Leadership
Nicholas Torres, Board Chair & Secretary
Nicholas Torres is a consultant to organizations and on projects with an emphasis on high social impact, a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government, and President of Education-Plus, Inc., where he works on scaling higher education models for low-income students, school-based health centers and cyber education for specialized populations. Mr. Torres is also co-founder and publisher of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal. He spent ten years as president of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc, a nationally recognized human services agency where he launched a continuum of K-college services, integrated mental health and primary care and standardized case management and outcomes measurement across the organization. In addition to serving as Board Chair of Pan American Academy, he also serves on the boards of the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Children's Scholarship Fund. Currently, he is a Human Relations Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia but has previously served as Advisor to Knight Foundation Philadelphia, Chair of the Southeastern Pennsylvania United Way's Professional Advisory Council, and Co-Chair of the National Council of La Raza's Northeastern Affiliates. Mr. Torres is a Teach for America alumnus who graduated from Carleton College and holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Tracy-Elizabeth Clay, Board Co-Chair
Tracy-Elizabeth Clay brings years of educational and legal experience to Pan American Academy's Board of Directors. Ms. Clay serves as Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Teach for America in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, Ms. Clay is responsible for meeting the legal and regulatory needs of Teach For America, including risk management and regulatory compliance. She previously served as Teach For America's first director of state and local government relations and as the founding executive director of Teach For America's Philadelphia site. Prior to her work at Teach For America, Ms. Clay was an associate with Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., where she practiced in the Antitrust, Health and Privacy practice groups for four years. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, was an officer of the Law Review, and clerked for the Hon. Anne Thompson in New Jersey. She completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University with a degree in public policy, concentration in urban and regional development.
Dario Bellot, Treasurer
Through his diverse professional and educational background, Dario Bellot has acquired over 20 years of international finance experience. He has worked for Mars Electronics International, Inc., the Wharton School of Business, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and the Dow Chemical Company. Mr. Bellot currently serves as Vice President of Administration at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. where he is responsible for the organization’s fiscal, information technology, human resources and facilities departments. He is also responsible for the development and construction of Congreso’s new Education and Training Center building – a brand new $15M building that will host Pan American Academy Charter School and Harcum College at Congreso. In addition to serving as Treasurer of Pan American, he also serves on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and the Pan American Association of Philadelphia. He holds a Bachelors degree and a Masters of Business Administration from Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dominique Bernardo, Board Member
A native of Norristown, Pennsylvania, Dominique Bernardo brings more than 15 years of professional experience that includes working as a financial auditor with a specialization in nonprofit organizations, a community organizer in a Latino community in the Boston area, and a social worker for high risk adolescent girls in Costa Rica. Ms. Bernardo currently serves as Vice President for Quality Assurance for Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc., specifically overseeing its business plan strategy as well as the data and evaluation department which measures the impact of programs across the agency. She is a Licensed Social Worker and also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in Pennsylvania. She holds a Master of Social Work and a Master of Business Administration from Boston College.
Debora Borges-Carrera, Board Member
A native of Philadelphia, PA, Debora Borges-Carrera currently serves as Principal of Kensington CAPA High School in North Philadelphia where she has transitioned the school into a $43 million dollar state of the art building with the highest environmental certification in the state (LEED Platinum) and is working to create a culture and climate of academic excellence for all of her students and staff. Mrs. Carrera began her educational career as a teacher at Potter Thomas Elementary School and served as an Assistant Principal at Elkin Elementary School for three years before becoming the Principal of McKinley Elementary School. During her five years at McKinley, Debora led the school to making Adequate Yearly Progress for three years and it earned two Keystone Awards for Academic Success. The school and its community-based partners such as the Eagles Youth Partnership, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Mural Arts Program were featured in American Educator magazine for their transformative work. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Early and Elementary School Education from Temple University, a Master’s in Educational Leadership from St. Joseph’s University and is currently pursuing a Doctorate degree from Nova University. She is actively involved in the community and serves as a Pastor at the Urban Worship Center. Her commitment to children has expanded over the years to include work in La Ceiba, Honduras where she has led three mission trips to help impoverished children.
Elizabeth Polizzi, Board Member
Elizabeth Polizzi currently evaluates grants for programs that directly impact the quality of life of children and older adults in need. Dr. Polizzi served as Director of Policy and Planning for the Family Resource Network of the School District of Philadelphia where she collaborated with the Office of Mental Health of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and co-authored and developed the implementation strategy for school-linked behavioral health services. She collaborated with multiple city agencies in the administration of grants such as the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Dyson Foundation Initiative which provided pediatric training in the community, a $5 million federal grant for Philadelphia Safe Schools, Healthy Students initiative and established a literacy mentoring program with Philadelphia Reads. She developed and administered university collaborations with Temple University to recruit and train special education teachers, with Arcadia University to establish emotional support programs in school district classrooms and partnered with other city agencies as a member of Common Ground of the Mayor’s Children & Family Cabinet. In addition to serving on the Pan American board, she is currently Secretary of the Board of the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Medical College of Pennsylvania where her doctoral dissertation focused on Public Law 94: 142 “the Right to Education”.
Julie Cousler Emig, Board Member
Julie Cousler Emig has spent her professional career working on behalf of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable populations to improve their health and social outcomes. She currently serves as a Stoneleigh Foundation Public Policy Fellow working with the City of Philadelphia to dramatically improve the city's graduation rate by developing a citywide truancy plan. She is working with the Mayor's Office of Education, the Philadelphia School District, Philadelphia's Department of Human Services, and Philadelphia Family Court to assess, enhance and coordinate existing prevention and intervention efforts related to truancy to improve the educational outcomes of Philadelphia's public school students. Prior to her appointment to the Stoneleigh Fellowship, Ms. Cousler served as Vice President of Health Promotion and Wellness at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. where she led a $5 million division of critical health services including domestic violence services, teen parenting, family planning, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse programs. Prior to Congreso, Ms. Cousler served as a community social worker working with families at-risk for out-of-home child placement, with troubled youth mandated to a behavioral health day treatment program and worked with the Safe and Sound research team to evaluate programs. While earning her Master's degree in Social Work, Ms. Cousler interned with the Department of Human Services' Juvenile Justice division. Ms. Cousler has served on numerous boards where she has held multiple leadership roles, including the Women's Medical Fund and the Seybert Foundation.
Wanda Novales, Principal/CEO
Ms. Novales brings 13 years of experience in early childhood, elementary education and school administration to Pan American. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Philadelphia, Ms. Novales comes to the Pan American Academy Charter School most recently from the School District of Philadelphia where she served as the Principal of Sheridan Elementary School between 2006 and 2008 and as Assistant Principal for two years prior. During her administration, attendance improved, test scores soared and parent involvement increased. Wanda received her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education from Temple University and her Masters in Education from Cheyney University. Recently, she received a Superintendent's Letter of Eligibility from Arcadia University. She and the newly appointed Board of Directors of Pan American will lead the school as it prepares students for a successful future by promoting academic excellence and cultural awareness throughout all aspects of the school's curriculum.
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