Executive Leadership

David Garza, Executive Director
davidgarza@ledascholars.org

David Garza joined LEDA in July 2022 as the Executive Director, bringing expertise in fundraising, management, and strategy that he has developed for more than 20 years as a leader in the nonprofit sector. Most recently, he served for ten years as Development Director at Point Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing scholarships and mentorship to LGBTQ+ college scholars. In this role, he expanded the organization’s presence, visibility, and fundraising efforts.

Prior to Point Foundation, David served as Director of Institutional Giving for GMHC. While there, he managed the organization’s roster of corporate and foundation partnerships, as well as government grants. He worked with key stakeholders to provide a range of services, including STI testing, food security, legal services, and case management.

David is committed to LEDA community members, as their backgrounds, dreams, and paths mirror his own. Born and raised on the U.S.-Mexico border, David graduated from Princeton University in 1998 as a first-generation college student.

Recruitment and Admissions

Iris Early, Senior Director of Recruitment and Admissions
irisearly@ledascholars.org

Iris joined LEDA in November 2008 as a recruitment and admissions officer and became Director of Recruitment and Admissions in 2011. In her role at LEDA, Iris has helped define LEDA’s recruitment and admission strategies and works to develop partnerships with schools and community-based organizations across the nation to identify and recruit LEDA Scholars. Prior to LEDA, Iris worked with organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the National Conference for Community and Justice in Los Angeles. She brings her passion for human rights to her work at LEDA. Iris graduated from Haverford College with a bachelor’s degree in political science, a minor in sociology, and a concentration in Africana studies.

Isabel de León, Senior Recruitment and Admissions Officer
isabeldeleon@ledascholars.org

Isabel joined LEDA in October 2021 as a Recruitment and Admissions Officer, supporting all recruitment efforts for LEDA programs and the cultivation of relationships with schools and community-based organizations, and became the Senior Recruitment and Admissions Officering October 2023. Prior to LEDA, Isabel worked at a marketing agency in Dallas, TX, that worked exclusively with charities and nonprofit organizations. As a college student, she worked with the Title IX and Equity Compliance office on campus to implement a grant from the U.S. Office of Violence Against Women in order to pursue her passion for equality and equity. Isabel graduated from Fairfield University with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a minor in Public Relations.

LEDA Programs

Tara Gellene, Chief Program Officer
taragellene@ledascholars.org

Tara oversees all LEDA programs. She also directs LEDA’s academic departments, including the Aspects of Leadership and Writing programs. She is responsible for ensuring alignment between program goals, outcome metrics, and data management across all LEDA programs. Previously, Tara directed LEDA’s College Guidance department and Writing program and lent writing support to LEDA’s outreach and fundraising efforts. Before joining LEDA full time in 2014, she taught writing and literature courses at Columbia University, Barnard College, and New York University. She also developed writing curricula for the Education Program for Gifted Youth at Stanford University. She holds a Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University.

Nick McMahon, Senior Manager of Data & Technology
nicholasmcmahon@ledascholars.org

Nick joined the LEDA team in May of 2019. As the Senior Manager of Data & Technology, Nick ensures that LEDA’s data and technology systems are reliable, secure, and
continuously improving to support program delivery and organizational growth. With a core focus on Salesforce management and platform integration, Nick also oversees additional systems critical to organizational operations, including identity management, communication tools, and data collection portals. A strong supporter of helping not-for-profit organizations excel in the digital world, Nick’s prior role was as both database administrator and membership manager for the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ. He graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies.

College Guidance
Pedrum Mardan, Director of College Guidance
pedrummardan@ledascholars.org

Pedrum joined LEDA as a College Guidance Counselor in June 2020 and became Director of College Guidance in May 2024. Through a dialectical, intersectional, and person-centered approach, Pedrum advocates for Scholars throughout the college admissions process. Prior to LEDA, he supported every facet of NYU Opportunity Programs’ admissions efforts as an Admissions Assistant while simultaneously completing clinical hours at New York City public high schools as a Bilingual School Counselor-in-training. With his parallactic, professional background and lived experience as a first-generation college graduate, Pedrum has navigated college admissions from multiple vantage points. He holds a B.A. in Literature with a Concentration in World Literature and Cultural Studies from University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.A. in Counseling and Guidance: Bilingual School Counseling, Grades Pre-K–12 with an Advanced Certificate in LGBT Health, Education, and Social Services from NYU.

Brandon Avendano, College Guidance Counselor
brandonavendano@ledascholars.org
Brandon Avendano joined LEDA as a College Guidance Counselor in 2026, though Brandon is no stranger to the LEDA community. His journey with LEDA began as a Cohort 14 Scholar. Since then, he has continued to give back to LEDA in multiple capacities, including as a College Guidance Assistant, College Guidance Coordinator, and part-time College Success Counselor. Most recently, Brandon worked as an Associate Consultant at PwC Strategy&, where he led projects spanning AI policy, edtech strategy, and global operations. He also co-founded Notable Narratives six years ago, a nonprofit that has scaled to providing free college essay support to over 2,000 FGLI students across every state in the U.S. and 100+ countries! He is a graduate of Brown University. Brandon brings a deep commitment to LEDA’s mission, a strong understanding of our College Guidance model, and a genuine passion for supporting Scholars through one of the most critical stages of their journeys.

