About SEAL
Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) is a powerful research-based, evidence based approach to engaging, rigorous, joyful learning.
Our model is designed to build the capacity of preschools and elementary schools and is inclusive of all students – creating an environment where children engage together in rigorous, joyful, content and language-rich learning. Our mission is to prepare all English Learners and Dual Language Learners in California to learn, thrive and lead. SEAL provides professional development, curriculum support, and technical assistance to school systems.
Our Story
Our story began with the Sobrato family and their strong belief that all children should have access to opportunities for growth and success in school. In 2008, the Sobrato Philanthropies partnered with Dr. Laurie Olsen to design and pilot a new, comprehensive approach to learning in preschool and early elementary grades. The result was the creation of the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) model.
After external evaluation results proved SEAL’s outsized impact, the model was expanded and replicated, first in the Bay Area and then throughout the state of California. In 2019, SEAL became an independent organization with the aim of scaling our impact and engaging new partners that connect educators, families, researchers, advocates, and policy leaders to elevate English Learners and Dual Language Learners and promote multilingualism for all students.
Our Journey
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“Creo en SEAL, porque ofrece a los niños oportunidades de enriquecer su lenguaje académico. Los hace sentir seguros de aprender. Están expuestos a lenguaje de alto nivel. Enseñarles a niños de seis y siete años acerca de los patrones en el cielo y que ellos tomen eso con tanto entusiasmo es maravilloso.
— Nuria Godcharles, Teacher, Redwood City School District -
“I have a stronger direction to teach the standards now and am more in control. I can respond more easily to the needs of my students.
— Teacher, Fillmore Unified School District
Our Executive Team
Anya Hurwitz, Ed.D. Executive Director
Dr. Anya Hurwitz has a longstanding commitment to creating the conditions for public schools to meet the diverse needs of their students’ academic and socio-emotional development. She has worked as a teacher, school leader, district administrator, and within the educational nonprofit sector. The early part of Dr. Hurwitz’s career was in New York City where she helped start a small secondary school in the Bronx and then became a Network Leader within the NYC Department of Education to a diverse group of 24 schools, preschool through early college. In 2010, she moved to northern California and began working as an educational consultant supporting district and school leaders as they planned and implemented strategic reform efforts. Dr. Hurwitz joined the SEAL team in 2014. She has a doctorate in educational leadership from UC Berkeley.
Benjamin Buis, Head Finance and Operations Officer
Ben Buis has a longstanding commitment to ensuring all students have access to an exceptional education and the resources needed to succeed. For over 20 years, he has worked to change practices and policies to realize educational equity. Ben has worked as a teacher, school leader, and within the educational nonprofit sector. The early part of his career was in New York City, where he began teaching as a member of Teach For America, a diverse network of leaders who confront educational inequity by teaching for at least two years in underserved communities. Ben then went on to be a founding member of a charter school with an instructional model meant to prepare every student to succeed in college and beyond. In 2010, he moved to the Bay Area and became a Director of an educational nonprofit that provided support and resources for low-income students. Ben joined the SEAL team in 2020. He has an M.S. in Educational Leadership & Administration from Western Governors University and an M.A. in Education for Pace University.
