Staff

Kathy Heinzerling, Executive Director

Kathy comes to Breakthrough Houston after 31 years as co-director at The Chinquapin School.  Her background working with economically disadvantaged students, as well as her experience with education and administration, makes Kathy uniquely qualified for her role.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Barat College and a Masters of Science from the University of St. Louis. A tireless volunteer for various civic organizations, she has won numerous honors and recognitions, including the keys to the City of Houston in recognition of her educational leadership.

Darcy Douglas, Development Director

Darcy is responsible for all fundraising aspects of the Breakthrough Houston program. She was most recently an attorney practicing in Houston, and was a political fundraiser in Washington, DC for several years prior to attending law school. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000 with a degree in Corporate Communications, and from South Texas College of Law in 2007 with her J.D. When not raising money to support Breakthrough, she likes running, cooking, and finding new authors to read at the Houston Public Library.

Morris Nwogwugwu, Student Services Director

Morris joined Breakthrough Houston in 2010, after graduating  from Carleton College with a degree in American Studies. While in college, Morris spent two summers as a Breakthrough math teacher with the Blake School in Minneapolis. Morris’ passion for the non-profit world stems from his high school education at The Chinquapin School and his college education at Carleton. He is now adamant about equal access and quality education and commits himself fully to the students here at Breakthrough Houston.

Christine Cepeda, College Bound Director

Christine has been with Breakthrough since the summer of 2008 when she served as the Foreign Language Mentor Teacher. The following fall, she began her current position as the College Bound Director in the program’s initial year. She received her B.A. and M.A. in Hispanic Studies from Rice University in 2004 and 2006 respectively. She loves working with teenagers and continues teaching Spanish full-time at Episcopal High School. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to new destinations, watching basketball games and attending concerts.

2011-2012 School Year Mentor Teachers

Mikel Jones – Math

Aaron Markham- Electives

Rachel Weissenstein- English