People

Jerry Yang
Executive Director
Jerry Yang serves as Executive Director at Kai Ming Head Start, a non-profit offering comprehensive services for underserved families with children aged 0-5. Additionally, he leads ECE STEP, a non-profit focusing on early childhood education workforc... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 300
Fatima Sequeira
Director of Operations/Executive Assistant
Fatima is a seasoned Executive Assistant with over 20 years of Head Start/Early Head Start experience. She fell in love with Head Start in the 1980s. She is insightful and knowledgeable in the areas of: Governance; HR; Facilities; Food Service. She i... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 303
Melinda Deng
Director of Finance
Melinda Joined Kai Ming in early 2019. Prior to joining Kai Ming, Melinda spent five plus year at San Francisco State University for Office of Research & Sponsor Program. While there, she worked as Grants Administrators for two and half years which s... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 330
Dora Pulido Tobiassen
Director of Learning and Development
Dora has her B.A. Degree in Spanish Language from UC Berkeley. Over Dora's career, she worked in various capacities, from an Infant toddler and Preschool teacher to a variety of roles developing and implementing quality improvement support to center ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 302
Mei Hua Fu
Director of Continuous Quality Improvement
Mei Hua holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University in Cambridge MA, and a Master’s degree in Education from National Taiwan Normal University. She has a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Suffolk Univer... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 345
Sabrina Dong
STEP Program Director / Director of Human Resources
Joined since 2014, Sabrina has been leading all aspects of HR at Kai Ming. She has a BA degree in Human Resources Management and a Master degree in Business Administration. She is a certified HR professional, maintaining both a PHR and a SHRM-SCP. Be... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 332
Ellen Peterson-Allen
Director of Children & Family Services
For the past 20 years, Ellen has spent her professional career working in Head Start programs as a teacher, coordinator and manager in the Bay Area. Ellen is excited to join the Kai Ming team and continuing her work supporting quality programs for c... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 340
Susanna Leung
Environment and Safety Manager
Susanna joined Kai Ming in 2000. From a Teacher to a Site Manager and then become the Disabilities/Mental Health Manager for 4 years. She took on this challenging position as the Regional Manager, and is now the Environment & Safety Manager. She is d... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 342
Annie Guan
Program Assistant
I'm a UC Davis graduate with a degree in Sociology and Communication. My passion lies in traveling the world, community service, and volunteering abroad, having contributed to projects in Nicaragua and taught English in Peru. Beyond my love for givin... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 307
Aileen Mui
Early Learning Coach
Aileen first joined Kai Ming in 2014 as a Preschool Lead Teacher. In 2017, she transitioned to her current role as an Early Learning Coach. She has worked with children and families from diverse backgrounds and needs. Aileen holds dual Master's degre... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 337
Vivian Wong
Early Learning Coach
Vivian, a Kai Ming graduate and now Early Learning Coach, supports teachers' best practices in the classroom and children’s social-emotional development. Vivian enjoys working in Head Start because it gives her the opportunity to positively impact ch... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 346
Nicole Matus
Family and Community Partnership Manager
Nicole holds a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s in Public Health, with an emphasis on Health Promotion and Education, from CSU, San Marcos. She has worked in education since 2018 and wanted to continue h... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 ext. 333
Tina Hwang
Child Development Support Manager
Tina joined Kai Ming team as instructional coordinator in Dec 2019. She graduated with her Master degree with special education from the University of Oregon. She has worked with teenagers and younger children with, and without, special needs and sup... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 343
Natalie Silman
Child Development Support Coordinator
Natalie is a graduate of San Francisco State University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Child and Adolescent Development, with a minor in Special Education. She has two years of experience with inclusion, through direct work with students as well as... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 ext. 308
Edna Vargas
Regional Manager
Edna always been her dream to become a teacher. At age 16, she gathered children in my neighborhood and provide tutorial and teaches them how to read and write. I gained my Bachelors degree in Psychology in the Philippine. After graduation I started ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext.344
Bandi Park
Regional Manager
Bandi "Dee" Park graduated from SF State with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development, with a concentration in Early Childhood Education, minoring in Special Education, and is continuing her studies in graduate school. She is a lifelong learner and ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext.388
Cindy Mach
Learning and Development Specialist
Cindy Mach graduated from University of California Los Angeles and has a BA in Psychology with minors in Applied Developmental Psychology and Asian Studies. At UCLA, she worked in early care and education in a program with an emphasis on academic kno... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext.309
Yu Cheng Huang
UI/UX Designer
Graduating with a master's degree in architecture, Yu Cheng is a Google-certified UI/UX designer with 4 years of work experience, covering B2B and B2C products including mobile app and web-based application. He is passionate about simplifying problem... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 335
Lily Dang
Human Resources Generalist
Lily has several years of HR experience with a BS degree from SFSU and an upcoming Master's degree in Human Resource Management with a track record of contributing to both organizations and the local community. She's excited to leverage her education... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 352
Eda Wei
Finance Generalist
Eda Wei, who works at Kai Ming for 14 years. As Finance Analyst, she handles monthly bank reconciliation report, daily journal entries, AR input, monthly projection and budgeting for fundings. Eda has AA Degree in General Business from City College o... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 331
Qiana Zhao
Finance Specialist
