Advisory Council Members

Alicia Aguirre

Alicia Aguirre is a professor at Cañada College and has taught in the English Institute and the Spanish Department since 1988. She is also Coordinator of the English as a Second Language Department and Co-Chair for Accreditation. She has been the Chair of the District Curriculum Committee as well as Curriculum Chair at Cañada College. She has served on the Academic Senate as Treasurer and on the District Academic Senate. She served on the Educational Master Plan Committee.

Alicia holds an M.A. from Eastern Michigan University and has completed Doctoral studies in Social Anthropology at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. She was a Fulbright Exchange Professor in Argentina. Alicia is a former Mayor for the City of Redwood City and currently serves on the City Council. 

Megan Barber Allende

Megan Barber Allende is the Executive Director of the San Mateo Community Colleges Foundation, a role she assumed in 2024. She is dedicated to raising funds that help students and potential students realize their academic and career dreams. Prior to this, Megan spent nearly two decades at the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, where she doubled the Foundation’s assets and tripled its grantmaking. Her work has focused on expanding scholarship opportunities for underrepresented students and building lasting philanthropic impact.

Megan holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also earned a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) certification in planned giving. Throughout her career, Megan has championed inclusive access to education and community-driven generosity, helping shape a more equitable future for students across California.

Rafael Avendaño

Rafael Avendaño is a dedicated leader with two decades in public service and over ten years of expertise in nonprofit management. As the Executive Director of Redwood City Together, he spearheads a common community agenda to strengthen schools and uplift the entire Redwood City and North Fair Oaks environment. Rafael’s leadership is fueled by his conviction that families can achieve their dreams through community support, dedicated mentorship, and collaboration with local government. His unique ability to teach and inspire has helped countless children and adults find confidence. 

Rafael holds a B.S. in Public Management and an M.A. in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco. He continues to serve the community as a board member for several local organizations. 

Amy Buckmaster

Amy Buckmaster serves as President & CEO of Chamber San Mateo County, one of the leading business organizations in California representing 85,000+ employees. Amy is well known for being a champion of public/private partnerships and bringing stakeholders together to talk, listen and identify common sense solutions and consensus with the goal of problem-solving and positive solutions. The San Francisco Business Times consistently ranks the Chamber in the top five of all chambers of commerce throughout the nine Bay Area County regions.   

Amy started her college education at Cañada College. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Notre Dame De Namur University and is a graduate of Stanford University Graduate School of Business – Redwood City Entrepreneurship Boot Camp. 

Dr. Wei-ting Chen

Dr. Wei-ting Chen is a community-engaged research leader at Stanford Medicine, serving as the Executive Director of the Food for Health Equity Lab and the Office of Community Engagement. In these roles, she provides overall leadership to the staff and guides the team in developing bi-directional research partnerships to improve community health on a wide range of topics, from preventing and managing diet-sensitive chronic diseases to mental health promotion. She has a passion for helping subject matter experts develop the skills to build trust-based relationships with community members. 

Wei-ting graduated from California’s Community College system; she received her BA from UC Davis and doctorate from the Johns Hopkins University. 

Rosanne Foust

As the President & CEO of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA), Rosanne is a leading voice of the business community in San Mateo County and across the Bay Area on issues important to maintaining a strong local and regional economy, attracting and retaining major employers and good jobs, and creating partnerships between business and government to address the critical issues of affordable housing, mobility improvements, and maintaining a good quality of life. Rosanne served for 12 years on the City Council in Redwood City, including as Mayor and Vice Mayor.

Rosanne holds an MA in Public Administration; BA in International Studies and Economics; completed multiple Executive Education programs at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and the Executive Management program at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.  

Bill Graham

Bill Graham is the President of Dignity Health Sequoia Hospital. As President, Bill oversees operations of a 208-bed hospital serving Southern San Mateo County including the nationally recognized Heart and Vascular Institute. Sequoia has been voted the “Best Place to Have Baby” on the peninsula and is among the largest providers of total joint replacement in the greater Bay Area. 

Bill received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing at Santa Clara University and has a Master of Public Health degree from San Jose State University.

