Associate Director of Breakthrough Santa Fe

Organization Profile

Since its founding in 2004, Breakthrough Santa Fe has been a leading local college access organization that has demonstrated its effectiveness at preparing first‑generation and low‑income students to be successful in college while preparing the next generation of educators for careers in education. With an innovative six‑year model that follows students and families from middle school to college matriculation, Breakthrough Santa Fe creates opportunities for students who would otherwise not have a reliable pathway to college.

Its core program is a six‑week summer session, staffed by college‑aged Teaching Fellows and veteran teachers, that prevents summer slide, builds the Breakthrough community, and inspires college‑aged students from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in education.
For students enrolled in its program, Breakthrough Santa Fe boasts a retention rate of nearly
100%—students and families who start the program stay throughout the entire six years. Breakthrough Santa Fe’s Class of 2025 had a 100% High School graduation rate, and nearly 90% went on to college.
Finally, nearly 2/3 of Breakthrough Santa Fe Teacher Fellows continue on to careers in education, often bringing the values and skills they learned as a teacher with them into the rest of their working life. In 2023, a generous anonymous gift to Breakthrough Santa Fe provided the opportunity for staff to open 529 College Savings Fund accounts for all incoming College Bound students and to provide eight gap scholarships for Breakthrough seniors matriculating to in‑state universities.

This gift positions Breakthrough to expand its college access work by providing earlier and more targeted financial literacy to young students
and to ensure that more Breakthrough students are able to graduate from college debt‑free. As a leader in college access in Santa Fe, Breakthrough hopes to demonstrate a sustainable model that can be replicated across New Mexico.
Breakthrough Santa Fe is housed at Santa Fe Preparatory School, a fully accredited, coeducational day school serving approximately 320 students in grades seven through twelve. A private school that takes its public purpose seriously, Santa Fe Prep has generously hosted Breakthrough Santa Fe since the program’s inception in 2004. Accredited by the Independent School Association of the Southwest, Prep is also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Prep also hosts the Davis New Mexico Scholarship and the Rural Opportunities for College Access (ROCA) organization; through Prep, Breakthrough staff are embedded in this community of educators and college access professionals.
Breakthrough Santa Fe is also an affiliate of Breakthrough Collaborative, a national nonprofit. As part of the national collaborative, Breakthrough Santa Fe staff have access to resources, colleagues, and expertise from other Breakthrough sites around the country.

This individual will assist in all areas of program design and execution. They will be responsible for the successful implementation of BTSF’s middle school program. Leading up to, and during the summer, the associate director will ensure the success and viability of the summer program by attending to student and staff needs and supervising all special events. They will also provide direct support throughout the school year and will be the main coordinator for school‑year Saturday programs.

In addition, the associate director will support the executive director in fundraising and grant‑writing efforts.
The Associate Director will be a full‑time exempt employee of Santa Fe Preparatory School and will receive health insurance, opportunities to travel to conferences, and other professional development opportunities. Prep employees are given five weeks of paid vacation, to be taken in line with the Santa Fe Prep School calendar and in consultation with the Executive Director of Breakthrough Santa Fe.

This position reports directly to the Executive Director of Breakthrough Santa Fe.

• Oversee middle school summer program, including overseeing summer curriculum changes and planning/executing…