On Your Mark

Careers

Meet The Team

Ashley Chin Morefield

Managing Director of Strategy and Operations

Gabriel Sanchez Ramiro

Manager of Recruitment

Aaron Schlessman

Senior Director of Partnerships

Mindy Sjoblom

Founder and CEO

Shauntia Schweigart

Senior Director of Talent

Iren Raye

Director of School Partnerships & Operations

Karina Lepeley

Early Literacy Tutor Coach

Darla Davert

Early Literacy Tutor Coach

Dawn Craan

Early Literacy Tutor Coach

Melita Burton

Early Literacy Tutor Coach

Diana Castaneda

Talent Acquisition Coordinator

Kevin Hooper

Senior Director of School Operations

Jen Vazquez

Manager of School Partnerships

Jamie Thomas

Senior Director of Program

Christina Chester

Director of Coaching

Mariela Abreu

Chief of Staff

Michelle Keen

Coordinator of School Operations

Tajalli Horvat

Head of Growth

Vince Gay

Managing Director of Special Projects

Ashley Chin Morefield

Managing Director of Strategy and Operations

Ashley comes to OnYourMark with over a decade of experience in education – a mix of finance, operations, and teaching. Most recently, Ashley served as the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis for Relay Graduate School of Education. In this role, Ashley executed all aspects of the institution-wide annual budgeting and forecasting process and supported budget managers and senior leaders to make strategic decisions.

Before joining Relay’s Finance team, Ashley was the Senior Director of Operations for Relay’s Chicago Campus, where she partnered with the campus dean to set a long-term strategy for growth and financial sustainability. During Ashley’s time as the Senior Director of Operations, the Chicago campus enrollment grew from 65 to 300 students and Relay Chicago became the second largest Relay region across the country.

Prior to her work at Relay, Ashley managed program operations for the Chicago Teaching Fellows, a teacher licensure program through TNTP. Additionally, as an alumna of Teach For America, she taught high school math both in Houston (HISD) and Chicago (Noble Network of Charter Schools). Ashley holds a BA in Mathematics from DePauw University.

Gabriel Sanchez Ramiro

Manager of Recruitment

Gabriel Sanchez Ramiro currently serves as the Manager of Recruitment for OnYourMark.
He is responsible for bringing in all the necessary talent our students need to succeed, providing engagement and communication during the process.
 
Before joining OnYourMark, Gabriel served in Teacher Recruitment for the second largest District in Texas, ensuring that more than 140,000 students had access to the best talent, especially those that needed it the most, the ACE campuses.
 
Gabriel began his career as a coach and a teacher back in 1993 in Spain, from where he is natural. Relocated to DFW seven years ago, he has made North Texas home.
 
Gabriel obtained his bachelor’s degree in Education from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain). 

Aaron Schlessman

Senior Director of Partnerships

Aaron joins OnYourMark with nearly 20 years of training and education experience – initially at a global capacity with the United States Navy followed by a decade of public education in Chicago (Noble Network of Charter Schools). 

As a classroom teacher, department chair, and assistant principal, Aaron served across all four high school grade levels (9-12), his primary instructional focus aimed at developing and teaching ELA-oriented curriculum. Within this work, his efforts were always heavily informed by social justice underpinnings and the belief that equitable education lives in achieving the best possible outcomes for every single student. 

Aaron has his Bachelor’s Degree in Justice Studies and Sociology and Master’s Degree in Educational Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL). He is currently an EPOL Doctoral Candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focus revolves around diversity and equity in education.

Mindy Sjoblom

Founder and CEO

Mindy started OnYourMark with a passion for early literacy and deep experience building systems to cultivate and develop educators. Mindy loves bringing new ideas to life that are centered in increasing outcomes for students and educators alike. While preparing to launch OnYourMark, Mindy served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Charter School Growth Fund where she started her early literacy journey at the nexus of a growing demand for high dosage tutoring to address pandemic learning recovery and increased need to support schools with foundational skills reading instruction across the country. 
 
Prior to this newest adventure, Mindy served as Founding Dean of Relay Chicago, where she oversaw all aspects of campus growth/strategy, financial health, partnership development, political advocacy, and teacher preparation programming. Under her leadership, Relay Chicago became the second largest and most diverse provider of teachers in IL. Before joining Relay, Sjoblom served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction, then as principal, at Rauner College Prep, one of the Noble Schools. While she was principal, Sjoblom’s students earned the highest average ACT scores in the school’s history. Before that, she served as founding humanities teacher at the Crossroads School in Baltimore. Sjoblom, an alumna of Teach For America, earned an M.A.T. from Johns Hopkins University, School Administrative credentials from National Louis University and a B.A. in political science from Butler University.