Patricia E Chavez, Head of External Relations
Patricia (Patty) E Chavez joined the SEAL team in August 2022 and has dedicated her career to building cross-sector partnerships and public support on issues and causes that facilitate community transformation. An adept storyteller with more than 25 years of experience, she has worked in public, private, and nonprofit sectors leading initiatives that create and execute brands, strengthen marketing and communications, foster strategic partnerships, and expand relationships with policymakers, education leaders, partners and stakeholders. As a former Council Member, Chavez has a unique combination of legislative and community experience and cultural competency that drives her work with diverse populations to strengthen the voice of underrepresented communities. Among the various initiatives, Chavez led coordination efforts for San Diego County of Education to increase civic and community support for quality early education and transitional kindergarten programs. Chavez is first-generation and first-in-family to earn advanced degrees. She has a master’s in communication management from the University of Southern California. You can browse her work samples at https://www.linkedin.com/
Patty Delaney, Senior Director of Program and Partnerships
As Senior Director of Program, Patty Delaney coordinates visits to SEAL demonstration sites, and works with key district level leaders who have an interest in implementing the SEAL model. Ms. Delaney has been an educator for more than 25 years—beginning in bilingual first grade classroom in San Rafael, leading to more than a decade teaching in K-5 classrooms across the district. While at San Rafael City Schools, Ms. Delaney developed a new district-wide teacher support program based on the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project, and became the district’s New Teacher Advisor—later working at the county level with Marin County Office of Education’s BTSA program. Ms. Delaney has also served as a K-8 school site administrator, and as San Rafael’s K-12 Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction. She holds a BA in Bilingual Education and Latin American Studies from Cal State University Chico, a teaching credential from Cal State Sonoma, and a Masters in Educational Leadership with an Administrative Services Credential from San Francisco State University.
Martha Martinez, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research and Evaluation
Dr. Martha I Martinez has more than 20 years experience researching, overseeing and supporting policies and programs designed to improve educational outcomes for underserved students. As Senior Director of Research and Evaluation, she oversees the organization’s research agenda, including supporting and directing evaluations of SEAL’s professional development in PK-6 grade school settings on teacher practice, student outcomes, and school systems. Prior to joining SEAL, Dr. Martinez worked at the Oregon Department of Education where she played a key role in the development of ELPA21, oversaw the state’s dual language grant program, and served as co-Principal Investigator on two Research-Practice Partnerships focused on Oregon’s ELs. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Methodology, Policy and Leadership from the University of Oregon.
Armando Zumaya, Head of Development
Armando joined the SEAL team in August 2022 and is a veteran 36-year nonprofit fundraiser. He has served in many roles including Chief Development Officer, Vice President of Development, and Director of Major Gifts. He is known especially for his work at Cornell University, Cal Berkeley, the San Francisco Opera, Playworks, Pivot Learning Partners, the Mexican Museum, and the USS Hornet Museum. He is experienced in a wide range of fundraising methods but is known for his innovative work in major gifts prospecting, cultivation design, the use of prospect research, and DEI in fundraising. He helps lead volunteer associations and groups that promote Latinx in fundraising and improved fundraising for Latinx nonprofits. He has been published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Grassroots Fundraising Journal, Advancing Philanthropy, and other publications in the US, Canada, UK, South Africa and Mexico. He lives in Northern California and is a proud alumnus of the University of California, Riverside and Roosevelt High School and Breed Street Elementary in East Los Angeles, CA.
Oscar Cruz, Head Program Officer
Our Team
Adriana Diaz, Senior Programs Coordinator
Adriana Diaz comes to SEAL with over 20 years experience in Education. The common thread throughout all her work has been her passion in advocating for under-served students and their families. She has worked as a community coordinator, Spanish bilingual teacher from elementary through high school level, academic counselor and also a professor of Communications for over 7 years. Her work with English Language Learners has motivated her to build strong critical thinkers in her students and help them see the value they bring with their first language. She has worked to have every student build effective communication skills in order to become their own advocates for themselves, their families and their community. Ms. Diaz holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Mass Communication from San Jose State University.
Dr. Camille R. Whitney, Research and Evaluation Manager
Dr. Camille R. Whitney has over ten years of experience in education research with a focus on improving outcomes for underserved populations and ELs in particular. Dr. Whitney works with the Director of Research & Evaluation to manage SEAL’s research and evaluation activities. This includes supporting and co-leading investigations of the efficacy of the SEAL model, as well as high quality EL instruction in general. Dr. Whitney began her career in education as a high school mathematics teacher. She later served as an education research analyst at Child Trends and Head of Research at Mindful Schools. Before joining SEAL in 2021, she worked in various roles at the San Francisco Zen Center including supporting their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. She received her Ph.D. in Education Policy and the Economics of Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2016.
