Executive Staff Directory:
Susan Gambale
Contact information: 718-369-0303 x 12
sgambale@obtjobs.org
Susan is a graduate of New York University with a BS and a MA in Secondary School Mathematics Education. Prior to being named as the Site Administrator of the Sunset Park location, she held several positions within the organization starting as a basic skills/GED instructor, then as a counselor and finally as Director of Retention. Before coming to OBT, Susan worked at several private and parochial schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island teaching junior and senior high school mathematics as well as GED/SAT preparation classes.
Alice Goncalves
Contact Information: 718-369-0303 x 26
Agoncalves@obtjobs.org
Ms. Alice Goncalves began working within the non-profit sector soon after graduating from college in 1996. Since then, she worked exclusively with the “at-risk” populations to provide services such as college advisement, case management, employment guidance and job placement. Until more recent, most of her work experience has been with disadvantaged young adults where she provided leadership, advise, redirection and acted as a role model in programs such as the Upward Bound Program, AmeriCorps and RI Children’s Crusade. Before joining OBT, she worked as a Job Developer for a large non-profit organization where she provided job placement and retention services to individuals faced with multiple barriers towards gaining employment and self-sufficiency.
Teresita Hurtado
Contact Information: 718-381-3222
thurtado@obtjobs.org
Ms. Hurtado has over 17 years of experience in the areas of workforce development and human services. Her career in this arena began in 1991 when Terri joined the staff of Adult & Continuing Education at Borough of Manhattan Community College. This was her first foray in working with the welfare-to-work population in the first “Spanish Job Club” in New York City. This experience led to a position as a Training Consultant with New York Job Partners in December 2000. In a short time Terri became a full-time employee starting as a Retention Coordinator and evolving to the Manager of the Job Development and Retention Units which led to her becoming the Director of the Employment Services & Placement Program (ESP). Terri is multi-lingual in English, Spanish and Italian with a BA in Psychology from the College of New Rochelle. Terri now is the Site Administrator for the Bushwick Workforce Resource Center (BWRC).
Yuri Klarvit
Contact information: 718-369-0303 x 14
yklarvit@obtjobs.org
Yuri joined OBT in 2007 and is responsible for all functions of the Finance Department. Before joining OBT, Yuri worked with a number of private and not for profit organizations as a consultant and interim CFO. In addition to his consulting practice, he was a founding member of a internet start-up working with the financial systems over the web.
Emily May
Contact information: 718-369-0303 x 19
emay@obtjobs.org
Emily May is proud to serve as the Special Projects Coordinator at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow. Prior to OBT, Emily was the Director of Development at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation. Emily also worked as Political Action Coordinator at the New York City Employment and Training Coalition, where she advocated on behalf of 200 workforce development programs to improve funding and program support. In 2005, Emily founded HollabackNYC.com, a blog dedicated to raising awareness about street harassment. Working as HollabackNYC's media guru, Emily has been featured on Good Morning America, MSNBC, the Today Show, the Paula Zahn show, and quoted in a range of New York newspapers. Emily also serves on the board of Girls for Gender Equity, nonprofit serving girls in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Emily has a BA from New York University and a Master's Degree in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics.
William Ortiz
Contact Information: 718-387-1600 x 14
wortiz@obtjobs.org
William was raised in Bushwick, grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant and has lived in Williamsburg, a product of the three main neighborhoods served by OBT. William came to OBT when they first opened their Bushwick/Bed-Stuy site in July 2001 as the assistant program director. Prior to coming to OBT he worked nine years for All Saints’ Church as the Administrator. While at All Saints he was involved in the community working on issues such as immigration, youth-employment and housing. William had plans to become a lawyer so he can help the people in his community, but when he started working at the church and OBT he felt he could be more effective helping people change their situations by providing them with opportunities. William is now the site administrator at the Bushwick/Bed-Stuy site. He has a BS in legal technology from NYC Technical College.
Marjorie Parker
Contact Information: 718-387-1600 x 14
mparker@obtjobs.org
Marjorie D. Parker has over 17 years professional experience providing oversight of adult
and youth services initiatives, as well as working as an organizational consultant. In her previous positions at the Research Foundation CUNY/City of New York Human Resources Administration (HRA), Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), and The Valley, Inc., she managed the successful development and administration of various educational, employment, economic, and community service initiatives. At RFCUNY/HRA, Marjorie held positions as Director of Employment Services with responsibility for agency-wide employment strategies and as Regional Director of Programs with direct oversight of program development and implementation.
