Violetta’s role as an Early Learning Specialist allows her to showcase her passion for children’s literacy. Violetta is enthusiastic about sharing books with children and their families to help them to love to read. Violetta received her bachelor’s degree in Human Development with an emphasis in childhood, and a master’s degree in Public Administration. Violetta has two children and recalls first introducing them to soft, squeaky and water-proof books, which were perfect during bath time. Her favorite children’s books are, “What Time Is It, Little Rabbit?” and ¡Baja Gatito! Violetta also enjoys taking her puppy on long walks around the lake.

The role of Director of Finance and Administration at Tandem combines Deirdre’s passion for early education and literacy to her skills as a non-profit administrator. Deirdre holds a BA from New York University as well as a multiple subject teaching credential from Dominican University. Deirdre was an elementary school teacher for nearly ten years, but left teaching in 2010 to begin a career in the non-profit sector. She has held a variety of finance, operational and administrative roles over the last 10+ years at the Sierra Club, the YWCA, ODC in San Francisco and the David Brower Center in downtown Berkeley. One of Deirdre’s favorite children’s books is Ish by Peter H. Reynolds. Back when she was teaching, she always shared Ish with her students at the start of each new school year to emphasize that nurturing creativity and “out-of-the-box” thinking is often more important than getting things exactly right. In her free time, Deirdre loves to attend live theater and explore the Bay Area’s numerous trails with her dog Parker.

As an Early Learning Specialist at Tandem, Paola supports children, families, and educators by providing read aloud demonstrations, family engagement activities, and professional development workshops. She also holds an AA in Liberal Arts, an AS in Social and Behavioral Sciences, an AS in Early Childhood Development specializing in Infants and Toddlers, and she has completed a couple of years of study at the University of the Philippines, majoring in Visual Communication. Before joining Tandem, Paola was an Infant/Toddler teacher and worked in different ECE facilities (Contra Costa and Alameda counties) since 2008. Her top three favorite picture books are Araw sa Palengke (A Day in the Market), Everyone Poops, and The One with the Scraggly Beard. In her free time, Paola likes doing some paper crafting, spending quality time with family, and learning new things.

As a Community Learning Specialist, Carolina goes out to communities within Alameda County to promote literacy growth and kindergarten readiness. Carolina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and emphasized her studies in learning child development. Before working at Tandem, Carolina was involved in promoting equitable access to services, policy advocacy, and contributing to bettering the well-being of youth and families located in Hayward. Also worked with the Mckinney Vento Homeless population by connecting different resources and providing social-emotional development to families and youth. These experiences have led to her passion for working with nonprofits and youth to provide social justice within different communities in the Bay Area. Carolina’s love for books started with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Green, Egss, and Ham.  In her free time, you can find Carolina taking her dog on different hiking trails or spending quality time with her family.

As an Early Learning Specialist at Tandem for the Contra Costa County team, Lucero is passionate to work with children, support their early learning development, and to be part of their fun early experiences. Lucero has 12 years of experience working with children and families. Lucero holds an AS in Child Development from Los Medanos College and a BA in Psychology from CSU East Bay. Before joining Tandem, she was a Family Support Specialist, supporting children’s development and family’s wellbeing. Lucero loves to paint, enjoys reading, loves music, adores nature, and enjoys almost every sport (specially soccer). Lucero’s favorite hobby is to spend some time painting with her Baby. Lucero’s favorite book to read is Pete the Cat: I love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean.

As an Community Learning Specialist at Tandem, Susan is delighted to work with young children and their families to promote early learning and kindergarten readiness.  She also supports children, families, and educators by providing interactive read aloud demonstrations in English and Chinese, family engagement activities, and professional development workshops. Susan holds a BS in Computer Information Systems and certificates for the following: Early Childhood Education Practitioner, ECE Associate Teacher, Infant Massage, and Positive Parenting Program.  Susan’s favorite books are Goodnight Moon, Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao, I Really Want to See You, Grandma, and When Sadness Comes to Call.  In her spare time, Susan loves to cook, travel, and paint together with her son.