Katie Mlakar, Program Manager
Katie Mlakar joins the SEAL team with ten years of teaching experience in the Oak Grove School District. She has taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades at Miner Elementary, a Title I SEAL Demonstration school, and is passionate about providing a meaningful classroom experience for second language learners. As a SEAL trained teacher, Ms. Mlakar has spent several years incorporating Common Core State Standards and has seen first-hand the positive impact SEAL strategies have had on students, and how the program can rejuvenate teachers as they refine their technique. She feels an urgency to be a part of the expansion of the SEAL program in order to empower teachers and students. Ms. Mlakar received her Masters in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on collaborative learning, as well as an administrative credential, from National University.
Jennifer Clinkscales, Program Coordinator
Jennifer joined the SEAL team in 2021 as a Program Specialist. She completed her undergraduate work at California State University, Northridge majoring in Communication Studies. After working as a publicist, Jennifer embarked on her second career in education after receiving her Teaching Credential and MA in Education from the University of La Verne. Jennifer comes to SEAL from Fillmore Unified School District where she taught 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade SEAL classrooms. Through her work as a Teacher Induction Mentor and grade level team lead, she discovered her passion of supporting teachers in their work to empower English Learners while fostering students critical thinking skills.
Erin Magill Peleti, Senior Program Specialist
Erin joined the SEAL team in 2021 as a Program Specialist. Erin completed her undergraduate work at UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science. From there, Erin went on to receive an MA in Education from San Jose State University. Erin previously worked in Oak Grove School District in SEAL classrooms and was part of the first 4-5 Grade SEAL cohort. Erin is passionate about helping teachers build community with each other to help students love learning, see themselves in their classrooms, and express themselves.
Jennifer Ancheta-Garcia, Program Manager
Jennifer has over 12 years of experience in early literacy education, and a deep commitment to English Learners. Her work began in a Title 1 TK-6 school in Oak Grove School District as a trained SEAL classroom teacher. There she noted high-level engagement, profound oral academic language development, a newfound confidence among her students, and strong school to family partnerships. This experience ignited her passion to reach and advocate for more students on a grander scale. Since joining the SEAL team, Jennifer has provided professional development to our district partners, played a role in the design of the newer upper grade SEAL model, and is heavily involved in SEAL’s online training platform. She holds an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from San Jose State University and a BA in Visual Communication Design from San Francisco State University.
Adriana Diaz, Program Manager
Adriana comes to SEAL with over 20 years of experience in education. The common thread throughout her work is her passion advocating for under-served students and their families. She has served as a community coordinator, Spanish bilingual teacher from elementary through high school, academic counselor, and professor of communications for over seven years. Her work with English Learners has motivated her to make strong critical thinkers of her students and help them see the value they bring with their first language. She has also worked to have every student build effective communication skills in order to advocate for themselves, their families and their communities. Adriana holds a BA and an MS in Mass Communication from San Jose State University.
Julia Fajardo, Program Coordinator
Julia joined the SEAL team in April 2022. She received her BA degree in Communication with an emphasis in Digital Media from Saint Mary’s College of California. Before joining the SEAL team as the program support assistant, she previously worked coordinating the administrative, virtual event planning, and marketing in the mental health space. Growing up in a family of educators, Julia continues to be an advocate for educational equality and quality instruction in the classroom.
Charice Guerra, Program Director of Designs for Change
Charice has been providing education support to under-served students for 20 years. She began her career as a middle school English teacher educating English Learners in Ventura County. Soon after, she relocated to the high desert as a classroom teacher and teacher on special assignment (TOSA) where she helped create a model program for English Learners. Charice returned home to work for the Ventura County Office of Education as coordinator for language arts/ELD and the visual and performing arts. She was the regional art lead for four counties where she advocated for English Learners to have access to arts education, including providing professional development to teachers for English Learners and the arts. Before joining the SEAL team, Charice was the director of curriculum, instruction and assessment in Fillmore Unified School District (USD) where she also served as principal. While in Fillmore USD, she worked closely with SEAL and the district administrative team to support full implementation of the SEAL model. This included securing a CDE grant in 2016 to start six preschool programs with the SEAL model as the foundation. Dedicated to and passionate about English Learners, Charice is a founding member of the 805 EL Advocates, a volunteer advocacy group which focuses on the rights of English Learners and their families in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Laura Hernandez, Program Director of Full Model
Laura joined SEAL in 2013 after 13 years in Oak Grove School District as a third, fifth, and sixth-grade classroom teacher, and six years as a literacy coach for the district working with teachers on refining their craft to meet the needs of all students. Her entire career in education has taken place in Title 1 schools with high numbers of English Learners. She is passionate about culturally-responsive teaching to ensure educational equity for all students. Laura completed her undergraduate work at St. Mary’s College, majoring in Liberal Studies with a minor in Child Development, and went on to receive her teaching credential as well as her MA in Educational Leadership and Administration from San Jose State University.
