Our Team
Meet the people behind the scenes at Pride and Less Prejudice
Lisa
Founder
Lisa Forman (she/her) is the Founder of Pride and Less Prejudice. She has been teaching children music in preschools, libraries, and music groups, and through private piano lessons for more than 25 years.
She has a BA in Music and Psychology from Boston University and a MA in Music Therapy from New York University. In her spare time, Lisa is also a mixed media artist and loves to travel. Charlotte’s Web was her first of many favorite books as a child.
Ally
Content Creator & Videographer
Ally Damante (she/her) is the Creative Content Editor and Videographer at Pride and Less Prejudice. She is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, with a B.A. in Arts for Social Change. Her recent work experiences include interning for Little Kids Rock, Daylight Books, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and the Andrew Goodman Foundation.
She is passionate about artistic expression, social justice and youth empowerment. In her free time, she loves to play ukulele, tap dance, and create abstract art. Her all-time favorite children’s book is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Becca
Outreach Coordinator and Co-Founder
Becca Damante (she/her) is the Outreach Coordinator and Co-Founder of Pride and Less Prejudice. She is a 2017 graduate of Smith College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies and a concentration in Archival Studies.
Over the course of her career, Becca has worked at the intersection of LGBTQ+ rights, women's issues, law, and public policy. Her previous bylines include Tagg Magazine, The Advocate, Out, Slate, and Ms. Magazine.
You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @beccadamante. Growing up she loved the Nancy Drew mini notebook series!
Kit
Literary Curator
Kit Ballenger (she/her) is a youth services librarian in the Washington, D.C. area and a content contributor for Pride and Less Prejudice.
A former child advocacy attorney, Kit reads almost exclusively KidLit and her favorite part of librarianship is helping readers see themselves in stories. Kit runs Help Your Shelf, a literary consulting service for educational companies, nonprofits, teachers and families.
She is a graduate of Amherst College and U.Va. Law School and her favorite kids book is inevitably the one she's just finished. You can find her reading recommendations on Instagram @KitonLit.
Dani
Meet The Author/Blog Coordinator
Dani (they/them) is an early childhood educator from Chicago. Originally planning to be a high school English teacher, Dani has a Bachelor’s degree in English and education, but after finding a job as a preschool teacher, they never looked back! Dani currently has a Master’s degree in early childhood education from Erikson Institute.
Dani has always had a passion for literature and early childhood literacy, and PLP is the perfect way to combine these passions. One of Dani’s favorite things to do with young children is to read (and often act out) engaging stories. Dani’s work with PLP includes coordinating the blog, writing grant proposals, and creating author questions for our Meet the Author series. When they’re not in the classroom or curled up with a book, Dani can often be found walking or hiking in nature or playing sports. Their favorite children’s book is Min-Yo and the Moon Dragon.
Nicole
Social Media Strategist
Nicole Frankel (she/her) is an Instructional Designer for Rutgers University’s Institute for Families. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology. She has always had a passion for education, with reading and writing being her favorite subjects in school. In her free time, Nicole enjoys traveling and spending time with her fiancé and rescue cat named Denali.
Being an educator and being LGBTQ are the two parts of Nicole’s identity that she is most proud of, so she is glad to be incorporating these important aspects of her life into her work with Pride and Less Prejudice. Nicole’s favorite children’s book is The Adventures of Beekle: Thr Unimaginary Friend.
Rebecca
Teacher Guide Coordinator/Educator Advisory Committee Lead
Rebecca Bauer is an independent consultant who specializes in content development and project management in the nonprofit sector. Over the last decade, Rebecca has managed initiatives at education nonprofits with a focus on family-school partnerships, social emotional learning and supporting LGBTQ+ youth. She also co-authored a chapter in Family & Community Partnerships: Promising Practices for Teachers and Teacher Educators. Rebecca attended Vassar College, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Education, and the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Master's degree in Education Policy.
Growing up she loved the Junie B. Jones series because those books could always make her laugh!
Dothy
Website Manager
Dothy Cart is a Software Test Engineer at DON and the website manager in Pride and Less Prejudice. She graduated Cum Laude with Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) from AMA Computer University.
In her free time, she loves to sing, play videogames, create art, and play the guitar and drums.
While growing up in the Philippines, she was a member of a mountaineering group which advocates developing social awareness on issues concerning the environment and provides training in Rescue and First Aid, Basic Life Support, and Jungle Survival. The group also grants clothing and medical and educational aid to families living in remote areas.
Alexandra
Development
Alexandra (she/her) is a recent college graduate, studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and is continuing to take classes to fulfill her goal of lifelong learning. She is hoping to pursue a Master's degree in the future.
Since a young age she has loved storytelling of all kinds, and feels passionately about inclusion and representation in literature, especially in regards to allowing young readers to find characters similar to themselves. In her free time she likes to read, write, walk in beautiful places and take part in extracurricular organizations. One of her favorite books growing up was Watership Down.
Elana
Curriculum Support
Elana Fruchtman (she/her) taught kindergarten in both public and independent schools in Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles for nearly a decade. She now works for a charter network as their Academic Program Manager for Early Childhood Education. She received her B.A. from Vassar College and earned her M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University in Literacy Education.
Books are her passion, and she loves nothing more than sharing literature with kids and teachers! Her favorite book as a child was When Dinosaurs Go Visiting, which her dad read aloud to her so many times that she still has it memorized to this day!
Tri Ho
Development & Communications Intern
Tri is a senior at Yale studying Global Affairs. Throughout high school and college, Tri has always been passionate about education and the power of advocacy through directly working with his communities and bringing representation to his academic and professional pursuits.
As a member of the LBGTQ+ community, he is looking forward to using literature and media as mediums through which students can develop meaningful ways to navigate and celebrate people of all identities. As a child, he enjoyed reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
Delilah Delgado
Development & Communications Intern
Delilah Delgado (she/her) is a junior at Williams College, double majoring in English and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. She is especially passionate about the study of girlhood and gendered roles in children’s literature—and she hopes to eventually pursue a career in the literary industry, working to promote diversity in writing and publishing.
In her free time, she loves dance and choreography, photography, and listening to podcasts. As a child (and to this day!), her favorite books to read were Little Women and Anne of Green Gables.
Sheila Krispin
Development & Communications Intern
Sheila Krispin is a third year at Franklin and Marshall College majoring in English Literature and minoring in History. Sheila is interested in and has been involved with childcare and education over the years, with the intention of promoting diversity and inclusion in every level of education. Eventually, she hopes to pursue a degree in law, in which she hopes to continue encouraging diverse and inclusive perspectives within the industry.
Sheila fell in love with reading at an early age, thanks to her mother’s love for books. Gaining the opportunity to share her love of reading with the world has always been a dream of hers. In her free time, Sheila loves reading, dancing, and playing rugby! One of her favorite books as a child was Eloise, which her parents read to her every night.
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