Lisa Brown, Board Chair, is an illustrator, author, designer, and cartoonist. Her award-winning picture books for children include The Airport Book, Mummy Cat by Marcus Ewert, Emily’s Blue Period by Cathleen Daly, and The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket. Her writing and illustration has been published in a variety of publications, including NPR, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Lucky Peach, and The New York Times. She has been joyfully involved in 826 Valencia since its founding; as a donor, field trip illustrator and leader, workshop instructor, and publication contributor. Lisa teaches in the Illustration Department of the California College of the Arts. She received a BA in Humanities from Wesleyan University and an MS in Communications Design from Pratt Institute in New York City.

Ambar Bhattacharyya is a Managing Director at Maverick Ventures, a $400m venture capital fund based in San Francisco.  Prior to joining Maverick, he was a Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners.  Ambar began his career at Bain & Company. He also served as assistant to the CEO at MinuteClinic, where helped the company grow its national footprint prior to its acquisition by CVS.  Ambar holds an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in economics and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Ambar previously served as a board member for the Bay Area Board of Generation Citizen and UP Academy in Boston and Dorchester. Ambar has been selected by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper and as one of the top 50 individuals in digital health by Rock Health in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he was also selected to be an advisor to the California Healthcare Foundation Innovation Fund.

Liza Ramrayka is a social justice journalist with over 25 years of experience working for online and print media. A freelance features writer, columnist and commissioning editor for outlets including The Guardian, HuffPost and NewsDeeply, much of her work explores aspects of social exclusion, and aims to amplify the voices of marginalized communities. An early pioneer of solutions journalism – which uncovers effective responses to social problems – Liza writes about refugees and migration, equality, and diversity. She is also a journalism mentor, media skills trainer and editorial consultant. A board member at Children’s Day School, she is passionate about how education, and writing in particular, can connect students to their wider environment. Liza holds a BA in English and French literature and language, and a post-graduate diploma in journalism. Originally from the UK, she now lives in San Francisco with her partner, children Ella and Jake, and their beach-loving rescue pup, Biscuit.

Born in Berkeley, raised in Oakland and Chicago, Eric Abrams feels that his role as Chief DEI Officer at KQED is the coolest job he could have–his role is to help folks work together better!  This is his first job not on a college campus in decades; previously, he held posts in admission at USC, Stanford, and Berkeley, as well as working as the initial dedicated DEI officer at both Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the Stanford Graduate School of Education.  

At KQED, Eric serves as an internal consultant for colleagues about DEI-related issues, as well as helping to promote a truly inclusive culture where all can be their full and best professional selves. As Ted Lasso says, Eric strives to “be curious, not judgmental.” 

A believer that real men try to cook, Abrams is an avid barbecue pitmaster, and thinks he’s at his best in the kitchen–though he has to admit that his adult sons have some skills. He is also an avid sports fan, remembers buying comic books for 20¢, and not half as witty as he thinks he is. Eric and his wife Donna live in Oakland with Lola the WonderDog.

Bill is co-CEO at Mission North, a strategic communications firm serving the technology and life sciences industries. He has more than 25 years of experience advising technology companies at every stage — from stealth to Fortune 50. Bill specializes in helping companies navigate major moments of inflection and transformation with integrated corporate communications programs designed to grow reputation equity and create new categories. When he’s not advising clients, Bill focuses on developing Mission North’s award-winning culture and leading the agency’s corporate philanthropy program E3thos. He is a frequent commentator and contributor on the future of technology, media and communications. His articles have been published in Adweek, Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch and VentureBeat.

‍Prior to joining Mission North, Bill was vice president of marketing for a media startup, where he led all marketing, licensing and distribution strategy around the company’s filmed entertainment properties. Before that, he managed product PR and corporate communications for some of the Internet’s pioneering brands, including AOL, Sun Microsystems and Netscape, while working at A Good Seed Production, Blanc and Otus and Niehaus Ryan Wong.

‍Bill began his career in public health, directing a federally funded nonprofit program at Health Initiatives for Youth for several years before being appointed to serve as a Special Assistant to San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. An advocate for education equity, he served on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Education Fund from 2016-2022.

He graduated from St. Lawrence University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and writing.

Ipek S. Burnett, Ph.D. is a Turkish-American author who provides a psychological critique of social, cultural, and political issues.

Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Ipek came to the United States to get a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Modern Culture & Media and International Relations. She received her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies. She has a doctorate degree in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Ipek is the author of A Jungian Inquiry into the American Psyche: The Violence of Innocence and the editor of the upcoming volume Re-Visioning the American Psyche: Jungian, Archetypal, and Mythological Reflections. She is a contributing writer at CounterPunch and author of two published novels in Turkey.

Ipek serves on the boards of nonprofit organizations and foundations that specialize in social justice and human rights. She is the Co-Chair of Human Rights Watch’s Executive Committee in San Francisco.

Bianca Catalan is an 826 alum who started participating in 826 programs when she was a 7th grader at Everett Middle School. Since then, she has participated in various other programs, been on staff, and served on our Alumni Board. She is currently the Director of Engagement of San Francisco University High School, where she attended as a student. She is also a board member for San Francisco Youth Theater.

Shikha Paul Donde is Senior Counsel at Uber, and has over 15 years of in-house experience in technology companies, specializing in areas of Ethics and Compliance. She is a graduate of UC San Diego, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Law and Society, and received her law degree at Golden Gate University School of Law.

Shikha is the proud mother of two young boys, and lives in San Francisco. She is excited about partnering with 826 Valencia to provide resources and guidance to children in San Francisco communities, so that they can explore their creativity and follow their passions. Her perfect day would be to read a good book, with a nice glass of Pinot in hand, while sitting on a beach anywhere in the world.

A creative pioneer, Carolyn has over 20 years of experience leading marketing teams and building creative and effective marketing strategies for high-profile companies. Most recently, she was Dropbox’s Chief Marketing Officer. She led Dropbox’s global marketing organization, driving initiatives to develop the company’s iconic and enduring brand, engaging and acquiring customers, and building lasting relationships that help Dropbox users around the world unleash their creative energy. Before joining Dropbox, Carolyn spent time advising emerging brands from tech to beauty—including Pure Storage, where she was responsible for building the company’s digital marketing strategy and developing their brand and messaging architecture. For over a decade, Carolyn ran Global Consumer Marketing at Electronic Arts, helping to define the strength and personality of EA SPORTS and developing high impact campaigns for franchises from Madden Football to FIFA to Battlefield. She also led the company’s digital transformation across its marketing effort.

Keith Hunter is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco where he teaches courses dealing with the structural, psychological and sociological aspects of management and leadership. Having partnered with 826 Valencia many times in his courses, he is also a strong advocate for community engaged learning and social justice at USF. Hunter is also a US Navy veteran whose six years of service included leadership in firefighting, radiological incident response, and shipboard engineering operations. After completing his military service, he pursued a career in software, earning undergraduate and Masters degrees in computer science. At Sandia National Laboratories, Hunter worked on research projects in evolutionary computation and agent based simulation before attending Carnegie Mellon University to obtain his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Management. Dr. Hunter is passionate about expanding opportunity and empowering people to help make the world a better place.

Osvaldo Marquez has been part of the 826 Valencia community for over 15 years. He started as a student tutee but soon joined other programs at 826 Valencia. He received a scholarship in 2010 from 826 Valencia to attend Pitzer College, where he majored in Sociology and Spanish. In 2014, he became the first in his family to graduate from college. He now works in the financial industry and lives in San Francisco. He believes that organizations like 826 Valencia make a significant and impactful difference in student’s educational goals and accomplishments.

Josh spent 7 years at Forbes and 8 years at Wired as a writer and editor and is now the CEO of Attention Span Media and editor in chief of Attention FWD. Raised by a single mother, a gaggle of aunts, uncles and grandparents, and encouraged by an extended family of literary enthusiasts, he attended Waldorf school, boarding school and college thanks to a constellation of financial aid packages, eventually graduating from Yale with a B.A. in English. After college Josh worked for a small weekly newspaper, covering school board meetings, bake sales and a murder or two. His efforts to dunk a basketball are the subject of Dunkumentary, a documentary that screened at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. From 2010 to 2014, he served as president of the Commonwealth Club of California’s INFORUM board. He holds a certification in Sustainable Capitalism & ESG from Berkeley Law.

