Staff and Board
OLC Staff
Sanam Jorjani
Executive Director
Sanam Jorjani is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Oakland Literacy Coalition, an Oakland-based nonprofit working together to ensure every Oakland child learns and loves to read. She has spent the past 15 years focused on literacy as a community effort: strengthening collaboration across sectors and programs and advancing a more coordinated literacy ecosystem. Since co-founding the Oakland Literacy Coalition in 2016 with Cassie Perham, Sanam has led the organization’s growth and impact within a shared leadership model, establishing a strong, sustainable foundation. Under her leadership, the Coalition has helped move the field beyond isolated programs toward a durable, citywide movement for literacy. As Executive Director, her work frames literacy as both an educational and equity imperative, with a focus on creating sustained, actionable impact.
With 20 years of experience in education and nonprofit leadership, Sanam brings deep expertise in building and guiding collaborative, field-level initiatives that aligns and connects organizations and systems around shared goals. Prior to founding the OLC, she supported the Coalition and led the Oakland Reads 2020 Initiative as projects in the Rogers Family Foundation for 4 years. Prior to that she coordinated international education projects at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she earned her master’s degree. Sanam was a 2019 Surge Institute Fellow and a 2023 Bridging the Bay Fellow. She currently serves on the Board of The Reading League California and formerly served on the Boards of BANANAS, Inc, and Community Alliance for Learning. She spent over a decade supporting youth civic leadership as a volunteer for the YMCA Youth & Government program. Sanam grew up in the East Bay by way of Iran, and is continually learning—most recently picking up a pair of ice skates, and is on an ongoing quest to improve her Farsi and Persian cooking.
Favorite Book Growing Up: Swimmy by Leo Leoni and The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Jennifer Bloom
Director of Programs
Jennifer has passionately dedicated herself to uplifting the cultural and linguistic assets of students, families, and communities ever since she began her career three decades ago as a first-grade teacher for multilingual learners in San Francisco. Recognizing the transformative power of language and literacy, Jennifer has always sought to foster joyful, rigorous learning environments and ensure the conditions needed for children to thrive in school and life.
In her role as Director of Programs, Jennifer oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of program initiatives to enhance the reach and impact of OLC’s mission.
Jennifer joins OLC after spending the past five years consulting with schools and educational nonprofits on teacher leadership, mentoring, early learning, and adult professional learning. Before this, she served as the Senior Director for the Bay Area at the New Teacher Center, where she led partnerships and programs focused on teacher development and growth.
Jennifer holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from University of New Hampshire, a CA Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University, and a CA Director of Early Childhood Education Permit from Merritt College. She serves as a Senior Advisor to Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation. Residing in Oakland with her partner and their dogs, Jennifer has been an active volunteer puppy raiser and therapy dog handler with Canine Companions for Independence since 2011.
Favorite Book Growing Up: The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Clarisse San Agustin-Toledo
Director of Development
Clarisse has dedicated her career to organizations that serve and empower communities, with a particular passion for helping children and youth reach their full potential. A strong believer in the transformative power of education, she recognizes literacy as the foundation for opportunity – opening doors to new worlds, cultures, and brighter futures.
Growing up in a home where reading was encouraged and celebrated, Clarisse developed a lifelong love of learning. That early experience continues to fuel her advocacy for children and youth today, especially those furthest from opportunity.
As Director of Development, Clarisse brings over a decade of experience as a nonprofit leader, strategic fundraiser, and thoughtful communicator. She leads the OLC’s development strategy, cultivating meaningful partnerships and mobilizing community investment to ensure every Oakland child learns and loves to read. Clarisse is eager to collaborate with philanthropic leaders and community partners to grow the OLC’s impact, making literacy a shared priority and a lasting investment in Oakland and beyond.
Clarisse holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Francisco State University. She is a proud fellow of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter’s IDEA Fellowship Program.
She lives in the East Bay with her husband, son, and two spirited Labradors, Chloé and Cooper.
Favorite Books Growing Up: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
julia nihar sen
Reading Everywhere Program Manager
julia is a mixed race (Bengali and white), disabled educator, activist, community builder, mama, and Bay Area native who has been working with youth and families for the past 20 years. An avid reader and self proclaimed book nerd since a young age, she loves nothing more than sharing the love of reading with community. julia worked in K-8 schools as an educator and classroom teacher, as well as at family resource centers building and supervising family support programs, all with under-resourced BIPOC communities around the Bay Area. These experiences taught her the power and importance of building relationships and working as an ally, of listening to and learning from families, and that marginalized people are the best ones to find solutions to their problems.
julia lives in Berkeley with her partner and two children, and the best part of her day is reading with them before bed. You can find her in the garden or drumming in the streets.