Margaret leads development and external relations for Tandem, Partners in Early Learning. Previously, Margaret supported programs and partnerships between companies, schools, and nonprofits to increase opportunities for students. She also led legislative advocacy to increase access to high-quality public education. Margaret started her career as an elementary school teacher. She has a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego and a Master’s in Education from Loyola Marymount University. When her toddler is not chasing the cat or climbing something, Counting on Community and El Monstruo de Colores are two of their favorite books to read together. Margaret loves trying new bakeries, spending time with her family, and exploring the Bay Area’s many parks, trails, and beaches.

As a Cross-County Program Assistant at Tandem, Jacel supports with ongoing programs tasks, InDesign creation, book organization and selection in Contra Costa County and Alameda County. Before joining Tandem, Jacel was a library assistant at Cal Poly Humboldt where she obtained her BA in Business Administration and Economics. As the daughter of a childcare provider, Jacel has always had a passion for working with children and families to provide high quality early learning experiences. Some of her favorite children’s books include: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Across the Bay and her all time favorite read as a child, Esperanza Rising. Jacel enjoys hiking and finding new swimming spots across the Bay Area with her 3 year old Husky, Kenobi.

As the Curriculum Supervisor, Brenda supports children, families, and educators by designing bilingual curriculum, play group development and facilitation, workshop development and delivery, instructional manual writing, partnership development, and interactive book sharing. She really enjoys creating curriculum that is inclusive, equitable, and meets families and educators where they are, as they are. Brenda holds a BA in Sociology from Colorado State University, a Family Development Credential from University of Connecticut, and a certificate of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Brenda has over 12 years of experience working with children and families and has been a classroom educator herself. Brenda’s favorite books change depending on what time of day you ask her, but as of the writing of this bio her top four are They All Saw a Cat, Egg, Sirenas, and Bodies are Cool. In her free time, Brenda enjoys cooking large meals for friends, photography, and taking walks in Golden Gate Park while listening to an audiobook.

As a Cross-County Program Assistant, Libni manages book distributions, coordinating book deliveries to preschool sites providing high quality books to children, families and educators. In addition, Libni supports children and families by providing interactive read-alouds and has contributed to the FCC Read and Play Club program by helping provide children backpacks with books, interactive activities and materials. Outside of Tandem, Libni also works as a Family Specialist and a Peer Mentor at LEGACY, an agency part of the Department of Public Health of San Francisco, supporting families and transitional age youth by providing informal counseling and mentorship as she finishes school to receive her Bachelors in Sociology. One of Libni’s favorite children’s books as a child was A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon. In her free time Libni enjoys cruising on her bike through the city and discovering new restaurants in San Francisco.

With a passion for supporting social justice work in early childhood environments, Maya manages Tandem’s four program supervisors and coordinates program goals, directs program strategy and curriculum development, and conducts ongoing program evaluation. Maya has worked in the Early Childhood and Family Support fields for over 15 years and is experienced in focus group facilitation and providing anti-bias education trainging for educators and family support professionals. Maya previously served as director for Contra Costa Early Childhood Programs, managing the Welcome Home Baby home visiting program and African American Fatherhood program. She holds a Masters in Human Development from Columbia University and is fluent in English and Spanish. She is also a mom to two daughters, ages 5 and 2, and a 7-year-old pup. Currently, Maya’s favorite children’s books are, Your Name is a Song, and One. One of Maya’s passions is admiring nature, so she tries to get outside as much as she can!

As a Community Learning Specialist at Tandem for the Contra Costa County team. Mariana has worked with the community for more than 10 years now with all ages and ethnicities. Mariana has an AS in early childhood education and studied at CSU East Bay towards recreational management. My favorite children’s book is Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss. Mariana loves art, drawing using different mediums and going to museums. Along with hiking and being inspired by nature.

Jade He is an Early Learning Specialist at Tandem, fueled by a passion for supporting the development of young minds. She recently completed an AA degree in Psychology. She applies her academic background and prior experience volunteering at a family daycare to create engaging and supportive learning environments for children. Moreover, she believes children’s books play a crucial role in their cognitive development by fostering exploration and enriching their curiosity and creativity. In her free time, she stays active by indulging in hikes and workouts.