Qiana joined Kai Ming Since Oct. 2018 as a part time employee. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA degree as Business Accounting Major in Fall 2020. Her current title is a Finance coordinator. She works closely to support the ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 334
Stacy Yu
Human Resources Manager
Stacy joined Kai Ming in March 2020. She graduated with a Master Degree in Human Resource Management and had several years of comprehensive experience in the HR field. She had a passion for Human Resources Management, really enjoys helping and making... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 347
Sarah Escoto
Human Resources Coordinator
Sarah has been working in the Human Resources field for 5 years and holds a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara. She is passionate about HR because it allows her to support others in their career growth and create a positive work environment where ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 350
Kama Zhang
Finance Coordinator II
Kama joined Kai Ming in early 2022 as a Finance Coordinator. After graduating with a B.A. in Finance, she began her career as an accountant and has more than six years of experience in accounting. She enjoys using her skills to contribute to the acco... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 336
Carmen Ngan
Broadway Center Site Manager
Carmen is the Site Manager for Broadway center. She has a BA degree in Child and Adolescent development from San Francisco State University. She is also a former Head Start parent. When her son was attending Kai Ming, her son’s teacher encouraged her... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext.250
Nesanna Lee
North Beach Center Site Manager
Nesanna graduated from San Francisco Stated University with a Bachelor of Arts in Home Economics with an emphasis on Child Development. She has been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 25 years as a Teacher, Lead teacher, and S... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext.260
Kelly Li
Richmond Center Site Manager
Kelly has been working as a teacher in Kai Ming since 1999. With a commitment to professional development, Kelly continued her education and graduated from San Francisco State. In 2011, Kelly received an award from the City of San Francisco for excel... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext.280
Sarah Fong
Geary Site Manager
Sarah has been working in Kai Ming’s community for 7 years. She has three kids who have attended Kai Ming when they were young. Since then, she loved the community and decided to pursue a career there. She first started out as a parent volunteer; aft... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 270
Sally An
Dr. T.K.L. Center Site Manager
Sally has a B.S. in Bilingual Education from Boston University and a M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. After graduating from school, she became a Preschool teacher at a Chinese Immersion Preschool. She is so glad to join Kai Ming and ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 240
Wai Shun Cheng
Sunset Interim Site Manager
Wai Shun Cheng graduated from SF State with a BA in Japanese and received an AA degree in Child Development from CCSF. He finished his Montessori Teacher Early Childhood Credential (AMS) in 2019. "Help me do it by myself": He believes helping childre... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext.291
Tracy Chen
Rainbow Interim Site Manager
Tracy Chen has been working at KaiMing since 2016. Tracy holds BA and MA degree in Chinese major from San Francisco State University . She is very patient, reliable, and friendly. She loves children and she always like to work with children. She alwa... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 220
Dora Li
Geary Center Family Service Specialist
Dora has been working with Kai Ming as a family advocate since February 2018. She obtained her BA degree of Public Affairs Administration in South China Normal University in 2009. She demonstrates profession and passion towards her job. She enjoys wo... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 291
Jenny Zhong
Rainbow Center Family Service Specialist
Jenny joined Kai Ming in February 2017 as a family advocate with a passion for supporting the development of families and children to the best of her ability.... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 221
Sasha Caamal
Richmond Center Family Service Specialist
Sasha has over 20 years of experience in the area of Education Administration for Children and Families in the Bay Area Peninsula. Moreover, she has had a number of leadership roles in the Head Start community over the years, including that of a Fam... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 281
Linda Wu
Sunset Center Family Service Specialist
Linda is a SF native, graduated from SFSU. She began working with nonprofit organizations since 2011. She enjoys working with children and families and assisting them to meet their needs. She is thankful for this opportunity to be able to continue to... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 241
Humberto Felix
St. Luke Center Family Service Specialist
Humberto graduated from the University of California Davis. Before joining Kai Ming in March 2023, he wore many hats working with the community. He strives for equity making it his mission to collaborate with children and families. His passion for th... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 229
Lizvett Guizar Valencia
Mission Bay Family Service Specialist
Raised in San Francisco, Lizvett’s commitment to creating positive change has consistently shaped her journey. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Justice Studies with a minor in Political Science from San Jose State University. With over four years ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 212
Jesse Hu
Broadway Family Service Specialist
Jesse relocated to the Bay Area in 2017. He then spent three years dedicated to working with diverse minority communities. He holds dual degrees in Media Studies and Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, which sharpened his lens on s... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 252
Venus Kong
North Beach Center Family Service Specialist
Venus has been working for Kai Ming Head Start as a Family Advocate for many years. She holds a BA degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University. In her leisure time she enjoys listening to music, relaxing and traveling. She is happy to h... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 261
Alondra Correa Almanza
Family Service Specialist
Alondra earned her B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Spanish Literature from UC Berkeley. She has built a career supporting families and individuals through advocacy and community-based programs. Over the years, she has worked in various capacities, includi... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 241
Alejandra Cazares
Teacher
Alejandra (Ale) first came to Kai Ming as a parent in 2020. Started working with the STEP program shortly after, and is now with Kai Ming. Proudly taken on the Infant/ Toddler Lead Teacher position while pursuing her B.A. in Early Childhood Education... Read More
