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Staff

Program Managers:

TYLER ABE-MYSEN

Program Manager, San Francisco

Tyler grew up in Tokyo, Japan, and Menlo Park, California. She earned a B.S. in Elementary Education and Human Development from Wheelock College in Boston. Since returning to California, she has taught in kindergarten and third grade in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto elementary schools. She quickly recognized the extensive gap in the lives of children between the two cities and decided to find more ways to make a positive impact on them. Her volunteer work includes being a tutor at the I Have a Dream Foundation in East Palo Alto and Avenidas Literacy Program, as well as being a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) through Child Advocates working with foster children. Tyler has run 2 Reading Partners centers in East Menlo Park and San Mateo.

NIDA ASGHAR

Program Manager, South Bay

Before joining Reading Partners, Nida worked for two years at the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University. She earned her B.A. degree from UCLA in International Developmental Studies and her M.A. with an emphasis in Higher Education from Santa Clara University. Nida, since graduating from UCLA has been involved in, and is passionate about, working with children from traditionally under privileged communities, which has led her to her position at Reading Partners. She previously served as Site Director at Horace Mann Elementary.

 

GEORGANNE MORIN

Program Manager, Peninsula

Georganne joined Reading Partners with many years of experience in the field of education. She began her career teaching Environmental Education for San Joaquin County. She then joined the Peace Corps in Senegal and helped rural primary school teachers design and teach environmental lessons. After returning from Africa, Georganne earned her teaching credential at Holy Names College in Oakland. She then taught second through fifth grades in an Oakland Public School and the International School of Kenya in Nairobi. After returning to the US, Georganne attended Stanford University, earning an MA in International Educational Administration and Policy Analysis. Upon graduating, Georganne joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula and worked there for four and a half years as the Education Director before coming to Reading Partners. She is passionate about teaching literacy to children from traditionally underserved communities.

 

DESIREE PEREZ

Program Manager, East Bay/San Mateo

Desiree received her BA in Child Development with a Multiple Subject Teaching Option from California State University Los Angeles. Always wanting to be part of a community building team, she worked for the City of Los Angeles Commission for Children, Youth and Families and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment before earning her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and teaching sixth through eighth grade English and History. She joined Reading Partners in 2008 as the Site Director at Washington Accelerated School in Pasadena, and now manages the Oakland and San Mateo reading centers.

 

 

Site Coordinators:

MIRIAM ADRIANOWICZ

Sherman Site Coordinator

Miriam graduated from Boston University in 2007 with a degree in film. She worked at a web start-up in the mobile entertainment sector for about a year before joining Reading Partners through the AmeriCorpsprogram. As someone with a range of experience, she understands that the key to success in any field is literacy and the power it gives you to communicate your ideas. Her goal is to empower kids, through reading, to be creative and explore the world with confidence.

STEPHANIE BENEVENTO

Mariano Castro Site Coordinator

Stephanie graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz in June 2008, with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Education.  When she volunteered at Bayview Elementary and the Walnut Avenue Women's Center, in Santa Cruz, she realized that teaching was her passion. She knew that she wanted to work with urban youth, so she joined AmeriCorps. From there she was paired up with Reading Partners to be a Program Manager and a Site Director for the Oakland District.

AMBER BUSBY

Bret Harte (San Francisco) Site Coordinator

Amber grew up in Pasadena, California, and moved to the Bay Area to attend San Jose State University.  She graduated in May 2009, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Family Relations. She also studied Child Development and feels very passionately about nourishing healthy cognitive, emotional, and social development.  Over the course of Amber’s college career, she volunteered as a teacher’s assistant at Glenwood Elementary School in Southern California, the YWCA of Silicon Valley, and the Ethiopian Heritage Camp held annually in July.

AMY CADE

Belle Haven Site Coordinator

Amy went to Cañada Collage and received an Early Children Education Certificate. Her long term goal is to own a home day care. She was a nanny for ten years where she discovered a love for helping and tutoring children. After being a stay-at-home mom for three years, she joined Americorps and was placed with Reading Partners as a floater. She has started her second year and is now a Site Coordinator for Selby Lane in Redwood City and Belle Haven in Menlo Park. She enjoys giving back to the community she grew up in.

SALLEHA CHAUDHRY

Community Outreach Coordinator

While tutoring at an orphanage in West Africa, Salleha realized her passion for the nonprofit world and the need for education in urban and rural areas. She worked as an ESL tutor during college, while raising awareness and supporting St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Salleha earned a B.A. in International Systems and Health with a minor in Neuroscience from Knox College.  She is very excited to be part of Reading Partners and help create new partnerships within our communities.

ARMANDO DUARTE

Kennedy Site Coordinator

Armando began his educational career as an undergraduate writing tutor at UC Santa Cruz. After holding that position for 3 and a half years and graduating with his B.A. in philosophy with a minor in sociology, he moved back to his hometown of San Jose to give back to his community. He joined Americorps after learning of their involvement in his neighborhood and is currently the site coordinator at Kennedy Elementary, his former elementary school.

JANELLE JOVELLANOS

Berkeley Maynard Site Coordinator

Janelle graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Psychology. Before joining Reading Partners, she worked as a Technical Consultant for Information Services and Technology at UCB.  Janelle has volunteer experience working as a research assistant at the UCB Infant Studies Center, Assistant Teaching at Sunrise Montessori Preschool in Sacramento, and currently volunteers at the Alameda County Crisis Hotline.  To her, there is nothing more rewarding than helping a child succeed.

