Chris was recently promoted to Senior Manager, Safety Net Services. He first joined Community Action Marin as a Data Specialist in January 2020, bringing eight years of underwriting experience to the organization. 

In both of his roles, Chris has gained invaluable experience in short-term housing and utility assistance. Chris’s work has included providing access to all of the resources that help people in difficult times. He has also been assisting Marin residents stay housed through Community Action Marin’s rent and deposit assistance program.  

Chris was raised in the Bay Area as the middle child in a family of four kids. He now lives in San Rafael with his wife and son, and enjoys traveling, baseball, and grilling.  

Betsy Reynolds Bateson, our New Food Justice Manager, is an unrelenting advocate for the nutritional well-being of young children and their families. With her educational background in Community Nutrition from the University of California at Davis, and a graduate degree in Consumer and Family Studies at San Francisco State University, she understands the extreme importance of good nutrition for growing children, especially during their first years.

Before joining Community Action of Marin, Betsy shared her love of nutrition and health education through El Dorado County’s Child Development Programs. Prior to joining the nutrition education field, she researched and developed new foods products, specifically for children, for national food corporations. She also directed her company, FoodonmyMind Consulting, and wrote for Sunset Magazine, sharing her passion for delicious, healthy, and locally grown foods. Betsy also coordinated a meals program for a Coop nursery school when her two children were young.

Betsy is dedicated to sharing her nutritional knowledge and love of healthy lifestyle choices with her new community in Marin and looks forward to cooking side-by-side with Community Action Marin families. 

Patrick Wales-Dinan joined Community Action Marin as Data Analytics Manager in December 2022, bringing four years of data science and analytics experience and over seven years of teaching experience to CAM. 

Patrick has served previously as Principal Consultant of Data with Stage 3 Talent. 

Patrick first began a career in data as an Instructor of Machine Learning and Data Science at General Assembly.  There he gained invaluable experience in data analytics, database management, predictive analysis, and data visualization.  Additionally, he helped in curriculum design and implementation of regression and classification models.   

Patrick was raised in Duxbury, Vermont and his mother Amy was a Peer Advocate for Vermont Psychiatric Survivors, and his father Jim is a chef. Patrick is passionate about running and coaching.   

Patrick holds a BA in Economics from Bates College.  He now lives in San Rafael with wife Annie and their son Jonas. 

Jennifer Bell has been the Disability and Inclusion Manager for Children and Family Services (CFS) at Community Action Marin since December 2019. In this role, Jennifer supports staff, children, and families with the inclusion of young children with special needs into our programs. The foundation of her philosophical beliefs is that learning occurs through relationship, trust, kindness, and understanding. Jennifer is an optimistic believer in the rights of every child to learn in a positive and nurturing environment and utilizes her knowledge of disability law and special education best practice to advocate for CAM children and families.  

Jennifer looks at her 20+ years as an educator with joy. Her diverse educational experience in direct service and leadership includes working in a neonatal intensive care follow up program in San Francisco, leading and directing a therapeutic preschool program in Richmond, teaching young children with communication disorders and autism spectrum disorders with the Marin County Office of Education, and as an adjunct faculty member at Santa Rosa Junior College, Dominican University, and Sonoma State University. Mid-career, Jennifer became interested in the intersection of trauma and learning in adolescence, earning an additional California teaching credential and working as a high school learning specialist in Marin. This also allowed her the opportunity to teach World History and Literature to teenagers with learning differences. 

Jennifer believes that educators have a unique privilege to work with children many hours a day and believes it is an honor to be such an instrumental person in the life of a young child. Her first job was with the Department of Psychology at Stanford University’s laboratory school. It was during these formative years that Jennifer began to understand how young children learn through active discovery and play in a way that celebrates the uniqueness of each child.  When she started working with children experiencing trauma and learning challenges, she learned that a teacher who brings compassion and expertise can help a child transcend adversity. Her work with CAM is a culmination of a career that allows her to lead collaborations with CFS teachers, families, and staff.   

Fatai Tokolahi joined Community Action Marin in November 2020 as a Peer Outreach Specialist on the Community Alternative Response Engagement (CARE) Team. He later moved into the position of CARE Team Manager of Mobile Outreach and Peer Support Services in May 2022.  

In his new role, Fatai supervises a team of talented and passionate outreach workers who go out on a daily basis to find people who are experiencing chronic homelessness and want to be connected to critical services; such as housing, health insurance, Social Security benefits, CalFresh, transportation, and more.  

Before joining the agency, Fatai was a manager and direct service provider at Marin and East Bay non-profits that served a wide variety of clients. He has served as a language interpreter for trade union members and medical patients, taught middle schoolers and their parents about the prevalence and dangers of drug abuse, and helped people with intellectual and physical disabilities live more independent lives.   