Enikia Ford Morthel is an urban educator with over 15 years of experience serving the Bay Area’s most historically underserved communities. She is currently Superintendent, Berkeley Unified School District and was formerly Asst. Superintendent for the San Francisco Unified School District’s Bayview/Potrero Hill communities, as part of a collaborative team created to transform San Francisco’s lowest-performing schools. Prior to this appointment, she facilitated the turnaround of underperforming schools and incubation of new schools in some of the Bay Area’s highest-need neighborhoods. Enikia sees education as an act of social justice and is committed to the transformation of our educational system to be more responsive, relevant, and revolutionary in the lives of the children who need it most. Outside of her day job, Enikia continues to engage and empower communities of color. She advances these efforts in her role as professor/Senior Lecturer of Urban Education at Loyola Marymount University. She has consulted for companies like ETS, LeapFrog, and a number of Bay Area CBOs, and partnered with Seneca Family of Agencies as a lead developer of the All-In Partnership, which has transformed Special Education and Response to Intervention in many schools serving communities of increased trauma. She serves on a number of boards and is excited to share her passion and experience in support of the vision of 826 Valencia. Originally from Los Angeles, Enikia is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Master’s degree in Education. Although she enjoys the ‘heart work’ that consumes much of her days, her most rewarding role has been that of mother and wife. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, William, and two children—Jayvyn (14) and Samaiya (5).

Scott Rubin leads brand, marketing, and communications for Lux Capital, a venture capital firm investing in frontier technology at all stages of growth. Previously, Scott held multiple roles in public policy, communications, and marketing at Google, Andreesen Horowitz, and Atlassian. Scott earned his AB at Harvard University, with a concentration in Literature and a (very unofficial) secondary focus in Primate Anthropology. He received his MA from The Writing Seminars (Fiction) at Johns Hopkins University. He is the co-author of In Every Tongue, a book exploring the intersection of race and religion. When he’s not at his desk, Scott keeps bees and grows apples, pears, plums, and figs at Lazy Dog Farm, his century-old family farm in Sonoma County, CA.

Monica is a Partner at G2 Venture Partners, a venture and growth equity firm focused on technologies that are digitizing and decarbonizing traditional industries. She invests in companies transforming the way we work (future of work), buy (circular economy), and eat (food & agriculture).

Monica was previously part of the FP&A team at Tesla, where she helped scale Model S manufacturing. She was a core member of McKinsey and Company’s sustainability practice and worked on scaling solar in North America, India, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Monica spent a year as a climate change researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations and worked with the World Wildlife Fund in Dubai. She has been a volunteer with Let’s Get Ready, helping under-resourced students prepare for college admissions, and Language ETC, helping immigrants to the US learn English.

Monica has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Columbia University. She grew up in India and the Middle East, and now lives in Redwood City, CA with her husband and their tuxedo cat Oreo.

Rachel Swain Yeaman is a writer, communications consultant, and long-time advocate for social justice and civil rights. Over the course of many years, Rachel conceived and directed winning media and communications campaigns for many national and regional advocacy organizations, including the ACLU. She has served on the boards of several nonprofits, including the Breast Cancer Fund and Children’s Day School, where she chaired the capital campaign that enabled the purchase and construction of a new independent, progressive middle school in the heart of San Francisco. Rachel holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is thrilled to bring her passion for social justice and children’s writing to the board of 826.

Born and raised in the Caribbean, Candice then pursued an MBA and a career in strategic marketing in Paris. In 2019, she and her family relocated to California. Narratives have also played a vital role for Candice—whether immersed in reading, performing on stage, or crafting short stories. As she initiated her own French creative writing studio, she discovered 826 Valencia and was deeply impressed by its mission and the positive impact it creates. She takes joy in volunteering at Captain Blue’s field trips and feels privileged to contribute to the Associate Board.

Asha grew up in the Bay Area and has always been an active volunteer and community-member. He has many fun stories from summers spent volunteering at all sorts of Bay Area summer camps. In addition to his work as a user experience researcher, he is a hobbyist woodworker, yogi, and olivemaker. Having been a volunteer, he’s excited to see and experience the board side of 826!

Rebecca discovered the beauty of the written word while lost in the science fiction and fantasy sections of her childhood local library. Her own adventure began when she left home to study business at Boston University. The next chapter of her story brought Rebecca to the Golden State where she works as a change management consultant. Rebecca was fortunate enough to be introduced to 826 by a friend and immediately saw how impactful a program like this would have been in her own life growing up. She is excited at the opportunity to start supporting students in finding their voice through storytelling. 

