Joe Breedlove, Executive DirectorJoe is a Fort Worth native with more than 30 years of experience in education. He is a graduate of Fort Worth Country Day and Texas Christian University, and has served as Breakthrough director since 2002. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife, Andrea, and his two children, McKenna and Joseph.
Rudi Flores, Operations Director
Rudi has been a part of the program for nine years. Rudi was a Breakthrough student from 2001-03 and taught in the Breakthrough summer program from 2005-2010. During the summer, he supports our students and teaching fellows as the Dean of Students. He also supports our 8th graders through High School Options. He served as a corps member and team leader for City Year (an AmeriCorps national service network) in San Antonio, where he completed 5,200 hours of service at S.J. Davis Middle School working with sixth-grade math classes. Rudi was the first in his family to graduate from college and holds a BA in Electronic Media with a minor in Spanish from The University of Texas at El Paso.
Jessica Manzano-Valdez, Program Director
A former Breakthrough Central Texas student and teaching fellow, Jessica is responsible for helping guide the long-term strategies for teacher training, student curriculum, and instructional coaching. Highly organized, she manages all communication to the families and participating schools and serves as liaison to the national Breakthrough Collaborative. Jessica is a graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, CA, and has a master's degree in Teaching with a concentration in School Leadership from Texas Wesleyan University. Before becoming Programming Director, Jessica served as an ELA in FWISD through Teach for America and a math and reading interventionist in local charter schools.