Fatai first began his career as a youth development worker in the Kingdom of Tonga nearly 20 years ago. His main areas of focus at that time was adolescent health, social and emotional development, and leadership development. He was also a UNICEF Life Skills Master Trainer for several years, where he trained youth leaders to teach essential skills to their peers. Before moving to the US, Fatai was a {roject Manager for a United Nations Population Fund and UNAIDS’s initiative that focused on HIV/AIDS prevention among transitional aged youth.  

Fatai is a graduate of Tonga College and holds a Certificate in Youth Development from the University of the South Pacific. He has loved Australian rugby since childhood,and has learned to also love Bay Area baseball, basketball, and football. Fatai lives in San Rafael with his wife and kids.  

Buntawan joined Community Action Marin as an Early Head Start Site Manager in July of 2020, coming to the organization with over 20 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. She started with the agency, first in 2010 as an Early Head Start Teacher, then later becoming Site Manager for Early Head Start, Hamilton. 

Her career first began in Early Childhood Education as an Infant/Toddler Teacher and Preschool Teacher at the Cross Cultural Family Center. In these roles, she gained more interest in individual child development, nature versus nurture studies, family studies, diversity, cultural differences, and human development. Her work included getting to know the family and the ways in which each has its own cultural values, which are reflected in their child-rearing and expectations of their children during developmental milestones.

Buntawan has a passion for taking care of others and is naturally nurturing. In her childhood, she enjoyed caring for others who needed help and this has continued on through today, as it is both fulfilling and brings purpose to her life. 

Buntawan was raised in Thailand as the middle child in a family of three daughters. She earned her Bachelor’s degree (BA) in Child and Adolescent Development and Master’s degree (MA) in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University. She now lives in San Pablo with her family and enjoys reading and hiking during her free time. 

Esmeralda is the Program Support Manager for Children and Family Services. She joined Community Action Marin as the Mental Health Education & Program Support Manager in November 2021. She brings to the agency, over thirty years of experience in building cross-functional teams by creating frameworks that sustain healthy working relationships and mindful communication.

Esmeralda, presently serves on the HIV/AIDS Council, Marin County as Co-President. Previously she served on the Human Rights Commission of Marin County, Board of Community Action Marin. She also formerly worked as a Patients’ Rights Advocate at Community Action Marin, Operational Manager at Mercy Corporation, and Program Coordinator/Counselor Advocate Supervisor at My Sisters’ Place in Westchester, New York.

Esmeralda first began her career in civic engagement with the American Red Cross. She has worked with many nationally known not for profits throughout her career. She has gained invaluable experience in advocacy and our responsibility to create an equitable society in her various roles. Her work has included providing advocacy, program development and management, and community organizing.

Esmeralda was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Brooklyn, New York as the oldest child in a family of three sisters. She has a passion for social justice and promoting change. Esmeralda also holds a Master of Business Administration with a Concentration in Healthcare Leadership from Dominican University of California. She now lives in Mill Valley with her husband and has a son living with his wife and daughter in Bremerton, Washington. Se enjoys volunteering, going to the gym, hiking, traveling, and learning.

Gary Neal joined Community Action Marin in April of 2011 as a night janitor working at Old Gallinas Children Center. After three years he moved to facilities maintenance.

Prior to Community Action Marin, Gary worked the night shifts at Safeway stocking shelves and UPS loading the brown trucks. He also sold electronic equipment on eBay when eBay first started. His choices all supported being a stay-at-home dad to raise his son. His true calling was Landscape Contracting which he worked at for many years.

He shares his Santa Venetia home with his son, wife, two cats, two parrots and a snake. Gary has enjoyed backpacking, fly fishing in the past. He currently likes to read in his leisure time, and has a love of gardening his vegetables, roses and an outrageous lemon tree.

He attended UC Davis, where he met his wife of 31 years, and studied Biochemistry.

Sarah Philipsheck first became part of Community Action Marin as a parent in the Head Start program in 1981. Her youngest daughter was part of the classroom located in Fairfax at Christ the Victor Church. Her granddaughter also entered the Early Head Start program at four months of age and then transitioned into the Head Start program.  

Sarah started her career at Community Action Marin, in 1981 as well, and began as an Office Assistant, after spotting an ad in the Head Start Office located in the old Larkspur/Corte Madera school. Sarah has been with CAM ever since. 

Sarah’s passion for helping children & families began when she was in High School and her economic teacher made an impression regarding the importance of giving back to a community. And to helping the ones who struggle with everyday life to gain the confidence to succeed and to become self-sufficient. To help them learn how to advocate for themselves and to push themselves up and out of poverty. That same passion continues in Sarah today, after 41 years. One of the most important lessons Sarah learned from being in the program for so long is to make sure we “listen” to what the parents are saying and making sure they know that they are being listened to. 