Karen Ascencio, Program Manager
Karen has been in the field of education for over 30 years. Her primary focus has been on early learning in the classroom and administration. Her most recent work is with Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), where she was an integral part of the teaching and learning team as a Head Start education manager. In that role, she led the program’s early learning leadership pipeline, provided leadership and guidance in developing the dual immersion preschool classroom, and previously served as a SEAL coach. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, a Child Development Program Director Permit, and a CTE Credential in Education, Child Development, and Family Services. As an English learner who moved to the United States when she was seven, she is committed to supporting dual language learners. Karen is passionate about collaborating with educators and school leaders to align learning from preschool and beyond to impact all students socially and academically positively.
Joanna Meadvin, Program Manager
Joanna’s experience in education began as a Peace Corps teacher in a small, trilingual city in Nicaragua. Seeing her Miskito-speaking students struggle with Spanish sparked a passion for supporting language learners. Joanna taught 2nd, 3rd and 7th grades in New York City, taught writing to first-generation college students in Mississippi, and college-level literature classes in California. She has an MA in bilingual/bicultural education from Teachers College in New York City, and in 2016 received her Ph.D. in Literature with a focus on language and migration from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Patricia Montes-Pate, Senior Program Manager
Patricia has been a SEAL trainer since 2013. She has worked in education for more than 15 years — as a Spanish bilingual elementary teacher in the Santa Clara Unified School District, a university supervisor for the Stanford Teacher Education Program, and a Project GLAD Trainer. Throughout her career, Patricia has worked with hundreds of teachers, providing professional development and classroom support. She specializes in curriculum design, and holds an MA in Education, Administration and Supervision from San Jose State University.
Paula Motas, Production Manager
Paula joined the SEAL team in March 2021. She previously worked as an event planner for a technological company in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to that, Paula was a special events planner for the City of Palo Alto. She brings extensive experience in program and e-learning management to SEAL. Paula received her BS degree in Marketing from the University of Phoenix.
Molly Moyer, Senior Program Specialist
Molly joined the SEAL team in August 2022 and was a SEAL Coach Facilitator for 3 years in San Lorenzo and brings over 10 years of experience working with diverse students and teachers in grades PK-5 where she demonstrated success in developing the language, literacy, and numeracy skills of students while cultivating a rich classroom community. Molly has experience teaching ELD for newcomers, as well as Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade at Gault Elementary in Santa Cruz, and Kindergarten and 1st grade at Hillside Elementary School in San Leandro. She earned her Multiple Subjects Teacher’s Credential from Mills College and her Bachelor of Arts in Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies degree from Goshen College.
Grace Diaz, Senior Manager of People & Culture
Grace has worked as a corporate area manager and corporate human resources manager in Washington, D.C. and Northern California. While in D.C., she also worked as the personal assistant to the head of lawyers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grace attended Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of the District of Columbia as a full-scholarship collegiate athlete. She received her BS in Economics from the University of the District of Columbia. Grace moved to California in 2016 and joined the SEAL team in April 2019.
