Ellen Winn, Board Chair

independent education policy consultant

Ellen has been a member of the Forte Prep Board since 2020 and Board Chair since 2025. Ellen is honored to support Forte Prep and the students and families it serves with rigor, excellence, and creativity.

For 25 years Ellen has worked to improve public education through government, nonprofit, policy, advocacy, and philanthropic initiatives. Currently, Ellen consults with mission-aligned organizations on strategic planning, policy, research, development, leadership coaching, and event creation and facilitation. Most recently, Ellen built and led the School Systems Leaders Fellowship at Teach For America, a national leadership development program for aspiring school systems leaders. Prior stints in leadership included 50CAN, the Education Equality Project, and the NYC Department of Education. Ellen holds a BA from Haverford College in Urban Studies and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. Ellen also serves on the Board of Camp Eagle Island, an equity-focused summer camp in the Adirondacks. Ellen lives with her husband and three young boys in Montclair, NJ.

Wai Lin Yip, Vice Chair

DIRECTOR DIGITAL & BRAND MARKETING, THE PENINSULA NEW YORK

Wai Lin, Vice Chair, joined the Forte Prep Board in July 2018 and is currently on the Fund Development Committee. As an immigrant who moved from Hong Kong to the US at the age of eight, she joined the Forte Prep Board because she saw the opportunity to help children on their journey to become first-generation college-bound students.

Wai Lin currently works as the Director of Digital and Brand Marketing at The Peninsula New York. For the past 17 years, she has worked in digital marketing and e-commerce roles for startups, technology, and hospitality companies on both the East and West Coasts as well as international corporations. Having participated in ESL, gifted programs, and magnet schools at the LAUSD, Wai Lin is passionate about literacy and working with underserved communities. Prior to starting a family, she spent many years volunteering at Reading to Kids in LA, Wheelchairs for Humanity, and mentoring at the Big Brothers and Big Sisters. 

Wai Lin holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and has a son in elementary school.

Chris Cruz, Board Treasurer

Audit Practices Director, JP Morgan Chase

Chris is an experienced audit and risk executive with a career spanning major global institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Ernst & Young. In his current role as Audit Practices Director, he serves as the Control Manager for the Internal Audit Department. Chris is a Certified Public Accountant with a master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Rochester and a finance degree from the University of Florida. A native Spanish speaker, he brings deep expertise in governance, oversight, and organizational effectiveness to his work on the Board.

He lives in New Jersey with his wife and son. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors.

Jennifer Cordero, Secretary

FOUNDER AND CEO, MILA RESEARCH AND ADVISORY

Jennifer joined the Forte Prep Board in 2024 because she was inspired by how Forte Prep empowers students to excel academically and to take pride in themselves and their community. Born in Elmhurst, as the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants with a mother who was a school nurse teacher in Hempstead, Jennifer is honored to help Forte Prep provide a high-quality education to students in the diverse and vibrant community of Queens.

Following a career in financial services, academia, and nonprofits, spanning the United States and Latin America, Jennifer is now a Harlem-based entrepreneur exploring the use of artificial intelligence to help underserved communities. More specifically, with support from the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub program, she is developing an AI-based application focused on immigration. 

Jennifer has earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Management at the University of California, Irvine, a Master of International Affairs at Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts at New York University. She also serves on the New York Advisory Council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, which supports Latinx college-bound students and families, and Columbia University’s She Opened the Door leadership committee, which focuses on engaging the Columbia alumni community.

Michael Dymond, Trustee

Director, Finance, The Juilliard School

Michael joined Forte Prep’s Board in 2025 and currently serves on the Finance Committee. He has a strong interest in education and is drawn to Forte's mission and the opportunity to contribute to the success of its students.

