Meet the Prelude team

Our Team

  • Donnell Butler

    Donnell Butler, Ph.D.

    President & Founder

  • Sarah Barrett

    Sarah Barrett

    Managing Director, Strategy & Operations

  • Beej Shah

    Beej Shah

    Managing Director, Programs

  • Brionni Nwosu

    Brionni Nwosu

    Instructor

  • Nehariika Kakkar

    Nehariika Kakkar

    Strategy & Operations Fellow

Future of Work Advisory Council

  • Michelle Baltrusitis Headshot

    Michelle Baltrusitis

    Head of Community & Social Impact, Fiverr

  • JoJo Cosman Headshot

    JoJo Cosman

    Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition Operations Strategy & Support and Early Careers Programs, The Campbell's Company

  • Sharnell Delmohammed

    Sharnell Delmohammed

    Vice President, Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion Lead, JPMorganChase

  • Liz Liu

    Liz Liu

    Head of Opportunity & Inclusion for Global Corporate Investment Banking, Global Markets, Global Research & Institute and Wealth Management, Bank of America

  • Khadijah Ojo

    Dr. Khadijah Ojo

    Director of Pre-Health Advising, Pepperdine University

  • Molly Pearl

    Molly Pearl

    Vice President, Career Pathways, Blackstone

  • Seema Shah

    Seema Shah

    Founder & Principal, Urban Strategies & Solutions LLC

Education Leadership Advisory Council

  • A man with glasses, graying hair, and a beard, smiling in an office setting with bookshelves in the background.

    Norman Atkins

    Managing Partner, Array Education

  • A man with dark hair and a beard wearing a red academic gown speaking into a microphone at a podium, with a green backdrop that says "Colleen S. Turnbull" and "Honors".

    Adam Bush

    President, College Unbound

  • Portrait of a smiling man with dark hair, wearing a suit jacket and tie, standing outdoors with greenery in the background.

    Rick Cruz

    Independent Consultant;
    Chair of the Board for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Instruction Partners

  • Portrait of a smiling woman with glasses, wearing a blue patterned shirt and a yellow beaded necklace.

    Stephanie Daniels

    Associate Director of Principal and Leadership Gifts, ACLU

  • Headshot of a smiling woman with dark hair wearing a black lace top and a cross necklace against a plain light background.

    Aimée Eubanks Davis

    Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Braven

  • Dan Lugo

    Dan Lugo

    President, Trinity College

  • A smiling man with light skin and short blonde hair, wearing a white dress shirt and a striped tie, in an office setting.

    Jeff Nelson

    Senior Advisor, New Profit;
    Co-Founder, One Goal

Life at Prelude

Our values

Prelude is a growing nonprofit organization reimagining the high school experience. We have a personal stake in the success of every intern who participates in a Prelude program, and we’re committed to constant learning to improve their experiences. As a team, we embrace collaboration, kindness, and creativity.

  • Our students are the reason we do this work and our most important stakeholders. We strive to improve educational and career opportunities for our students through culturally responsive instructional practices and advising.

  • Every team member is an educator. We are each individually and collectively responsible for student success. Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno.

  • Our students and our education and career partners are critical allies in our work. We treat them with respect, fairness, and integrity. Prelude only wins when our students win and our partners win.

  • We demonstrate strong critical thinking, curiosity, problem-solving, and facility to draw upon outside resources as necessary. Until we have eliminated the equity gap in college and career outcomes, our job is not done. Through integrity, personal accountability, and a high bar for excellence, we strive to continuously improve strong relationships, outstanding products, and unsurpassed service to deliver best-in-class educational experiences that lead to upwardly mobile student outcomes.

  • While it will at times be challenging and frustrating, we love our students because they are the future, we love our work because it brings us joy and meaning, and we love each other because it takes a village, and we can’t do this important work alone.

Join Our Team

Open Roles

  • Prelude is seeking a full-time Lead Instructor, Internship Programs to support our growing Learn & Earn internship programs for high school students. We are a remote team that delivers a mix of in-person and virtual coursework to students in seven cities.