Michelle Rosecrans, Program Manager
Michelle brings more than 20 years of K-3 classroom experience working with English Learners, as well as deep experience working directly with teachers — as a teacher-leader, a BTSA support provider, grade level coach for new teachers, and a district literacy lead where she guided colleagues in the development of Common Core-aligned reading and writing strategies and assessments. She has worked closely with several leadership committees dedicated to the improvement of English Language instruction and family engagement, including the development of a district-wide LCAP plan and a PTA-ELAC partnership aimed to improve parent involvement schoolwide. Michelle also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Education Department at Dominican University in San Rafael, holding an MA in Education and Administration and Multiple Subject Credential from San Francisco State University, and a BA in Communication Arts and Psychology with an emphasis in Child Development from the University of San Francisco.
Ana Marisol Sánchez, Program Manager
Ana Marisol has been involved in the field of education for over 20 years. Her most recent work is in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) where, as part of a study conducted by Loyola Marymount University, SEAL is being evaluated for its effectiveness. Her classroom teaching experience spans K-8. She was a Title I and Title III coordinator as well as an instructional coach focusing on English Learner instruction and the promotion of dual-language programs. She has collaborated with LAUSD’s Multicultural-Multilingual Education Department on a variety of planning, delivery and advocacy efforts related to English Learner (EL) development, dual language program development and instructional design with ELs as the main focus group. She has taught courses including Instructional Methods for ELs, a state-required course to obtain a teaching credential, at Loyola Marymount University to elementary and secondary teacher preparation students. She holds a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Spanish from California State University, Long Beach, a Multiple-Subject teaching credential from CSU, Dominguez Hills, and an MA in Educational Administration from CSU, Northridge.
Jaylene Shelby, Program Manager
Jaylene started her journey as a bilingual teacher studying education in Querétaro, México, later finishing her BA in Spanish and Liberal Studies as well as a BCLAD teaching credential at San Francisco State University. She also participated in the Bi-National Teacher Education Project at Sacramento State which allowed her to practice and study in Guatemala. She began teaching a 3rd grade bilingual class in San Lorenzo, and later taught with the SEAL model in a bilingual kindergarten class. Following that, she transitioned to a role as SEAL coach/ facilitator and continued to support teachers district wide in San Lorenzo for three years. Jaylene has a passion for supporting language learners and is thrilled to be part of the SEAL training team.
Heather Skibbins, Associate Director
Heather is a SEAL program manager and bilingual education lead. Prior to joining SEAL, she worked as a bilingual educator in the Bay Area for 15 years. In addition to supporting SEAL districts, Heather presents regularly at conferences about English Learner development instruction and best practices in dual language classrooms. She is passionate about helping districts, teachers and families create and sustain bilingual programs that enact the research and best practices for dual language education. Heather majored in Community Studies and graduated with a BA from UC Santa Cruz.
Cindy Tinajero, Program Specialist
Cindy joined the SEAL team in August 2022 and is an award-winning bilingual social justice advocate with 6 years of teaching experience in diverse socio-economic communities. Cindy was an elementary school teacher at Richland School District and Bakersfield School District, an Adult Educator at EPIC de Cesar Chavez, and Operations Manager at Bank of America. She earned her Master of Arts in Education in Reading & Literacy degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and her Bachelor of Arts in Business degree from California State University Bakersfield.
Cory Wechler, Program Manager
Cory has spent the past 20 years examining nonviolence, community building, youth development, play and restorative justice. This work has included directing a community-based youth leadership program, teaching women and girls self-defense, developing sports-based youth development curricula and being part of a community effort to introduce Bay Area schools to restorative justice. For the past 15 years Cory has worked as a restorative justice consultant, originally with Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, the group that introduced restorative justice to Oakland, and more recently supporting the LAUSD Restorative Justice roll-out effort. She received her MA in Education from San Francisco State University.
Ashleigh Williams, Program Specialist
Ashleigh Williams worked as a Spanish DI K-2 teacher for five years in Redwood City and Salinas before joining the SEAL team. While teaching, she was SEAL-trained and helped to develop two dual immersion programs which deepened her passion for teaching language and culture. Ashleigh has seen the incredible benefits and deep, lasting effects of SEAL on her students — a feeling of respect for others as well as for themselves, a deeper skill set in new and native languages, and a spark that can only be described as a joy for learning. Her bilingual, English and Italian, upbringing are natural sources for her profound value, respect, and honor for home languages and their place in a classroom setting. Ashleigh holds a BA in Spanish from UC Davis.
