Carmen Anthony - Advisor

Carmen has been an educator for more than thirty years, and has worked from Head-Start to Head-Royce School. In the process she has had the opportunity to teach in the International Schools in Nairobi, Cairo, and Jakarta. As a person of color, Carmen has always been concerned about the impact of/on students/families/faculty/staff of color in predominately white learning institutions. Her most important work in recent years is with those who wish to assist the "traditional" educational institutions into evolving into authentic, multi-cultural learning environments in which ALL can thrive and benefit.

Dora Arredondo-Marron

Dora Arredondo-Marron has fifteen years experience in independent education, and is currently the Director of Equity, Justice, and Multicultural Education at Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton, California. She earned her BA in Political Science with an emphasis in law and her two Masters in Education language and Literacy Development and Educational Administration from Santa Clara University. Mrs. Arredondo-Marron started her career as a Peninsula Bridge math teacher and later became the Site Director. In 2007, Mrs. Arredondo-Marron was awarded the Hispanic Heritage National Teacher Award.

La Tisha Bourelly - Chief Financial Officer

La Tisha is currently the Finance Director of the Park Day School in Oakland, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration degree from John’s Hopkins University. LaTisha has occupied senior financial positions in a number of public and private companies over the last fifteen years, principally in the non-profit sector. Prior to accepting her current position at Park Day School, she served as Director of Finance and Administration for Cogent Integrations in Maryland. She has also held several board positions one being City Neighbors Charter School in Baltimore and currently the Bay Area Babes in Business Org.

DeAndre Calhoun

DeAndre is the Middle School Admissions Coordinator at Prospect Sierra School in El Cerrito, CA. Recently, he served as a member of the development team for Making Waves Academy Charter School in Richmond, CA. DeAndre has 10 years of high school teaching experience. Prior to his work at Making Waves, DeAndre was a class dean, Summerbridge Dean of Faculty, coach and math teacher at San Francisco University
High School. He also taught at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA. DeAndre has a B.A. in Mathematics from Morehouse College and a Master of Education from the University of Georgia. He was a Summer Fellow at Columbia Teachers College and is currently a Doctoral candidate in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco.

Taryn Clark

Taryn is currently the Director of Admissions for The Nueva School in Hillsborough. She comes to POCIS with a background in education, youth programs, and media. Taryn has four years of experience working with students and families of color as the past Senior Program Coordinator for the Northwest Regional Office of A Better Chance. Her previous positions include: the Programming & Outreach Director for a public, educational, and government access television station; middle school teacher; and volunteer for a number of educational and non-profit organizations. Taryn is excited to continue working as an advocate for equal access and academic, social, and personal support for all students, families, faculty, staff, and administrators of color in independent schools.

Lizette Ortega Dolan

Lizette enthusiastically joins the board this year with ten years experience in independent education and is currently the Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, as well as Upper Division Humanities faculty at The Athenian School in Danville, CA. Lizette is a San Francisco native, earned her B.A. in History and Dance with minors in Education and Drama from the University of California at Berkeley and her Ed.M from The Harvard Graduate School of Education. Lizette started her teaching career as a Multicultural Alliance teaching fellow in Washington, D.C., traveled to Japan as a Fulbright Memorial Fund fellow, and writes and choreographs performance pieces focusing on violence against women around the Bay Area. Lizette is passionate that education is a political act and that educators can positively alter the landscape of today’s world.

Marta Grajeda - Secretary

Marta has thirteen years experience in independent education, and is currently the Freshman Dean and History Department Chair at Bentley School in Oakland, California. She comes from a family of teachers, earned her BA in history from San Francisco State University and her MAT from Brown University. Ms. Grajeda started her career as a Multicultural Alliance teaching fellow, and was a founding member of the Bay Area chapter of People of Color in Independent Schools. In 1999, Ms. Grajeda chaired the NAIS People of Color Conference in San Francisco, and in the following year developed and directed Menlo School’s Teacher Internship Program for beginning teachers.

Theresa Ordonez - Advisor

Theresa has served as President of the POCIS Board for the past 4 years. As an educator of color, she finds her work on this board to be extremely important. Theresa has taught in independent and parochial schools for the past 10 years and has just recently started a real estate business. Always the teacher, Theresa is continuing her career as an educator but now teaches Real Estate Principles classes for Kaplan Schools.

