LZ Nunn
Executive Director
Since joining Project LEARN in 2015, LZ Nunn has helped to invest more than $13.5 million in funding for programs for Lowell’s young people. LZ previously served as the Director of the Cultural Affairs & Special Events Office for the City of Lowell and the Cultural Organization of Lowell, where she led citywide cultural events and festivals, developed strategic partnerships, and coordinated marketing and fundraising initiatives.
LZ holds a BA from the University of Washington and an MFA from Emerson College, and she completed a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2013.
What is your favorite book?
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
What is your dream vacation destination?
Fiji.
If you could play any sport professionally, it would be…
Tennis.
Mira Bookman
Senior Director of Programs, Strategy & Marketing
Mira Bookman is a Teach For America alum, who previously taught science and service-learning classes as a ninth-grade biology teacher. As a teacher, she worked extensively in STEM curriculum development. Mira holds a BA in anthropology, a BS in biology, and a certificate in global health from the University of Georgia. She is pursuing a master’s degree in education and a graduate certificate in child and youth policy at Boston University.
What’s one thing on your bucket list?
To see Hamilton on Broadway.
Favorite sports team?
Georgia Bulldawgs. I've been waiting for us to beat Alabama since 2018!
If you could play any sport professionally, it would be…
Karate. Fun fact: I’m a third-degree black belt
Katerynne Patino
Director of Operations
Katerynne Patino was born in Medellin, Colombia, and immigrated to Lowell when she was a teenager, falling in love with the city from day one. Today, she is a happy mom and proud community servant. After a long career in the financial world, she switched to education and started as the Lowell Public School (LPS) Parent Liaison at a middle school in the Acre. Katerynne discovered her passion for working with Lowell's youth and simultaneously joined the Project LEARN team as the City's Family Council Liaison and Development & Programs Administrator. Before joining the Project LEARN team, she worked LPS Office of Equity & Empowerment as the Spanish Bilingual Family Liaison for the entire District.
How do you take your coffee?
Iced pumpkin latte with almond milk.
What is your favorite restaurant in Lowell?
Laos Thai Kitchen on Merrimack.
My favorite teacher at Lowell High was…
Mrs. Samaras, my ESL Teacher!
Autumn Kleiner
Senior Development Manager
Autumn Kleiner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she majored in English with a concentration in professional writing and dual minors in marketing and digital media. Previously, Autumn interned with the Office of Congresswoman Lori Trahan’s Communications Team and at a local start-up magazine, American Muslim Woman Magazine, where she had a major hand in developing its social media presence and overall brand identity.
What is your dream vacation destination?
Greece.
How do you like your coffee?
Sugar and oat milk creamer for me!
What’s your favorite pizza topping?
Pepperoni.
Sneha Patel
Senior Manager, Pathways & Partnerships
Passionate about policy and ensuring equitable access to quality education for all students, Sneha V. Patel moved to Lowell from North Carolina in 2023 for a Public Policy Fellowship before joining the Project LEARN team full-time. Previously, she taught middle school science for two years and high school biology & forensics for eight.
Sneha is a Teach for America Alumna (Jacksonville ‘14) and holds an M.Ed. in Education Policy from American University and a B.S. in Secondary Science Education from N.C. State University.
What is your favorite book?
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton or Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
If you could play any sport professionally, it would be…
Snowboarding
How do you take your coffee?
Iced, decaf, with a splash of creamer!