Our Staff
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Aleah Rosario has over ten years of experience advancing equity in the youth development and nonprofit sectors, leading statewide technical assistance and capacity building efforts. Aleah has been a champion for the development of responsive policies and strategies that uplift, advance, and bring dignity to the youth worker workforce. Born and raised in rural central California, Aleah is descended from five generations of women of color activists in the Central Valley. Aleah received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from CSU Stanislaus. She is an alum of CalSAC’s Leadership Development Institute and the White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship. She serves as a Board Member of the California School-Age Consortium and is a member of the Fundraising Committee with the Radical Monarchs.
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Jessica Gunderson brings nearly 20 years of experience advancing social justice and strengthening governance through policy, advocacy, and strategic leadership at the state, local, and federal levels. She has served as Co-CEO since 2022, following her role as a policy and research consultant for the Partnership for Children & Youth. Prior to that, she spent seven years as the organization’s Senior Director of Policy and Communications.
Jessica's career spans leadership roles at the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City, where she was a senior planner, and at Californians for Safety and Justice, where she served as policy director. She began her public service career as a legislative staffer for former Assemblymember Karen Bass and the Select Committee on Foster Youth.
Throughout her career, Jessica has led numerous statewide legislative and budget campaigns and conducted policy and program research that has resulted in the publication of over 20 public reports. She holds a Master of Public Administration in Public Policy from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a BA from the University of San Francisco.
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As a Policy Manager, Anthony Chavez supports the California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3) and helps coordinate PCY’s policy, budget, and outreach efforts. He brings more than a decade of experience in education equity, public affairs, and advocacy campaigns. Before joining PCY, Anthony worked with The Education Trust–West and XQ Institute, championing initiatives to improve outcomes for underserved students and reimagine America's high schools. He spent years promoting service-learning and character education with the Alameda County Office of Education and Cesar Chavez Foundation. A Coro Fellow in Public Affairs, Anthony's B.A. is in Religious Studies from California State University, Bakersfield, and he remains active in community initiatives, including serving on nonprofit boards and advisory councils.
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As Program Manager, Destiny supports the delivery, management, and day-to-day operations of Partnership for Children & Youth’s technical assistance projects. She has over seven years of combined experience educating and counseling K-16 students and adult learners in a workplace setting. She has designed, developed, and implemented numerous programs and digital tools with special attention to user-centered design and equity. She studied Political Science and Education Studies at University of California, San Diego, and completed training in UX Design, Project Management, and Painting Technical Foundations. She is passionate about social justice, equity, and community wellness.
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Maria began her youth work career by leading a community youth program for high schoolers, and planning public community events and festivals in the Fruitvale area in Oakland. Maria has over 18 years of experience working with youth in the expanded learning field. Most of these years were with Girls Inc. of Alameda County, where she started as a direct service staff member and later coordinated elementary school programs, led projects in expanded learning program quality and compliance, and served as a recruitment specialist.
Maria oversaw multiple schools leading literacy afterschool programs in Oakland and was part of the development and implementation of the first dual language immersion curriculum for afterschool literacy programs.
Maria is a CalSAC-endorsed trainer, a 2020 emerging leaders of color fellow, and an endorsed program quality assessor for Oakland Unified School District. In this role, Maria will continue to provide high-quality youth programming through the development of staff and the expanded learning workforce. Maria is a first generation college graduate and earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing Management.
Contact Maria.
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As an administrative and operations manager, Tamara Schmidt develops and implements PCY’s procedures and supports the PCY staff. With over 12 years of professional experience in operations and administrative work, Tamara has assisted executives and aided in project and logistics management in several fields. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires.
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Dr. Nieka Bright is a workforce development facilitator and apprenticeship coach who brings over a decade of experience in teaching, program leadership, and learning design to her work in the expanded learning field. In her role with the Partnership for Children & Youth, she supports organizations across California in building and implementing high-quality apprenticeship programs that promote equity, access, and long-term career growth.
Nieka is known for her strengths in strategic thinking, facilitation, and connecting diverse partners to drive collaborative solutions. With a focus on recruitment pipelines, mentorship, and retention strategies, she brings a practical, systems-level perspective to the workforce challenges facing the field. As a moderator, she creates engaging, solutions-oriented conversations grounded in the lived experiences of educators and practitioners.
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As the Communications and Policy Coordinator, Dani uplifts the work of PCY and CA3 through our communications channels and advocacy messaging. Before joining the PCY team, she worked to advance environmental and climate justice in her roles as an organizer, campaign manager, and policy researcher. Dani’s passion for social justice and people-powered movements has been at the center of all their work. Dani holds a B.A. in Geography from California State University, Long Beach and an M.A. in Geography from the University of California, Davis.
Contact Dani.
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As the Director of Policy, Jen Dietrich leads the California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3), a coalition of more than 20 community-based and advocacy organizations across California advocating for improved quality and access of expanded learning programs. Jen joined PCY in 2012 with five years of state and federal legislative experience. In Washington, D.C., she served two members of Congress from California, and in Sacramento Jen advised two chairs of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance during the Great Recession. Jen earned an M.A. in Political Management from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington. She was a 2018-19 White-Riley-Peterson Afterschool & Expanded Learning Policy Fellow.
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Monik Vega has 13 years of experience in education, 12 of which were spent working in expanded learning programs serving Sacramento’s most vulnerable populations. Over the course of her career she became familiar with public school systems, Waldorf education, restorative methods, social justice, social and emotional learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. As a blooming professional in the field, she supervised 11 diverse expanded learning programs serving TK-12, while spearheading the advocacy and workforce initiatives for a community-based organization. Monik also launched several state-licensed child care programs that ran on school sites in Sacramento. She is a seasoned professional development specialist and has facilitated training for all levels of expertise throughout her expanded learning career. She has served on the Elk Grove Unified School District Community Advisory Committee for Special Education since 2020 and enjoys assisting community members with understanding their children’s rights and laws surrounding special education. Monik also volunteers for the School of Rock, where she teaches stage presence.
Monik earned her BA in English from San Diego State University and her Master’s in Education and Training from the University of Phoenix. In 2020, Monik earned a training certificate from the National Society of Leadership and Success.
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Crystal is an intern with PCY's practice team, assisting with research, writing, event coordination, marketing and outreach, and administrative support. Crystal is a current student at UC Berkeley and is studying Political Science. As a high school student, Crystal participated in EduCare Foundation's expanded learning programs. She was a youth speaker at the California Afterschool and Summer Challenge and has given testimony in the California State Legislature in support of AB 1113. She is excited to bring her first-hand experience with afterschool programs to PCY.
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Jennifer Peck led Partnership for Children & Youth since its founding in 2001. During her tenure she developed and implemented initiatives to build high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs, access to meals and health care for students, and integration of social and emotional learning in the education system across the state. Prior to forming PCY, Jennifer spent eight years as an appointee of President Bill Clinton at the United States Department of Education, where she supported implementation of initiatives including student loan reform, School-to-Work, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Jennifer has a B.A. in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Colgate University and is the proud mother of Emilia.
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Michael Kramberg has worked for nonprofit organizations for over 40 years in a variety of leadership roles in finance, accounting and administration. His roots are in large, multipurpose community centers, where he gained knowledge and experience in all aspects of the organizations’ programs and operations. Michael takes particular pride in creating customized financial reports that are accessible and understandable to non-finance professionals and to assisting colleagues in creating thoughtful and useful budgets. He earned a B.S. in Financial Operations from the City University of New York.