Reading Partners Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that engages community volunteers to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade. We seek to create a more equitable future, one where every child in Los Angeles has the support they deserve to become strong readers and lifelong learners.
Reading Partners Los Angeles is powered by AmeriCorps, a federal agency for national service. We mobilize AmeriCorps members to recruit and coach volunteers, support students during and outside of tutoring sessions, work on capacity-building projects, and so much more.
Meet our team
Chloe Oliveras is a nonprofit professional with experience in both community-building and fundraising. She has a passion for education equity, which has brought her both into the classroom and beyond. In her time at Reading Partners, she has built a robust volunteer program and worked with a number of collective impact groups and local community organizations to build strong ties to the neighborhoods surrounding LA’s Reading Partners tutoring centers. She has served on two Los Angeles young professional boards for reproductive rights organizations, as well as chaired Planned Parenthood LA’s signature Bingo For Choice fundraiser. She’s a proud University of Florida alum with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and gender studies.
Ever since moving to LA and joining the Reading Partners team in 2014, Jenna has been dedicated to the Reading Partners mission and feels deeply connected to the Los Angeles community. Jenna started out running a Reading Partners tutoring center as an AmeriCorps program coordinator. She felt passionately not only about her students and volunteers, but about improving and growing the program to best serve as many students as possible. As program director, Jenna is able to do this for all Reading Partners schools across LA and is responsible for ensuring students across the region are meeting their literacy goals. Before joining Reading Partners, Jenna became interested in literacy and educational equity while volunteering at a school in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to that, she had worked doing research in several language acquisition labs and earned her degree in Psychology and Linguistics at Cornell University.
Shelley’s favorite place has always been the classroom, and she knew early on that she wanted to pursue a career related to education and helping others. Throughout her collegiate career at UCLA, she tutored and taught students of all ages where she quickly understood the foundational role that literacy plays in all learning. The COVID-19 pandemic kick-started her career in the nonprofit space and led her to spend a year working at some of LA’s largest testing and vaccination sites. Seeking to return to the world of education, Shelley was thrilled to join the Reading Partners staff team in 2021 to utilize her variety of skills to fundraise for an organization dedicated to educational equity and closing the opportunity gap. In the last two years, Shelley has proudly supported the development team in growing the region’s revenue. When she’s not writing grants, Shelley enjoys hiking, painting, and road trips with her friends.
Maricor loved growing up in the San Fernando Valley and attending LAUSD elementary schools. She credits her early education for giving her a strong foundation for her educational career. She earned her Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Sociology from the University of California, Irvine and her Master’s degree in Public Policy (with an emphasis in education) from the University of Southern California. Her passion for educational equity led her to serving as an AmeriCorps member for Read to a Child, another literacy and mentorship organization in Los Angeles. She later worked for this same non-profit as a program manager, helping them to expand the number of students they served while also creating new successful partnerships, including one with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Maricor has also worked as a case manager in education and in homeless services. She enjoys motivating and guiding the students and clients she serves, so they can achieve their own dreams and goals. In her spare time, she loves thrifting, trying dessert and boba spots, and going to museums.
Fatima has over a decade of experience working in the nonprofit sector serving youth from diverse and underserved communities in the greater Los Angeles area. Prior to joining Reading Partners, Fatima held the position of program manager at COPE Health Solutions where she was responsible for the management of the COPE Health Scholars Program, a Workforce pipeline at Adventist Health Glendale. Her role includes supervision of all program operations with a focus on program management, recruitment, training, and the professional development of program participants. Additionally, Fatima has over three years of experience working with individuals with special needs, specifically those on the Autism Spectrum, providing Applied Behavior Analysis services in school and home settings.
Fatima received her Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge. During her time at CSUN, she was a part of the Education Opportunity Program and CSUN helpline. As a first-generation Latina, Fatima’s passion continues to be to help diverse communities and all individuals find their path to a more equitable future.