Michael currently works at Juilliard where he serves as the Director of Financial, Planning, & Analysis. He previously served for several years as an investment banker to higher education and not for profit organizations. Before that, Michael worked at S&P Global and Analysis Group. Michael resides in Manhattan. He holds an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Alejandra Espinosa, Trustee

With over 20 years of experience in the New York jewelry industry, Alejandra has coordinated production, assessed product quality, and managed operations for leading jewelry designers. Alejandra is a proud parent of a Forte Preparatory Academy graduate, who is now attending Xavier High School, and a high school senior at World Journalism Preparatory School. She brings valuable experience and insight to the Forte Prep board as a parent who has also served as a Mentor Mom for families of new Forte Prep students. She lives in Kew Gardens with her kids and their Jack Russell Terrier puppy, Simon.

Katie Mullen, Trustee

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORTFOLIO MANAGER AT JP MORGAN

Katie joined the Forte Prep Board in 2022. She is passionate about closing the achievement gap in our education system and supporting children and communities in the New York area. Prior to her involvement with Forte, Katie was involved with organizations including Fiver Children’s Foundation, New York Cares, Covenant House, among others.

Katie works as a Portfolio Manager at JP Morgan Asset Management where she specializes in derivatives strategies. Katie holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. Katie lives in Connecticut with her family and is the proud mom of two children.

Joseph Schilling, Trustee

Global Debt & Structured Finance, Newmark

Joe has been a member of the Forte Prep Academy Board of Directors since 2024. He specializes in Corporate and Investment Finance, and currently works at Newmark. He previously worked at Freddie Mac, where he originated and structured financings for Multifamily  buildings across the Northeast. He worked on over $20 billion worth of transactions over his 4-year tenure at Freddie Mac and ran the Student Housing product in the New York office. Joe holds a Bachelor’s in Economics with a concentration  in Corporate & Investment Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.

Raised by a Mexican mother, Joe was brought up in a fully bi-cultural environment. After  spending his childhood years in the Seattle  area, he moved to Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico at a young age, where he finished High School before attending college. Early on, he was deeply instilled  the value of an education  which led him to his involvement with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) in 2016, where he currently serves as Advisory Council Member in New York, and Sponsors for 

EducaTIonal Opportunity (SEO), which focuses on helping minorities  navigate the college experience and land internships/full time  roles. Additionally, he advises the Sinaloa Institute  of Neuroscience and Education  (INyES), a higher-education  institution focusing on Neuroscience and Neurodevelopment, the first of its kind in Mexico. His desire to further the growth of education in areas of need, specifically in the New York area, led to his involvement in the Forte Prep Academy Board today.

Joe is an avid traveler, is passionate about music, art, science, literature, sports, and enjoys playing guitar and piano.

Sally Song, Trustee

Teacher, Center of All Abilities

Sally Song joined the Forte Prep Board in 2023 and serves as a member of the Fund Development Committee.  She has always believed in the power of education to transform lives.  She was drawn to Forte Prep's commitment to diversity and focus on providing a rigorous academic curriculum to students of such an important developmental age.  

After a decade of working in international finance with the World Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Merrill Lynch, she now focuses on her interests in education and food.  Today, she is a volunteer teacher for the Center of All Abilities, where she is part of the Blue Hat Vocational Training Program that helps young adults with special needs to acquire life skills through baking and culinary arts.  

Sally holds a BA from Sophia University, Tokyo Japan and is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, New York.

Lawer Teye, Trustee

Vice President - Bank of America

Lawer has over a decade of experience across Investment Management and banking. In Investment Management he was in Manager Research, responsible for sourcing, conducting diligence, and researching fund managers to bring on J.P. Morgan's $550BN open architecture investment platform and relaying the value proposition to generate interest from new and pre-existing limited partners.

In J.P. Morgan's Investment Bank, Lawer focused on originating principal lending, advisory, and non-control structured equity products to pre-IPO growth companies before moving to an early-stage fund as an investor. At Bank of America, Lawer partners with private companies across capital structure, balance sheet and long-term investment banking solutions.

Lawer is a graduate from Delaware State University and is involved with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) and an avid runner.