Anne Thompson, JD
Anne L. Thompson is a co-founder of Laurus where she is the grant-writing lead and provides evaluation services to non-profits and school districts in the New York City area. As a grant-writer, she has secured major federal, state, foundation and corporation grants for a variety of clients, including universities, school districts, and non-profit organizations.
Prior to founding Laurus, Ms. Thompson served as an independent grant writer and evaluator. She has also been the Director of Evaluation and Special Projects for New Jersey After 3, Program Officer for The After-School Corporation (TASC, now ExpandEd), and Curriculum Developer, Program Supervisor and Site Coordinator for the Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation (now New York Edge). She also worked as a health care attorney in Atlanta and New York City for six years. Ms. Thompson has a B.A. from Williams College and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law.
Christine Corriston, LCSW
Christine P. Corriston is a co-founder of Laurus where she is the evaluation lead, managing evaluation projects for school districts and non-profit organizations in New Jersey and New York. Through her expertise in technical assistance and professional development, she has provided support to more than 50 organizations, including afterschool programs, health organizations and social service agencies.
Prior to forming Laurus, Ms. Corriston was the New Jersey School-Age Care Coalition’s Director of Special Projects; Director of Social Services at Newark’s Aids Resource Foundation; and Co-Director of a Summer Youth Employment Program for over 1000 teens. She was also the Director of one of the first 21st Century Community Service Center programs in the nation, located in Boston. She is a New Jersey Licensed Certified Social Worker, has a Masters of Social Work, Group Work Concentration, from Hunter College School of Social Work, and a Certification in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy from Boston University Graduate School of Social Work. She received a B.A. from Fordham University.
Meet the Team
Jamie Bellissimo, LSW
Yolanta Kornak, Ph.D.
Program Evaluator
Senior Evaluator and Operations Manager
Jamie Bellissimo is a Senior Evaluator and Operations Manager with a background in social work and a passion for using data to improve outcomes for community services. Utilizing a systemic-centered approach, she analyzes and strategizes ways for programs to be creative with data collection and eventually quality improvement. Before joining Laurus, Ms. Bellissimo worked in a variety of settings, including academic research and mental health and addiction treatment. Jamie holds a Masters of Social Work degree from Marywood University and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from New York University.
Yolanta joined the Laurus team in April 2023 as a Program Evaluator, bringing expertise in assessing afterschool STEM and youth development programs. Holding a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The Graduate Center, CUNY, Yolanta is passionate about self-efficacy, motivation, and youth success, and extends her dedication to fostering youth empowerment and program excellence. Prior to her role at Laurus, she served as a Research Analyst in the CUNY Office of Institutional Research, and later held Postdoctoral positions at Hunter College and Montclair State University. Yolanta is committed to data-driven decision-making and improving educational outcomes.
Robyn Schreiber
Director of Research and Evaluation
Beth Pulawski
Evaluation & Grant Specialist
Robyn Schreiber is an evaluation, research, and grant-writing professional who collaborates with programs to design and track progress toward identified outcomes, develop useful evaluative materials, and build data analysis into strategic planning and program implementation. Prior to joining the Laurus team Robyn worked as a public health and community-based programming researcher and grant administrator, contributing to both global and local multi-year projects. Robyn holds a B.S. and B.A. in Public Health and Anthropology from Rutgers University.
Beth Pulawski is an experienced public health and development professional, advocate, and passionate community builder with over fifteen years of expertise in developing, managing, evaluating, and implementing strategies and programs for foundations, multilaterals, and nonprofits including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Montclair State University, and Montclair Community Farms. Beth holds a M.I.A. from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and a B.S. in International Business from Fairfield University.
Anthony Buonpane
Chief Financial Officer
Anthony Buonpane brings over 25 years of small business and nonprofit experience to his consulting business and is recognized as a leader in his field. He manages financial and company development for social service and affordable housing organizations. Anthony is certified and highly qualified in accounting software, fundraising, and database management. Currently, he is consulting with businesses to enhance their financial and operational performance. By designing comprehensive controls, processes, and systems, he offers his clients fiscal peace of mind.