Staff

Elena received her BA in Sociology and Spanish from Bates College. Prior to joining Steppingstone’s Admission team, Elena served as the Family Center Coordinator at Family Life Education in Hartford, Connecticut, a nonprofit dedicated to providing comprehensive support, advocacy and leadership programs for first-generation, immigrant families. In high school and college, she worked for Steppingstone’s Hartford affiliate, Hartford Youth Scholars, as an intern and Executive Assistant to the Dean of Programs. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, drawing, going to folk concerts and trying new Boston restaurants.

Lillian Marie joined the Steppingstone Admission team in September 2021. Since graduating from Lehigh University with a B.A. in Global Studies and Spanish, she has dipped a toe in several different fields including teaching, quality assurance, and even dog grooming! Before joining Steppingstone, she taught remote ESL to adult refugees with Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE). In her spare time, Lillian hosts events with Skip the Small Talk, helping strangers to make connections and practice vulnerability using methods grounded in psychology research. Her many hobbies include creating ASMR, cooking, playing board games, and pilates--all supported by her loving partner, stellar madre, and feisty cat, Creamsicle.

Claire graduated from Emmanuel College with a B.A in Political Science in 2018 and has since earned her graduate certification in Education Policy from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Claire was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, which she frequently visits. Outside of work she enjoys running, blogging, reading, and traveling.

Jane Ventrone began her career at Steppingstone as an Advisor with The Steppingstone Academy in 2006. Before moving into the Vice President of Academic Programs role, she served as the Senior Director of Teaching and Learning. Prior to joining Steppingstone, Jane taught 7th grade Language Arts as a Teach for America corps member in Philadelphia. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Boston College, an M.S. in Elementary Education from Saint Joseph's University, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Jane serves on the Board of Directors of Riverbend School in Natick, MA and she also enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.