Sarah grew up in Massachusetts on Cape Cod, went to business school in Boston and the local Community College on the Cape. She decided she had enough school and hitched hiked with a friend out to California in 1970. Met her husband, went back home and made the move out west permanently in 1971.  

Sarah has two daughters and four grandchildren and is a recent widow after 50 yrs. of marriage.  

Janis joined Community Action Marin in October 2017, initially as the Fiscal Administrator of the Mental Health Program. With over 30 years as a marketing and creative professional, a position was created for Janis the following year, naming her as the agency’s first Marketing and Communications Manager.

Using her talents in design, project management, and photography, Janis played a vital role in building the foundation of the agency’s newly created brand identity.

In creating and evolving communications building blocks, Janis develops and maintains the agency’s resource library of stories and content, supports outreach to the community and all fund development efforts. With her new title of Brand and Communications Manager, Janis is developing the agency’s first ambassador program, a brand toolkit, and implementing a new Digital Asset Management (DAM) System; all in support of the agency’s growth and development.

Janis has held numerous creative positions at ad agencies and design firms, in addition to launching direct marketing, catalog design, and photography agencies. She has worked with national Fortune 500 businesses and supported fundraising efforts for the National Boy and Girls Scouts, Easter Seals, US Olympic Society, and non-profits including The Salvation Army and American Lung Association.

Janis has a BFA in Graphic Design/Illustration from Colorado State University and pursued post-grad education in fine arts at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and advertising at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.

Janis enjoys doing anything creative, music, fine art, photography, writing, film, as well as the great outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.

Roger Crawford has lived in Marin County for 12 years and has been a member of the Board of Directors for five years.  Roger currently works as the Equal Employment Director for the County of Marin.  In that role, he shares responsibility for the development and implementation of the county’s Diversity and Inclusion policies as well as the county’s Race Equity Plan.

Roger is an employment attorney and before working for the county, he worked in San Francisco at the employment law firm, Jackson Lewis and Liebert Cassidy Whitmore.  Roger is originally from New York and he received his B.A. from Connecticut College and his law degree from Villanova University.  Roger brings his commitment to equity and social justice as well as his legal background to the agency’s Board of Directors.   Roger is married with three children.

Christopher Carey has lived in Marin County for 12 years and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the last two years.  In addition to Community Action Marin, Chris is a board member of the Novato South Little League and serves as a site council member to his local public elementary school.

Chris is currently head of product at Ripple Health Group. At Ripple, Chris’s mission is leading the product organization to build innovative solutions/businesses so that people can experience healthier lives by connecting them to the care, support, and community they need.

Prior to Ripple, Chris served as Chief Product Office of Rally Health (acquired by UnitedHealthGroup) whose mission was to build digital experiences that make it easier to access care and stay healthy while helping lower costs.

Originally from southern Illinois, Chris brings his commitment to ensuring Marin makes progress in ensuring everyone living in our community can thrive.

Mary spent most of her career at the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services. During her 35 years in the Department, Mary managed all of the welfare programs as well as the Employment and Economic Assistance Division. As the Director of the Workforce Investment Board, she worked collaboratively with county employers, educational institutions, non-profits, and labor organizations.  

Although currently retired, during her tenure at the Marin County Department of Health, Mary partnered with Community Action Marin on many projects serving theirs and Community Action Marin’s mutual clientele. Based on Mary’s admiration for both Community Action Marin’s mission and the work that the agency has done in the county, she has chosen to spend her volunteer time, post-retirement working with the agency on the board/ 

Mary grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been a Marin County resident for most of her adult life.   

Jeff joined the Community Action Marin Board in August of 2022, after learning about the agency and its mission during his term on the Marin Civil Grand Jury. Community Action Marin is Jeff’s first venture in the non-profit world after a 60-year entrepreneurial career in the private sector. Jeff holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MBA from UC Berkeley. 

Jeff was originally attracted to Community Action Marin based on the agency’s ability to deliver tangible, measurable, and impactful benefits to the low-income community. as well as the organization’s excellent leadership and stability. 

Jeff’s business career was centered in the mortgage banking industry, beginning with a Denver-based opportunity in the early 1970s. After three years learning the basics of mortgage originations, he was then recruited to join a start-up private mortgage insurance company in San Francisco where he served as a sales and marketing executive. The industry insights and contacts developed during his eight-year term became the foundation for his next chapter. 

In 1981, Jeff founded the STRATMOR Group to provide consulting services to the mortgage industry, which was transitioning from an institutional dominance (e.g., commercial banks and savings & loan associations) to independent ownership. For most of his almost 40-year STRATMOR tenure, Jeff concentrated his efforts on mortgage industry mergers and acquisitions and participated in hundreds of transactions conducting financial analysis, performance benchmarking and assessing cultural compatibility.    

