Social Support Services

Sara Ross joined GKFF in 2017 and is a program officer on GKFF’s Equal Opportunity Team. Ross manages GKFF’s Social Services Safety Net grant portfolio and the Summer Impact Program. She also works closely with GKFF’s Accelerator Grants process. Prior to joining GKFF, Ross worked at the University of Oklahoma (OU) as a student assistant for the College of Professional and Continuing Studies. She graduated from OU in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations and in 2017 with a master’s degree in Human Relations/Human Resource Diversity and Development.

Sophia Pappas is the managing director for the Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST). She leads a team responsible for the ongoing implementation and sustainability of an initiative to tackle poverty by improving outcomes in the earliest years of a child’s development. Pappas builds on expertise from managing large programs and creating policies within New York City’s Department of Education along with knowledge about health, financial and social programs within non-profits and public agencies gained in her time in Tulsa. Starting off as a pre-K teacher at a public school in Newark, New Jersey, Pappas moved on to author "Good Morning, Children" (Gryphon House, '09) and train early childhood teachers. She served across mayoral administrations at the New York City Department of Education from 2011-2017, where she oversaw teams ensuring pre-K programs offered high-quality classroom instruction and family engagement. Pappas attended Georgetown University and Harvard Kennedy School earning a Master of Public Policy. Her time as a pre-K teacher grounds her in the importance of high quality early education. What she learned from children, families, fellow teachers and school administration shapes how she leads and what gets her up in the morning.

Suzanne Schreiber is a senior program officer who works on special projects for GKFF, including Tulsa’s Gathering Place LLC and various policy initiatives. Originally from New Mexico, Schreiber practiced law for several years and clerked for both the Northern District Court of Oklahoma and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. She graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law and the University of Tulsa with a Bachelor of Science in political science and law and society. Schreiber also serves as a State Representative for Oklahoma’s House District 70.