is passionate about community-focused advocacy. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College and is a member of the board of Five Frogs, Inc.
Mirellise Vazquez
Vice President of Philanthropy, The Connecticut Project
Mirellise Vazquez
Mirellise Vazquez is a purpose-driven leader, committed to making the world more just and equitable for all children and families. Mirellise has over twenty years of experience in the public and non-profit sectors, focusing on human rights, children’s rights, and education, including policy, advocacy, and philanthropy. Mirellise currently serves as Vice President of Philanthropy & Strategy at The Connecticut Project, a state-wide catalyst and convener, committed to ensuring that all our neighbors can thrive on the path from birth to school to work and prosperous, self-directed lives. Prior to this role, Mirellise served as Executive Director of the Tauck Family Foundation. Mirellise has also held policy and advocacy roles in both New York City and Washington, DC, working for the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s Western Hemisphere Region and ChildFund International. Before transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Mirellise worked at the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs.
Mirellise is Board President of Five Frogs and a former Board member and Vice-Chair of Building One Community. Mirellise is also a member of Impact Fairfield County, and an alumnus of the 2011 Leadership Development Roundtable and Hispanics in Philanthropy’s Next Generation Latino Philanthropy Leadership Program. In 2019, Mirellise was named a Leap of Reason Ambassador. She has a Master of Public Policy and International Affairs Degree and a Certificate in Latin American Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Franklin & Marshall College. Mirellise is the recipient of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence’s 2020 Marvin Maurer Award.
Ellie Webb
Program Quality Assurance Manager, AARP Foundation - Experience Corps
Ellie Webb
Ellen (Ellie) Webb is passionate about empowering communities to find and leverage assets that are already present, yet underutilized, in addressing their most pressing challenges. As Program Quality Assurance Manager for Experience Corps, she is able to do just this by supporting program partners who are engaging highly trained adults 50+ to help children attain literacy proficiency by the end of 3rd grade.
Ellie’s commitment to educational equity began as a Teach For America Corps Member where she taught elementary school in Hartford, Connecticut. From there, she went on to coach teachers in the Teach For America Connecticut region and eventually led the ongoing support program as Managing Director of Teacher Leadership Development. During this time, she served as a coach for emerging nonprofit leaders across Connecticut as part of the Leadership Development Roundtable program. Upon moving back to her home state of California, Ellie worked as a Program Manager at California Education Partners where she led the launch of a fellowship program for school system leaders, as well as a collaborative that convened teams from 22 of California’s school districts focused on continuous improvement.
With a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine and an Executive and Organizational Coaching Certification from Teachers College at Columbia University, Ellie holds the belief that all people carry tremendous worth with which they can use to improve their own lives as well as the lives of others in their community. She is honored to be able to live this value alongside others in the AARP Foundation community.
Five Frogs challenges leaders to stretch their understanding of complex issues, evaluate their approach, and take steps to create a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization. Together, we are driving a more connected and productive nonprofit workforce in Connecticut.
Darlene Yule, Five Frogs Leader
Chief Operating Officer, Operation Fuel