    Role start date: May 2026

    Employment type: Full-time

    Location: Hybrid, including in-person instruction in Camden, NJ

    Reporting to: Managing Director, Programs

    About Prelude

    Prelude partners with high schools and companies to create work-based learning experiences that help students develop the skills, experiences, and networks to pursue upwardly-mobile careers. Our mission is to accelerate students into purpose-filled lives that lead to economic freedom. 

    Our Learn and Earn Internship Program provides high school students with year-long, paid internships at leading companies. These internships give students meaningful work experience while helping them build professional skills and explore career pathways. 

    Students begin their internship in the summer with a 1–2 week onboarding program called Induction (sample induction schedule here). In the fall, interns are assigned to a team and work in their internship roles 6-10 hours per week for the duration of the school year. 

    In parallel to their internship, students take an academic Intern Seminar course, delivered by Prelude. Intern Seminar is designed to equip students with key professional skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, and problem-solving. This course provides a supportive learning environment where students can reflect on their internship experiences, receive feedback, and build confidence in their professional abilities.

    Role Overview

    As Prelude expands to support students at a growing number of internship sites, we’re seeking a Lead Instructor, Internship Programs to support instruction, program operations, partnership management, and the continuous improvement of our programs. This role involves a mix of in-person and virtual instruction, along with ongoing coaching and support for students throughout the school year.

    This is a hybrid role with required availability for in-person instruction (~75% in-person in August for Intern Induction and ~10% in-person throughout the school year). Preference will be given to candidates within commuting distance to Camden, NJ, where most in-person instruction will occur for this role. There may be opportunities for travel to Prelude’s other sites. 

    As our team grows, we anticipate this role will grow with it—offering opportunities to take on greater responsibility, shape new initiatives, and expand leadership over time.

    Responsibilities

    Instruction & Curriculum (65%): 

    • Lead in-person summer induction sessions on-site at corporate partners

    • Facilitate virtual induction sessions

    • Lead weekly virtual Intern Seminar cohorts (3–6 one-hour class sessions per week on a fixed schedule during the school day) 

    • Conduct weekly prep for instruction

    • Provide ongoing coaching and support for assigned cohorts to ensure students succeed in their internship placements

    • Evaluate student work and manage grading for assigned cohorts

    • Maintain and manage course assignments in the LMS (Canvas) 

    • Update existing curriculum and design new lessons (for example, to prepare students for evolving skills related to AI literacy) 

    Program Management (35%): 

    • Serve as representative of the Prelude team, liaising with high schools and corporate partners on a weekly basis 

    • Work with employer and school partners to plan key events (e.g., induction and end-of-semester capstone presentations), coordinating event goals, schedules, invitations, and execution

    • Maintain, improve, and launch new systems and structures - for example related to student recruitment, stakeholder feedback, student outcomes, and alumni engagement—that help our organization grow with quality

    • Collect data on student growth and stakeholders satisfaction; work with Managing Director, Programs to reflect on data and continuously improve the program impact

    Qualifications

    • Demonstrated commitment to improving student growth and achievement through excellent instruction grounded in culturally responsive teaching

    • History of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture

    • At least 5 years of teaching experience in in-person and virtual settings

      • Exceptional instructional skills, with ability to adapt to different contexts and student groups

      • Commitment to student outcomes and experience providing 1:1 and cohort-level student support for high school-aged student population 

      • Experience teaching content related to career-readiness and/orprofessional skillsdevelopment for 16–18 year old students in urban, lower-income communities 

      • Familiarity with Canvas or other LMS platforms, Zoom, Google Drive, and other remote collaboration tools

    • At least 2 years of experience maintaining strong partnerships; experience with a diverse stakeholders across sectors (education, corporate)

      • Ability to navigate complex situations with a customer-service mindset, playing an intermediary role between organizations and individuals with a variety of communication styles

      • Strong interpersonal skills including professionalism, conscientiousness, a growth mindset, and the ability to problem-solve, learn quickly, and adapt in a fast-paced environment

    Preferred Qualifications

    • Experience in corporate, healthcare, or skilled trades setting; and/or willingness to become a subject-matter expert in entry-level role progression for these industries

    • Interest in financial literacy and/or AI literacy for high school-aged population; and/or willingness to become a subject-matter expert in these areas

    • Experience in additional program operations functions such as data analysis, alumni outcomes tracking, social media engagement, deploying tech tools, and partnership development; and/or interest in developing professional skills in these areas

    Compensation 

    Prelude is a program of Array Education, Inc, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Array Education offers competitive benefits including medical, dental, vision, parental leave and 401(k) benefits. The salary range for this full-time, remote role is $75,000–$85,000, commensurate with experience. 

