Our Staff
Ashia Troiano
Head of Educational Coaching
Ashia Troiano (she/her/hers) is an educator and organizer from Harlem, New York and the Head of Educational Coaching for At the Table. Previously, she served as the Tutor Manager for the Dorm Project at the New York Foundling, taught Social Studies to high schoolers and middle schoolers, and wrote curriculum for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Ashia is on the steering committee of the New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE), a grassroots organization that fights for social justice inside and outside the classroom. With NYCoRE, Ashia has co-facilitated three teacher study groups: “Criminalization of Our Youth,” “Storytelling to Heal Ourselves and Educate Our Youth,” and “This is what an antiracist school would look like.” She has also co-presented workshops at Facing Race, Free Minds Free People, and the NYCoRE conferences.
Ashia received a Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College, with a major in Education and History and a minor in Black Studies, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University.
Jaclyn Holzer
Tutor Supervisor
Jaclyn (she/her/hers) is a tutor with At the Table. Before joining the team, she served as a Tutor Supervisor for the Dorm Project at the New York Foundling. She also supported students in The Foundling’s Road to Success, College Bound, and Afterschool Allies programs.
Over the past eight years, Jaclyn has taught students at every age level, ranging from preschoolers with disabilities to adults seeking their GED. In addition to mentoring and educating youth involved with the foster care system, Jaclyn participated in advocacy for survivors of domestic violence with organizations including Safe Horizon and assisted with research projects and publications on the impact of animal-assisted intervention on veterans as well as child survivors of sexual abuse.
Jaclyn has a bachelor’s degree in English from CUNY College of Staten Island with minors in French and Women’s Studies. She also received a master’s degree in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean University.
Melanie Chiluisa
Tutor
Melanie (she/her/hers) is a tutor with At the Table. She is a first-generation college student and recent Summa Cum Laude graduate from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she received a bachelor’s degree with a double-major in Criminology and Spanish: Latin American Literatures and Cultures while also working in John Jay’s financial aid office.
Before joining the team, Melanie was a Tutor for Reading Town Sunnyside where she worked with students in preschool and elementary school. She was also a part of the first cohort for the Teaching for Social Justice Fellowship, a partnership between John Jay College and Teacher’s College – Columbia University. She enjoys volunteering for organizations, such as Literacy Partners, that provide Adult Literacy classes to immigrant and non-native English speakers.
Melanie’s work with At the Table is inspired by the guidance and support she received from her faculty mentor at John Jay, and by her own journey toward college success at CUNY. She is excited to share her knowledge and experiences with current and future college students.
Michael Zink
Executive Director
Mike (he/him/his) is the founder and executive director of At the Table. He previously served as the Assistant Vice President for Educational Services at the New York Foundling, one of New York City’s oldest and largest social services agencies.
During his tenure at The Foundling, Mike and his team designed and launched four new tutoring programs for youth in foster care in kindergarten through college that collectively serve over 350 students annually with long-term individualized academic support. He also oversaw the Foundling’s best-in-class Educational Advocacy program, which connects the 600 to 800 school-aged youth in The Foundling’s care to the resources they need to succeed in school.
Prior to his time at The Foundling, Mike worked for four years as a tutor and Director of Research and Development at Pinnacle Prep, a private tutoring company focusing on standardized test prep. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.
Ethel Khanis
Tutor
Ethel (she/her/hers) is a tutor with At the Table. Prior to joining the team, she taught high school chemistry in the New York City public school system, working with students from remedial to AP levels of understanding. She particularly enjoys finding ways to connect the real world to the challenging abstract concepts of science.
She has tutored students from elementary to college-age students in a variety of subjects. Before moving to NYC, she worked in California’s Silicon Valley at a biotech firm providing chemical technical support for other biotechnology companies. In her spare time, she volunteers as a marine mammal stranding first responder for the NY area.
Ethel has a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of California Santa Cruz. She also completed a master’s degree in Chemical Education from CUNY Lehman College, and a master’s degree in Biology from the Bronx Zoo and Miami University.
Maverick Breton
Tutor
Maverick (he/him/his) is a tutor with At the Table. He is a first-generation graduate from New York University with a major in Psychology and minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies.
Before joining the team, he spent time volunteering for nonprofit organizations like Peer Health Exchange and City Year New York. These experiences allowed Maverick to work with various school populations in the city and develop a teaching style that focuses on total student well-being alongside efficacy in content being taught. He is also a former First Year Resident Assistant and has experience in guiding individuals through the college process. Maverick believes that everyone has the right to an education regardless of when they first take that step into academia.
Outside of work, Maverick enjoys taking the time to see friends and head out for events. From watching a new movie to seeing live concerts and other niche performances, he loves an opportunity to experience a new side of the city.