Favorite book growing up: It’s a tie between the Ramona Quimby series and Bridge to Terabithia
Heather Appel
Senior Communications Manager
Heather is a lifelong reader, writer, and storyteller who believes in the transformative power of books. As a baby, she was an early talker and a later walker, so the family joke was that she read a book to learn how to walk.
She has worked as a community organizer, journalist, and nonprofit communications manager, helping to amplify voices of frontline community members and organize for better healthcare, housing, and schools. She grew up in Denver, CO and spent her early adulthood in New York City before moving to Oakland in 2013. She has a master’s degree from the Newmark (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism.
Heather lives with her daughter and their two cats, Ivy and Bean.
Favorite book growing up: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble and the Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Lola Dvorak
School Library Partnerships Program Coordinator
Lola grew up along the Mississippi River in rural Wisconsin before moving to California and falling in love with its iconic coast and vibrant cities. She has a passion for community building, championing youth, and fighting for systemic change. In addition to her role supporting school libraries across Oakland, she is the librarian at Peralta Elementary. She has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Lola lives in north Oakland with her wife, daughter, dog, and cat, who all compete with an endless pile of books for her attention. When she’s not reading or helping a student find Dogman, she loves traveling and camping.
Favorite book growing up: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle.
Annette Castro
Program Associate
Annette (They/Them) is a Stockton native who proudly identifies as a child of immigrants from Mexico. Through their education, Annette has recognized the many ways literacy is cultivated in a child’s everyday life, beyond the traditional literacy taught in schools. Their journey into literacy began with helping translate documents from Spanish to English, as well as growing up in a Spanish-speaking household while attending English-speaking primary schools.
While studying at UC Berkeley, Annette joined the Public Service Center’s BUILD program as a literacy mentor for elementary schools in Berkeley and Oakland. During their time mentoring at a Berkeley dual immersion program, Annette became deeply intrigued by how literacy development intersects with students’ identities, recognizing its power as a tool for empowerment. As an Ethnic Studies major and future educator, Annette’s work centers on the importance of creating safe spaces for students to express and explore their identities.
Annette is also the proud owner of a sassy but kind tortoiseshell cat named Snickers!
Iwalani Martinson
Development and Data Intern
Iwalani Martinson (she/her) is a current Business Administration and Public Policy student at UC Berkeley. Growing up on the Central Coast of Cailfornia in the vibrant community of Lompoc, her most formative years were spent engaging in advocacy efforts related to civic engagement and grassroots organizing for local policy efforts, related to farm workers rights and education bonds.
As a mixed Native Hawaiian student she is passionate about uplifting BIPOC students access to education. She hopes to pursue a career at the intersection of social impact and business—particularly within strategy, product management, and consulting—where she can design equitable, community-centered solutions.
Sabrina Torres
Communications Intern
Sabrina (she/they) was born and raised in Fontana, California before moving to the Bay Area for college at UC Berkeley. A proud SoCal native, she also takes pride in her mixed-race heritage, growing up in a Lao and Mexican household where she experienced a multicultural upbringing that set the foundation of her diverse educational experience. Being a daughter of immigrants and a first-generation student, Sabrina has witnessed the socioeconomic and educational challenges her communities face. Given the historical disparities surrounding social mobility her communities face, Sabrina is strongly passionate about advocating for racial equity and access in education and is particularly curious about the school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately impacts both her ethnic communities.
While still at UC Berkeley finishing up her BA in Sociology, Sabrina has already committed herself to educational justice from working as a literacy mentor and student director for two years at her school’s Public Service Center BUILD program. She has also worked previously championing for immigrant rights at East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, where she deepened her understanding of the plights her communities face. She is interested in pursuing an MSW, hoping to continue breaking down systemic obstacles and advocating for greater educational accessibility for marginalized communities like her own.
Favorite book growing up: Geronimo Stilton series by Elisabetta Dami and The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.
Caroline Marsden
Program Intern
Caroline (she/her) is a current UC Berkeley student who is actively involved in literacy advocacy
and development. Throughout her time as a Berkeley student, she has remained active in public
service as a literacy coach and director with Berkeley United in Literacy Development. She
believes all children should be given a fair chance to succeed in their educational journey and
this has sparked her interest in educational equity.