As someone who struggled with writing while growing up, Matthew was drawn to 826 Valencia as a way to inspire confidence in aspiring student writers. Matthew’s experience as the Lead Writing Tutor for the Chico State Learning Center and his time spent teaching Supplemental ELA at St. Peter’s School in San Francisco helped develop his passion for elevating the writing skills of his students. Upon graduating college, Matthew pursued his dream of playing music professionally, sharing the stage with artists such as Portugal. The Man, Glass Animals, & more. Currently, Matthew lives in San Francisco and works as a Senior Account Director at Sentry.io.

Emily grew up in Portland, Oregon, frequenting her local library and the famous Powell’s bookstore. She studied both Spanish Literature & Culture and Accounting at the University of Oregon and abroad at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Making her way up and down the West Coast, Emily has since worked in Seattle as a consultant at Deloitte Consulting, where she launched a mentorship program for underrepresented students, and now lives in San Francisco working in the mental health space. She loves trying new foods and performing improv in the Mission District. 

Gavin is a native Texan who fell in love with the West Coast during a childhood trip to California. Years later, that fondness remained, and after completing an engineering degree at Purdue University, he moved to San Francisco to start his professional career – the Bay Area has been home ever since. An avid reader and lifelong learner, he is thrilled to serve on the Associate Board as a steward for 826 Valencia and students in the local community. Alongside volunteer work, Gavin finds joy in cooking, photography, and treks to the mountains to snowboard.

Arsalan, a queer Afghan-American from Berkeley, California, holds a Linguistics Bachelor’s from UCLA and a Master’s in Education from USC. He taught 9th and 12th grade in Los Angeles, later serving as Director of Youth and Family Services at Mission Neighborhood Centers for 5 years. Arsalan’s early career involved impactful roles at Raphael House SF where he served on a tiny development team of 4. Now as director at Larkin Street Academy, returns to his service roots, eager to contribute his extensive experience. Outside work, Arsalan travels, writes a science-fiction novel, enjoys reality TV, and embraces a health goth lifestyle.

Ana Medrano Fernandez migrated to the US from Guatemala at age 8 and spent most of her life in San Bernardino, CA. Programs like 826 made a huge difference in Ana’s life so being part of this board is a dream come true. Ana received a Bachelors in Economics from Wellesley College and after a short stint in consulting began a career in People Analytics. Now, Ana is a software engineer. Ana’s birthday is 8.26 – talk about signs!

Yanit, according to the US Immigration offices, is: a non-permanent resident alien. He sees his life in America as a topsy-turvy James Joyce’s Ulysses-esque journey (the California version). He moved here as a doe-eyed eighteen-year-old studying Film, English, and Comparative Literature at UC Irvine. Then, made some life-long friends in Orange County but knew it wasn’t his perennial home. Consequently, he was pulled to the eerie fog and Monterey Cypress of San Francisco like a moth to a flame. Now you can find him training for marathons, sticking googly-eyes around the city, or tutoring the loveliest kids at 826 Valencia.

A lifelong fan of fantasy and sci-fi, Paul spent his childhood in Vermont with his nose in a book and still practices storytelling to complement technical degrees from the University of Rochester and Duke University. Paul discovered 826 years before moving to SF and jumped at the chance to contribute after moving to SF. Aside from his day job in the renewable energy industry, Paul hopes his service on the VAB of 826 can help ensure the world we create benefits from boundless imagination and extraordinary stories.

As a life-long volunteer and writer, Lex couldn’t think of a better place to funnel her energy than the 826 associate board. Originally from the D.C. area, Lex has been enjoying life in the Bay Area for the past decade. Currently, she works in edtech and her previous volunteer jobs have included working as a crisis counselor, after-school tutor, and hospital aide, among other roles. Her favorite part about 826 is the perfect balance of whimsy and practicality that it affords young writers.

Henry was determined to develop his writing skills from his mom’s immigrant experience with English as a new language. He worked at his high school and college writing centers, and discovered 826 Valencia when he first moved to San Francisco 8 years ago. Since then, he has worn many hats with 826 including Tutor, Ambassador, Volunteer Engagement Support Team (VEST), and now Associate Board (VAB). He’s still very proud of his Volunteer of Month honor. Outside of 826, he enjoys reading at coffee shops, on the couch, and in the bath; playing board games; and attending film, art, and literature events around town.”