Alexandra Green
Teacher
A committed classroom teacher, Alexandra, has worked with young children and their families for 20 years. Originally from Atlanta, she earned her Birth-Kindergarten teaching credential with an endorsement in Special Education at Georgia State Univers... Read More
Amy Zhu
Teacher
Amy is a Bay Area native who graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Human Development and a minor in Education. She has over six years of working experience in early childhood education in a wide range of settings, such as therapy clinics, schools,... Read More
Cathy Zhang
Teacher
Xiaolan (Cathy) Zhang worked as a Kai Ming substitute teacher for two years before becoming an Assistant Teacher in November 2021, and a Lead Teacher in April 2022. She has an AS degree in Early Childhood Education from City College of San Francisco,... Read More
Clara Chen
Teacher
Clara was born and raised in Canton, and immigrated to the United States around 30 years ago. She has worked in childcare for over 23 years. She loves teaching because it allows her to make a positive impact on children's lives, and she can witness t... Read More
Elianne Leiva
Teacher
Elianne's passion is working with preschoolers and collaborating with their families. She strives to create an inclusive classroom culture with a focus on social-emotional awareness and whole-body learning. Her goals are to make learning fun, have th... Read More
Ellie Ip
Teacher
Ellie has over three years of experience in early childhood education. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development with a concentration in Early Childhood from San Francisco State University. She started as a STEP substitute tea... Read More
Eva Li
Teacher
Eva Q. Li. I has been working with children for four years since she received her Associate in Science in Child Development degree. She is now a full time Infant teacher working at Kai Ming. She is currently a full time student working on her BA at S... Read More
Irene Choi
Teacher
Irene’s passion is creating a classroom where children can meet their full potential. She believes that children can learn when they feel secure. Her goals are to make a classroom be a welcoming and caring place where children stay and learn happily,... Read More
Ivy Mai
Teacher
As an early childhood educator, Ivy is dedicated to nurturing children's curiosity and creativity, and helping them build a strong foundation for learning. Every day spent with these young minds fills her with joy and a sense of purpose. Ivy strongly... Read More
Jay Ye
Teacher
Jay received a bachelor’s degree from SFSU and took CDEV credits at CCSF as professional development. From a parent volunteer to the lead teacher, Jay has worked at Kai Ming for over three and a half years at multiple sites and classrooms. Jay enjoys... Read More
June Du
Teacher
June Du has worked with children and family child care centers for 9 years. She is passionate to support the children and families, and they are involved in the school activities and community. June graduated from San Francisco State University, and ... Read More
Lan Quan
Teacher
Lan started her journey at Kai Ming in 2015. She was a parent volunteer which gave her the encouragement to continue her love and passion for teaching. She started as sub, teacher aide, then teacher assistant and currently is lead teacher of the todd... Read More
Li Mei Deng
Teacher
Li Mei received her AA degree from College of Southern Idaho in 1996 majoring in Child Development. Li Mei returned to Taiwan to teach after graduation and worked with young children as a Teacher and Site Supervisor for 20 years. She taught at The La... Read More
Peiping Jenny Guan
Teacher
Jenny joined Kai Ming in March 2018. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science from San Francisco State University and took CDEV credits at CCSF as professional development. Her two daughters graduated from Kai Ming, and she had a chance to volunteer and got... Read More
Miley Cai
Teacher
Become an early childhood educator was my dream. I believe early education would affect children's success in the future. As an early educator, children cannot achieve success without a teacher's patient, caring, and appropriate education approach. ... Read More
Regina Wong
Teacher
Regina has been working in the child development field for over 30 years. She has been working at Kai Ming for 16 years starting as a Center Aide then moving up to a Teacher’s Aide, Teacher’s Assistant, and now a Lead Teacher. She has also worked at ... Read More
Shuhua (Sharon) Chen
Teacher
Sharon Chen earned her Associate’s degree in ECE at City College of San Francisco and received her Bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State University. She is passionate about designing engaging lesson plans that help children discover their favorite... Read More
Stella Lau
Teacher
Stella grew up in Hong Kong and moved to San Francisco about 30 years ago. Becoming a teacher was a childhood dream of hers. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a major in Child and Adolescent Development - Early Childhood Educ... Read More
Vicky Huang
Teacher
Vicky Huang graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA degree in Early Childhood Education. She is passionate about working with children and their families. Her career goal sprouted while she was a Kai Ming Parent and got involved in cl... Read More
Wendy Li
Teacher
Wendy holds double BA Degrees: one in Child and Adolescent Development: Concentration in Early Childhood, with a Minor in Special Education from San Francisco State University, and another in Art Design from WUYI University. She has six years of teac... Read More
Yong Mei Hu
Teacher
Mei has three years of experience working in early child education. She has completed a year of training in the Program for Infant Toddler Care and is currently the lead infant teacher at the Rainbow Center. She believes that building a trusting rela... Read More
Samar Brown
Teacher
Samar Brown was born and raised in Vallejo. She moved to San Francisco for college and graduated from San Francisco State University. She loves music, children, and exploring nature. One of her favorite hobbies is to go on walks where there is a beau... Read More
Sherry Tao
Teacher
Sherry graduated from National Taipei University of Education with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Family Education. She has been working with children for 3 years in Taiwan. She believes that the most important thing as a teacher is to re... Read More
Rosalie Chen
Teacher
Rosalie graduated from the Department of Early Childhood and Family Education, NTUE in Taiwan. She has been working as a preschool teacher since February 2020. On a teaching level, Rosalie is familiar with theme teaching and project approach. Rosalie... Read More
Shu Mei Lee
Home Visitor
Shu Mei Lee had both of her sons graduated from Kai Ming Head Start, and she fell in love with Kai Ming from her own kids’ experiences. In 2012, she started as a substitute teacher, then a Lead teacher in Infant/Toddler Early Head Start program, and ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 361
