Molly Wertz, Executive Director
Molly has worked tirelessly throughout her career to support partnerships between education, non-profits and community for the benefit of children and their families. She’s led Raising A Reader since it launched as a 501c3, and prior to that, served as executive administrator for the program in her role as Vice President of Community Investment at United Way of the Bay Area. From 2004 through 2010 Molly provided leadership for all United Way’s community programs, and served as Program Officer for education investments. While she was a consultant with New Ways to Work, Molly also facilitated the National Intermediary Project, which brought together teams of local business, government, education and the non-profit leaders with their peers from around the country to prioritize, plan and implement community wide programs to ensure success for all youth. At Petaluma City Schools Molly taught both primary and high school and was a founding teacher of Sonoma Mountain High School. She served as district level administrator responsible for development of community partnerships for school reform. Molly has a MS in Curriculum and Instruction from Dominican University of California, and a BA in English Literature from Sonoma State University. Molly is a proud grandmother of four emerging readers.
Jennifer Cabán
, Director of Programs
Jennifer joins Raising A Reader with a strong blend of cross-sector experience amassed over 19 years of dedicated service to creating access and equity in education for youth and families in high-need communities. As the former Special Assistant and Education Policy Advisor to the Mayor of Oakland, she directed the Oakland Education Cabinet; an entity established by the Mayor to improve educational outcomes for children and youth in Oakland. During her time, Ms. Cabán was able to effectively build, manage and lead a cohort of 60+ community leaders to better understand and collaboratively work together to create change in policies and structures impacting early childhood and K-12 in the Oakland Unified School District. Jennifer is the co-founder of the Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory High School in Brooklyn, NY. Born and raised in the low-income sections of Brooklyn, NY, she is acquainted with the bureaucratic obstacles and the lack of opportunities and resources which limit access to quality early childhood and K-12 education. Jennifer is a National Urban Fellow and holds a MPA with a focus in public policy and BA in History from Binghamton University.
Shani Ahearn, Director of Development and Communications
Shani brings 10 years of development experience to Raising A Reader with a diverse background in fund development that includes securing support from corporations, foundations, and individuals. Before being bit by the fundraising bug, she taught high school at a residential facility for at-risk youth and managed microenterprise development programs in Baltimore, MD. Prior to joining Raising a Reader, Shani led individual giving at Catholic Charities and United Way of the Bay Area, where she raised funds for Raising A Reader before it became an independent 501(c)3. A voracious reader whose personal record is finishing seven books in one day, Shani is passionate about stories of all sorts and their ability to transport people to other worlds and outlooks.
Celina Kamler, Program Manager
Celina Kamler is Raising a Reader’s Program Manager. She brings to this position deep knowledge of California education policy and programs, six years of experience as a bilingual classroom teacher, and unyielding passion for serving the bay area’s highest-need families. She has extensive experience leading qualitative data collection and analyses for program implementation evaluations. This work has included interviews and focus groups with preschool and elementary teachers, administrators, youth and parents for a variety of projects, in both Spanish and English. Celina’s other work has included conducting technical reviews of early childhood assessments, developing provider survey items that accurately capture parent engagement efforts, and supervising and certifying bilingual field staff to ensure accurate administration of preschool assessments. Celina earned her Spanish Bilingual, Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD) Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from SFSU and her Masters of Public Policy with an emphasis in education policy from UCLA.
Julie Barton, Manager, Grants and Institutional Relations
Julie joins Raising A Reader after six years of development and non-profit management experience, working for the Harry Potter Alliance, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Design Museum. With a PhD in Literature and an MA in Children’s Literature, she has been published in The Journal of Children’s Literature Studies and “Crossing Textual Boundaries in International Children’s Literature,” and has taught undergraduate courses at the University of East Anglia. She has served on the Executive Board of the International Board on Books for Young People (UK), and currently serves as a Board of Directors Member for About-Face.org and NaNoWriMo. She is passionate about the power children’s literature has to positively impact children’s lives and society at large.
Dulce Maria Torres, Community Literacy Specialist, East Bay
Dulce Torres joined Raising A Reader in 2012, bringing five years of experience providing education and case management services to underserved New York City residents. Her work with immigrants and struggling students helped her develop a deep sensitivity to the issues of low income families, which is critical when working with Raising A Reader families. Dulce earned her BA in Education from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM).
Gabriela Rodriguez, Community Literacy Specialist, San Francisco
Gabriela Rodriguez’s experience includes teaching English for kindergarten public programs and teaching as a college professor in Chiapas, Mexico. Gabriela is passionate about working with children and providing access to much needed educational resources. She holds a BA in International Relations from Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and a Certificate in International Organizations from the State University of New York at New Paltz.