Beverly Lipsey, College Guidance Counselor
beverlylipsey@ledascholars.org
Beverly joined LEDA as a College Guidance Counselor in 2026. She brings a wealth of experience from her time at Smith College, where she spent the past several years in admissions, most recently as a Senior Assistant Director leading Diversity & Access Recruitment initiatives. In that role, she worked closely with students, families, and community-based organizations while also leading efforts in application reading, recruitment and travel strategy, as well as programming that centers underrepresented students in the admissions process.

Prior to Smith, Beverly worked in both domestic and international education settings, from supporting middle school students and families in Boston to serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Terengganu, Malaysia.

College and Career Success
Nada Abdelaziz, Director of College Success
nadaabdelaziz@ledascholars.org

Nada joined LEDA as the Director of Residential Life in June 2018, then became the College Success Counselor in August 2018 and the Director of College Success in August 2021. In her current role, Nada is responsible for overseeing LEDA’s support services for the academic and socio-emotional needs of LEDA Scholars in college. Nada’s experience includes working in TRiO, residence life, and student government at a number of institutions, such as Harvard University and the University of Florida. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Rutgers University and a Master of Education from the Student Personnel in Higher Education program at the University of Florida.

Jorden Favors, Residence Director and College and Career Success Counselor
jordenfavors@ledascholars.org

Jorden comes to LEDA from Princeton where was a Residential Life Coordinator in Forbes College for the past year. Before that Jorden worked in HR at Black Feminist Future – a nonprofit focused on community organizing and political engagement. Jorden has a MS in the Social Foundations of Education from Georgia State and a BA in Gender and Women’s Studies from Pomona College. She was born and raised in Atlanta, GA.

Jahnelle McMillan, Senior Program Officer
jahnellemcmillan@ledascholars.org

Jahnelle came to LEDA in June 2016 as a College Guidance Counselor and became the Director of College Guidance in February 2018. She became Senior Program Officer in May 2024, serving as a counselor on the College Success team, specializing in post-graduate education & fellowships, and overseeing strategic programs, including LEDA Legal. Prior to joining LEDA, she was an admissions officer at Prep for Prep for the PREP 9 program, of which she is also an alumna. She has also served as an inaugural member of Emory University’s Counselor Advisory and Advocacy Board, an Academic Tutor with Figure Skating in Harlem, and a staff member in the Pre-College Division of Kaplan Test Prep. She has also worked as an independent college admissions consultant. Jahnelle received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature/Letters from Colgate University.

Rosa Ramirez Mazaheri, College Success Counselor
rosaramirezmazaheri@ledascholars.org

Rosa joined the LEDA staff as a Recruitment and Admissions Officer in 2026. Before coming to LEDA, Rosa worked as an educator at the high school and college levels. During her time as a high school teacher in Arizona, she found her passion for advising first-generation, low income students and was able to bring this passion to her role as a college instructor in Iowa, working closely with the FGLI students in her classes and beyond. Rosa has been part of the LEDA community since 2015 when she became a Cohort 11 LEDA Scholar. She has sought every opportunity to pour back into the community that shaped her, serving as a Resident Mentor in 2019 and most recently, serving as a part time College Success Counselor. She sees her role on the Recruitment and Admissions team as an opportunity to steward the same access, rigor, and care that once made her own educational path possible. She holds a B.A in Latin American Studies and Spanish from Smith College and an MFA in Spanish Creative Writing from the University of Iowa.

Eriana James, Program Manager
erianajames@ledascholars.org

Eriana joined the LEDA staff as the Program Manager for LEDA Legal and LEDA FinLit in October 2024. Prior to working at LEDA, she served as an educator to elementary students and as a Functional Life Skills Interventionist for middle schoolers on the autism spectrum. She remains active in her community, mentoring fellow first-generation, low-income undergraduates at Georgetown University. Dedicated to lifelong learning, Eriana began her path toward a Ph.D. as one of 10 members selected for Johns Hopkins’ first Summer Pre-Doctoral Pathway Program cohort in 2023. Her professional mission is to ensure all students receive holistic, individualized, and meaningful resources to thrive as their full selves in nurturing educational spaces. Eriana is a LEDA Cohort 11 Alum and attributes much of her journey to her transformative Aspects of Leadership Summer Institute at Princeton in 2015. A first-generation scholar, she holds a B.A. in African-American Studies from Georgetown University and an M.Ed. from Johns Hopkins University School of Education.

Development and Communications

Claire W. Gallagher, Senior Director of Advancement & Strategic Initiatives
clairegallagher@ledascholars.org

Claire joined LEDA in 2023 as the Senior Director of Advancement & Strategic Initiatives. She is an experienced nonprofit professional with a deep background in planning and executing large-scale development projects. She comes to LEDA from A Chance In Life, where she was Senior Vice President for Development & Communications. In this role, Claire established a diversified and sustainable funding stream to support the organization’s educational work in 12 countries and implemented a rigorous donor relations process to support retention, in addition to serving as a key member of the executive team. Throughout her career, Claire has held notable positions in fundraising and communications at prominent nonprofit organizations such as the New York Academy of Sciences, Athlete Ally, Point Foundation, and GMHC. Claire earned her bachelor’s degree in government from Colby College, graduating with honors.

Dominique Stallings, Assistant Director for Advancement
dominiquestallings@ledascholars.org

Dominique joined the LEDA team in 2025 and is a dedicated nonprofit and philanthropy professional with a wealth of experience in community engagement, corporate partnerships, and event management. Her diverse background spans corporate, hospitality, higher education, and nonprofit sectors, making her a fantastic addition to our team.

Passionate about fostering meaningful connections, Dominique is committed to creating lasting impact. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Resort and Hospitality Management with a concentration in Event Management and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education from Florida Gulf Coast University.