Glenda Colindres Vasquez
Home Visitor
A Child Care Teacher, she began her professional work as a Substitute Teacher in the STEP program, where her vocation grew, and she continued with her academic preparation. The following year, with effort and dedication, she became a Teacher Aide at ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 362
Larry Vitale
Board Chairperson
Larry Vitale, RN, PHN is a Registered Nurse with two master’s degrees, Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master in Public Health (MPH). His entire career has been in public service, including 23 years of service in Alameda County as a Public ... Read More
Charlotte Ferretti
Board Vice-Chairperson
Between 1966 and 1984, Dr Ferretti’ s clinical practice focused on medical surgical nursing and occupational health nursing. From 1985 to 2001 Dr Ferretti taught case management in the graduate nursing program at San Francisco State University School... Read More
Scott Burrell
Board Secretary
... Read More
Silan Stahlhut
Board Treasurer
Retired (in January 2014) from Head Start Program at San Francisco State University. She has been involved in non-profit organizations for over 30 years of her financial career; in Foster Care and Families Service, Family Resources Center and Head S... Read More
Elizabeth Lau
Board Member
I am a licensed clinical social worker who is interested in child development and parent education. I have published 27 books in Chinese on parenting. I am also an experienced speaker who has given speeches locally and in China and Hong Kong for ye... Read More
Ivy Wang
Board Member
Ivy received her Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Francisco. She has spent the last ten years working in different non-profits and agencies to support children, yo... Read More
Karen Chin
Board Member
Karen Chin is a former elementary school teacher, retired from the Oakland Unified School District after 31 years of teaching. Education is Karen’s passion. Throughout college, her focus was to have a career in the education field. In graduate... Read More
Noelle Lee
Board Member
Noelle Lee has more than 15 years of experience working in public service and is committed to improving the health of our community. She is Director of Operations and Administration for UCSF Health's Office of Population Health and oversees UCSF’s jo... Read More
Michael Hinckley
Board Member
Mike Hinckley is a criminal trial attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a former public Defender and indigent defense attorney in the City. He has served as an Advisory member of Fogbreak Justice, an implicit bias & procedural justice Trainin... Read More
Thomas Jue
Board Member
Thomas Jue is a Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine at the University of California Davis. He grew up in the San Francisco Chinatown-North Beach neighborhood and worked in and on behalf of the Chinese community as a crisis line coordinator... Read More
Jabbar Luo
Project Manager
Jabbar Luo joined Kai Ming in August 2018. He had background with children from preschool to 12th grade, parents and community in Peninsula and Santa Clara county. Jabbar got his ECE units in Canada College, degree of psychology and communication in... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 341
Menyee Lin
STEP Project Coordinator
As a Kai Ming alumni, Menyee joined the team in December 2022. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Communication from UC Davis. She has experience working with children and is interested in learning more about Early Childhood development. She wants... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 345
Marijane Castillo
Recruiting & Outreach Specialist
Marijane Castillo is a new Recruiter & Outreach Specialist at Kai Ming. She has 6 years of recruiting experience in the education, corporate, and finance industries. She uses her background in psychometrics and software engineering to make recruiting... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 351
Evelyn Bandelaria
Early Learning Mentor
Evelyn completed her Master degree in Educational Leadership, majored in Early Childhood Education through a scholarship grant at University of North Florida. She has been with Head Start for 14 years and in different positions from Lead Teacher, Sit... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 339
Phil Xu
Recruiting, Partnership and Development Specialist
Phil Xu was born in Arizona, and is proud of the state for having floundering sports teams, which keeps related conversations short. He was partially raised in Nanning, China for the first few years of his toddlerhood before coming back to the USA.... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 305
Lea Chan
Early Learning Mentor
Lea earned her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and her B.A. from the National University of Singapore. She has over a decade of experience in early childhood education, and prior to that, she held various positions in government and ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext: 314
Krystal Rodriguez Madera
Early Learning Mentor
Krystal is a former special education teacher fluent in both English and Spanish, with experience in Early childhood and special education. She is passionate about lifelong learning, traveling the world with her family, and when she’s not teaching or... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext: 315
Brenda Yap
HR/STEP Administrative Assistant
Brenda joins the Kai Ming team with over five years of experience specializing in HR programs, internal communications, and events and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Communication. She has a strong passion for supporting her local communities ... Read More
Phone: (415) 982-4777 Ext. 354
Jerry Yang
Executive Director
Jerry Yang serves as Executive Director at Kai Ming Head Start, a non-profit offering comprehensive services for underserved families with children aged 0-5. Additionally, he leads ECE STEP, a non-profit focusing on early childhood education workforce development. His professional journey spans roles as a preschool teacher, assistant professor, and program administrator. He collaborates closely with colleagues to foster a warm, respectful, proactive, data-driven, and culturally responsive learning environment. Jerry is also dedicated to advocating for equity of Asian early childhood educators.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 300
Fatima Sequeira
Director of Operations/Executive Assistant
Fatima is a seasoned Executive Assistant with over 20 years of Head Start/Early Head Start experience. She fell in love with Head Start in the 1980s. She is insightful and knowledgeable in the areas of: Governance; HR; Facilities; Food Service. She is committed to this cause and loves working with her team side by side to make a difference in the community.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 303
Melinda Deng
Director of Finance