Dana Cilono, SEEDS Literacy Coach, Alameda County
Dana began her work with Raising A Reader in 2014. Prior to her role as the SEEDS of Early Literacy Coach, Dana taught Transitional Kindergarten through 2nd grade in Oakland. She earned her BA at UCLA and went on to earn her K-12 Multiple Subject Credential at St. Mary’s College. She also studied Educational Theater (with an emphasis in English Language Development) at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Humanities at NYU.
J. Jimenez, Program Coordinator, Alameda County
Fernando “J” Jimenez brings a decade of experience as an educator in Berkeley and the Oakland Unified School Districts. He specializes in early childhood development and literacy and helped pilot transitional kindergarten in Oakland schools. J has an educational background in psycho-biology with an emphasis in child development and education from UC Santa Cruz. J’s teaching experience has taught him that it takes a village to support a child’s growth and that working together with parents, educators, and administrators is a key component of ensuring children’s success. His motto is “the more you know, the more you grow.” J loves to travel and laugh. He could be caught spending a whole day in a local bookstore or library. His literary hero is Dr. Seuss.
Kaitlin Pearce, Program Coordinator, Alameda County
Kaitlin has over seven years of experience in the education sector. Her experience ranges from in-home support for toddlers with autism to teaching middle school and high school students. Most recently, Kaitlin taught Writing and English in Oakland public schools. She is passionate about empowering families and youth through education. Kaitlin received her BA from UC Berkeley in Cognitive Science and her teaching credential from San Diego State. She joined Raising A Reader in 2014.
Jeannie Peirce, Program Coordinator, Contra Costa County
Jeannie comes to Raising a Reader - Contra Costa after working for the past seven years at First 5 Contra Costa as a Raising a Reader Training Coordinator. She earned her BA in Human Development with the Adult Development Option, from California State University, Hayward. She has her Master’s Degree from Cal State East Bay in Public Administration, with the Public Management Option. Jeannie feels that one of the best ways to help a child is by supporting and encouraging the parents. She especially enjoys supporting providers and teachers, who work direct with families, with their early literacy and parent involvement efforts.
Patricia Leal, Program Coordinator, Contra Costa County
Patricia joined Raising a Reader in 2014 in our Contra Costa office. She brings with her over 20 years of experience in social work in California. Patricia has extensive experience working with diverse populations on issues ranging from child care and education to support for the disabled and special needs communities. She received her BA in Biology from UC Santa Cruz and holds a Masters of Public Administration from CSU Fresno. Born in Mexico, she is fluent in Spanish. Patricia’s passion is sharing knowledge and working to give back to her community.
Kelsey Gottschalk, Program Coordinator, San Francisco
Kelsey came to Raising a Reader in 2014 after spending three years living in Ecuador, where she worked as a K-12 English teacher and Program Coordinator at an educational non-profit, and later as Regional Office Director for an Immigration and Expat Assistance firm. During this time, she also freelanced in legal and medical translation and taught English and Spanish lessons to children and adults. Kelsey holds a BA in Linguistics from the University of Michigan. She is a singer, dancer and actress from way back who loves to get lost in a good puzzle, book, movie, play, language or city.
Michele Callwood, Program Coordinator, San Francisco
Michele Callwood joined Raising A Reader in 2011, after eight years as a Special Education teacher in a community setting. Michele’s experience supporting families, schools and community agencies to work together to ensure children’s academic and personal success proves a tremendous asset to RAR educators and families. Michele earned her BA in Sociology from U.C. Santa Barbara, and is currently pursuing her MA in Special Education at St. Mary’s College of Moraga.
Leslie Ferber, Program Coordinator, San Francisco
Leslie joined Raising A Reader in 2013, after seven years of working in a library setting. Leslie’s experience in supporting children’s library programming and providing Chinese bilingual literacy services helps RAR families and educators better acquaint themselves with the resources available. Leslie is also a dedicated volunteer of the bleeding disorder community, having volunteered as a camp counselor and served on various taskforces. Leslie graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Political Economy.
Emily Thompson, Communications & Development Associate
Emily joined Raising A Reader in 2014, and has several years’ experience in writing, editing, and social media marketing. As an avid reader and writer, Emily is committed to supporting the Bay Area community at large by providing excellent support to the RAR staff. Emily is a graduate of Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia, with a BA in English.
Tom Meshishnek, Accountant & Operations Manager
Tom has an extensive background in accounting and financial management of nonprofit organizations, both large and small. He has served in a variety of sectors, including marine conservation, reproductive rights, wildlife rehabilitation, performing arts, food cooperatives, residential real estate, and CRM solutions. He is a Bay Area native and currently lives in Berkeley, California.
Read about our Board Members here.