Shauntia Schweigart

Senior Director of Talent

Shauntia Schweigart currently serves as the Senior Director of Talent for OnYourMark.
She is responsible building and scaling OnYourMark’s talent work; with a particular focus on developing systems for recruiting hundreds of tutors annually.
 
Before joining OnYourMark, Shauntia worked for the largest public charter school in the Dallas/Fort Worth region. As the Director of Talent Pipelines and Partnerships, she co-led the districts talent efforts along with building and sustaining talent partnerships in effort to grow teacher pipelines. 
 
Shauntia began her career in education 8 years ago as an advisor for a K-8  innovation school before relocating to Dallas, Texas, where she currently resides. Shauntia obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Central Missouri and M.Sc  from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Iren Raye

Directors of School Partnerships and Operations
Iren Raye is one of OnYourMark’s Directors of School Partnerships and Operations. They oversee the relationship and logistical support for a portfolio of schools who utilize OnYourMark tutoring in their classrooms. 
 
Raye has a wide variety of experience in the world of education and non-profit operations, including two camps, five universities, a test prep company, several churches, a gap year volunteer program, and a library. Originally from California, Raye worked with a few of OnYourMark’s staff at Relay Graduate School of Education while living in Chicago for seven years. They currently live in Denver and spend their free time playing roller derby and exploring the mountains.

Karina Lepeley

Early Literacy Tutor Coach
Karina Lepeley is an Early Literacy Coach with On Your Mark. Using coaching practices, she supports and assists tutors in preparing and delivering instruction to students. In addition, she collaborates with other teams to further the growth of On Your Mark. Karina has eight years of experience coaching educators and parents on early literacy instructional practices in both English and Spanish throughout Chicago, Las Vegas, and Wisconsin. Her coaching style is heavily influenced by her training in holistic wellness as a yoga teacher, Alexander Technique instructor, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Holistic Health.
 
While completing her undergraduate degree, Karina worked as an exercise physiology research assistant. She co-authored the study, Airway Function during Exercise in Asthmatics is Homogeneous Despite Heterogeneous Airway Function Prior to Exercise. Karina also completed her own research to study the effects of the Alexander Technique on exercise function thanks to a research grant from the Vermont Genetics Network.
 
Karina believes anyone can learn anything with the right tools and the right knowledge of self, no matter their age.

Darla Davert

Early Literacy Tutor Coach

Darla is an Early Literacy Tutor Coach with OnYourMark.  Using coaching practices, she supports and assists tutors in the preparation and delivery of instruction to students

Before joining OnYourMark, Darla taught second through fifth grades for 30-plus years.   Darla received her Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Elementary Education, and minors in English/Language Arts and Mathematics from Oakland University.  She received her Masters in the Art of Teaching Degree in Reading/Language Arts from Oakland University.  

Darla began her teaching career in Birmingham, Michigan teaching Special Education.  Two years later, Darla continued her teaching career in the Brandon School District in Ortonville, Michigan for the next thirty years!  During her tenure, she coached and supervised several student teachers and was a mentor for new teachers.  Last year, Darla joined OnYourMark as a tutor helping students acquire foundational reading skills to become lifelong learners and readers.

Dawn Craan

Early Literacy Tutor Coach

Dawn is an Early Literacy Coach with OnYourMark. Using coaching practices, she supports and assists tutors in the preparation and delivery of instruction to students. In addition, she collaborates with other teams to further the growth of OnYourMark. 

Before joining OnYourMark, Dawn worked with Reading In Motion, a nonprofit literacy organization, as an Extra Dosage Instructor. She primarily worked with 1st grade students in small groups using a science of reading based curriculum. She also worked for Kids Like Us, a nonprofit literacy organization, that worked with administrators, teachers, librarians, and volunteers to get high quality, culturally relevant texts into the hands of students. 

Dawn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University and a Master of Science in Child Development.

Melita Burton

Early Literacy Tutor Coach

Melita is an Early Literacy Tutor Coach with On Your Mark.  Using coaching practices, she supports and assists tutors in the preparation and delivery of instruction to students.   In addition, she collaborates with other teams to further the growth of On Your Mark.

Melita has always been an advocate for the importance of early childhood education.  In fact, she founded and directed a Pre-k program in her community that helped serve over 200 students in its years of existence.

Prior to her time working with preschool, she also served as a former special education teacher and as a residential treatment counselor for special needs children.  Melita holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in special education.