Francesca Aspromonte, Grants Manager
Francesca joined SEAL in 2020 as the Grants Manager. Having worked in nonprofit development for the past decade, she brings with her a passion for education equity and access to quality programming. Previously, Francesca worked as a Grants Manager at Super Stars Literacy, as an English Instructor for the Colombian Ministry of Education in Medellín and served two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA member at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Francesca holds an MA in Corporate Communication from Baruch College and a BA in English Literature from Binghamton University.
Alison Soo Ping Lee, Accounting Manager
Jacqui Frankle, Program Coordinator
Jacqui works with the Program Team to coordinate the administrative and logistical pieces of SEAL’s work. Jacqui brings nearly a decade of relevant experience working with educators from across the country. Most recently, Jacqui was responsible for event coordination, marketing support, and social media in the educational non-profit arena. She is committed to supporting SEAL’s work to bring equity and quality instruction to the classroom.
Judith Alcala, Associate Director
Eileen Truong, Business Manager
Sara Rizik-Baer, Program Manager
Ashley spent the first six years of her career as a teacher in early childhood education while pursuing her degree in Child Development. Her passion for working with children led her to open and solely operate a play-based home daycare for infants and toddlers. In 2015, she transitioned to the nonprofit sector as an operations manager at a preschool in San Diego. In addition to her role as the operations manager, she assisted the executive director and served several terms on the board of directors. Most recently, she worked independently, providing organizations with administrative support. She is excited to join the SEAL team and support its mission of educational equity.
Myrna joined the SEAL team in January 2023 and is a successful dual immersion educator who brings her equity-driven leadership and knowledge to SEAL. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as well as her Multiple Subject Dual Language Teaching Credential and Administrative Services Credential from San Diego State University. Through her career as an educator, she has been able to work in various dual immersion models and various grade levels (K-8). Most recently, she taught fourth grade dual immersion in a 90/10 model at Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) in Southern California. During her teaching career, she was an elected School Site Council (SSC) member and led Communities of Practice that developed her passion for coaching and supporting teachers.
Samantha Martin, Communications Manager
Jessica Kurosaka, IT & Data Systems Administrator
Jessica joined the SEAL team in June 2023 and has been in the technology field all her life, frequently noticing the disconnect between what technology developers build and what users need. With a degree from her home city’s San Francisco State University in cultural anthropology to bridge this disconnect, she went into consulting for technology builds. After a decade in consulting, she transitioned to working in environmental and youth nonprofits co-creating infrastructure and mission fulfillment as technical support. Joining SEAL in 2023, she’s excited to be supporting the mission of enriching the lives of students, parents, and teachers in our communities.
Our Board of Directors
John Matthew Sobrato, Chair
John is part of the fourth generation of Sobrato family members working within the Silicon Valley. For the past seven years John has worked at the Latino College Preparatory academy, which serves the community in east San Jose, as both a teacher and administrator. He also helped to found an ed-tech startup, Alloy Learning, in 2014. His company looks to empower teachers through an innovative software platform that allows them to be data driven, better understand their students, and teach more efficiently. John is a 2010 graduate of Santa Clara University, and as a member of the board, is deeply committed to continuing the family’s leadership on education issues as well as providing equity and access to opportunities for school communities throughout the Bay Area.
Anya Hurwitz, Executive Director
Dr. Anya Hurwitz has a longstanding commitment to creating the conditions for public schools to meet the diverse needs of their students’ academic and socio-emotional development. She has worked as a teacher, school leader, district administrator, and within the educational nonprofit sector. The early part of Dr. Hurwitz’s career was in New York City where she helped start a small secondary school in the Bronx and then became a Network Leader within the NYC Department of Education to a diverse group of 24 schools, preschool through early college. In 2010, she moved to northern California and began working as an educational consultant supporting district and school leaders as they planned and implemented strategic reform efforts. Dr. Hurwitz joined the SEAL team in 2014. She has a doctorate in educational leadership from UC Berkeley.
