Catherine H. Gottfred, Ph.D., Founder
Dr. Gottfred founded Leap Learning Systems in 1988. She has teaching and clinical experience and has held numerous positions in the field's state and national associations. Dr. Gottfred is the 2008 President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and actively oversees Leap Learning Systems program offerings. She received her doctoral degree in speech pathology from Northwestern University.

John Lybolt, Ph.D., Research Director
Dr. Lybolt co-wrote Building Language Throughout the Year: the Early Literacy Preschool Curriculum with Dr. Gottfred, which has been used in public and charter schools in Chicago and was published in 2006. Dr. Lybolt holds a doctorate degree in Communication Sciences from Northwestern University and has an extensive background in research, teaching and presenting school-based teaching techniques, programs, in-services, and curricula development.

Michael Levesque, Executive Director
In addition to his 20 years of corporate experience with firms such as Pepsi Cola, Service America Corp., AutoNation and Discovery Communications, Michael has been involved as a business consultant, volunteer and board member with youth and community-based organizations across the country including the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Boys & Girls Club, Chicago Youth Centers, Focus on Youth, Inc., Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation, Little League Baseball, Concerned Black Men in Washington, D.C., United Negro College Fund to name a few. Michael has a BA in Management from Morehouse College has studied international business at Roosevelt University and Universite Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium, and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Roger Anderson has been a practicing speech/language pathologist for over 30 years and has worked in virtually every aspect of the profession.  He has developed specific expertise through his extensive work with people with developmental disabilities and has been listed in 'Who's Who' in Developmental Disabilities.  Along with his work as a speech/language pathologist, Roger maintains a nationally recognized career as a professional singer and actor.

Bev Applebaum has more than 19 years experience as a preschool teacher and thoroughly understands the needs and expectations of educators in the field. Her expertise in balancing new curricular demands with the realities of teachers’ daily routines is a primary reason for the success of the professional development programs Bev delivers.

Dalila Avila has clinical experience working with preschoolers, school-age children, and adults. She holds a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University and a M.S. in Speech and Language Pathology from Teachers College, Columbia University.  Dalila also holds an Elementary and Secondary teaching certificate.

Elizabeth Condon has six years of development and communication experience and currently manages the fundraising and outreach efforts of Leap Learning Systems. Ms. Condon has experienced success collaborating with staff, program partners, and donors to provide programming to students and teachers throughout the city. She is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Development Leadership Consortium. Ms. Condon holds a B.A. in English Literature from St. Norbert College.

Isabel Govea  has six years of experience working with infants, toddlers and school age children.  Her work with young children as a high school day school teacher and with school aged children in summer programming has prepared her for her work with Leap’s language focused programming.  Furthermore, her Hispanic linguistic and cultural background helps her contribute to program development and implementation of program offerings to multicultural populations. Ms. Govea holds a B.A. from Elmhurst College.

Jennifer Preschern has published several teacher resource books, and presented at numerous state and local conventions in the areas of reading and language. Jennifer holds masters degrees from Northwestern University in speech/language pathology and in learning disabilities. She also holds a school administration certification from Loyola University, an Orton-Gillingham reading certification, and a Hanen Center Early Intervention certification.

Nina Smith joined the Leap team in January 2010. Since then, she has been working extensively with the Language For Scholars program. Smith has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders, a M.A. in Speech Language Pathology and a M.A. in Learning Disabilities all from Northwestern University.

La Tonia Wells has ten years of experience working with preschoolers and school-age children. Her professional background working with educators from the early grades through middle-school makes her an asset to the Leap team. La Tonia holds a M.A. in Inner City Studies Education and a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Education from Northeastern Illinois University.