ABOUT US

#OneMomentumFamily

OUR VISION

Our vision is to help first-generation, low-income students achieve upward economic and social mobility.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to provide academic, career, and financial support to help first-generation, low-income students earn a post-secondary degree or certification and enter the workforce.

OUR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Goals

1. High School Graduation
2. Post-Secondary Enrollment
3. Post-Secondary Graduation
4. Job Placement

Career Exploration (9th, 10th and 11th Grades)

Program: Online career webinars, in-person industry-based panel discussions, field trips to workplaces, and help finding and applying to summer programs.

Post-Secondary Preparation (12th Grade)

Program: Feedback on post-secondary applications and help finding and applying to scholarships.

Post-Secondary Persistence (Freshmen and Sophomore Years)

Program: Mentorship from an upperclassmen on-campus, connection to on-campus resources, and an annual $350 stipend.

Career Success (Junior and Senior Years)

Program: Mentorship from an Young Professional, connections to internship and job opportunities, feedback on resumes, and an annual $350 stipend.

Alumni Support (Post-Secondary Graduates)

Program: Coaching calls every quarter to ensure the alum is succeeding and opportunities to volunteer with Momentum Education.

OUR FULL-TIME STAFF

Karel Alfaro

Post-Secondary Manager

karel.alfaro@momentumedu.org

Sylvia Camarillo

Operations Manager

sylvia.camarillo@momentumedu.org

Raj Salhotra

Executive Director

raj.salhotra@momentumedu.org

OUR PART-TIME STAFF

Jasmine Gonzalez

Application Support Coordinator

Usama Khan

Website Coordinator

Liza Lopez

Marketing Coordinator

Alex Priego

IT Coordinator

Phillip Sitton

Data Coordinator

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Somir Paul

Chair | President at Woodlands Financial

Raj Salhotra

Vice-Chair | Executive Director at Momentum Education

Kirby Swartz

Secretary | Debt Finance Associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kelly Robreno Koster

Partner at Bracewell LLP

Al Wagner

Associate Advisor at Goodman Financial

Chris Weekley

President at David Weekley Homes

BOARD OF ADVISORS

Glen Austin

Education Policy at Greater Houston Partnership

Tamara Awofeso

Nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital

Vidya Bala

Counsel at Bracewell LLP

Gabriela Barake

Associate Attorney at Jackson Walker LLP

Jackson Baur

Associate at Hellman & Friedman

Joe Bell

Technology Manager at IBM

Chris Brown

Senior Advisor for Financial Integrity to Houston Mayor

Khalil Bryant

Associate at Haynes and Boone

Tim Burke

Partner at Evergreen

Angeles Garcia Cassin

Partner at Sheppard Mullin

Taylor Chapman

Investment Partner at New Climate Ventures

Chassidy Deckard

Director of Administration at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Nitin Chandra

Practice Manager at Jain and Jain PC

Madyson Chavez

Account Executive - Z Optimization at BMC Software

Jonathan Cole

Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley

Mike Doyle

Partner at Doyle Dennis Avery LLP Trial Lawyers

Ali Dhanani

Partner at Baker Botts

Zach Ellis

Founder at South Loop Ventures

Frank Donnelly

President at Kensinger Donnelly LLC

Blessing Falade

Program Analyst at USAID

Saul Flores

Program Manager at Prime 8 Consulting

Rebecca Fowler

Director of Public Policy at Mental Health America of Greater Houston

Andy Garcia

Security Operations Center Manager at XPO Logistics

Taryn Gore

Psychologist at Hargrove Pediatric Associates

Claudia Harris

Business Development at Entech Civil Engineers

Juana Granados

Associate Developer at Pennrose

Horus Hernandez

Financial Analyst at Amazon

Erin Hulme

Business Director at Greenberg Traurig

Atma Kabad

Partner at Kirkland & Ellis

Natalie Alfaro Gonzales

Partner at Yetter Coleman

Muneezeh Kabir

Senior Director of Technology Strategy & Transformation at Genesys

Jahnara Khan

Manager of Communications at Good Reason Houston

Shahnoor Khuwaja

Litigation Associate at BakerHostetler

Gwendelyn Kimble

Communications Advisor TPC Group

Alex Kontoyannis

Associate at Boston Consulting Group

Varun Kukunoor

Associate at the Boston Consulting Group

Adrianna Langemeier

Associate at Gibson Dunn

Sara Llansa

Director of Pre-College Success at TeenSHARP

Alexis Lopez

Project Manager at CenterPoint Energy

Raj Mahadass

Principle at PMR Law

Ben Marek

Associate General Counsel at Marek Brothers

Sean Lau

Medical Student at Baylor Medical School

Karla Martinez

Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company

Celeste Barretto Milligan

Co-Founder at Tessilys Group, LLC

Sushant Mohan

Partner at BakerHostetler LLP

Max Moll

Principal at Cornerstone

Audrey Nath

Clinical Neurophysiologist at Neuromonitoring Associates

Maria Nunez

Head of Development at Teach for America Houston

Danny Norris

Senior City Attorney at the City of Houston

Carissa Olowos

Associate at Greenberg Traurig

Selena Parra

Managing Consultant at IBM

Akshar Patel

Manager of Provider Engagement at Belong Health

Girija Patel

Founder at GBP Law

Felicity Pereya

Founder at Elevate Strategies LLC

Samantha Romero

Community Relations Manager at Harris County Attorney’s Office

Patrick Ryan

CSO at Liberty Tire Recycling

Alejandra Salinas

Partner at Susman Godfrey

Re’Necia Sanders

Associate at Haynes and Boone

Neal Sarkar

Special Assistant County Attorney at Harris County Attorney's Office

Sydney Scott

Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Amir Shah

Director Advisory, KPMG

Sang Shin

Partner at Jackson Walker LLP

Atman Shukla

Partner at Sidley Austin

Philip Reyneke

Associate at White & Case

Neha Srivastava

Manager, Strategy and Transactions at EY

Valentina Gallego Silva

Audit & Assurance Senior Assistant at Deloitte

Rachel Smith

Consultant at Boston Consulting Group

Emlynn Smith

Founder at Acorn Learning Group

Tasha Taylor

Partner at Wright, Close & Barger

Shreya Sheth

Associate Professor of Pediatric Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine

Laura Thompson

Chief Financial Officer at Platform Partners LLC

Iris Tian

Deputy Commissioner at Texas Education Agency

Mayra Valle

Founder at Valle Conmigo LLC

Sam Veselka

Principal at Pelican Energy Partners

Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca

Senior Development Manager, Energy Solutions at Engie

Will White

President at White Endeavors

Mirna Mendoza Wilson

Project Coordinator at Rice University

Jamar Wilson

Director of Organizing and Advocacy Partnerships at Murmuration

Tommer Yokked

Partner at Sidley Austin

Ana Belen Zelaya

Project Coordinator at Healthy Futures of Texas

Yovani Zelaya

Construction Manager at DEC