Kenji Treanor, Governance Chair and Secretary
Kenji Treanor is the Vice President, Strategy, Partnerships and Learning at the Stuart Foundation. Inspired by his grandparents who were born on sugar cane plantations in Hawai’i and in Irish working-class neighborhoods in Boston, and by his parents who completed college via non-traditional paths and worked in public interest fields, Kenji is committed to building a more inclusive and just society now and for generations to come. He has had the privilege of previously partnering with nonprofit and education leaders through his roles at the Sobrato Philanthropies and The James Irvine Foundation where his experience as a grantmaker spanned early education, K12, and postsecondary education at the local, regional and state level – and included efforts focused on policy, practice, and public engagement. Along with SEAL, he also serves as a board member of Californians for Justice. He earned a B.A. in American Studies from UC Santa Cruz during the late 90’s in which multiple protest movements forever shaped his belief in activism to ensure fairness in public institutions, and he later completed a Master of Public Administration degree as part of a night/weekend cohort at the University of San Francisco.
Sarah Valencia, Finance Chair and Treasurer
A dedicated business leader and financial executive, Sarah Valencia has cultivated an extensive background in finance management, accounting, tax preparation, and operations oversight throughout her 15+ year career with Silicon Valley Community Foundation, including serving as Senior Vice President of Finance from 2014 to present. Ms. Valencia currently serves as a contributing member of the management team for one of the largest community foundations in the nation, with over $10B in total assets and $1.4B in awarded grants. She formulates successful operational strategies, leads a top-tier finance team, and is the catalyst of innovative systems and processes to support growth and deliver a sustainable infrastructure. Committed to education, Ms. Valencia also serves on the boards of The Foundation for Hispanic Education and Latino Education Advancement Foundation. Sarah Valencia earned her BS in commerce from Santa Clara University with a major in finance and a minor in Spanish and is a certified public accountant (CPA).
Libia Gil, Trustee
Libia “Libi” Gil recently served as the Chief Education Officer at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Gil held leadership responsibilities for all student support, academic programs including Title I and Title III, school improvement assistance, evaluation/accountability and district support services to implement the state ESSA plan for improving student learning in Illinois. She brought deep classroom experience, education system expertise, and passion to ensure that every child has fair access to a high-quality education. Gil was a teacher, bilingual resource specialist, desegregation officer, elementary school principal, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and district superintendent.
Dr. Gil was appointed by President Obama to serve as Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education with Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan and John King. Prior to this role, she was vice president for practice at the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) in Chicago. Gil was also a senior fellow and managing director at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where she developed and co-led the AIR Center for English Language Learners. Gil earned her Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Bilingual and Multicultural Education at the University of Washington.
José Manzo, Audit Chair
José L. Manzo has served as Superintendent of the Oak Grove School District in San Jose since July 2012 and since 2008 as a Superintendent in Santa Clara County. Mr. Manzo earned his under graduate degree from Chico State and master’s degree and administrative credential from San Jose State University. Mr. Manzo has first-hand experience with the impact and power of education and has made it his mission to ensure all students have strong educational
opportunities. He has established strong partnerships to maximize resources for professional development, programs and services to benefit the students of Oak Grove. He has been recognized for his work in Education by the State Department of Education, The City of San Jose, The Grail Family Services, the NAACP and most recently was awarded the Trailblazing Leader Award from the Santa Clara Office of Education for his work with English Language Learners.
Feliza I. Ortiz-Licon, Ed.D., Trustee
The proud daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, Dr. Feliza I. Ortiz-Licon has invested nearly twenty-five years in the field of education working in various capacities, and at various scales, but primarily focused on issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity, specifically as it relates to Latino students and Emergent Bilinguals.
A committed and equity-focused champion for all students, Feliza currently serves as Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer at Latinos for Education. In this role, Feliza leads the organization’s federal policymaking and national advocacy efforts to create equitable, educational opportunities for Latino students. This current position truly enhances her passion for reshaping the narrative and opportunities afforded to Latinos by proposing responsive policy recommendations that improve educational and life outcomes for this underserved community. Prior to joining Latinos for Education, Feliza served as the Principal of Education Programs at UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.
