Your SEAL Team
Jennifer Ancheta-Garcia
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.
Karen Ascencio
Karen joined SEAL with over 30 years of experience working with teachers to provide high-quality early education to under-served students within Long Beach Unified School District Head Start. She is committed to equity-minded education and is passionate about collaborating with educators and school leaders to support dual language learners and align learning from preschool and beyond to impact all students socially and academically.
Jennifer Clinkscales
Jennifer joined the SEAL team in 2021 as a Program Specialist. After working as a publicist, Jennifer embarked on her second career in education after receiving her Teaching Credential and MA in Education. 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.
Adriana Diaz
Adriana comes to SEAL with over 20 years of experience in education. 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.
Charice Guerra
Charice has been providing education support to under-served students for 20 years. 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. 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
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. She is passionate about culturally-responsive teaching to ensure educational equity for all students.
Erin Magill Peleti
Erin joined the SEAL team in 2021 as a Program Specialist. 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.
Jen McNeil
With over 15 years of experience in public schools, Jen brings to the SEAL organization her enthusiasm and equity-minded commitment to improving system structure, policy and practices so that all students will thrive, especially English Learners.
Joanna Meadvin, Ph.D.
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.
Katie Mlakar
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 and is passionate about providing a meaningful classroom experience for second language learners. She feels an urgency to be a part of the expansion of the SEAL program in order to empower teachers and students.
Patricia Montes Pate
Patricia has been a SEAL trainer since 2013. She has worked in education for more than 15 years. Throughout her career, Patricia has worked with hundreds of teachers, providing professional development and classroom support. She specializes in curriculum design.
Molly Moyer
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 learners. She has experience teaching ELD for newcomers, as well as classroom instruction for grades K-2. Molly is passionate about supporting multilingual learners with a focus on equity and efficacy.
Michelle Rosecrans
Michelle brings more than 20 years of K-3 classroom experience working with English Learners, as well as deep experience working directly with teachers. 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.
Ana Marisol Sanchez
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.
Jaylene Shelby
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. Jaylene has a passion for supporting language learners and is thrilled to be part of the SEAL training team.
Heather Skibbins
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. 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.
Cindy Tinajero
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. She earned her Master of Arts in Education degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and her Bachelor of Arts in Business degree from California State University Bakersfield.
Cory Wechsler
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.
Ashleigh Williams
Ashleigh Williams worked as a Spanish DI K-2 teacher for five years in Redwood City and Salinas before joining the SEAL team. 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.