Staff

S. Joseph Bruno, President
Mr. Bruno oversees and directs all aspects of Building Hope’s operations. He is a certified public accountant with 35 years of accounting, finance, business and management experience, was a partner in two of the top four nationally recognized accounting firms and CFO of a NASDAQ public company. Mr. Bruno qualifies as a financial expert under the Sarbanes-Oxley guidelines. He serves on the Boards of Georgetown Hospital, Center City Consortium, D.C. Prep Public Charter School and is on the Advisory Board of KIPP: DC Public Charter Schools.

Kathleen Padian, Vice President
Ms. Padian is responsible for new project development, grant-making, fund development and external relations at Building Hope. Her experience ranges from teaching in both public and private schools and in both traditional and special education settings to senior leadership positions in regional and national non-profit organizations. Kathy has experience in resource development, advocacy, government relations, and has managed the pre-construction phase of development of facilities for several public charter schools. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board for Achievement Preparatory Academy Public Charter School.

Paul R. Leleck, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Leleck manages Building Hope’s finances, and underwrites financial assistance to public charter schools. He also works with client schools on their accounting and budgeting through Building Hope Services. Paul is a certified public accountant with 35 years of accounting, finance, business and management experience. He has assisted development stage companies and served as a partner in a Big 4 accounting firm.

Thomas E. Porter, Director of Real Estate
Mr. Porter manages real estate transactions for public charter schools in the District of Columbia and directs the Incubator initiative for start-up charter schools.  Tom’s background includes leadership in the nonprofit and medical research sectors including expertise in budgeting, human resources, operations and finance.

Russell R. Zint, Project Manager
Mr. Zint manages the America’s Charter Credit Enhancement Program. He has specialized in analytical writing and organizational communications. Russell has wide experience in project planning and management, having facilitated significant construction, resource development, and strategic planning processes.

Anne Sorensen, Program Assistant
Ms. Sorensen contributes to Building Hope’s communications and new project development and manages external grants. Her experience includes project management and fund development in both the government and nonprofit sectors. Anne is the President of the Board of the Washington Youth Choir.

Dick Ertzinger, Construction Manager
Mr. Ertzinger provides construction management services for charter school construction and renovations and property management services for existing school sites in the District of Columbia. His experience includes government and private commercial construction, conversions and rentals and residential subdivision development, custom home construction and remodeling projects, with additional expertise in corporate accounting, forecasting and cost accounting in construction related businesses. He is a licensed Contractor and Real Estate Broker in the State of Maryland.

Halima Umaru, Administrative Assistant
Ms. Umaru provides office operations assistance and administrative support to Building Hope staff. Her past experience has been in private, nonprofit, and government organizations.