Jeff retired at the end of 2020 and resides in Ross with his wife Cate.  He has four geographically scattered children and four grandchildren. 

Violeta (V) Krasnić is a non-profit leader and a human rights advocate with expertise in human rights policy and advocacy, non-profit management, and philanthropy. Her tireless work for human rights and women’s rights, along with her commitment to collaborative action to improve mental health and well-being, has empowered the lives of tens of thousands across the globe and won her several awards.  

Violeta was born in North Macedonia, grew up in Kosovo and Serbia, and attended Columbia University for both undergraduate and graduate studies. She holds a BA in Psychology (Phi Beta Kappa) and an MA from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Before receiving her degrees, Violeta was involved in human rights and humanitarian work, and afterward, she expanded her efforts to engage with a global constituency, working in partnership with social justice organizations throughout the Balkans, Europe, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, and in the U.S. She has extensive experience in all aspects of growth and management of programs and large portfolios, eventually becoming the Program Director for the Global Fund for Women before going on to direct the Children’s Book Project and then to found and direct The April Foundation. Violeta is currently a PhD student in the Anthropology and Social Change department at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she is also the Program Coordinator for the Women’s Spirituality program. 

Deeply committed to being of service, Violeta volunteers as a suicide prevention counselor, a rape crisis counselor, a certified yoga teacher, a neighborhood emergency response team (NERT) volunteer, and a Hawaiian Hula dancer. Her previous board appointments with academic and community organizations in San Francisco and New York.  

For her outstanding social justice work, Violeta has received an Emmy® Humanitarian and Public & Community Service Award for teamwork at WITNESS.org, the 2016 City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Certificate of Honor as the Executive Director of the Children’s Book Project, and in 2018 was named the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Volunteer of the Year, also receiving California State Assembly Certificate of Recognition honoring her work against stigma and suffering of suicide.  

Violeta lives close to redwoods in Larkspur, CA with her husband, offspring, dog, cat, and a family of finches.  

Immigrating to Marin County from Mexico City, Mexico at the age of five was a formative life experience for Maria, which she says continues to influence her relationship with her community. Being a working-class immigrant, she was exposed to the difficulty in accessing and navigating resources, assisting her parents with their ESL homework, and experiencing discrimination both at school and in the community. 

Maria came onto the Community Action Marin Board in 2019 after a stretch of personal life experiences which prepared her to work as a Peer Counselor, and more recently a Support Service Worker with the County of Marin Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. Each day, Maria assists our indigent and marginalized community members that live with a severe mental illness attain access to resources, get support in their recovery, and be treated with dignity. It is her philosophy that everyone wants to be seen, heard, and feel a part of the community. It is for that reason that Maria is a proud member of Community Action Marin. 

Tonya Newstetter joined the Community Action Marin board in 2022, three years after moving to Marin County. She is currently head of Global Grants Operations at Salesforce, where she leads the strategy and development of core business and technology systems that power the company’s grantmaking in education, economic opportunity, community resilience, and climate justice.

She brings to the board 15+ years of experience in the social impact space, with expertise in operations, finance, technology, and organizational development.

Born in San Francisco, Tonya spent her childhood in a small town in the Sierras before returning to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley, and never left. She moved to Marin in 2019, where she now lives with her husband and son.

Jennifer came to the board of Community Action Marin through service to Marin Head Start as a liaison for Policy Council, a program oversight group comprised of Head Start parents elected each year.  She is fluent in Spanish and has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Nevada, Reno.  The mission of Community Action Marin to reduce poverty and promote equity speaks to her on a personal level and motivated her continued engagement this year as a board member.  Jennifer comes from a diverse background and being a part of the low-income community has inspired her to search out means in which to be of service to others. In this search she found Community Action Marin and is looking forward to many years of service to our community.

Nico joined the CAM Board in July 2021, bringing twenty years of experience driving social and environmental impact in the nonprofit and private sector.

Nico leads her own consulting practice, NVE Social Impact Services, which is focused on helping corporate and nonprofit clients implement social impact and sustainability strategies and programs, with a primary focus on climate and social justice solutions.

Prior to that, she served as the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Intuit and at SAP, both global technology companies based in Silicon Valley. Nico spent the first ten years of her career working with global brands to reduce modern slavery in their supply chains, including at Intertek, a global monitoring firm, and at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), a global sustainability consultancy.

Nico was born and raised in the Netherlands. She has lived in Hong Kong, South Korea, and the UK, and she now resides in Marin County with her husband, two children, and dog. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors, either hiking, biking, or sailing.

Nico holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of the Hague, and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam.