Balandra is the Executive Director at Parent Services Project. Prior to joining PSP, Balandra was the Director of Operations at A Home Away from Homelessness, a program of Bay Area Community Resources that provides academic support and enrichment opportunities to homeless and formerly homeless youth. Balandra worked for many years in partnership with San Rafael City Schools, Marin Community Foundation and First 5 Marin to coordinate San Rafael School Linked Services and the Canal School Readiness Initiative. Balandra was born and raised in the Bay Area and spends most of her free time with her family. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is passionate about social justice issues including educational equity and immigration reform. [email protected]
Kerry Bacho joins the PSP team as our Raising a Reader Program Manager and coordinates the Marin Raising A Reader program. Prior to PSP, Kerry worked for eight years as a Family Advocate with the Novato School Readiness Program and Novato Youth Center, working with 0-5 year olds and their families, preparing them to be ready to start school. Kerry’s experience also includes five years of service work in the Sierra Madres in Chihuahua, Mexico with Tarahumara Indian children – nurturing them, assisting the dentists and pediatricians, and collaborating with the local Rotarian Clubs. Kerry has a passion for working with children and inspiring them to want to learn and to be successful. Kerry is bilingual in English and Spanish. She received her Associates in Arts degree from Santa Rosa Junior College and is working on her Bachelor’s degree in Chicano Latino Studies at Sonoma State University. [email protected]
Perla de los Santos is originally from Mexico and has been living in California for thirty-five years. She has been working with pre-school children and parents from diverse cultures for over twenty-eight years. Perla has experience working with dual language learners and children with challenging behavior and special needs. She loves working with children and getting them ready for kindergarten. Perla believes that parent participation is vital for children to succeed in school and in the school of life.
[email protected]
Angelica Almanza is a student at Dominican University of California were she is perusing a degree in Global Public Health with a minor in Community Action and Social Change. Wanting to get involved in the community, Angelica utilized her bilingual skills to participate in the 2020 service-learning program cohort that specialized in helping the Latinx community. This work ultimately lead Angelica to apply for the Family Engagement position at PSP. In addition to wanting to help the community Angelica enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling.[email protected]
Karen Mazariegos was born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. She has been living in Marin County for 18 years. Karen studied at College of Marin and she had worked in the Early Childhood Education field for 10 years. She is married, has an adorable daughter and enjoys spending time with her family and at church. Karen loves working with parents and children and believes that education can make huge changes in people and the community. “Families with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are much successful and more likely to thrive in this world that is always evolving”.
Tammy’s passion is to serve her community, she believes in respect, equity, and inclusion for all. Tammy has lived in Marin county for 20 years and has experience working with different nonprofits to support families. During her free time she loves spending time with her family and her dog, Lily.
Bill Jordan comes to PSP from New York where he was the Associate Director of Operations for Queens Children’s Psychiatric Center. He has extensive experience in project and fiscal management, grant writing and leadership development.