AboutOur Staff

Dr. Ted Brown is the Executive Director of CUNY Institute of Software Design and Development, manages collaborative projects with industrial and governmental partners.

Jackie Bellando manages the CUNY Tech Prep team on the ground and co-leads their strategic growth efforts. Before serving in a managerial role, Jackie was a career coach at CTP. A native New Yorker, Jackie is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University, and is passionate about education equity, environmental justice, and soccer.

Emily Chiu is the Career Coach Manager at CUNY Tech Prep, where she oversees the professional development curriculum for the Fellows. She has spent her career working with students. She believes language holds power and is passionate about empowering individuals to find their narrative.

Mauro creates and manages partnerships with various New York City tech companies. These partnerships provide a pipeline of employment, internships, and volunteering opportunities for CUNY Tech Prep students. He has extensive experience in higher education and a passion for diversity, social good, and music.

Julissa (joo-lee-sa) feels honored to serve as CUNY Tech Prep's Operations Manager. She organizes community events for the CTP community such as Mock Technical Interview Super Days, tech panels and discussions, group study sessions and more. Prior to joining the team, she was an instructor at the NYC coding bootcamps, Fullstack Academy and the Grace Hopper Academy, for several years. As a CUNY Computer Science graduate herself, she is passionate about helping other CUNY students and graduates find success in the tech field.

Zack DeSario is a data science and lead instructor at CUNY Tech Prep. Before joining CTP he was the Director of Analytics for a Presidential Campaign, and before that he was a Data Scientist at Google. His passions are data visualization, teaching, surfing, and pinball.

Ryan Kahn is a web development instructor at CUNY Tech Prep, and is responsible for curriculum development and technical leadership for the CTP Web Development track. Ryan has been a web developer for over 17 years working at large tech companies and small startups, and has taught web development for over a decade. In his free time he enjoys Amateur (Ham) Radio, Astronomy, and video games.

Lucy is a Career Coach and CUNY Engagement Manager at CUNY Tech Prep. Prior to CTP, she helped students and graduates launch new careers in software engineering and data science at a tech bootcamp. Her educational and professional experience also include learning and development, operations, workplace communication, and applied linguistics. Lucy is passionate about empowering underrepresented groups to share their ideas and excel in the modern workforce.

As a Career Coach at CTP, Selene is honored and excited to work with our CUNY students and the CTP team to support the career and professional development of our fellows. Selene received her M.A. in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University and a coaching certification with an organizational leadership focus. She worked in diverse fields such as information technology, human resource, and educational consulting prior, and is passionate about helping underrepresented groups and women develop careers and leadership through coaching and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) lens.

Iyeshia (i-ee-sha) Redrick is a Career Coach and Social Media Manager at CTP. Iyeshia has been in higher education for a bit, serving on a few projects within RFCUNY. She has a background in serving veterans, substance abuse, mental health, foster care, and homelessness populations, BUT she deeply enjoys serving students. From assisting First-Gen college students, GED, and CUNY students she enjoys serving, encouraging, and supporting all learners to fulfill their academic and career goals.