Diana Castaneda

Talent Acquisition Coordinator

Diana began her career 14 years ago in Dallas ISD, as one of the nation’s most prominent and forward-looking school districts. During her time in education, she led various initiatives such as international teacher recruitment, teacher residency programs, university partnerships and large-scale hiring events. She also managed the efforts of building a robust teacher pool with over 10,000 prospective teachers, and heavily participated as one of the district’s spokespersons regarding teacher recruitment.

She is responsible for screening and selecting highly qualified educators in taking the journey of becoming tutors for the organization.

She is highly dedicated to promoting student success and helping educators elevate learning to meet common goals. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas and her BSBA is in Human Resources Management.

Kevin Hooper

Senior Director of School Operations
Born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, Kevin’s parents were public school educators that taught him through their daily example the critical role that education plays in the life of an individual, the prosperity of a neighborhood, and the progress of a global community.  Grounded by this foundational value of service leadership, Kevin has spent over 15 years supporting private sector firms and leading public education organizations.  
 
Kevin’s public education leadership experience began as a Teach For America – Chicago corps member, through which he taught 7th grade at Officer Donald J. Marquez School.  He also served on Teach For America – Chicago’s regional staff, first as a School Operations Manager, and then as its Director of School Leadership.  Kevin then transitioned to public school administration as Erie Elementary Charter School’s Director, Operations & Management, leading its finance, facilities, human resources, IT and external affairs functions.  Most recently, he oversaw the business and operations of Queen Bee School District 16, a Pre-K through 8th Grade Elementary School District as its Chief School Business Official.  His leadership of the district’s restructuring initiative resulted in the construction of new educational facilities, the improvement of its financial profile, the reduction of local property taxes, and the charting of a new course of organizational efficiency and sustainability.

Kevin graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with a B.A. in Finance and Economics. He earned his M.A. in Teaching from Dominican University and his Chief School Business Official endorsement through the Northern Illinois University & IASBO School Business Management program.

Jen Vazquez

Manager of School Partnerships

Jen Vazquez joins OnYourMark with 13 years of classroom experience. She worked in and around the Chicago area for her entire teaching career. Her experience is at the Noble Schools as well as at Dominican University, Lewis University, and a couple of community colleges. 

While at Noble, Jen was named a Distinguished Teacher in 2020 for her efforts both in and outside of the classroom. She also functioned as the National Honor Society coordinator, Summer of a Lifetime Coordinator, Advisory Coordinator, Subject Facilitator, and Heritage Committee Member consistently throughout her 10 year tenure, and both Night and Summer School Principal at different points throughout her tenure. At the Network level, she also was a part of the Instructional PD Team, the Diverse Leaders Cohort 3, the Management Accelerator Cohort 1 and 2, and the Instructional Core Design Team. As such, she was able to work with 9th-12th grade students and teachers on her campus and with a variety of instructors across the Network to help achieve equitable outcomes for all students. Additionally, she is the recipient of the Alumni Teaching Award for Excellence In and Out of the Classroom from Relay GSE in 2018 and was a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching Nominee in 2015. 

Jen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Print Journalism and Creative Writing from Lewis University. She has a Master’s Degree in Writing from DePaul University, and she has a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education with a focus in ELA from Relay GSE. She is excited to join OYM and help close the literacy gap!

Jamie Thomas

Senior Director of Program

Jamie is the Founding Senior Director of Program with OnYourMark. She leads the program team by training and supporting Early Literacy Fellows and Coaches in addition to helping to launch and support OnYourMark’s tutoring programs in partner schools with K-2 students and staff. 
 
Jamie is drawn to entrepreneurial work in education. Her passion is ensuring that all students have access to the foundational skills that are based on the science of reading and necessary to be proficient readers. 
 
Jamie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Development: Language and Literacy. She has been a classroom teacher, founder and Director of an Early Childhood program that supports a school network and surrounding community, helped launch a second Early Childhood program focused on early language development, and coached classroom teachers in early literacy based on the science of reading.

Christina Chester

Director of Coaching

Christina currently serves as Director of Coaching for OnYourMark Education. She is responsible for the planning and implementation of the OnYourMark tutor coaching framework within the program team.  She is the primary lead of all coaching and PDs to increase student achievement by improving the efficacy of coaches and tutor development around the science of reading and effective teaching strategies. Christina is driven by making sure that coaches and tutors are supported, knowledgeable, and utilize effective practices to ensure that every day and minute of student learning is maximized. 

Before joining OnYourMark, Christina was an Assistant Professor of Practice for Relay Graduate School (Chicago Campus), where she coached, supported, and taught multiple cohorts of 1st and 2nd-year teachers across the Chicagoland area for the past 4 years.  

