Firmly driven by the belief that access to a high-quality education is a fundamental civil right, Joelle Formato has dedicated her career to ensuring scholars in underserved communities have access and opportunities to unleash their full potential.
After completing her Teach for America Corps years in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Joelle returned to her hometown of Buffalo, NY, to continue her work in achieving educational equity. She received her Masters in School Counseling from the University at Buffalo, and worked as both a school counselor and teacher within Buffalo’s charter community. Her commitment to educational equity quickly led her to the Building Excellent Schools fellowship in 2016, and the founding of Persistence Preparatory Academy Charter School (Persistence Prep) in 2018. Since its inception, Persistence Prep has grown from serving 95 scholars in grades K-1 to a full K-8 school serving 500 scholars on Buffalo’s East Side.
Under Joelle’s leadership, Persistence Prep maintains above a 95% retention rate for both scholars and staff, and has consistently ranked in the 100th percentile amongst Buffalo charter schools for Instructional Culture, as measured by the TNTP Insight Survey. Over the last three years, Joelle has helped lead her school to proficiency increases of 23% in ELA and 43% in Math on the annual state assessment.
In addition to her work at Persistence Prep, Joelle also serves as a Girl Scout Leader, Girls on the Run Coach, and a board member at the Theatre of Youth.
Joelle and her team remain committed to the realization of Persistence Prep’s mission of a high-quality education for all and are well on their way to serving as a proof point of what is possible for the scholars of Buffalo.
Middle School Principal
Welcome to Persistence Prep ! My name is Jasmine Mungo, and I have the privilege of serving as our Middle School Principal and as a co-founder of Persistence Preparatory Academy.
I am originally from Washington, D.C. and moved Buffalo in 2012 to attend Canisius University, where I earned B.S. in Psychology and Political Science. I went on to earn graduate degrees in Urban Education and Clinical Mental Health Counseling and an advanced certificate in Building and District leadership. My experiences across the education sector, clinical counseling, and community leadership have shaped my approach to this work: set the expectation high, build meaningful relationships, center equity, and always lead with love.
That approach is at the heart of our middle school. We believe in what our scholars are capable of, and we are intentional about giving them the academic challenge, structure, relationships, and support necessary to be successful. Our responsibility extends beyond preparing students for their next grade level. We want them to grow into confident learners and leaders who understand who they are, believe in what is possible for them, and are ready for the opportunities that come next. I believe when educators, families, and our community are aligned, we strengthen outcomes for our scholars while uplifting the community we serve.
It is an honor to lead and serve our middle school community, and I look forward to continuing to grow, achieve, and celebrate our Panthers together.
Director of Operations
A California native, Adria Sortino moved to Buffalo in 2000 where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Buffalo State College.
Adria began her career as an Elementary School teacher in the city of Buffalo, while obtaining her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She spent many years teaching at various schools in Buffalo and also worked as a Holy Cross Head Start teacher.
More recently, Adria worked as the Senior Program Director at the Independent Health Family Branch YMCA where she managed and developed dynamic age appropriate programming in after school, preschool and summer camp programs. Adria ensured all childcare programs were of the highest quality and expanded program growth within the community with strategic and operating plans. Her leadership and experience in budget management led to the successes of exceeding revenue and bottom line targets on both a monthly and yearly basis.
Adria is excited to return to a school setting, and bring her operational expertise to the Persistence Prep Founding Team.
Director of
Curriculum & Instruction
As a prideful Buffalonian, Diina completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Canisius College. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and her Master’s Degree in Literacy.
Diina then went on to also receive her Administrative Degree from Canisius College.
Diina has over 25 years of experience in education. She has spent much of her professional career working with elementary and middle school students. Diina developed her teaching skills over 10 years as both an intervention specialist and a classroom teacher. Diina began to work in leadership and take on the role of Instructional Coaching and Curriculum Development. Diina then spent time as an Assistant Principal.
Diina’s decision to become part of a leadership team came from a strong desire to make a positive impact on an entire school community. As the Director of Curriculum, Diina plans to work diligently with the faculty and staff to carry out the vision and mission of Persistence Prep Academy. Diina believes that as a school, we play a fundamental role in positioning students for future success. She is committed to working closely with teachers, parents, and community members to ensure our children achieve their full potential and are prepared for their next phase of their educational career.
Diina has a love for baking and spends yearly vacations with her family in Disney World!
As part of the PPA Leadership Team, Diina is excited to continue to build relationships with staff, students, and families.
PPA founding teacher and native New Yorker, Sonya Ford, moved to Buffalo, NY for college. She attended both Buffalo State University for her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and the University at Buffalo for her master’s degree in Childhood Education. Sonya has always had a passion for teaching and mentoring students. Her own inner-city upbringing fueled her commitment to using education not only as a platform to equalize opportunities, but also to build a strong social and emotional community and identity, just as it once did for her.
These philosophies have guided her work from the elementary classroom to her current role coaching middle school teachers in mathematics. Sonya remains a founding educator in the development of Persistence Prep’s mathematics program, where she continues her mission to make math accessible to all students, especially students of color. Her expertise also extends to supporting the growth of PPA’s RTI Mathematics program, helping students close critical learning gaps.
As a founding teacher, Sonya brings great passion to Persistence Prep and its educational landscape. She continues to pour her talents and leadership both inside and outside the classroom to help make PPA a cornerstone of excellence in Buffalo.
Instructional Coach
Caitlin Corr Reilly is a Buffalo native and an experienced teacher, instructional leader, and curriculum designer. She began her career in education at St. Mark the Evangelist School in New York City, where she led fundraising efforts, spearheaded community engagement initiatives, assisted students and families with the high school application process, taught middle school Spanish, and founded and coached the school’s first girls’ basketball team.
Afterward, she spent six years with Uncommon Schools in Newark, NJ and Brooklyn, NY, where she led teacher recruitment efforts for Uncommon’s middle and high schools in Newark and served as a Science and ELA teacher, instructional coach, grade level leader, and basketball coach at Excellence Girls Middle Academy in Brooklyn, which was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2016. In 2017, she returned to Buffalo to serve as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Buffalo Collegiate Charter School.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University and received a Master of Arts in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education. She is thrilled to be able to support students and teachers at Persistence Preparatory Academy as an instructional coach.
Director of Special Education
Mike Zeiser brings a strong background in Special Education and a deep commitment to helping every student thrive.
Prior to joining our school community, Mike gained valuable experience in Boston Public Schools as a Special Education teacher in lower and upper elementary grades. After moving to Buffalo in 2020, he has been teaching special education at Persistence Prep. Mike holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in special education from the University of Hartford in Connecticut.
Passionate about advocating for children, Mike works to ensure that all students in need of additional assistance receive the individualized supports and resources they need to make meaningful educational progress and grow with confidence. As Director of Special Education, Mike is excited to continue partnering with students and families to build strong relationships and create a supportive environment where every child feels valued, understood, and empowered to succeed.