Patty Hall

Professor Emeritus Patty Hall, EdD, served as Cañada College's Faculty Coordinator of the Child Study Center from 1997-2001. Since that time, she has taught a wide range of Early Childhood classes and became known as a curriculum innovator when she launched the college-wide Honors Transfer Program. During the span of her career at the College, she led the Faculty Senate and represented the College and District on state-wide initiatives. Having served on many advisory boards over the years, she is interested in college governance and community partnerships. 

In retirement, Patty continues to support the Education and Human Development Department through leadership development and planning activities, and she absolutely loves to teach Early Childhood classes when the department needs support. When invited to join she said, “Serving on the President’s Advisory Committee feels a natural activity for me to continue supporting excellence in education at Cañada College.”

Barrie Hathaway

JobTrain’s President and CEO Barrie Hathaway combines his passion for empowering others to succeed with the experience of a seasoned leader. A nearly 20-year veteran of non-profits, Barrie leads JobTrain’s strategic direction, develops growth plans, and guides the management team.

Prior to joining JobTrain, Barrie was the Executive Director of The Stride Center, a workforce development nonprofit that that prepares low income adults for professional careers in technology, from 2004 to 2017.

Before stepping into the non-profit world in 2002, Barrie spent nearly two decades as a supply chain management executive in the high technology sector. His work and leadership in non-profits have been often recognized: in 2010, Barrie was named National Social Enterprise Leader of the Year by the Social Enterprise Alliance; he received the Jefferson Award for Nonprofit Leadership in 2012; and was selected for the Tipping Point Community Award in 2015. Barrie is a past fellow of the Leaderspring Executive Fellows program and has a B.S. in Organizational Development and a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Lisa Hicks-Dumanske

Lisa works every day to connect community and promote literacy as the Executive Director of the Redwood City Library Foundation. As a local nonprofit and fundraising executive, she has been passionately leading social change and working with people from diverse backgrounds for more than 25 years through community organizing, service on the Library Board, the League of Women Voters, WIRE for Women, school PTOs and numerous nonprofit boards.

Lisa was born and raised in Redwood City and has always been an active member of her community, focusing her professional and volunteer activity on collaborative projects that address access, equity and social justice. Lisa was the first in her family to graduate from college. She believes deeply in the power of higher education as an investment for everyone's future, and the essential role community colleges have as we recover from the pandemic.

Lynn Mahoney

Lynn Mahoney is the 14th person and first woman to serve as president of San Francisco State University. President Mahoney is on the board of directors for both the Bay Area Council and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Bay Area Higher Education Council, the San Francisco Workforce Investment Board and the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 Advisory Committee. She was also appointed to serve on San Francisco’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force. Her scholarly work and teaching have focused on United States history, women's history, feminism, race studies, and ethnicity.

Ivan Martinez

Ivan Martinez is a renowned community leader and advocate, deeply rooted in the fabric of Redwood City, with his upbringing in North Fair Oaks. Over the span of nearly two decades, Ivan has exhibited unwavering dedication and passion across various domains, including community advocacy, multimedia production, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Currently serving as the Executive Director of the Pal Center, Ivan spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering social equity and facilitating the holistic development of marginalized youth and families, in close collaboration with the community. Under his stewardship, the Pal Center has emerged as a beacon of hope, offering top-tier programs and services to over 500 families annually by merging the expertise of public safety professionals and service providers with community resources. Throughout his career, Ivan Martinez has remained steadfast in his commitment to authenticity, courage, and collaboration, serving as an inspiration to all those who aspire to effect positive change in their communities. His tireless efforts and innovative approaches have left an indelible mark on Redwood City, embodying the true spirit of leadership and service.

Dr. Esmeralda Ortiz

Dr. Esmeralda Ortiz is a first-generation college student who started working in youth development after seeing a need to improve representation of underserved communities in higher education. Over the past 10 years, she has led college access efforts for high school aged-youth and established high school partnerships at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP). More recently, she and her team have established postsecondary and career pathways programs that support students complete their postsecondary training and degrees. She believes higher education is the solution to break generational poverty and transform underserved communities. She is currently the Senior Vice President of High School & Postsecondary Success Programs at BGCP and holds a B.A. in Sociology from UC Berkeley, a Master’s in Public Administration from USC, and a doctorate from the School of Education from UC Davis. Esmeralda lives with her husband in Mountain View where she serves as a trustee for the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School Board.