As a Community Learning Specialist at Tandem, PJ is committed to providing information that promotes social justice and emphasizes the importance of expanding literacy for growth and development in underserved communities. PJ brings more than 10 years of experience building community networks and conducting outreach to share available resources for social-emotional, economic, and healthcare and wellness support. PJ’s background includes Early Child Development, with emphasis on special education, Social Work, Drug/Alcohol, Domestic Violence, Women and Girls’ Coaching/Counseling, Re-entry, Mental Health, Project Management, Mentoring Youth, and Real Estate/Housing. PJ holds an AA in Social and Behavioral Sciences/Child Development, a BA in Sociology/Social Work, an MBA/Healthcare Management, is a Certified Professional Life Coach/Consultant, Mental Health First Aider, a Certified Housing Specilaist, and has a Certificate in Suicide Prevention for Women. PJ is very spiritual and believes that all is possible through God and her faith is her biggest supporter. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling. Her favorite book is Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendark. PJ has always loved this book, because it encourages her to imagine and dream of great things and bring what she dreams of to life.

As a Co As an Early Learning Specialist at Tandem, Cecilia supports children, families, and educators by providing read aloud demonstrations, family engagement activities, and professional development workshops. Cecilia holds a BS in Child & Adolescent Development with an emphasis on early childhood. Prior to joining Tandem she has been a teacher in the ECE field primarily working with infant and toddler children. Her current favorite children’s books are, The Color Monster, Belly Button Book, and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. In her free time she loves to read and to go on long walks with her daughter and dog. 

As the Development and Communications Manager, Emily supports Tandem to meet fundraising goals and manages Tandem’s communications strategy. Emily has a BA in English from Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia. Prior to joining Tandem, Emily worked as a freelance writer and editor for online publications. As a child, Emily’s favorite books were Imogene’s Antlers and Animalia. As a live music super-fan, Emily spends most of her weekends and vacation hours supporting her favorite jam bands in venues across the country.

Being executive director of Tandem is Savitha’s dream job, and she is honored and humbled to work alongside a passionate, talented team on the systemic challenges facing families with young children. Savitha holds a PhD in Education from Stanford University and before joining Tandem, she was an early STEM education researcher who partnered with families and educators to develop, test, and evaluate curriculum materials and teacher professional development. Savitha has a long (and growing) list of favorite children’s books but Another and Saturday are two that she reads often with her son. When she’s not working, Savitha can be found curled up on a couch in the company of good books, young children, strong tea, and delicious Indian snacks.

As an English/Spanish Early Learning Specialist, Carola is excited to support and nurture children in their learning process. Originally from Barcelona, Spain, Carola moved to San Francisco more than a decade ago where she is now raising her family. Carola holds a BS in History of Art from Universitat of Barcelona and has over ten years of experience working with diverse communities in San Francisco. She has provided support and mentorship to families both individually and in group settings and has experience designing resources and implementing best practices based on a multicultural approach. 

Carola’s favorite books are ¿Eres mi mamá? and The Bad Seed. Outside of work she likes to do long walks with her dog along Crissy Fields, bake bread, and spend time with her family and friends.

As an Early Specialist at Tandem, Emely is looking forward to supporting educators and parents in building stronger connections with their children. Emely is excited to partner with parents by giving them tools that will help them set their families up for success. Emely is an East Bay Native and has worked with different nonprofits to serve the people in the Bay Area. Her past experience with community based rehabilitation for the unhoused population and child development has enabled her to have a unique perspective in how to serve our communities. Emely‘s top book to read to her baby at the moment is Paletero Man, Que Paletero Tan Cool! Outside of work, Emely can be found with her drooling baby at her hip buying plants (that she really doesn’t have space for) or having a cozy night in with her family.

​Tania supports the Alameda County Team as Program Supervisor where she has the opportunity to develop and maintain strong relationships with partner schools and organizations in order to bring early learning resources to the community and extend Tandem’s programming reach. Tania holds a BA in Biology and Spanish Literary Studies from Occidental College. She has many favorite children’s books but her top three are: Ruby Finds A Worry, Alma and How She Got Her Name, and Where Are You From? When she’s not at work, she’s probably at a food and wine festival or relaxing on the couch discovering the next best series to watch.