Owen connected to 826 Valencia after seeing a button on a stranger’s backpack, and has served ever since as a volunteer, and an Associate Board member – most recently as Vice Chair. In his five years on the Associate Board, Owen has focused on creating a meaningful and impactful experience for VAB members, and waxes continually about the importance of buttons.

An avid reader and writer, Linnea embarked on her writing journey at Real Change Newspaper, a paper that advocates for social justice. There she wrote bi-monthly back pages and helped to organize fundraisers. Now, she writes technical documents as a Product Manager by day, and by night, dabbles in poetry and puns. She loves volunteering at the 826 Tenderloin Center and taking part in the 826 Associate Board. When she is not hunching over her work from home setup, Linnea enjoys training for triathalons, dancing, skiing, and planning elaborate themed parties.

Juan grew up in the Mission District and currently works at a local nonprofit in the same neighborhood. Previously, he worked at the SF Department of the Environment…and even as an AmeriCorps service member at 826 Valencia! Outside of work, you can normally spot him grabbing a burrito in the Mission, hanging out at a nearby park, or browsing his local farmers’ market.

Josselyn was born and raised in El Salvador. Her family gradually migrated to the Bay Area and brought her along at the age of 17. While at Mission High School, she found out about 826 Valencia’s work with children and youth and decided to seek their help. She became one of many scholarship recipients as she started her path towards UC Berkeley where she graduated with a BA in Political Science. One of her goals is to continue to give back to her community.

Bianca is a San Francisco native, theater artist, musician and educator. Currently, She sits on the Board of Directors with 826 Valencia and with San Francisco Youth Theater. She’s also the lead singer of a Latin American music quartet called Araya. Check out their music on SoundCloud or Instragram @araya_sounds. Whenever Bianca needs a moment to reconnect with nature, her favorite thing to do is take in the San Francisco ocean breeze.

Daniela is a SF native who recently graduated from Saint Mary’s College of CA with a B.S in Business Administration. This past August, she joined Salesforce’s Marketing team and hopes to one day create a business of her own. When she isn’t working, she enjoys playing basketball, going to the gym, and collecting blazers.

A San Francisco native, Daisy Guzman has been a member of the 826 Valencia community for over 18 years. She has been involved with the organization in various capacities, first as a student and later as a volunteer, education program intern, and scholarship committee member. She holds a BS in Business Administration from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and is a practicing CPA at an accounting firm. During her free time Daisy enjoys hiking and traveling.

Osvaldo is a San Francisco native. While growing up in the Bayview District, Osvaldo came in for After-School Tutoring, later joined the 826 Youth Advisory Board, and is now on the 826 Alumni Board, and the 826 Valencia Board of Directors. He is currently working at Silicon Valley Bank, advising financial technology companies on how to optimize their treasury operations.

Mailyn was born and raised in Guatemala, and came to the US when she was 16. Ever since she came here, 826 Valencia opened a lot of doors in Mailyn’s life making her transition into this country a lot smoother which she is very grateful for. Mailyn graduated from Mission High School in 2018, and recently graduated from UC Davis in 2022. She is passionate about cultures therefore loves learning people’s backgrounds, traditions, etc. She recently got her residency and looks forward to traveling around the world.

Zora was born and raised in San Francisco, and attended 826 Valencia programs from the seventh to twelfth grade. Storytelling, teaching, and learning have been their  main passions from a young age, and these passions have brought Zora back to 826 Valencia as a part of the Alumni Board. They also enjoy baking, playing video games, and are trying to get back into roller skating.

Holly is a proud native San Franciscan and a first-generation college student, hailing from a family of immigrants who instilled in her the values of hard work and perseverance. She attended 826 Valencia’s after-school tutoring from 2nd to 8th grade, where her love for storytelling and creativity was nurtured. Holly’s journey has brought her full circle as she currently works at a San Francisco foundation, dedicated to making a meaningful impact on our beloved city. When she’s not busy championing causes close to her heart, one of Holly’s greatest joys is embarking on culinary adventures to explore the diverse and delectable dining scene in the Bay Area.

Bio coming soon!