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Belief, Passion, Courage, Commitment
Meet Our Alumni
Young Professionals
Are you a Young Professional looking to make an impact on Cleveland?
Click here to learn about the Friends of Breakthrough Schools Young Professional group leading the charge. Get involved today!
Join Our List
Welcome, Friends!
Friends of Breakthrough Schools is a non-profit development and advocacy organization. Friends of Breakthrough is responsible for closing the gap in public funding needed to provide quality education to thousands of children in Cleveland each year, as well as working with community, business, and political leaders to build city-wide support for high-quality public school options for all children in Cleveland.
The Semper Virens Legacy Society was established to recognize individuals who have made a long-term commitment to Breakthrough Schools and was created in concert with the recent formation of the Friends of Breakthrough Schools Legacy Fund of the Cleveland Foundation.
If you would like to learn more about legacy giving, which helps to ensure long-term financial stability through the preservation and investment of dollars for future benefit, click here or reach out to Susan Ertle at sertle@breakthroughschools.org.
SUMMER NEWSLETTER
Learn about the latest happenings from Friends of Breakthrough in our most recent newsletter available here as a PDF.
Did You Know?
High-performing, non-profit public charter schools in Ohio only receive about 1/2 the funding of traditional district schools.
Friends Board of Directors
Michael Cristal
Chair
James Kavalec
Vice Chair
William Koehler
Vice Chair
Charles Lougheed
Vice Chair
Bridget Moreno
Vice Chair
Richard Pace
Vice Chair
Thomas Rudibaugh
Vice Chair
Jeff Berlin
Treasurer
Jennifer Grossman
Secretary
Megan Arth
Suresh Bafna
Ed Bell
Frank Bird
Julia Bolton
Denise Carkhuff
James Carulas
Jamie Cole
Timothy Coughlin
Jeffrey Cristal
Mike de Windt
Martin Gates
Robert Gillespie
Andrew Lee
John LeMay
Cecil Lipscomb
David Lowman
James Manley
Michael Merriman
Alfred Miller
Jane Outcalt
Poppie Parish
Michelle Perez
Peter Rome
Rita Sehgal
Diane Singer
John Sinnenberg
Heather Thiltgen
Brian Tucker
William Vogelgesang
George von Zedlitz
Brent Zimmerman
Contact Us
Friends of Breakthrough Office
Phone: (216) 539-9349
3615 Superior Avenue, Suite 3103A
Cleveland OH 44114
Our Staff
John Zitzner, President
jzitzner@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 373-7801
Susan Ertle, Executive Director
sertle@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 373-7803
Karen Solomon, Director of Annual Fund
ksolomon@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 373-2795
Katie Emerson, Director of Engagement and Donor Relations
kemerson@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 373-2685
Doniell Gill, Gifts and Grants Administrator
dgill@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 539-9349
Samantha Sopko, Director of Grants and Foundation Relations
ssopko@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 373-2688
Sam Steinfeld, Director of Resource Development
ssteinfeld@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 401-5315
Kelly Berg, Director of Volunteer Relations
kberg@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 373-2818
Michelle Camou, Grants Associate
mcamou@breakthroughschools.org
(216) 539-9349