Melinda Joined Kai Ming in early 2019. Prior to joining Kai Ming, Melinda spent five plus year at San Francisco State University for Office of Research & Sponsor Program. While there, she worked as Grants Administrators for two and half years which she administered a large portfolio of Federal, State, and Local funds. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the San Francisco State University.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 330
Dora Pulido Tobiassen
Director of Learning and Development
Dora has her B.A. Degree in Spanish Language from UC Berkeley. Over Dora's career, she worked in various capacities, from an Infant toddler and Preschool teacher to a variety of roles developing and implementing quality improvement support to center and home-based programs throughout the Bay Area, such as Cross Cultural Family Center, Mission Neighborhood Center, English Action Center, and West Contra Costa Adult Education. She had also worked with First Five in San Francisco and Alameda Counties on various programs and initiatives, providing coaching, training, and technical assistance to Early Childhood programs. In addition, she led the development and implementation of Alameda’s First Five Quality Improvement Program.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 302
Mei Hua Fu
Director of Continuous Quality Improvement
Mei Hua holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University in Cambridge MA, and a Master’s degree in Education from National Taiwan Normal University. She has a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Suffolk University in Boston MA. She worked as a Program Director for a Head Start program for 13 years before joining Kai Ming. She has been also teaching ECE college courses for 14 years.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 345
Sabrina Dong
STEP Program Director / Director of Human Resources
Joined since 2014, Sabrina has been leading all aspects of HR at Kai Ming. She has a BA degree in Human Resources Management and a Master degree in Business Administration. She is a certified HR professional, maintaining both a PHR and a SHRM-SCP. Besides the passion for HR, Sabrina is most passionate about helping people from diverse backgrounds, working at a Head Start HR position allows her to do both.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 332
Ellen Peterson-Allen
Director of Children & Family Services
For the past 20 years, Ellen has spent her professional career working in Head Start programs as a teacher, coordinator and manager in the Bay Area. Ellen is excited to join the Kai Ming team and continuing her work supporting quality programs for children and families. Ellen holds a BA Degree in Liberal Studies – Child Development from Humboldt State University. When not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking with her friends and family.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 340
Susanna Leung
Environment and Safety Manager
Susanna joined Kai Ming in 2000. From a Teacher to a Site Manager and then become the Disabilities/Mental Health Manager for 4 years. She took on this challenging position as the Regional Manager, and is now the Environment & Safety Manager. She is driven by her passion to best support children’s learning and development. Susanna received her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and holds a Child Development Program Director Permit. Three cheers for Susanna!
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 342
Annie Guan
Program Assistant
I'm a UC Davis graduate with a degree in Sociology and Communication. My passion lies in traveling the world, community service, and volunteering abroad, having contributed to projects in Nicaragua and taught English in Peru. Beyond my love for giving back, I'm an avid fitness enthusiast who enjoys hitting the gym and practicing pilates.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 307
Aileen Mui
Early Learning Coach
Aileen first joined Kai Ming in 2014 as a Preschool Lead Teacher. In 2017, she transitioned to her current role as an Early Learning Coach. She has worked with children and families from diverse backgrounds and needs. Aileen holds dual Master's degrees in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. Her passion in the Head Start community is driven by fostering positive relationships and seeing a greater impact on children.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 337
Vivian Wong
Early Learning Coach
Vivian, a Kai Ming graduate and now Early Learning Coach, supports teachers' best practices in the classroom and children’s social-emotional development. Vivian enjoys working in Head Start because it gives her the opportunity to positively impact children’s lives, whether directly in the classrooms or through supporting their teachers and families. Vivian studied Psychology and Sociology at Pepperdine University, and then obtained her doctorate in Human Development from UC Davis.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 346
Nicole Matus
Family and Community Partnership Manager
Nicole holds a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s in Public Health, with an emphasis on Health Promotion and Education, from CSU, San Marcos. She has worked in education since 2018 and wanted to continue her work by combining health and education. Nicole supports the importance of quality learning experiences in early childhood as these are lifelong determinants of health and well-being. Her hobbies are watching movies, traveling, trying new coffee and food spots, and spending time with her dog, Pinky.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 ext. 333
Tina Hwang
Child Development Support Manager
Tina joined Kai Ming team as instructional coordinator in Dec 2019. She graduated with her Master degree with special education from the University of Oregon. She has worked with teenagers and younger children with, and without, special needs and support them since 2012 in Taiwan and Oregon. In Kai Ming, Tina works closely with education team to provide support to teachers and children, and she also supports different projects.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 343
Natalie Silman
Child Development Support Coordinator
Natalie is a graduate of San Francisco State University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Child and Adolescent Development, with a minor in Special Education. She has two years of experience with inclusion, through direct work with students as well as consultation with teachers and families. Along with her passion for inclusive education, Natalie has specialized skills and interests in the areas of Autism and universal design.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 ext. 308
Edna Vargas
Regional Manager