As a Development and Community Engagement Associate, Kiana supports Tandem’s fundraising efforts through corporate relations and media content creation. Kiana holds Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Before working at Tandem, Kiana was involved in programs to advocate for and support the Asian American community in the greater Bay Area. Kiana’s love of books first started with Harold and the Purple Crayon and The Cat in the Hat. In her free time, you can find Kiana exploring new food places, going to live music events, or hiking around the Bay.

As a Community Learning Specialist at Tandem, Cecilia is thrilled to work in her native Bay Area supporting children, families, educators and the community to promote early learning and literacy.  She holds a MS in Early Childhood Education from CSU East Bay and brings over 15 years of experience in the ECE field as a Teacher and Administrator.  Cecilia has many favorite children’s books but her current top 3 are Alma y como obtuvo su nombre, Milo Imagines the World, and My Papi Has a Motorcycle.  In her free time, Cecilia enjoys traveling, reading, and trying out new recipes.

Nain is committed to building strong communities by working in early childhood education for over 10 years.  Nain graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from Universidad Vasco de Quiroga in Mexico in 2000 and migrated to the USA in 2003, Since then she has worked with diverse communities with children 0-18 years old in different capacities, in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. Nain is also an accredited Triple P ( Positive Parenting Program) Group facilitator and coach from The University of Queensland. Nain’s favorite books are Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper and Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. When she is not at work you can find her on the phone talking with her Mom, siblings and/or cousins, cooking, hiking, trying a new ice cream place or just watching a new movie with her family.

Lisa started her career as a lawyer in the high tech industry. Since Lisa retired from her law career, she has dedicated herself to working for social justice. She is the co-founder of Amplify, a group which partners with nonprofits by lending their voices, talents, networks and funds to support those doing the groundwork of creating equity in the Bay Area. Lisa currently serves as Secretary to the board of Root Division, an arts nonprofit, which brings opportunity to emerging artists especially artists of color. Her involvement with Tandem started in a partnership between Tandem and the Full Circle Fund where Lisa served as the Team Leader for Full Circle creating an impact report for Tandem. Lisa joined Tandem’s board after this collaboration and went on to become the Co-Chair of Full Circle Fund’s Education Circle. Lisa’s involvement with educational philanthropy dates back to the time when her three children were young and includes board service, development work and volunteering for organizations such as 10 Books At Home, Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, Wajiratt Foundation, Citizen Schools, Sequoia High School Mentoring Program, and Project Read. Lisa is honored to continue her commitment to social justice by serving as the Chair of the Board.

Samina is a Principal Product Manager at Nutanix, formerly a Senior Program Manager at DoorDash (pre-post IPO) in the Operational Excellence area, before which she worked at a variety of software consulting firms. Samina became involved with Tandem through a volunteer project for Tandem through partnership with Full Circle Fund and their Education Circle efforts. She is passionate about being involved with philanthropic efforts that help in providing experiences that assist in building a strong foundation for children in their early years of critical development.

Shereda currently serves as the Managing Partner for the Oakland / Easy Bay region for Lighthouse Public Affairs where she partners with and represents industry leaders on government relations; media and crisis communications; issue management; housing, office, and retail entitlements; corporate and social responsibility; information dissemination; and strategic communication initiatives.

Previously Shereda Nosakhare worked as the Chief of Staff for the Oakland Mayor’s Office where she stood as a key contributor to advancing the mayor’s vision and priorities for the City of Oakland. She acted as a trusted senior advisor on all strategic initiatives and facilitated communications and relations between the mayor, the city administration, and City Council. Additionally, Shereda is an experienced Policy Analyst and Community Liaison. She earned her master’s in public policy from the University of Michigan, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Portland.

Amando Balbuena III leads Sonen Capital’s marketing and communications efforts and supports the firm’s business development and operational management.