    This role is ideal for someone who believes in bridging education and career success for young people. If you’re passionate about preparing students for the workforce and can commit to seasonal in-person instruction and year-round virtual support, we’d love to hear from you! 

  • Prelude is seeking a part-time Instructor (Contract role) to support our high school internship programs. We are a remote team serving students in a growing number of cities. We are seeking a part-time instructor who can support hybrid instruction for St. Louis-based cohorts. 

    Role start date: Early May 2026

    Role Type: Contract

    Location: Location: ~50% remote, ~50% in-person in St. Louis, MO

    Reporting to: Managing Director, Programs

    About Prelude

    Prelude partners with high schools and employers to create work-based learning experiences that help students develop the skills, experiences, and networks to pursue upwardly-mobile careers. Our mission is to accelerate students into purpose-filled lives that lead to economic freedom. 

    Our Learn and Earn Internship Program provides high school students with year-long, paid internships at leading employers. These internships give students the opportunity to develop professional skills, gain meaningful work experience, and explore career pathways. Students begin their internship in the summer with a 1–2 week onboarding called Induction (view a sample intern induction schedule here). In the fall, interns are assigned to a team and work in their internship roles 6–10 hours per week for the duration of the school year. 

    In parallel to their internship, students take an academic Intern Seminar course, delivered by a Prelude instructor. Intern Seminar is designed to equip students with key professional skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, and problem-solving. This course provides a supportive learning environment where students can reflect on their internship experiences, receive feedback, and build confidence in their professional abilities.

    Contract Role Overview

    As Prelude grows to support students at a growing number of internship sites in SY26-27, we’re seeking a dedicated Instructor to support summer Induction and school year Intern Seminar instruction. This role involves a mix of in-person and virtual instruction, as well as supporting student development throughout the year.

    Timeline & Commitment

    May 2026 (15 hours, Virtual and in-person)

    • Onboard

    • Shadow SY25–26 programming

    June 2026 (60 hours, Virtual and in-person in St. Louis) 

    • Observe programming

    • Prepare for late June instruction 

    • Lead instruction (in-person)

    July 2026 (30 hours, primarily virtual)

    • Lead student support

    • Lead instruction (virtual) 

    • Prep for August in-person instruction

    August 2026 (60 hours, Virtual and in-person in St. Louis) 

    • Observe programming

    • Prepare for instruction 

    • Lead instruction (in-person)

    Sept 2026 - May 2027 (5 hours per week; 10 hours per week at peak times; primarily virtual, with some in-person instruction and events in St. Louis)

    • Lead Instruction (primarily virtual): inclusive of 2–3 one-hour class sessions per week on a fixed schedule during business hours

    • Lead student support and 1:1 student check ins (virtual) 

    • Grade student work

    • Attend end of semester presentations (in-person) 

    Qualifications

    The right candidate for this position possesses the following skills and experiences: 

    • Exceptional classroom instructor in both in-person and virtual settings

    • Experience in student support for high school-aged student population 

    • Experience teaching content related to career-readiness and/orprofessional skillsdevelopment for 16–18 year old students in urban, lower-income communities 

    • Experience maintaining strong partnerships; experience with a diverse stakeholders across sectors (education, corporate, and/or healthcare) is a plus

    • Familiarity with Canvas or other LMS platforms, Zoom, Google Drive, and other remote collaboration tools

    Compensation 

    The consultant will track hours and invoice on a monthly basis. The hourly rate for this role is $65–90 per hour, commensurate with experience.

    This role is ideal for someone who believes in bridging education and career success for young people. If you’re passionate about preparing students for the workforce and can commit to seasonal in-person instruction and year-round virtual support, we’d love to hear from you!