Edna always been her dream to become a teacher. At age 16, she gathered children in my neighborhood and provide tutorial and teaches them how to read and write. I gained my Bachelors degree in Psychology in the Philippine. After graduation I started working as research assistant at non government organization then become AIDS program officer, providing education training and counseling about HIV/AIDS to different groups such as students and families for almost 8 years. After my completion of my Masters degree in Psychology I migrated here in the US and started my career on early childhood education. I took my Montessori certification from University of California and have been teaching using the Montessori approach since 2004. When I moved here in the Bay Area in 2015, I’ve been part of a Pre school teaching team using a play based curriculum. It is such a privilege to be part of Kaiming head start and provide a comprehensive service to children and families and shared the values and advocacy I believed in.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext.344
Bandi Park
Regional Manager
Bandi "Dee" Park graduated from SF State with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development, with a concentration in Early Childhood Education, minoring in Special Education, and is continuing her studies in graduate school. She is a lifelong learner and supports classroom equity where every child can learn and grow as co-inquirers with the teachers. She feels blessed to play a role in the children’s most important early years.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext.388
Cindy Mach
Learning and Development Specialist
Cindy Mach graduated from University of California Los Angeles and has a BA in Psychology with minors in Applied Developmental Psychology and Asian Studies. At UCLA, she worked in early care and education in a program with an emphasis on academic knowledge and application of these theories in practice. She believes quality care for young children is critical because their social, emotional and cognitive development will carry on to their futures. In her free time, Cindy enjoys reading, traveling and trying new food.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext.309
Yu Cheng Huang
UI/UX Designer
Graduating with a master's degree in architecture, Yu Cheng is a Google-certified UI/UX designer with 4 years of work experience, covering B2B and B2C products including mobile app and web-based application. He is passionate about simplifying problem complexity and designing for innovation with a user-friendly mindset to help staff, teachers, children, and their parents stay connected by leveraging digital tools.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 335
Lily Dang
Human Resources Generalist
Lily has several years of HR experience with a BS degree from SFSU and an upcoming Master's degree in Human Resource Management with a track record of contributing to both organizations and the local community. She's excited to leverage her education and expertise to make a meaningful impact. Beyond her passion for HR, you'll find her exploring new cultures through travel, hiking and being outdoors, and savoring the joy of a good book.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 352
Eda Wei
Finance Generalist
Eda Wei, who works at Kai Ming for 14 years. As Finance Analyst, she handles monthly bank reconciliation report, daily journal entries, AR input, monthly projection and budgeting for fundings. Eda has AA Degree in General Business from City College of San Francisco and BA Degree in Business Management from Phoenix University, she is also trilingual: English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Eda enjoy all kind of the music..
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 331
Qiana Zhao
Finance Specialist
Qiana joined Kai Ming Since Oct. 2018 as a part time employee. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA degree as Business Accounting Major in Fall 2020. Her current title is a Finance coordinator. She works closely to support the accounting team on the daily operation.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 334
Stacy Yu
Human Resources Manager
Stacy joined Kai Ming in March 2020. She graduated with a Master Degree in Human Resource Management and had several years of comprehensive experience in the HR field. She had a passion for Human Resources Management, really enjoys helping and making a profoundly positive impact on people! Stacy is eager to contribute her professional education and experiences to Kai Ming, as well as our local community.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 347
Sarah Escoto
Human Resources Coordinator
Sarah has been working in the Human Resources field for 5 years and holds a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara. She is passionate about HR because it allows her to support others in their career growth and create a positive work environment where employees feel valued and motivated. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys exploring new food spots, hiking, and spending time with her two adorable cats.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 350
Kama Zhang
Finance Coordinator II
Kama joined Kai Ming in early 2022 as a Finance Coordinator. After graduating with a B.A. in Finance, she began her career as an accountant and has more than six years of experience in accounting. She enjoys using her skills to contribute to the accounting team at Kai Ming. Kama has a positive attitude towards life and a wide range of interests and hobbies, such as cooking, traveling, golfing and she loves spending time with her family.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 336
Carmen Ngan
Broadway Center Site Manager
Carmen is the Site Manager for Broadway center. She has a BA degree in Child and Adolescent development from San Francisco State University. She is also a former Head Start parent. When her son was attending Kai Ming, her son’s teacher encouraged her to volunteer in the classroom and to study in this field. This is how her career as an educator began. She enjoys reading and working out at the gym.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext.250
Nesanna Lee
North Beach Center Site Manager
Nesanna graduated from San Francisco Stated University with a Bachelor of Arts in Home Economics with an emphasis on Child Development. She has been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 25 years as a Teacher, Lead teacher, and Site director in the private and nonprofit organizations before joining Kai Ming in 2009.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext.260
Kelly Li
Richmond Center Site Manager
Kelly has been working as a teacher in Kai Ming since 1999. With a commitment to professional development, Kelly continued her education and graduated from San Francisco State. In 2011, Kelly received an award from the City of San Francisco for excellence in her commitment to teach young children from low income families. Kelly became a Site Manager in Kai Ming Richmond center in the school year of 2018.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext.280
Sarah Fong
Geary Site Manager
Sarah has been working in Kai Ming’s community for 7 years. She has three kids who have attended Kai Ming when they were young. Since then, she loved the community and decided to pursue a career there. She first started out as a parent volunteer; after receiving her AA from City College of San Francisco in Child Early Education, she then moved on to be an assistant teacher in 2013. Sarah is excited to be taking up her first year as a lead teacher two years ago.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 270