Prior to Sonen, he served as an Executive Director for CCS Fundraising, where he managed successful capital campaigns across different regions in the United States and Canada. He also prepared feasibility and assessment studies to gauge an organization’s fundraising potential and crafted marketing strategies. Concurrent with his work, Amando also taught Excel and ePhilanthropy courses and was an Education Officer for the CCS Learning Institute. 

In addition to serving on Tandem’s board, Amando currently sits on the board of the San Bruno Education Foundation, raising funds for STEAM programs for all schools in the district. He is a member of the Commonwealth Club and the United Nations Association. Amando earned a B.S. from the University of San Francisco in Business Administration, Marketing with an emphasis in Computer Science, and is fluent in Spanish.

Suzan Bateson is now enjoying a full time career in art after many years as a nonprofit professional, and an administrator for retail businesses. Her favorite job was (is?) motherhood, and grandmotherhood (don’t call her grandmother, though, she’s Gigi to five brilliant littles). Suzan was recently nominated to Tandem’s Board of Directors, and also serves on the board of the Crescent Porter Hale Family Foundation. She also mentors nonprofit executives; she is in awe of the strength, courage, and creativity of leaders serving their communities.

Angela Dalton is a professional storyteller with more than twenty years of experience turning fundamental concepts into engaging narratives. Her expertise in crafting stories and leading digital teams has allowed her to cultivate children-focused marketing initiatives for companies such as Target, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and General Mills. She lives in Oakland with her husband and son and is an award-winning author of children’s books. Both traditionally and independently published, her titles include If You Look Up to the Sky (Self-published, 2018), Ruby’s Reunion Day Dinner (HarperCollins 2021), Show the World! (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2023), and the forthcoming To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped to Advance Civil Rights (HarperCollins, 2023). When she is not reading or writing, Angela enjoys spending her time working on other types of engaging content for kids. She is currently co-creating an online puppet video series and developing a story-time video program for UCSF Children’s Hospital.

Diana is a public health advocate committed to justice and equity through systemic social change in service of children, families and communities. She started her career as a Head Start and Pre-K teacher in New York City. More recently, Diana has worked on strategy development, research and evaluation, and public policy. She currently works with First 5 Alameda County supporting local, state and federal policy advocacy efforts. Diana is a graduate of UC Berkeley, holds a master degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Hunter College, and a Master of Public Health from Emory University.

Sherry Huang is the assurance manager in PwC Trust Solution serving private companies in the Bay Area. She helped her clients with tailored audits building trust with their stakeholders. The audit experiences across healthcare, retail & consumer, wholesale & distribution, technology and energy industries with multi-state and international operations. Prior to PwC, she also served government and non-profit clients with GAGAS and single audit engagements. Sherry earned a Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas, a B.S. in Accounting from Shanghai University and a B.S. in Business Administration and Management from University of Technology Sydney.

Jackie Schmidt-Posner is an educator with more than 40 years of experience supporting college students to get involved in social justice issues through experiences in the community. After having worked on the staff of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford for 20 years she is now a Professor of Practice in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University where she directs the LSB Community Fellows Program. She is passionate about helping undergraduate students to learn from their on-the-ground work in local communities and to integrate that experience into their academic studies. Jackie holds a Bachelors degree from UCSB and a PhD in Educational Policy from Stanford. She has served on the school boards of the Los Gatos-Saratoga High School district, and Mid-Peninsula High School (Menlo Park).

What drew her to Tandem was becoming a grandmother to Rosie and Julian, and revisiting the joys of sharing books with kids. Understanding that not all families have access to quality early learning experiences is what fuels her commitment to Tandem. She served on the board from 2015-2023 (three years as Chair), and is delighted to return in 2024 for another term.

Regi is the Executive Director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank, and has been in food banking for over a decade. Regi began his career as a community organizer working to bring technology and economic resources to neighborhoods in Houston, TX. Prior to joining the AFCCB, Regi was the Chief Strategy Officer at the Houston Food Bank, where he previously served in multiple capacities. Regi has a BA in Political Science from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS and an MA in Cross-Cultural Studies from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. He is interested in the impact design can have in addressing social problems and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Nothereastern University. Regi Lives in Oakland and enjoys exploring the East Bay food scene with family and friends.