Former counselors, teachers, and college access staff, alongside the engineers who turn what schools need into software.
The people behind Overgrad
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Cesar Lombera has spent more than 12 years in college access and success, beginning as a dean's assistant at a Brooklyn high school and advancing through roles as a college counselor, a college success advisor, and an associate director overseeing alumni support and matriculation outcomes across a network of NYC schools. He now serves as Overgrad's NYC Community Engagement Manager, leading the rollout of Overgrad across more than 200 NYCPS high schools and partnering with the Office of Student Pathways to strengthen postsecondary planning citywide. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in French, is originally from Los Angeles, CA, and now lives in New York, NY.
Collins West is a former Overgrad user as both a high school college counselor and district administrator. She joined the Overgrad team in 2021 as a Customer Success Rep, energized by helping educators more effectively use Overgrad to help them achieve their goals. Now, as Chief Operating Officer, she spends her time aligning collective efforts and removing barriers to ensure our successes don't come by accident, with the ultimate goal of impacting postsecondary outcomes for students across the country. She studied Psychology, Philosophy, and Leadership at the University of Colorado - Boulder and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ivan Santos operates as Overgrad's Support Engineer under the Customer Success team. He joined in early 2025 as a fairly recent college graduate, bringing his technical expertise and fresh student experience. With a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science, he assists with support requests, bug fixes, data cleanup, developing new features and more. Currently located in Denver, CO, he loves to explore the mountains by going on adventurous hikes, playing soccer and working out, and traveling around the world. He lives his life by taking advantage of every opportunity that comes his way, knowing it will always serve as a learning experience and chance to grow.
Jesús Morán began his career teaching history to 10th–12th grade students in Richmond, CA, before moving into college counseling to help students plan for life after graduation. He joined Overgrad in 2021 as a Customer Success Rep, and for the past five years he has partnered with schools and districts across the country to help educators get the most out of Overgrad and support their students' postsecondary goals. He studied Government at Harvard College. Originally from Los Angeles, CA, he has called the Bay Area home for the past 10 years. Outside of work, he helps coordinate high school sports, and enjoys playing and watching tennis, traveling, and catching live music and shows.
As a member of Overgrad's Customer Success team, Kendall brings 12 years of hands-on experience in education, having served as both a middle school special education teacher and a high school college counselor in Denver. Her core belief - that supporting all students truly means ALL students - led her to fall in love with Overgrad while using it to help students and families find the right postsecondary fit. Now, she leverages that same passion to support schools, districts, and community-based organizations as they help students reach their full potential. Kendall grew up in Southern California, attended San Diego State University, and has lived in Colorado since 2012.
As Overgrad's Product Lead, Leah Boecker is passionate about solving user problems, designing intuitive experiences, and continuously improving Overgrad to meet the needs of educators and students. As a former high school counselor, Leah understands the massive and nuanced effort that goes into supporting students through postsecondary exploration, graduation, and beyond. She loves combining her experience and passion to simplify workflows for educators and improve real-world outcomes for students. Leah has degrees in Psychology (Muhlenberg College) and School Counseling (Boston University), and currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Lydia Gallant is a college counselor at heart, though she got there as a career changer, from a linguistics degree (Northeastern University), to years in bread and pastry kitchens, to a master's in school counseling (Fordham University). She still shows up as a counselor in practice, working directly with students using Overgrad even now, and believes every student deserves support, whether or not their path leads to college. She brings that firsthand perspective to her role as Overgrad's NYC Customer Success Representative, where she supports educators across NYC public schools through platform training, year-round troubleshooting, and school visits to build strategy together. A lifelong New Yorker, she lives in Brooklyn.
Rebecca Perrone has spent more than 15 years in K-12 education, beginning at Excel Academy Charter Schools, where she led development and talent before serving as chief of staff. She now leads grant management, partnership development, and communications at nXu Education and works across marketing and growth at Overgrad, connecting durable skills curriculum to the college and career planning systems schools already use. She is a graduate of Colby College and currently resides in Newton, MA with her husband and 2 children.
Ryan Hoch is the co-founder and CEO of Overgrad. A former educator, Ryan saw firsthand how fragmented and inequitable the college and career process was for students. Overgrad was built to change that, providing schools and community-based organizations with data-driven tools to improve advising, simplify decision-making, and drive better student outcomes. Ryan holds a degree in General Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign but found his calling in education. Originally from Chicago, Ryan and his family now call Fort Collins, CO home.
Tomás Garrido is a software engineer with more than 10 years of experience in software development, including over six years as part of the engineering team at Overgrad. He enjoys solving problems, exploring new technologies, and continuously learning new things that help him grow both personally and professionally. He holds a bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering. Tomás lives in Costa Rica with his wife and their three boys.
YaMinco is a graduate of Spelman College and Howard University and former college counselor who has spent her career helping students and families navigate the journey from high school to college and beyond. Throughout her career in education and college access, she has worked alongside students and families to make the transition from high school to college more intentional. She brings a deep passion for creating opportunities for the students she serves and is excited to bring her experience and perspective to Overgrad. A proud Houstonian, YaMinco is thrilled to be Overgrad's newest teammate and Texas Engagement Manager!
Want to work with us?
We hire people who have done this work in schools and want to make it easier for the next counselor.
