“Having personally viewed Streetside in the classroom, I believe it is a wonderful program that brings not only knowledge, but joy and deep levels of engagement.”

— Susan Stauter, Artistic Director, San Francisco Unified School District

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Audrey Adams is a retired school teacher who went back to school when her own children were in middle school to earn both her BA and MA from San Francicsco State.  Audrey taught at James Denman Middle School in San Francisco for nearly 20 years, and has credentials in English, Social Sciences, Math and Science. After several years in the field she had the opportunity move into Language Arts, and was lucky enough to work with Streetside Stories during that first year. Her proudest achievement recently was that she became a National Board Certified Teacher (Early Adolescence/Generalist) in 2002. In her free time she likes to travel, garden, read, await grandchildren and work with the wonderful people of Streetside Stories.

Colman Conroy has worked as a communications professional for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations including the youth focused firms Team-Up for Youth and Larkin Street Youth Services. Colman’s love of storytelling and his commitment to youth causes led him to become involved with Streetside Stories. He is a San Francisco native and holds a B.A. in English from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an MBA from the University of San Francisco. He enjoys writing and playing with his kids.

Karen Donovan is an attorney specializing in natural resources and environmental law. She has extensive experience working with public agencies, particularly local water supply entities. Karen became involved with Streetside Stories because of her particular interest in the unique and demonstrably effective programs that Streetside has developed to promote literacy and build self in Bay Area youth. Karen attended public schools in Maryland and comes from a family where storytelling, writing, and the arts have always played a big role. She lives in San Francisco and holds a B.A. in English and History, a J.D., and an LL.M. in environmental law.

Varun Gupta is a software engineer in the Research and Development department of Salesforce.com, a company that has pioneered a new model of corporate philanthropy in the United States. Varun has been involved with Streetside Stories as a volunteer ever since he joined Salesforce.com in 2007 and has a great passion for programs that allow students to explore creative channels to express themselves. He believes that every student should have access to quality education. Varun completed his Masters from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006. In his spare time, Varun is a flying enthusiast and holds a private pilot license. He is also an amateur photographer.

Dale Hamakawa is a 29 year veteran of the hospitality industry. She began her career on the hotel side of the industry as a Sales Manager for the Westin St. Francis, before ending her hotel career at the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea. In order to diversify her background, Dale worked in various segments of the Hospitality Industry to learn the intricacies of meeting and incentive travel. In 2007, she started her own company, h2 Management, doing business with major Fortune 200 companies. She has served on the Board of Directors of numerous industry organizations and is the Immediate Past President of an international industry association. In her spare time, she has served as Volunteer Activities Coordinator for Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She has also volunteered for both the Special Olympics and the Recreation Center for the Handicapped.

Diana Lee, Chair is is Managing Director of District Strategy at Teach For America. Previously, she's worked as an analyst for the Oakland Unified School District to identify the kind of support needed for the highest need schools and was a Broad Resident of Urban Education. Diana was a public relations manager at Yahoo! Inc. developing communication strategies for the executive leadership team and the Search group. Diana also worked as a strategy consultant for ACE Public School Network, and is also a former co-director of Locus Arts, an all-volunteer nonprofit committed to promoting community through the arts. Diana holds a B.A. in Communications with a specialization in Business Administration from UCLA, and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a proud graduate of the public school system and has always had a passion for writing and the arts. Her greatest inspiration has been her parents, who taught her the power of voice, education and in serving others.

Stacey Manley is a native of the East Coast and currently resides with his wife, Anna, in Oakland. He has over 15 years of strategic marketing and creative advertising experience in the private, public and nonprofit sector and currently serves as Vice President of Advertising & Marketing at Loomis Group in San Francisco. Stacey is a graduate of the University of Maryland and holds a B.A in Journalism. In 2003 he was selected as a National Urban Fellow, where he completed his graduate fellowship with the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and the Conventions & Visitors Bureau. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College. Stacey is an avid sports fan and enjoys attending Warriors games, traveling, reading and BBQ’ing outdoors. Stacey’s interest in Streetside is born from his belief that storytelling is a powerful skill with fundamental application in all parts of life. Stories transcend differences, break down barriers and forge lasting bonds.