Growing up in Manila, Philippines, Iza has seen firsthand the stark disparities in access to education. Driven by her passion for educational equity and her advocacy to ensure every child in her community has access to quality education, she found herself joining Reading Partners Los Angeles as an AmeriCorps member in 2020. She recently joined the Reading Partners Los Angeles staff as the community engagement associate. In this role, she is excited to help expand the region’s volunteer network and community outreach. In her free time, she loves to go for a walk while soaking up the morning sun, enjoy game nights with friends, and explore Los Angeles with its range of diverse cuisines.
Alison grew up in the Bay Area and became passionate about working in the nonprofit sector at an early age. She went to UCLA and graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Food Studies. After graduating, Alison started her career in the nonprofit sector and later joined FoodCorps as an AmeriCorps garden and nutrition educator for two years in Oakland. She fell in love with working with kids and continued to hold various positions within education in both Oakland and Los Angeles. Alison first joined Reading Partners as a volunteer and literacy intervention tutor, and is excited to continue her passion for educational equity through her role as program operations associate with Reading Partners Los Angeles. In her free time, she loves to spend time outdoors, try new restaurants, and travel to different parts of the world. On the weekends, you can find her volunteering with Food Forward at one of LA’s farmers’ markets!
Cecilia was born and raised in Southern California. She attended San Francisco State University where she received her B.A. in Communicative Disorders and minored in Special Education. Her passion for education and literacy brought her to Reading Partners as a tutor in the Bay Area, and her desire to continue working with and being a role model for students from diverse backgrounds led her to serve three terms as an AmeriCorps program coordinator at Saturn Street Elementary. As an AmeriCorps member, Cecilia saw firsthand the positive impact Reading Partners had on the lives of the students and families she served. Cecilia continues to work towards closing the opportunity gap as a program manager with Reading Partners, managing six AmeriCorps members across the LA region.
Since 2013, Kayla has followed her passion for community empowerment and educational equity in the non-profit sector. She is a two-time AmeriCorps alumnus and served as Foster Grandparent Program project director at Jumpstart, where she trained older adult volunteers to help preschoolers from underserved communities build foundational language, literacy, and social-emotional skills. At Reading Partners, Kayla manages a portfolio of AmeriCorps members to deliver exceptional literacy programming with an emphasis on tutor training and support. Kayla is a San Diego Native, a proud UC Berkeley golden bear, and enjoys road trips, camping, and of course, reading.
AmeriCorps team
Community engagement
Karla Zamora, senior volunteer coordinator
Maya Woo, volunteer coordinator
Reni Araque, volunteer coordinator
Program
Allie Jennings, program coordinator
Amanda Nicklas, program coordinator
Beth Conrad, program coordinator
Cindy Gotauco, literacy lead
Dana Brenkin, program coordinator
Davshiavou McCoy, program coordinator
Elise Graham, regional program coordinator
Emely Antunes Otsuka, regional program coordinator
Elizabeth Perez Monarrez, program coordinator
Gillian Durante, program coordinator
Griselda Chavez-Gallegos, literacy lead
Harper Lucas, program coordinator
Janalee Tabayoyong, literacy lead
Jazmin Cuevas, program coordinator
Kaiya Pomeroy-Tso, program coordinator
Kayla Hill, program coordinator
Mei Flory, program coordinator
Neale DeSousa, program coordinator
Ryan Tsai, program coordinator
Shirley Guardado, program coordinator
Sumeeta Ghai, regional program coordinator
William Giovanni Flores, senior literacy lead
Xoe Hightower, literacy lead
Yaoska Ramirez, program coordinator
Board of directors
Stefanie Bond, Chair, Reading Partners Tutor
Alex Evans, Writer
Arthur Moore, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Managing Consultant
Céline Vendler, Aurora Solar, Senior Product Manager
Dan Carter, Sony Pictures, Associate Manager, Digital Sales Planning – Home Entertainment
Lauren Diaz Monitor Institute by Deloitte, Manager
Lauren Hernandez, CKW School Uniforms, Chief Executive Officer
Michelle Lee, Gavel, Chief of Staff
Roberto Escobar, Scripps College Academy, Director
Tiffany Dyson, Franklin Templeton, Sr. Investment Learning Consultant
Vani Lewerke, Lewerke Consulting, Owner, Founder and Principal Consultant
Veronica Troung, Woodland Investments, Asset Manager