Sally An
Dr. T.K.L. Center Site Manager
Sally has a B.S. in Bilingual Education from Boston University and a M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. After graduating from school, she became a Preschool teacher at a Chinese Immersion Preschool. She is so glad to join Kai Ming and be a part of our community.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 240
Wai Shun Cheng
Sunset Interim Site Manager
Wai Shun Cheng graduated from SF State with a BA in Japanese and received an AA degree in Child Development from CCSF. He finished his Montessori Teacher Early Childhood Credential (AMS) in 2019. "Help me do it by myself": He believes helping children to learn different skills to become independent in the future will be one of the most important jobs as a teacher. In his free time, he enjoys drawing, reading manga and learning magic tricks.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext.291
Tracy Chen
Rainbow Interim Site Manager
Tracy Chen has been working at KaiMing since 2016. Tracy holds BA and MA degree in Chinese major from San Francisco State University . She is very patient, reliable, and friendly. She loves children and she always like to work with children. She always think that good relationship with children can help children build strong secure and grow up confidently.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 220
Dora Li
Geary Center Family Service Specialist
Dora has been working with Kai Ming as a family advocate since February 2018. She obtained her BA degree of Public Affairs Administration in South China Normal University in 2009. She demonstrates profession and passion towards her job. She enjoys working with families and builds positive relationships with families. She can speak and communicate with families in English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Taishanese.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 291
Jenny Zhong
Rainbow Center Family Service Specialist
Jenny joined Kai Ming in February 2017 as a family advocate with a passion for supporting the development of families and children to the best of her ability.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 221
Sasha Caamal
Richmond Center Family Service Specialist
Sasha has over 20 years of experience in the area of Education Administration for Children and Families in the Bay Area Peninsula. Moreover, she has had a number of leadership roles in the Head Start community over the years, including that of a Family Advocate, Home visitor, Family Services Manager, Home Based Manager, and ERSEA Manager. When Sasha commits, she seriously follows through! She is passionate about advocating for the needs of children and families.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 281
Linda Wu
Sunset Center Family Service Specialist
Linda is a SF native, graduated from SFSU. She began working with nonprofit organizations since 2011. She enjoys working with children and families and assisting them to meet their needs. She is thankful for this opportunity to be able to continue to help children and families.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 241
Humberto Felix
St. Luke Center Family Service Specialist
Humberto graduated from the University of California Davis. Before joining Kai Ming in March 2023, he wore many hats working with the community. He strives for equity making it his mission to collaborate with children and families. His passion for the betterment of our future generation enables him to provide the support children and families need to thrive here at Kai Ming.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 229
Lizvett Guizar Valencia
Mission Bay Family Service Specialist
Raised in San Francisco, Lizvett’s commitment to creating positive change has consistently shaped her journey. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Justice Studies with a minor in Political Science from San Jose State University. With over four years of experience in community engagement and advocacy, she brings both extensive knowledge and a strong dedication to her work. As she joins Kai Ming, Lizvett is eager to apply her expertise in support of children and their families. Her goal is to create a meaningful experience for every family at Kai Ming by offering the support they need to succeed.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 212
Jesse Hu
Broadway Family Service Specialist
Jesse relocated to the Bay Area in 2017. He then spent three years dedicated to working with diverse minority communities. He holds dual degrees in Media Studies and Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, which sharpened his lens on social justice. In 2022, Jesse transitioned into a role as a Family Advocate, serving families from various backgrounds. His mission is to bridge understanding and promote equity in communities where differences enrich our shared experience.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 252
Venus Kong
North Beach Center Family Service Specialist
Venus has been working for Kai Ming Head Start as a Family Advocate for many years. She holds a BA degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University. In her leisure time she enjoys listening to music, relaxing and traveling. She is happy to have the opportunity to work closely with children and their families.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 261
Alondra Correa Almanza
Family Service Specialist
Alondra earned her B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Spanish Literature from UC Berkeley. She has built a career supporting families and individuals through advocacy and community-based programs. Over the years, she has worked in various capacities, including case management, crisis intervention, and program coordination, with a strong focus on empowering underserved communities. She is passionate about creating safe, nurturing environments where children and families can thrive.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 241
Alejandra Cazares
Teacher
Alejandra (Ale) first came to Kai Ming as a parent in 2020. Started working with the STEP program shortly after, and is now with Kai Ming. Proudly taken on the Infant/ Toddler Lead Teacher position while pursuing her B.A. in Early Childhood Education. Ale believes a child’s outlook at higher education highly depends on their early years experiences; “To Provide children the blue prints to the development and construction of their education, enriched with care, love, and comprehension.”
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Alexandra Green
Teacher
A committed classroom teacher, Alexandra, has worked with young children and their families for 20 years. Originally from Atlanta, she earned her Birth-Kindergarten teaching credential with an endorsement in Special Education at Georgia State University. She is currently working toward an M.Ed at UNC Wilmington, with a focus on the role of teachers in supporting literacy development among dual-language learners. She loves studying languages, exploring nature, cooking, and learning new things from other people.