Wade Painter

In May 2015, Wade Painter became president and CEO of San Mateo Credit Union, replacing Barry Jolette. Painter’s previous position was with Redwood Credit Union (RCU), were he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for six years. Prior to his work at RCU, he was involved in the credit union consulting industry for more than 20 years, culminating as the managing director of credit union consulting services for RSM McGladrey. Painter’s experience also includes 31 years in credit union financial management, risk management, IT, corporate strategy, and operational improvement.

He has a thorough understanding of the community financial institution business model and the credit union/financial cooperative value proposition. Painter is skilled in entrepreneurial and growth-oriented strategies in the credit union industry. He is successfully leading SMCU into the future by enhancing business model strengths and expanding the credit union’s excellent reputation for community involvement. A committed leader, he firmly embraces the credit union philosophy of people helping people.

John Pimentel

Trustee John Pimentel co-founded and managed several businesses in the renewable energy and sustainability field. He was the Governor's Higher Education Advisor providing analysis on legislative and budget matters related to UC, CSU, and community colleges. He began government service as an Assembly Fellow. He was the student body president and Student Trustee for San Joaquin Delta Community College District.

In 2020, he was elected to represent Area 5 on the San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees. Currently, Trustee Pimentel serves on the boards of the Redwood City Police Activities League, the Ravenswood Education Foundation, the Delta College Foundation, and the Ravenswood Little League. He is also on the City of Menlo Park's Housing Commission and he serves as an alternate on the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee.

A first-generation college student, Trustee Pimentel graduated from Harvard Business School, University of California, Berkeley, and San Joaquin Delta Community College. He lives in Menlo Park with his wife of 20 years and 3 children.

Dr. Cathy A. Sandeen

Cathy A. Sandeen was appointed president of Cal State East Bay in October 2020. She previously served as chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Prior to her time at UAA, Sandeen served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension from 2014-18. In that role, she served as leader and chief administrator and was responsible for the academic, financial and administrative activities of two statewide higher education institutions.

Her other experience in higher education includes service as the vice president, education attainment and innovation for the American Council on Education (2012-14), the dean at the University of California, Los Angeles Extension (2006-12) and in various leadership roles at the University of California, Santa Cruz (2000-06) and the University of California, San Francisco (1990-2000). She has been a member of the faculty at Santa Clara University, San José State University, the University of Utah, Stanford University and San Francisco State University. 

Olatunde Sobomehin

Olatunde Sobomehin is the CEO and co-founder of StreetCode Academy, an East Palo Alto-based non-profit offering free tech classes to communities new to technology. The organization provides free technology experiences in emerging technology, entrepreneurship and design to over 3,500 students annually with 50,000+ hours of free instruction. 

A graduate of Stanford University, Olatunde majored in Urban Studies, led a public speaking class, and played on the top 25 Men's Basketball Team, earning Most Inspirational Player (2003). His accolades include recognition as a 2018 Aspen Institute Scholar, 2019 Praxis Fellow, and a 2020 Stanford Social Entrepreneurship Fellow. He is also the co-author of Creative Hustle, Blaze Your Own Path and Make Work that Matters. He resides in East Palo Alto, Calif., with his wife, Tamara, and their four children: Olatayo, Temilola, Tatiola, and Olataiye. 

Diana Viscarra

Diana Viscarra has been part of the Upward Scholars community since 2014. She is deeply grateful for the support she received while studying at community college, which encouraged her to go beyond learning English and continue her education. Diana earned an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies in 2019 and another in Political Science from Cañada College in 2020. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and is now pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at Arizona State University.

Over the years, Diana has become a dedicated leader and advocate who cares deeply about her community. As Programs Director at Upward Scholars, she oversees four main areas of support: Academic, Financial, Career Development and Holistic. She is passionate about helping nontraditional and immigrant students reach their goals, find their voice, and create better lives for themselves and their families.