Miwa has been serving as a primary teacher at her church for decades.  She also participated in the Silicon Valley Reads for SCCOE. She firmly believes that writing is a great tool to organize our thoughts and minds as well as expressing ourselves in so many varieties of ways. She is very supportive of STEAM education, and has been experienced in helping people with connecting deeply to themselves and integrating their mind and heart.  She is a mother of 2 boys (Age 9 and 10).

Miwa is a parent leader workshop presenter for the Grades 3-5 Family Writing Workshop on Saturday.

Dora Beyer is passionate about advancing educational and socioeconomic equity. As Community Relations Manager at Excite Credit Union, she leads the organization’s philanthropic efforts – including financial literacy, children’s savings accounts, nonprofit and school partnerships – with a focus on serving the underbanked, immigrant and small business communities. Dora serves on the board of the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN), volunteers with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, and recently joined the new Entrepreneurship Giving Circle of the Latino Community Foundation. She is the eldest of four, daughter of Mexican immigrants and most enjoys being a Tia (Auntie). 

Dora is the presenter for the "Children's Savings Accounts" workshop on Saturday.

Nithya is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lived in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia before settling in San Jose in 2007.  Nithya worked as a middle school math teacher for 15 years.   Currently, she is working on her masters degree in Educational Leadership and has re-discovered her love for writing as part of her studies.   Her hobbies include creating art and spending time outdoors.   She is the parent of a 6th grader.  

Nithya is a parent leader workshop presenter for the Grades 6-12 Family Writing Workshop on Saturday

Jennifer Elenes currently serves as the Coordinator of Attendance and Engagement in the Youth Health and Wellness Department supporting county-wide efforts to improve attendance and engagement and reduce chronic absenteeism. Jennifer is passionate about removing barriers to attendance and meeting student needs so they can thrive in learning. Before joining the SCCOE, her 24 years in education ranged from high school English and English Language Development teacher and middle school instructional coach to assistant principal at both middle and high school levels and an elementary school principal. 

Jennifer is a presenter for the  "Authentic Family Engagement and Belonging: Community Schools" workshop on Friday.

Tayo Enna has been teaching Kindergarten at STEAM@Stipe for the past 18 years, and is an adjunct professor in the Teacher Education Program at the University of San Francisco. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Social Science, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from San Jose State University. Tayo created and facilitates Antracist Parent Workshops. In 2022, he developed The Young Black Scholars Club as an after school program for Black and biracial students in k-3rd grade. Tayo is Oak Grove School District’s 2021 Teacher of the Year, and recipient of the 49ers Foundation’s Teacher of the Game, as well as the Bliss Award recipient. He is on the Edtrust West Educator Advisory Council, and the Children Now Educator Advisory Committee. 

Tayo is the presenter for the "How to Raise and Nurture an Antiracist Family" workshop on Saturday.

Veronica currently serves as the Director for Early Care & Education Initiatives at the Santa Clara County Office of Education and has had the joy of working in schools as a teacher, intervention specialist, and instructional coach for over 16 years.  

Veronica is the presenter for the "Becoming a Champion for Early Learning: A Toolkit for School Professionals" workshop on Friday.

Elley Ho has had 24 years of experience in teaching, coaching and training in the field of Early Childhood Education/Special Education. As an Inclusion Training Specialist, she works closely with the SCCOE Early Learning Department, First 5 and school districts in offering professional learning opportunities to enhance their inclusive practices. Elley holds a Masters degree in Education and Early Childhood Special Education Credential. She is an authorized trainer and coach for Teaching Pyramid and CA Embedded Instruction. She is an authorized rater for Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) and Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT). Prior to her current position, she worked as an Early Interventionist and offered tools and resources for families with children with disabilities in their home setting. 

Elley is a presenter for the "Building Bridges Through Hands-On Activities that Emphasize Culturally Relevant, Responsive, and Sustaining Practices" workshop on Friday.

Jaime taught middle school English Language Arts for 10 years. Because of her firm belief that children thrive when the family is involved in their school, Jaime's children attended a parent participation school. Jaime was an education consultant with Encouraging Literacy and the San Jose Area Writing Project. Currently, Jaime serves as the Parent Engagement Coordinator for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. 

Jaime is the presenter for the "Service With a Smile: Creating a Culture of Welcome and Belonging" workshop on Friday.

Edith Mancera de González is a Coordinator of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for The Inclusion Collaborative with the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE). She is responsible for supporting schools, educators, and school districts in prioritizing and furthering educational equity initiatives within their community. Edith leads professional development on Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Relevant/Sustaining Pedagogies, creating welcoming and belonging classrooms, and antiracist/anti bias practices in education. 

Edith is a presenter for the "Building Bridges Through Hands-On Activities that Emphasize Culturally Relevant, Responsive, and Sustaining Practices" workshop on Friday.

Krisan Meyer is an educational leader with over 16 years of experience. Before stepping into her current position as Coordinator of Community Schools at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Krisan served as a teacher, instructional coach, program specialist, principal, and Coordinator of Social Emotional Wellness. She is passionate about promoting holistic well-being, disrupting inequities, and partnering in school transformation work. Krisan’s recent efforts have been focused on the implementation of school-based wellness centers across Santa Clara County. She is excited to leverage her experiences and channel her efforts toward co-creating relationship-centered, supportive, and equitable school communities as part of the Community Schools leadership team.

Krisan is a presenter for the  "Authentic Family Engagement and Belonging: Community Schools" workshop on Friday.