KATHERINE KOLLER

Think College Now Site Coordinator

Katherine brings an interest in educational inequality and an enthusiasm for service to her role at Reading Partners. She has worked as a recreation leader in Berkeley, as a party facilitator at the Lawrence Hall of Science, and as a volunteer for WriterCoach Connection. Katherine has a B.A. in English from UC Berkeley.

NINA NARASIMHALU

Horace Mann Site Coordinator

Nina is a graduate of UC Berkeley. She earned her B.A. degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. Her trip to Ghana and experience with Berkeley's Health Worker Program made her passionate about public health and community education. Nina cites her mother, a teacher, as her role model and inspiration for joining the Reading Partners team. Nina is committed to improving the education and literacy of those less fortunate.

MIMI PIRO

San Mateo Park Site Coordinator

While teaching in East Los Angeles, Mimi taught an eleven-year-old child to read. This first experience inspired her to embark on a career in education. Mimi received an M.A. in Psychology from the University of San Francisco. She will complete her teaching credential, in December 2009, through Cal State TEACH. She has experience teaching diverse student groups in the first through eighth grades. She also has experience in the Dramatic Arts and enjoys integrating theater and film studies into language arts curriculum. Mimi believes every child deserves the highest quality reading instruction.

JULIETA POMARES

Montague Site Coordinator

Julieta grew up in Argentina and moved to the United States in 2005. She earned a MA in Communications with a focus on health communication from San Jose State University. After spending several years at the Women's Initiative for Self-Employment developing marketing and community outreach programs, Julieta joined Reading Partners in February 2009. She is passionate about helping disadvantaged children, families, and communities.

MILINDA QUESADA

Guadalupe Site Coordinator

Milinda was raised in the Mission District of San Francisco, and brings to Reading Partners a passion for working with kids and making a difference in her community. She has experience working as a reading specialist in an after school program for struggling readers in San Francisco. She takes great pride in helping children to find success, and is excited to reach more struggling readers through Reading Partners.

ROSA SALINAS

Selby Lane Site Coordinator

A native of Mexico, Rosa holds a degree in International Marketing from the University of Monterrey. Before joining Reading Partners in 2004, Rosa worked for a number of international organizations. Fluent in both Spanish and English, Rosa's bilingualism is critical to Reading Partners’ Family Partnerships and Home Connection programming.

SANIKA SATHE

East Palo Alto Academy Site Coordinator

Sanika comes to Reading Partners with an extensive experience in the field of education. She taught in India for three years before coming to U.S.A. She taught for over a decade in the Johnson City Schools in upstate NY, which mainstreamed students with diverse and special needs in the classrooms. She also ran a program for gifted children, coached Odyssey of the Mind competitions and volunteered in numerous school projects. Sanika has a Masters in Economics and a Masters in Teaching.

STACY TOW

Los Arboles Site Coordinator

Stacy earned her B.S. in Commerce from Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. While attending Santa Clara University, she completed an internship at Coupons, Inc. in Mountain View and worked at Blach Construction Company. Though her studies and focus centered on business, Stacy has maintained an enthusiasm for working with children that was sparked before she entered middle school. She has a desire to make an impact on the lives of children in a way similar to that in which her own teachers and coaches have helped to shape her life.

MARITZA VILLANUEVA

Daniel Webster Site Coordinator

Maritza was born and raised in the Mission District of San Francisco. She graduated from Leadership High School and attended City College of San Francisco. During the summer of 2007 Maritza coached two youth soccer teams in Marin County.  Maritza also has previous experience working in customer service.

ALISA WHITFIELD

Sanchez Site Coordinator

Alisa graduated from Stanford University with a degree in International Relations in 2008, and she spent every summer during her college years teaching English abroad in countries including China and Ethiopia. After spending time in Antarctica she is excited to return to her teaching experiences as a Site Coordinator for Reading Partners. In her spare time she co-runs a political action committee.

MICHELLE WONG

Sherman Afterschool Program Coordinator

Michelle is from Glendora, CA, but relocated to the Bay Area to attend Berkeley. She loves working with children. She is a recent Cal graduate with a degree in Applied Mathematics. She has experience mentoring and tutoring children with homework, as well as other important issues like solidarity building and understanding through differences. She is committed to increasing literacy development so that the children will be able to reach their full potential.

Development:

AMANDA MOORE

Associate Director of Development

Prior to joining the staff of Reading Partners, Amanda spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho in Southern Africa. As a Peace Corps volunteer, Amanda taught English as a second language to secondary school students. She also founded a girls mentoring program and organized the donation of over 1,000 books and materials in order to start a school library. Before her Peace Corps experience, Amanda worked as a Sales Assistant at CBS-5 Television in San Francisco. Amanda has also spent significant time as a volunteer for the Athletic Scholars Advancement Program and for the I Have a Dream Foundation. Amanda earned a B.S. from the University of California, San Diego.

ALLISON COHEN

Development Associate

Prior to joining Reading Partners in 2009, Allison was a Head Kindergarten teacher in Ann Arbor, MI. Concurrently, she worked as a Research Associate at the University of Michigan’s School of Education, studying the early literacy achievement gap in low-income pre-schools. Before making a career change into education, Allison worked as an Operations Manager for Capital Services, Inc., an events planning firm in Washington, DC. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Masters in Elementary Education from Johns Hopkins University.