Christina began her career in education in Chicago in many different capacities such as an Early Childhood teacher, mentor teacher for preservice as well as 1st-year teachers, teacher coach, and leadership roles in Chicago Public Schools for many years. Christina obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Governor’s State University, teaching certification in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois-Chicago, ESL endorsement from Roosevelt University, and Masters of Education in Urban Education from National Louis University-Chicago.

Mariela Abreu

Chief of Staff

Mariela is the Chief of Staff at OnYourMark. She comes to OnYourMark with 10 years of school operations, strategic planning and leadership experience. In this role, she works closely with the CEO to define and track key priorities and organizes work streams to support organizational growth.

Before joining OnYourMark, she held various roles at UP Education Network including Director of Strategic Initiatives where she led on several high priority projects and Director of Operations where she managed the operations, family engagement, student enrollment and finances for a school of 700+ students. Prior to UP, Mariela worked in Operations at Achievement First Network and taught 1st grade ESL for a semester.

She is a certified Emotional Intelligence Coach through the Noble Story group; and is passionate about coaching and developing adults on how to navigate personal & systemic barriers to realize their own potential and move confidently & unapologetically towards their future. 

Mariela received her Bachelors of Science in Management and Ethics & Social Responsibility from Bentley University and her Masters in Public Administration from University of Connecticut.

Michelle Keen

Coordinator of School Operations

Michelle is the Coordinator of School Operations at OnYourMark. She is responsible for ensuring all of the behind-the-scenes logistics of OnYourMark’s virtual tutoring program are running effectively and efficiently. In addition, she supports the Program Team and Partnerships Team to launch programming successfully and provides ongoing support for schools, tutors, and students.  

Michelle is an advocate for advancing educational equity and has held various positions that ensure students receive the foundational reading skills they need to excel. Prior to joining the Operations Team, Michelle was an Early Literacy Tutor at OnYourMark.

Before joining OnYourMark, Michelle worked as a Health and Safety Coordinator, Lead Elementary Teacher, and Teaching Assistant for an independent PK-8 school in Chicago, Illinois. As a Health and Safety Coordinator, Michelle managed the school’s COVID-19 response by designing and implementing new information management processes, drafting procedures, and verifying compliance with health regulations.

Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Elementary Teaching & Education from DePaul University.

Tajalli Horvat

Head of Growth

Tajalli brings to OnYourMark a wealth of experience in education, with over 25 years of expertise in growing and scaling K-12 educational companies. As the first employee hired at Galileo Learning, Tajalli played an instrumental role in creating one of the nation’s largest providers of summer STEAM enrichment programs, positively impacting the lives of over 600,000 kids and 10,000 staff members.

Most recently, Tajalli served as the Senior Vice President of Operations & Growth, leading the company’s expansion from 1 location to 70 across six metro markets. Throughout her tenure, she held various positions, overseeing key aspects such as go-to-market strategy, program development, field operations, curriculum development, customer success, training, and talent management. Tajalli also led business development teams, forging partnerships with over 400 K-12 schools nationwide.

Tajalli is widely recognized as a cultural torch-bearer and a servant leader. Her dedication and contributions played a crucial role in Galileo Learning being recognized as the “#1 Best Place to Work in the Bay Area” by the San Francisco Business Times and as one of Inc. magazine’s “50 Best Companies to Work For.”

Before her time at Galileo, Tajalli served as the Marketing Manager and Senior Director for SCORE! Educational Centers, where she launched and managed tutoring centers across Chicagoland, fostering a love of learning while improving students’ math and reading skills.

Tajalli holds a BA in Spanish and Business from the University of Southern California. She also volunteers her time as the founding Director of Partnerships, bringing TEDx to her community for the first time.

Vince Gay

Managing Director of Special Projects

Vince joins On Your Mark as a seasoned educator, with a wealth of experiences in a variety of educational settings. For two decades, he devoted himself to nurturing the potential of his students, demonstrating that education is not just about transmitting knowledge, but also about nurturing curiosity and critical thinking.

While working at Noble Schools, Vince served on the school leadership team and was later promoted to the Founding Principal role. In 2013, Vince founded Baker College Prep on the southside of Chicago and led the school from the inaugural group of freshman until the school was fully scaled with grades 9-12. After leaving Baker, Vince went on to lead Golder College Prep and helped to spearhead student culture and climate initiatives. 

Prior to joining On Your Mark, Vince most recently served as the Managing Director, Partner Success at Relay Graduate School of Education. During his time at Relay, Vince was tasked with managing and growing partnerships for Relay throughout the Midwest. 

Vince graduated from Temple University, with a degree in Secondary Education. He also has a Master’s degree in School Leadership from Montclair State University.