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
Deputy Secretary of State, State of Connecticut
Jennifer Barahona
Jennifer serves as Deputy Secretary of State for the State of Connecticut. Prior to this new post, she served 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.
Julienne Foy
Chief of Community Services, City of Norwalk
Julienne Foy
Julienne Foy serves as the Chief of Community Services for the City of Norwalk. A strategic and community-centered leader, she brings extensive experience spanning education, human services, and nonprofit leadership, with a focus on advancing family well-being, early childhood development, and cross-sector collaboration.
Before joining the City of Norwalk, Julienne was the Executive Director of The Odyssey Family Enrichment Center of South Norwalk, where she led programs supporting families from pregnancy through early childhood while strengthening partnerships among schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations. Earlier in her career, she served as a school principal and held several student support leadership positions, championing trauma-informed practices, family engagement, and whole-child approaches to education.
Julienne earned a Master of Social Work from Fordham University, a Master of Education from Quinnipiac University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Clark University. She is recognized for her collaborative, equity-driven leadership and her commitment to improving outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Inez Diaz-Galloza
Deputy Associate Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General
Inez Diaz-Galloza
As a longtime public servant and litigator, Attorney Inez Diaz-Galloza currently serves as the Deputy Associate Attorney General and Chief of the Consumer Advocacy Section for the Office of the Attorney General in Hartford, Connecticut. Previously, as an Assistant Attorney General in the Employment Rights Section she defended State agencies in an array of employment matters in federal and state court. At the Office, she also leads the Office’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and Internship Program which propels her passion for mentoring college and law students. Prior to working at the Office of the Attorney General, she was an associate at Wiggin & Dana. She also served on numerous non-profit boards and is currently on the Board of Directors for The Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity and The Fund for Greater Hartford.
Inez is honored to join Five Frogs as a board member and is a proud alumnus of the 2024 cohort of the Leadership Development Roundtable Program (LDR).
Franklin Mora
Managing Director, Worthmore
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.
Tamara Smith
Principal Consultant, Purposeful Progress Consulting
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.
Jeff Vanderploeg
Chief Executive Officer, Child Health & Development Institute
Jeffrey Vanderploeg, PhD,
Jefferey has served as CHDI’s President and CEO since 2017 and has been with the organization since 2009. Dr. Vanderploeg leads CHDI’s work to advance evidence-based, equitable, and sustainable systems, practices, and policies that support optimal children’s behavioral health and well-being.
Vanderploeg was the lead author of the 2014 Children’s Behavioral Health Plan and led the initial design and implementation of a training, data analysis, reporting, and quality improvement system for Connecticut’s statewide youth Mobile Crisis service, which is now considered a national best practice. Vanderploeg also co-developed the School-Based Diversion Initiative, which successfully reduces school-based arrests and exclusionary discipline, connecting more students to behavioral health services and supports.
Dr. Vanderploeg’s recent work has focused on infrastructure development in children’s behavioral health systems of care and the role of public-private partnership between states and intermediary organizations to improve system functioning and outcomes.
During his tenure as President and CEO, CHDI has experienced significant growth and has been named for several consecutive years to the Hartford Business Journal’s list of Best Places to Work in Connecticut. CHDI received the 2024 Mission Award from the Society for Implementation Research & Collaboration for its work in partnership with DCF, providers, and schools in disseminating EBTs to over 25,000 youth and families since 2007.
Dr. Vanderploeg received a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Bowling Green State University and completed Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Yale University School of Medicine. He holds voluntary faculty appointments in Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center as well as the Yale Child Study Center, and also serves on the Board of Directors of Five Frogs, Inc., a leadership development organization.
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