Cheyenne Pronga - Chairperson

Settling into the Bay Area, Cheyenne Pronga comes to us as the founding Biology teacher at the KIPP King Collegiate High School in San Lorenzo. Over the last ten years, she has worked at top independent schools including the Head Royce School in Oakland, CA, the Ethical Cultural Fieldston School in Bronx, NY and the Gordon School in East Providence, RI. Native to the east coast, Ms. Pronga graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BS with Honors in Elementary Education, and a Masters degree in Education. Over the years as a science/math teacher, Cheyenne has focused on integrating inquiry and critical thinking skills as well as themes focusing on equity and justice into her curricula. She has shared her work at Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation teacher outreach programs, the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference, and National Association for Multicultural Education. Cheyenne enthusiastically embraces her new role as board chair and she looks forward to looking for more ways POCIS can support students, faculty, and staff of color in the bay area, while also working with our allies.

Leila Minerva Rivers

A first-generation Filipina-American, Leila has offered management advice and counsel to corporations, foundations and non-profits on social justice, diversity and community affairs -- including strategic planning, board development and diversification, finance and organizational development– since 1991. She has consulted on such unique projects as the Levi Strauss Foundation’s national Project Change Anti-Racism Initiative, which was awarded for its success in corporate citizenship by President Clinton in 1998 and the Joint Affinity Groups (JAG), a nationwide coalition of grant maker associations. Previously, Leila spent five years in financial services as a trader in Europe and an analyst in San Francisco. Raised on the East Coast, Leila graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Psychology and holds an International Management Degree from Boston University/Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium. She currently resides in San Francisco with her husband and their two bi-racial daughters who are students at the Katherine Delmar Burke School. At Burke’s, Leila serves on the Board of Trustees and is the Chair of the Board’s Multiculturalism Committee. Leila is passionate about her family and community and humbly strives to “live the change she seeks in the world.” Ghandi

Kitsana Salyphone - Vice Chairperson

Kitsana is the Assistant Director of Admission and Director of Diversity at Crystal Springs Uplands School. Her experiences include working as a middle school math teacher, high school science teacher, and Site Director for Peninsula Bridge. She earned her M.A. in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University and is pursuing an Ed.D. at the University of San Francisco in Organization and Leadership. Kitsana encourages educators in independent schools to network and connect, and continue conversations about social justice, equity, and inclusion for all students and adults

Paulette Savage - Advisor

Paulette has been a member of the POCIS Board for many years and is presently the treasurer. Her teaching career has taken her to the international level and given her the opportunity to teach students all over the world. Paulette retired from teaching in the year 2000 from Head-Royce where she was a second grade teacher. She enjoys being a member of the POCIS Board and working with many experienced colleagues in the Independent Schools.

Jason Singleton

Jaye is a dynamic and innovative individual who has always lived his life with one purpose: making a difference. He hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area and is a true "East Coaster". He did his undergraduate work at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he received his degree in Chemistry. He then became a Chemical Analyst for Allegheny Ludlum Steel Company, before embarking in a new direction as an Educator. It was for this purpose that he relocated to Hampton, Virginia to take on the role of 6th Grade Science Head for Peasley Middle School, where he honed and polished his ability to shape and mold young minds for 3 years. While teaching, he pursued and received his MBA at Averett University in Hampton, VA; shortly after, transitioning into Marketing Management in the business world. He worked for both Walgreens Hampton Road Division and Worldwide Express, a DHL Business partner. It was at this point, that he reached an epiphany: moving forward in my quest to become a principal/administrator. It was at this point that he came back into education and currently work as the 7/8 Science Head for Town School for Boys and as a Site Director for Camp Galileo/Galileo Educational Services. Outside of his educational life, he is also a singer/songwriter, an avid college basketball fan, and loves to travel. He is looking forward to bringing new ideas and talent to the board and working with this talented group of individuals as we empower students, parents, and faculty of color and continue to make change a reality.

Linda Talton

Linda is the Director of Admission at San Francisco Day School and has been a member or the POCIS Board for the past two years. She began her career in education over twenty years ago as a preschool teacher. It is Linda’s personal experience as a student and her study of black children at Howard University’s School of Human Ecology that resulted in her passion for making the experience of students of color in independent schools an enjoyable one.