Director of Community Engagement

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Anneliese Lapides is currently pursuing her M.D. at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. She is an East Lyme High School alum, and she graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2020 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a B.A. in Human Development & Family Sciences. In 2024, she will graduate from medical school and begin her pediatrics residency training where she also hopes to work on health equity, advocacy, and supporting underserved communities. 

Growing up in a diverse family, Anneliese has valued racial equity and social justice from an early age, and has dedicated herself to turning her family’s lessons into action. She is inspired by her fellow SCORE directors to work together to make positive change. This cause is important to her because she hopes for us to be able to live in a society where we address the flaws of our institutions and dismantle systemic racism. She is motivated to work within the community to create an environment where we can live not just harmoniously, but safely.

Director of Operations

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Serena Valentin was born and raised in southeastern CT and has spent the majority of her life living in East Lyme, CT. She graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education, and is currently employed as an elementary music teacher, Equity Team Coordinator, and BIPOC student affinity leader in Corvallis, OR. Serena is currently working on her Masters in Music Education at Boston University and hopes to continue advocating for equity within the public school system.

Serena's family heritage has provided her with diverse perspectives on anti-racism and inclusivity. Those perspectives, combined with a lifetime of experience in communities lacking diversity, have sparked her passion for activism.

As Director of Operations for SCORE and an advocate for equity in her school district, Serena is inspired by SCORE's collective goal: to make people of color feel heard, safe, and welcome in southeastern CT.

Director of Programming

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Nickie DeSardo has been an educator since 2003 and holds a Connecticut teaching certificate in both elementary education and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).  She has also worked in community programming as an Americorps team leader and as a Holocaust Education Coordinator.  She currently teaches as an adjunct professor for Post University.

Nickie has taught in both urban and suburban environments and is struck by the inequity of resources and opportunities among districts, leading to her involvement in SCORE. She is honored to join with her fellow directors in the development of the organization and serves as the Director of Programming.

Nickie is an East Lyme native. She currently resides in town with her partner, her two school-age children, and two dogs.

Executive Director

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Ben Ostrowski is a People Researcher at Atlassian. He holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Brown University and a Master’s and PhD in Organizational Behavior & Theory from Carnegie Mellon University.

Ben is committed to leveraging his privilege to advance equity and inclusion in his communities. In June 2020, he helped organize a protest of institutionalized racism and police brutality that provided a platform for residents of color to speak about their hometown. This sparked the inception of SCORE, which has since made notable strides in implementing anti-racist policy in local communities, directly addressing the calls for change made at the protest.

Currently, Ben applies his research in team and organizational coordination and innovation to SCORE, working to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in achieving the organization’s goals. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife, dog, and two cats.

Director of Finance

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Esteban Garcia works in the Finance and Administration division at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), additionally he serves as the Co-Chair of the university's Dreamers Action Alliance, and serves as a liaison for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion division.

Esteban is a passionate leader that has led many initiatives to advance equity and inclusion work. He has presented at regional and national conferences including the College Board's “Prepárate 2019” conference in San Antonio, TX and was the Keynote speaker at the 2019 meeting of the New England Transfer Association (NETA).

On a local level, Esteban currently serves on the Board of Education in East Lyme.

A native of Colombia, Esteban joined SCORE to provide leadership on financial and government/legislative issues. He resides in East Lyme with his wife and two kids.