Medha is an Associate Teacher/ Paraeducator in elementary school supporting the teachers and children in the classroom. She loves to work with children. She is also a Family, Friends and Neighbors caregiver and helps her community by taking care of children and organizing playdates and story-time for different age group children. She participated in Silicon Valley Reads as a parent volunteer for ‘Coqui in the City ‘ story based on the theme Journey to New Beginnings. She loves spending her time with her child going to libraries and parks.

Medha is a parent leader workshop presenter for the Grades K-2 Family Writing Workshop on Saturday.

Femina Padinharakath is currently working as Noon Duty Supervisor at Don Callejon School,Santa Clara. She has served as a parent volunteer in her daughter's school from Kinder through 5th grade, and is very passionate about working with our young learners. She has worked inside the classroom helping with math, phonics, and science centers. She strives to create a community of learners that nurtures this growth in a positive, fun environment. 

Femina is a parent leader workshop presenter for the Grades K-2 Family Writing Workshop on Saturday.

Karessa Arao Paulino is currently Director of Physical Health and Wellness at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. With a 25-year career in education, she has held various positions such as special education teacher, program specialist, special education principal, and Coordinator of Physical Health and Wellness. Since joining the Youth Health and Wellness department, Karessa has worked to train LEA staff on opioid awareness and prevention and the use of Naloxone. Additionally, she has hosted a Community of Practice for educators and healthcare providers who support students with chronic illness and those returning to school after extended absences due to medical issues. Karessa also serves as a liaison to school districts and healthcare providers at the Pediatric Developmental Specialty Center. Karessa firmly believes that schools play a crucial role in promoting the health and wellness of students and helping them build lifelong healthy behaviors. When not at work, she enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with her family. 

Karessa is the presenter for the "Breaking the Cycle: Exploring the Link Between Social Drivers of Health and Chronic Absenteeism in Schools" workshop on Friday.

Nupur Sethi is part of the Inclusion Collaborative department at SCCOE. In her Inclusion Training Specialist role, she trains and supports professionals who work with school aged children such as schools, after school programs, summer school programs. She has experience in implementation of Universal Design for Learning in her classrooms. She offers training in Universal Design for Learning, understanding behavior, strategies to support behavior, Inclusive teaching practices, ADHD, Autism, Belonging, Equity and Inclusion mindset. She shares innovative ideas and best practices to create an equitable and inclusive environment. Nupur is a long time teacher turned inclusion coach. She has taught all school age kids in diverse setting including teaching in dual immersion school, and inclusive schools.

Nurpur is a presenter for the "Building Bridges Through Hands-On Activities that Emphasize Culturally Relevant, Responsive, and Sustaining Practices" workshop on Friday.

Julie has worked with children in many different capacities for over 30 years. She has served as a volunteer in her son’s schools from preschool up through elementary, including a term as PTA president. She enjoys participating in educational events and seeing student’s light up with inspiration when the creative spark ignites in the learning process. Julie believes students, educators and parents benefit greatly from meaningful connection to each other in community.  We are all life long learners and our wellbeing is dependent on a sense of belonging, agency, and support.

Julie is a parent leader workshop presenter for the Grades 6-12 Family Writing Workshop on Saturday.

Jerry Uribe is our California Business Development Manager. Before this role, Jerry was our Business Development Officer here at Excite Credit Union; you’d often see him smiling and warmly serving members of our community. Jerry has a background in Business Psychology and is incredibly passionate about financial literacy. He can talk about personal finances all day and loves teaching others! Jerry is also a big fan of Bay Area sports and loves attending sports events. When he’s not at Excite, Jerry is spending time with his family. (Hopefully, watching sports!) 

Jerry is the presenter for the "Establishing Your Financial Root" workshop on Saturday.

Joann has been with the SCCOE since 2018. During her tenure with the office, she has worked to build coordinated support services to which students are entitled as youth experiencing system engagement or housing instability. Her career in education in Santa Clara County began in 1999. Prior to coming to the SCCOE, she served our county as a teacher, Director of Student Activities, Assistant Principal and school Principal. She continues to seek opportunities to serve and build intentional support that improve outcomes for our students.

Joann is a presenter for the "Developing Trauma-Competent Schools" workshop on Friday.

Sara Grace came to the SCCOE in March 2020, in the new position of Foster Youth Services Manager, providing Educational Services for youth entering the Santa Clara dependency system. Now, as Coordinator of Foster and Homeless Services, she supports six Foster Youth Education Services Managers working in the SCCOE’s partnership with child welfare to improve educational outcomes for students in care. This position includes prevention, intervention and postvention for all students. Prior to joining the SCCOE, Sara Grace worked as a school counselor, support services and mental health coordinator, SST & 504 coordinator, and foster & homeless youth site liaison.

Sara Grace is a presenter for the "Developing Trauma-Competent Schools" workshop on Friday.

Elizabeth Wallace taught family math classes with the Family Engagement Institute at Foothill College and family literacy classes with the San Jose Area Writing Project. Currently, she is the Director for Professional Learning for SCU's Noyce Fellowship. She is also a parent at a parent participation school. 

Elizabeth is a parent leader workshop presenter for the Grades 3-5 Family Writing Workshop on Saturday.

My name is Aries Rivers Yumul, my pronouns are he/him/they. I am excited to work with you on creating LGBTQ+ supports and finding the resources that you need to affirm all of your students. Understanding the how to be supportive adults, build a sense of community, foster a connection with peers, and access to resources one needs not only to survive but to thrive. 

Aries is the presenter for the "Understanding Gender, Orientation and Expression" workshop on Friday.