Senior Management

INGRID D. SOTELO | Chief Operating Officer

Ingrid D. Sotelo was born and raised in East Harlem. She attended the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem. She is a first-generation college student who graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a major in Sociology and minor in Hispanic Studies. She obtained her Master’s in Public Administration from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College. She has over 10 years of experience in public affairs, government, and community relations. Her keen interest in government led her to serve in public service for State Senator Jose M. Serrano, Manhattan Borough President’s Office, NYC Comptroller’s Office, and NYC Census 2020. She served as Outreach and Operations Director at Union Settlement and her recent accomplishments include creating a food pantry program, COVID-19 vaccine outreach, Rank the Vote NYC and the Excluded Workers Fund.

Ingrid was recognized by City and State in 2015 as one of the city’s top 40 rising stars. She currently serves on the board of the Mexican Coalition, a non-profit in the South Bronx working to support and advocate for families in need. She most recently was appointed to the Metropolitan Hospital Community Advisory Board by the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. Her career path has led her to build teams from the ground up to connect and provide vital resources to communities that have been marginalized for years.

NYASHA MANIGAULT | Chief Finance & Human Resources Officer

Nyasha Manigault is an accomplished finance executive with proven experience in directing all aspects of business and fiscal operations. Nyasha spent several years working in the financial services industry, specifically in strategic and budgetary planning, analysis and forecasting, project and program management, risk oversight and investment optimization.  

Nyasha has leveraged her fiscal, strategic and operations experience and knowledge as the Chief Finance and Human Resources Officer at East Harlem Tutorial Program. She is very much committed to the families, students and community of East Harlem. 

Nyasha has a Bachelor of Arts in Statistics from Harvard University. She currently resides on Long Island with her husband.  Her passions away from work include reading, traveling and mentoring students.

MARTIN PALAMORE | Chief Schools Officer

Martin Palamore is deeply committed to the East Harlem community, having been a resident for more than ten years. Throughout his career, Martin has held several positions crucial to the success and direction of the institutions he was serving, including Managing Director of Schools, Principal, Dean, and Teacher-Leader.

Palamore is motivated by the success of students from diverse backgrounds. Throughout his career as an educator, he has contributed to expanding a high school, enhanced instructional programs for various schools, and played a pivotal role in the turnaround of a struggling charter school in the Bronx. Martin graduated from DePaul University, where he majored in Secondary Education and earned a master's in Teacher Leadership. He also completed the Relay National Principal Academy Fellowship.

MAX TURNER | Managing Director, Operations

Max Turner has been working in education since 2007. After majoring in Cinema and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, he taught middle school in rural Louisiana. In his five years in Louisiana, he served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and consultant to the Louisiana Department of Education, and graduated from Teachers College’s Summer Principals Academy with an M.A. in Education Leadership. After graduation, Max moved to New York and ran recruitment and admissions at the Summer Principals Academy before returning to K-12 education as Director of Operations for an elementary school in Brooklyn, where he managed family engagement, operations, finance, and enrollment.

In addition to managing operations across our network of schools, Max works with his wife, founder and director of Cat Castle NYC, to help make pet adoption and companionship accessible to families and individuals across racial and socio-economic lines.

JACQUIE ADORNO | Managing Director of Human Resources

Jacqueline Adorno is a dedicated HR professional with over 40 years of experience, having held key roles such as Director of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer in various sectors. Her extensive background in talent management, employee relations, and performance optimization highlights her expertise and commitment to HR.

Jacqueline is known for aligning HR strategies with organizational goals and fostering positive, inclusive workplace cultures. She is passionate about empowering individuals, building cohesive teams, and using HR tools to drive positive societal change.

A lifelong learner, Jacqueline holds a master’s degree in human resource management from Keller Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in technical management with a concentration in human resource management from DeVry University. She has successfully implemented mentorship programs, training initiatives, and career development plans that enhance professional growth and job satisfaction.

Jacqueline's dedication to her field and her love for helping people and communities make her a transformative leader in HR, always striving to make a meaningful impact.

ANA MORRÓN | Managing Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

Ana Morrón has worked in education for over a decade and as a researcher, she analyzed data on childcare facilities during the pandemic for the National Institute for Early Education Research. More recently, as an administrator, she was the Director of Data and Assessments at Evergreen Charter School, where she focused on data analysis, state accountability, and compliance monitoring. As the new Managing Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment here at East Harlem Scholars Academies, she believes it is important to use data and theory to inform educational policies and practices. Ana is driven by the belief in quality education as an instrument for social change and liberation.

Ana is the proud daughter of working-class immigrants from Colombia and was raised in Queens. She holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College, a Master’s in Religious Studies from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Rutgers University. Her dissertation focuses on improving higher education access and employment opportunities for immigrant youth. She is particularly interested in how ideologies and discourses are shaped by structural relations of power, such as race, class, culture, and gender.

CHANTEL K WATTS | Managing Director, OST & Post Secondary Programs

Chantel K Watts is a Youth Development Champion with ten years of experience in afterschool and summer programs. She began as a volunteer in high school for a community based after school program, and continued on to begin teaching Dance, STEM, and run academic tutoring. Since then, she has held various positions at different community based organizations such as Site Coordinator, Youth Development Specialist, Campus Director and Community School Director. During her career, Chantel has received her Bachelor's Degree from Marymount Manhattan University in both Creative Writing and English & World Literatures. She is now the Managing Director of Out-of-School & Post-Secondary Programs, leading the department for afterschool and summer support for scholars in grades K through six years post-high school graduation.

Chantel has a unique relationship with East Harlem--she grew up in George Washington Houses before moving during her high school career. Chantel is committed to the vision of EHTP, uplifting the community, and providing a space where scholars can excel academically and explore their interests while preparing to be community leaders. She believes in pushing forward the beauty of East Harlem, and the minds of the scholars in every program. 

TEMRA TAYLOR | Managing Director, Development

Temra Taylor has built a distinguished career in philanthropic leadership, making a significant impact across the healthcare and higher education sectors. Renowned for her strategic vision and exceptional ability to inspire organizations to surpass fundraising goals, Temra has consistently achieved transformative results that align with and advance institutional missions.

Her expertise encompasses the complexities of nonprofit operations, with a focus on designing and implementing innovative philanthropic initiatives that drive meaningful and lasting change.

A graduate of Molloy University, Temra holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and English. She resides in Long Island with her family, and in her free time, she enjoys traveling—having visited over 25 countries to date—along with reading and exploring interior design.