Lauren Sivak, Executive Director
An experienced nonprofit leader whose impact has resonated across diverse initiatives, Lauren (she/her) is the former Managing Director of 2nd Story, one of Chicago’s oldest storytelling collectives. While at 2nd Story, Lauren grew the organization’s budget from $90K to $630K, expanded the staff and board, piloted new programming, and successfully navigated 2nd Story’s first audit.
Prior to moving to Tulsa in 2022, Lauren advocated for LGBTQIA2S+ rights on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council and drove education initiatives as the Vice President of Education at the North River Commission, the Local School Council Community Representative at Albany Park Multicultural Academy, and the founding Chair of the Friends of Roosevelt High School. Currently, she is a board member with The Admiral at the Lake, The Kedzie Center, and Under the Canopy, and volunteers monthly with the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Lauren earned a Bachelor’s in English Education and Theatre from Purdue University and a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University.
Jahaziel Hiriart, Network Director of the Oklahoma Partnership for Expanded Learning
Jahaziel (ha-see-elle) Hiriart (hee-ree-art) serves as the Network Director of the Oklahoma Partnership for Expanded Learning (OPEL). She is responsible for creating a sustainable afterschool statewide network, strengthening its structure, fostering regional and local partnerships, and supporting systems and resources for afterschool in our state. She oversees the network’s initiatives and operations, including policy development and field projects.
Jahaziel was born and raised in Mexico. She lived in Texas before moving to Oklahoma to be close to family–her brother’s family lives in Owasso- and to pursue a master’s degree in International Business at OSU. What was supposed to be a 2-year stay has turned into more than a decade, making Tulsa her home, especially after marrying a Tulsan in 2020. She enjoys rollerblading, playing tennis, trying (and Yelping about) new food, and traveling with her husband, John Bizjack. She is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in educatio
Jahaziel feels in harmony with her purpose when uplifting others and serving her community. She has served as a board member for Tulsa Global Alliance, Tulsa Honor Academy, TYPROS Foundation, and the Oklahoma Center for Community & Justice. She is also a member of the Latinx COVID-19 Outreach Committee, the YWCA Immigrant & Refugee Services and is a co-founder of Cultivate, Tulsa’s Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian & Multi-racial Collaborative Network. Additionally, she is the director of Latin Dance 918, a hub for all things Latin dance in Tulsa. Their performing teams, Ritmo 918, have performed 150+times in front of 24,000+ people in its seven years of existence.
Sandy Boyaci, Program Specialist
As a Program Specialist, Sandy (she/her) works directly with out of school teams and youth-serving community partners, consulting and cultivating their out of school time programs. Her coaching and support of these teams ensure best-in-class design, implementation, and delivery of high quality expanded learning opportunities for youth in grades K-12 in Tulsa Public Schools.
Attending schools in her hometown of Houston, her fondest school memories involve her participation in various after school clubs. She credits her engaging mentorship in Future Teachers of America which helped steer her decision to become a teacher. Sandy has worked and volunteered in Tulsa Public Schools where she was always actively engaged in the school communities of her three children’s schools. She previously worked as a bilingual research associate in the academic sector.
A passion for service and volunteerism, Sandy has spent over two decades engaged in the community and ministries of the local Greek Orthodox Church. She’s chaired and served on various committees of the Tulsa Midtown National Charity League (NCL) and Young Men’s Service League (YMSL), organizations that foster mother/daughter and mother/son relationships through volunteer service in the community. Sandy is a US Navy veteran and enjoys time with her family, practicing hot yoga and fulfilling her bucket list of destinations
Emily DelGrosso, Program Specialist
Emily DelGrosso, HS-BCP (she/her) serves as a Program Specialist where she is working in collaboration with the Expanded Learning Team to recruit educators and community partners and cultivate relationships across Tulsa to provide out-of-school learning opportunities for Tulsa youth. Emily is an engaged and passionate Human Services Professional with a professional background in providing OST programming directly as well as in nonprofits where she has helped to lead a community of practice in the field of substance use prevention and harm reduction.
A boomerang resident of Tulsa, Emily spent three years in Indiana where she first joined the Allen County Drug and Alcohol Consortium (DAC). Of her work at DAC, she is most proud of receiving a Community Catalyst grant with which they opened the only LGBTQIA+ youth drop-in center in Allen County. In her recent years in Tulsa, she has engaged in grassroots advocacy work and organizing outside of her formal roles. She is a five time published author for the National Organization for Human Services’ magazine Human Services Today, is a current Subject Matter Expert for the National Center for Credentialing and Education, and is a proud member of Class 70 of the Leadership Tulsa 360 program. She is also a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts (GSUSA) and has earned her Gold Award
Emily earned her Bachelors in Human Services from Purdue University along with a certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies. She is currently a Human Services Board Certified Practitioner and Notary Public.
Greg Lowry, Data and Program Specialist
Greg (he/him) is a former educator and passionate about developing data research for The Opportunity Project, informing educators and community partners about the work we do with youth in Tulsa and surrounding communities.
Greg received his B.A. in Chemistry and Anthropology from Brown University in 2017. He moved to Tulsa in 2017 as part of Teach for America and taught High School Science for 3 years at Will Rogers High School. Since then, he has worked in various spaces supporting educators and leaders to create safe, inclusive learning environments for all youth, in particular the LGBTQ+ youth of Tulsa.
Alejandra Delfin, Financial Coordinator
Bio coming soon!
Josie Pascoe, MPA, Grants and Operations
Josie (she/her) serves as the Grants and Operations Coordinator at The Opportunity Project, supporting funding initiatives and sustainability. Josie writes grants, manages funding and special project reporting, and contributes to The Opp’s sustainability strategy.
A native Tulsan, Josie holds a Bachelor of Elementary Education from The University of Tulsa, as well as a Master of Public Administration from The University of Oklahoma. Dedicated to serving Tulsa youth, Josie spent four years teaching 5th Grade after college. Upon completing her MPA, Josie worked in youth development and was quickly selected as one of two inaugural Zarrow Foundation Fellows. During her time with the Zarrow Foundation, Josie studied Tulsa’s education and youth development landscape, the impact of homelessness and the housing crisis on Tulsa families, and assisted in grant management for the Commemoration Fund and the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.
When she’s not focused on fundraising projects, Josie can be found spending time with her family and friends, traveling, volunteering, and playing with her sweet dog, Ellie.
Ian Gates, Policy and Program Quality Fellow
Ian’s (he/him) work mainly focuses on researching funding sustainability options, advocating for public funding for Afterschool and planning this 2023’s Lights On Afterschool celebration.
He recently graduated with a Public Administration degree from George Mason University in the DC area. During his 4 years of college, Ian interned on state-level campaigns, in a Congressional Office, and for the Government Relations team for the port industry’s trade association. He’s excited to bring his policy experience, organizing mindset, and energy to The Opportunity Project.
Advisory Committee
BerThaddeus Bailey, MPA
Managing Director, My Brother’s Keeper
Mike Dodson
Chief Development Officer, Tulsa Community Foundation
Michael DuPont
Director, Tulsa Grantmaking, Schusterman Foundation
Sara Framel
CEO, Youth At Heart
Jose Luis Hernandez
Founding Director, Sistema Tulsa at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church
Rita Long,
Director of Programs, Gaining Ground
Alex Paschal
Executive Director, Ed Darby Foundation
Elmer Thomas
Expanded Learning Administrator, Tulsa Public Schools
Annie Koppel Van Hanken
Chief Program Officer, George Kaiser Family Foundation