Favorite book growing up: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Board of Directors
Matt serves as Chief Operating Officer at The Christensen Fund, a SF-based private foundation focused on protecting biocultural diversity. Prior to joining Christensen, Matt spent 13 years at several educational nonprofits, including CollegeSpring and Reading Partners, where he played a number of roles including Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff and Chief Regional Operations Officer. Matt lives in Oakland with his wife and two children and is passionate about education, literacy, equity, and his community.
Laura Holmes
Board Co-Chair
Laura likes to build things, specifically software products and happy teams. She is currently the CEO and founder of Wanderly, a story-led educational app for 3-8-year-old children using generative Artificial Intelligence. She’s spent the last 8 years working on various software products at the intersection of education and equity: She founded Grasshopper, a mobile-first coding education product that served students from underrepresented backgrounds, and she led the product teams in Google’s AI for Education portfolio. She spent 13 years at Google, taking many products from idea to full product launch. Prior to Google, she graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Computer Science and grew up with many good books. She is also a current Oakland resident, California native, the mother of two adorable kiddos, and loves talking about her mixed-race heritage.
Laura hopes her time on the OLC board will help her connect and uplift the Oakland community through a shared love of great stories and literacy.
Townes Bouchard-Dean
Board Treasurer
Townes began his career as a high school science teacher in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood and the experiences of his former students drive his passion for ensuring that everyone has access to opportunity. Townes is excited to work towards OLC’s mission in partnership with students, teachers, and families. He formerly worked on the Education Team in the Oakland Mayor’s Office and currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Oakland Thrives, a collective impact organization that drives cross-sector citywide collaboration to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families. Originally from Tennessee, Townes studied Public Health at the University of North Carolina and has an MA in Education Policy from Loyola Marymount University. On the weekends, Townes loves spending time outdoors across the Bay Area.
Michelle Goldenberg
Board Secretary
Michelle Goldenberg comes to us from the entertainment industry, as an Assistant Production Accountant for film & television. She has had the opportunity to work on such shows as That’s What I Am, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, the pilot episode of All-American, as well as All Hail King Julien, Dinotrux, and Dawn of the Croods – all three of which are DreamWorks Animation TV shows. Michelle has an undergraduate degree in Managerial Economics from UC Davis and a master’s degree in Communication Management from USC.
As a Bay Area native, Oakland holds a special place in Michelle’s heart. She credits her Grandma Cecilia (who had been a long-time resident), as well as Apple Garden Montessori of Oakland for making such a lasting impact on her early childhood development. Michelle recently moved back up north from the Los Angeles area and is excited to be of service to promote the importance of literacy and critical thinking skills within our community.
Dulce Torres-Petty
Dulce Torres-Petty is a native from Mexico City who migrated to the United States in 2006 and has dedicated her professional career to work in the education non-profit world ever since. Dulce currently works as the Brilliant Baby Senior Program Manager for the Oakland Promise where she’s committed to support families to pursue their dreams and aspirations for their babies with early investments in their education. Dulce holds a deep commitment to support and empower families through the powerful practice of sharing books and stories, and is honored to support the Oakland Literacy Coalition in their efforts to increase literacy levels in this city that she loves deeply. Dulce is also a big sister, a daughter, a wife, and a proud parent of an Oakland native toddler.
Kyra Mungia
Kyra is a passionate education advocate, committed to changing systems to improve outcomes across Oakland, particularly for students who are traditionally marginalized. She is an energetic, metric-driven team player with strong organizational skills and experience in leveraging available resources. As a former Oakland public school teacher, Kyra saw firsthand how under-resourced and underserved communities – most often communities of color – are treated.
Those disparities are what drove her to take a more systems-level approach as an Deputy Director of Education in the Office of Oakland Mayor Schaaf, where she leads early childhood education, collective impact, and teacher recruitment/retention efforts. Kyra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in Urban Education with a focus on Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University. She has a passion for kids, their wellbeing, and their educational opportunities. Kyra always gives 100%, except when donating blood. She enjoys mastering crossword puzzles with a cup of tea, exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful trails, and running into friends at Lake Merritt.
As a classroom teacher, Kyra has seen the power literacy has in shaping education and life outcomes for students, and she’s excited to be part of a collective impact team working to support a whole city of children & youth so that they learn and love to read.
Tiffany Furrell
Tiffany Furrell has over a decade of experience in analyzing and reporting data, including work in public policy and the tech sector. She holds an Economics undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles with a minor in Education Studies. For the last 8 years she worked in Oakland at Pandora Media, a leading music and podcast streaming platform. Tiffany is a co-founder of the Pandora Mixtape Community, an employee resource group focused on helping Pandora be the best it can be by supporting its racially and ethnically underrepresented employees as well as its surrounding communities.