Feliza holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in Political Science, a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley in City and Regional Planning, and a doctoral degree in Education Leadership from the University of California, Irvine. In 2015, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Feliza to the CA State Board of Education where she served 6.2 million students for five fulfilling years. Feliza is happily married to a seasoned educator in the Long Beach Unified School District, and they have two children attending a dual language program in the same district.
Ruby Takanishi, Trustee Emeritus
Ruby Takanishi is senior research fellow in the Early and Elementary Education Policy division at New America in Washington, DC. She received her PhD from Stanford University and taught at UCLA; Teachers College, Columbia University; Yale University; and Bank Street College. Takanishi was the president and CEO of the Foundation for Child Development, a grant-making philanthropy that launched the pre-K–3rd movement in 2003, and executive director of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development of Carnegie Corporation of New York, which issued landmark reports on middle school reform, youth development in out-of-school settings, and adolescent health. She chaired the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus committee on the education of dual-language learners from birth to age 18. She has received awards from the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association (Division of Children and Families), and the Society for Research in Child Development in recognition of her contribution to connecting research with public policies. The American Education Research Association honored her with its 2014 Distinguished Public Service Award.
Lisa Sobrato Sonsini, Trustee
Lisa established the Sobrato Family Foundation in 1996 as a vehicle for multiple generations of the Sobrato family to unify their philanthropic giving for maximum impact. The Sobrato Family Foundation strives to make Silicon Valley a place of opportunity for all of its residents by promoting access to high-quality education, career pathways and essential human services. Under her leadership as Board President, SFF has grown tenfold in both assets and annual giving. For over 25 years, Lisa has been a strong advocate for the rights of disadvantaged youth in both the educational and foster care systems. She also works passionately as a catalyst for civic engagement among many of the rising leaders in Silicon Valley. Lisa currently serves on the Boards of Directors for KQED, KIPP Bay Area Schools, Silicon Schools, Silicon Valley Children’s Fund and American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley. She has previously served as Board President for the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum, Child Advocates, The Good Tidings Foundation and Today’s Youth Matter. Honors include the John W. Gardner Leadership Award from ALF Silicon Valley, Humanitarian of the Year from Hidden Villa, and San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame Inductee. Lisa received a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley and a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA. She resides in Menlo Park with her husband Matt and their three children.
Ana Tilton, Trustee
Ana Tilton’s accomplished career demonstrates a commitment to equity in education with experience across the education spectrum including work as an educator, school superintendent, adjunct professor, consultant and philanthropic leader. She is the Immediate Past Executive Director of Grantmakers for Education where she worked with hundreds of grant makers and philanthropic organizations across the nation focused on supporting public education and resolving equity issues for all learners. Her additional philanthropic experiences also included serving as a grant-making program officer focused on investing in quality school options for underserved youth in Texas and California.
Dr. Tilton received a doctoral degree in education administration and policy from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in multicultural/bilingual education from the University of Colorado, Denver. Her advocacy for English language learners continues as a lifelong passion, having been raised by an immigrant grandmother and bilingual parents.
Financials
SEAL is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and prepares its financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). We want you to know how your investment is used, so you have confidence that your generous gifts make a meaningful impact on the classrooms, schools, and districts that we help transform through our effective model.
FY 2019-2020
Audited Financials | 2019 Form 990
FY 2020-2021
Audited Financials | 2020 Form 990
FY 2021-2022
Audited Financials | 2020 Form 990
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Careers
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization in which we give voice to, and meet the needs of, the communities, teachers, and students we serve. We believe in lifelong learning and continuous improvement, and we are ever-evolving the processes through which we select and support team members and foster a culture of universal belonging and empowerment. SEAL encourages applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, especially those from immigrant and English Learner communities, people of color and members of other historically marginalized groups.
Join our team!
SEAL is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment. See our current openings.