Tanya Clark Marston is a Donor Relations Officer at The San Francisco Foundation where she works with donors to craft effective philanthropic giving strategies. Previously, Tanya served as a Program Coordinator at the Foundation working on a variety of special projects and grantmaking programs. Tanya is also currently a Community Fellow at Full Circle Fund. Her love of reading and belief in the power of expression through storytelling attracted her to Streetside. Prior to her work in philanthropy, Tanya was the Assistant Director of Extended Education at California College of the Arts, where she implemented arts education programming for children and adults. She has a MBA with a focus in Marketing and Strategy from the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis and a BA from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She lives in North Beach and spends her free time going to book club, running, trying the latest restaurants, and wine tasting.

Alex Pugh is an associate attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LP and works in the real estate and business transactions group. Alex received his law degree from Columbia University Law School in 2005 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in 1999, where he majored in Economics. Prior to law school Mr. Pugh worked as a Program Manager for Microsoft Corporation in San Francisco. During his summers in college Alex worked as a camp counselor at multiple summer camps and schools.

Rick Oculto has been helping communities in the non-profit sector for a little under a decade. Formerly the youth programs coordinator at Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center in San Jose, he has run counseling programs, created training sessions on diversity and inclusion, managed after school programs, and advocated for civil rights. In 2006 he received his M.S.W. from UC Berkeley with a focus on Management and Planning. He currently works at the United Way of the Bay Area in Development. Rick is a strong believer in the power of individuals coming together for a common cause and often reminds others that, “People are incredible if you allow them to be.”

Leilani Provost, Secretary was born in Augsburg, Germany. Having attended public schools in San Francisco as a child, she fully supports Streetside Stories’ commitment to providing role models and quality programs in Bay Area schools and community centers. Leilani has a BA in Legal Studies and Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley. Previously, she worked at CIBC World Markets and focused on institutional equity sales where she developed and managed client relationships by communicating information on equity research products, capital markets, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and equity offerings. After many years in investment banking, she welcomed a career change to advertising & media, working at Kontera Technologies, before arriving at United Business Media driving sales for UBM TechWeb with an emphasis on the InformationWeek Financial Services brands. She has many interests and hobbies, but her favorites include traveling, staying fit, following current events, and cooking.

Ken Tse, Treasurer is an accountant at the UCSF Pediatrics department. Ken grew up in San Francisco’s Chinatown and attended public schools in San Francisco. Arts and education programs helped Ken acclimate to a new country and a new culture. As an immigrant, Ken is drawn to Streetside’s programs, which serve many kids for whom English is also a second language. He holds a degree in Managerial Economics from UC Davis. Ken also serves on the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Park Tennis Club. His interests include reading and travel.

Laura Valdéz is the Executive Director of Caminos-Pathways Learning Center. She has over 15 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit field and in community-based organizing. Laura was selected as a National Urban Fellows Scholar, and received a Masters in Public Administration. She served for five years as the Director of School & Community Services for East Bay Agency for Children, a nonprofit organization providing programs and services to children. Laura has extensive experience working with the immigrant community, and leading nonprofit organizations. She served as the Executive Director of the Border Rights Coalition (BRC), a nonprofit organization documenting and monitoring immigration law enforcement abuses. Over the past eleven years she has served as a board member or active volunteer in over twenty organizations. She currently serves as the Chair of Bay Area Parent Leadership & Action Network (PLAN), Treasurer of Nuestra Casa and board member of Streetside Stories, Community Technology Network (CTN) and a member of LeaderSpring Alumni Committee. In 2001, she had the special honor of being an official delegate to the World Conference against Racism, Homophobia and other Forms of Intolerance held in Durban, South Africa.

Dr Harvey Brody, DDS, MsEd, Member Emeritus is a Clinical Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco. He has authored 45 articles, been a featured speaker at national and international meetings, and received numerous honors and awards. These include a commendation from the 104th United States Congress and the Omega Boys and Girls Club Man of the Year for Award for 2000. Dr Brody has served as a health policy fellow with Senator Diane Feinstein, a senior policy advisor for the Assistant Secretary of Health, and an advisor on education and health issues to the Office of the President, University of California. Dr Brody has directed hospital and university based residency programs for 28 years and has been the project director on local, state and federal grants. He has served as the President of several national educational organizations and is currently a consultant to the American Dental Association. Dr Brody has served on the board of directors of numerous community based organizations.

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