Wanting to better connect with the community of Oakland and utilize her passion for childhood literacy and education, Tiffany is excited to work alongside the team with the Oakland Literacy Coalition.
Ellen Moyer
Ellen Moyer is a retired consumer researcher with long-term professional affiliations with REI, Clorox and Visa in the Bay Area and elsewhere. She has lived in Oakland as an active volunteer for other 25 years and spent more than 10 of them serving on the Board of the Friends of the Oakland Public Library.
Her parents took the family to the public library every Friday night to roam around hunting for an armful of good books to take home and she’s never looked back.
Michael De Sousa
Michael is the son of Azorean immigrants Gisela Paz and Jose Antonio. While his parents could only attend the third grade, Michael would become the first in his family to attend college, eventually earning his Master’s and Doctorate in Education. Dr. De Sousa has worked in schools for over two decades as a teacher, principal, leadership coach, community organizer, and researcher. He has led award-winning schools recognized for preparing first-generation students for college and creating transformational school cultures. After his tenure as a principal, Michael committed himself to facilitating systemic and community-led change. Whether leading adult learning, facilitating inclusive design processes, or organizing families, Michael’s work honors community leadership, assets, and agency. As a father raising three children in Oakland, Michael’s work in educational equity is personal.
Catherine Chiabaut
Catherine’s life was, in many ways, shaped by her access to books and her relationship to literacy. She grew up as a native French speaker in an Anglophone part of Canada, raised by a family and a community who believed strongly that language is culture. Her parents and teachers instilled in her a love of reading and writing that eventually carried her all the way to completing a Ph.D. at Yale University, where she taught French language, literature, and translation while working on a variety of research and book projects. Today, she works as a Program Officer at the Robertson Foundation, an NYC-headquartered family foundation focused on medical research, climate, and K-12 education. Like the OLC, she believes that a love of reading can unlock learning and opportunity. As a board member, she’s excited to contribute to the OLC’s efforts to sustain a thriving literacy ecosystem across Oakland. A transplant to the Bay Area, you can often find Catherine on the weekends hiking or discovering new breweries with her husband, their two sausage dogs waddling by their side.
Landon Hill
Dr. Landon Hill is a native of Oakland, California. He currently serves as the Chief Program Officer at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), the same organization where he came of age and has had the privilege of leading multiple programs across the K-12 spectrum. In addition to his work with EOYDC, Landon has served as a lecturer at San Francisco State University for several years, including classes in Instructional Technology, Secondary Education, and the Ed.D. Educational Leadership program. He is also involved in other community efforts via Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Landon’s research is dedicated to identifying ways in which Black students’ cultural practices can be sustained and utilized within classroom settings to support academic achievement and socio-emotional development. His research interests include language and literacy practices of African American students, culturally sustaining pedagogy, hip hop pedagogy, critical race theory, and triple quandary. He earned his MA of Education from California State University, Long Beach and Ed.D. from San Francisco State University. Above all, he is a husband and father to his amazing wife and daughter.
Shrim Bathey
Shrim Bathey is the Managing Director of Strategic Projects at Kingmakers of Oakland and has spent her educational career working towards empowering students from underrepresented groups. She thrives as an architect around organizational processes, systems, and workflow and is always ready to roll up her sleeves to move projects forward. She is a seasoned education professional serving in various roles in higher education and nonprofits. She received her BS in Psychology from Trinity College, CT and MA in Higher Educational Administration from Santa Clara University, CA.
Shrim lives in Oakland with her husband and two young children and is a lover of all things related to libraries and books. She is thrilled about joining the OLC Board in support of moving our mission forward.
Jody Talkington
Jody Talkington is the Deputy Chief of Community Schools for Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) where she provides leadership for statewide technical and transformational assistance for the implementation of community schools grants. Prior to working at ACOE, Jody worked for Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) for more than 17 years and was most recently the Senior Director of Strategic Projects for the Superintendent & Chief of Staff Office and previously was the Director of Project Management for the Chief Academic Officer, as well as an English Language Learner Specialist and Literacy Specialist. Jody is also trained in Hakomi Somatic Mindful Psychology, Strozzi Institute Embodied Leadership, Stanford Interpersonal Dynamics, Matrix Leadership Organization & Group Transformation and Somatic Abolitionism for Racial Equity.
As a proud Oakland resident and parent of an OUSD student, Jody is excited to support OLC to help uplift literacy and educational opportunities that strengthen our community.