In her capacity as an organizational consultant, she has facilitated and implemented program development, management, and evaluation projects, and has created professional staff development training to complement these projects. Marjorie helped organizations to strengthen organizational capacity through infrastructure development and management, and leadership development.
Marjorie has been involved with Boards of statewide and local professional organizations in the Education and Employment fields, providing support and oversight to organizations serving underserved populations. She is an advisory board member for Insight for New Housing, Inc., served as a Board Member for 10 years for the New York Association of Continuing Community Education (NYACCE), where she assumed various leadership positions, and has also served as a Member of the Public Broadcasting System Channel 13 Literacy Advisory Board.
Marjorie holds Leadership Certificates from the Dale Carnegie Leadership Academy and from the NYACCE Leadership Academy. She holds a BA in Political Science from Fordham University and a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from New York University, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Randolph Peers
Contact information: 718-369-0412
rpeers@obtjobs.org
Randolph Peers has spent the last eighteen years working in the fields of Adult Education, Workforce Development, and Economic Development, and currently serves as Executive Director of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization. Having spent all his professional career in non-profit administration, Randolph previously has held senior management positions at South Shore High School’s Adult Education Center (Executive Director), the Church Avenue Merchants Block Association (CAMBA) and the Osborne Association.
Before becoming Executive Director of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), Randolph spent four years at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce as their Vice President for Economic Development. Under his leadership, the Brooklyn Chamber launched a research and survey department that produced the Brooklyn Labor Market Review and the Brooklyn Business Survey, two leading borough-wide business publications. One of his proudest achievements was developing a nationally recognized model for integrating workforce and economic development services for small business that has been expanded and replicated over the years.
As Executive Director of OBT, Randolph leads a $3.5 million employment and training organization that works with out-of-school youth and adults in the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Bushwick, Williamsburg, and Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. OBT serves approximately 1000 people annually, providing GED & ESL classes, business skills job training, and job placement assistance.
Through his work as a thought leader in the field of workforce development for New York City, Randolph contributed to the publication of two significant reports, The Time is Now, focusing on the crisis of disconnected youth, and Reentry and Employment, highlighting strategies to assist formerly incarcerated individuals.
Randolph is a life-long Brooklynite, having lived in the neighborhoods of East Flatbush, Canarsie and now in Windsor Terrace. He holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Brooklyn College and a Masters in Public Administration from NYU’s Wagner School. Randolph also currently serves as Chairperson of Community Board 7, encompassing the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, Greenwood Heights, and South Park Slope.
Deborah Roman
Contact information: 718-369-0303 x 22
droman@obtjobs.org
Deborah Roman joined Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow in July 2006 as the Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator. Before coming to OBT, Ms Roman worked as the Marketing Director for a non-profit educational institution in Puerto Rico, where she developed the college brand identity and created an effective marketing campaign that included a new logo, image and website design that are still used to this day.
Ms. Roman has worked in sales and marketing field since 1999 when she started her career at a regional newspaper in PR. Since then Ms. Roman has exceeded in her skills to organize corporate and community events, design successful marketing campaigns for non-profit organizations and develop strategic brand analysis.
Ms. Roman was born and raised in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. She has a BA in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico and an MBA in Marketing from University of Phoenix.
Janet Tsakos
Contact Information: 718-369-0303 x 21
jtsakos@obtjobs.org
Janet is a lifelong Brooklyn resident who was born and raised in the Sunset Park area. Before coming to OBT, Janet worked for not-for-profits in the mental health field for over 13 years as a therapy aide and fiscal assistant. In 1991, she joined the OBT staff as a counselor/fiscal assistant. Thereafter, she was promoted to Fiscal Director and then Director of Operations. In her current role as Deputy Executive Director, Janet oversees much of the agency’s internal operations including human resources and benefits administration.
Janet’s commitment and dedication to working with the young people of Brooklyn for the past 16 years has been recognized by the trainees she serves, the OBT staff, the community at large and the government agencies that fund our programs. Her contact with the young people is preserved by her desire to know each trainee individually and to work with the staff in helping them achieve their goals. She also continues to direct the Learn in the Evening Program and the Stay at Work Program, which she and a co-worker created in 1993.
OBT Support Staff Directory