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Amy Zhu
Teacher
Amy is a Bay Area native who graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Human Development and a minor in Education. She has over six years of working experience in early childhood education in a wide range of settings, such as therapy clinics, schools, program centers, and licensed home facilities. In her free time, she enjoys baking for her friends and family, traveling and exploring new countries or cities, and going on scenic hikes around the Bay Area.
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Cathy Zhang
Teacher
Xiaolan (Cathy) Zhang worked as a Kai Ming substitute teacher for two years before becoming an Assistant Teacher in November 2021, and a Lead Teacher in April 2022. She has an AS degree in Early Childhood Education from City College of San Francisco, and will earn her BA in ECE from San Francisco State University. Cathy loves working with children every day, and is passionate about caring for every child, building strong trusting relationships that enhance children’s learning, as well as happy healthy social development. Cathy also enjoys hiking, reading, and listening to music.
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Clara Chen
Teacher
Clara was born and raised in Canton, and immigrated to the United States around 30 years ago. She has worked in childcare for over 23 years. She loves teaching because it allows her to make a positive impact on children's lives, and she can witness the personal and academic maturation of the children she teaches. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, walking, and cooking with her family.
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Elianne Leiva
Teacher
Elianne's passion is working with preschoolers and collaborating with their families. She strives to create an inclusive classroom culture with a focus on social-emotional awareness and whole-body learning. Her goals are to make learning fun, have the children in her classroom collaborate with her and with each other, and encourage them to become confident learners. In 2018, she was a recipient of the First Five San Francisco Excellence in Teaching Award.
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Ellie Ip
Teacher
Ellie has over three years of experience in early childhood education. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development with a concentration in Early Childhood from San Francisco State University. She started as a STEP substitute teacher and is now excited to begin her journey as a preschool Lead Teacher at Kai Ming Sunset Center. Ellie believes in the importance of building strong, trusting relationships with children and their families to support each child’s unique needs and abilities. Outside of the classroom, Ellie enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and film photography.
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Eva Li
Teacher
Eva Q. Li. I has been working with children for four years since she received her Associate in Science in Child Development degree. She is now a full time Infant teacher working at Kai Ming. She is currently a full time student working on her BA at SFSU to learn more about child education at a higher level. Eva would like to continue her education and learn more about special education after her BA next year. Eva likes to learn and explore with children all the time. She believes children learn from playing and exploring, and we can together make progress.
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Irene Choi
Teacher
Irene’s passion is creating a classroom where children can meet their full potential. She believes that children can learn when they feel secure. Her goals are to make a classroom be a welcoming and caring place where children stay and learn happily, and to provide an environment where they feel free to express themselves. Her experience as a visual designer will be of great help in promoting more engaging and creative activities in the classroom.
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Ivy Mai
Teacher
As an early childhood educator, Ivy is dedicated to nurturing children's curiosity and creativity, and helping them build a strong foundation for learning. Every day spent with these young minds fills her with joy and a sense of purpose. Ivy strongly believes in the power of education and aspires to contribute more brilliance to their future.
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Jay Ye
Teacher
Jay received a bachelor’s degree from SFSU and took CDEV credits at CCSF as professional development. From a parent volunteer to the lead teacher, Jay has worked at Kai Ming for over three and a half years at multiple sites and classrooms. Jay enjoys seeing children playing, learning, and growing; Jay believes that nurturing children needs to be sensitive, patient, responsible, and professional.
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June Du
Teacher
June Du has worked with children and family child care centers for 9 years. She is passionate to support the children and families, and they are involved in the school activities and community. June graduated from San Francisco State University, and she is holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development. Her learning experience and profession support children’s interests and strength to ensure education is personalized and relevant, and she creates a highly effective learning environment.
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Lan Quan
Teacher
Lan started her journey at Kai Ming in 2015. She was a parent volunteer which gave her the encouragement to continue her love and passion for teaching. She started as sub, teacher aide, then teacher assistant and currently is lead teacher of the toddler classroom. She earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in Vietnam. She continues to pursue taking ECE courses and completed her AS in child development from CCSF. She speaks multiple languages such as Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin and English. She enjoys working with children and supporting their learning, and believes that building positive relationships with families and children is key to creating strong partnerships and promoting growth.
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Li Mei Deng
Teacher
Li Mei received her AA degree from College of Southern Idaho in 1996 majoring in Child Development. Li Mei returned to Taiwan to teach after graduation and worked with young children as a Teacher and Site Supervisor for 20 years. She taught at The Latchkey Alternative Center in 2007 and joined Kai Ming Head Start in 2008. She will be continuing her studies in the area of special education.
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Peiping Jenny Guan
Teacher
Jenny joined Kai Ming in March 2018. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science from San Francisco State University and took CDEV credits at CCSF as professional development. Her two daughters graduated from Kai Ming, and she had a chance to volunteer and got involved in classroom activities. Jenny enjoys interacting with the children and learning with them. She loves teaching because she believes educating knowledge makes a difference in young lives, and also influences generations.
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Miley Cai
Teacher
Become an early childhood educator was my dream. I believe early education would affect children's success in the future. As an early educator, children cannot achieve success without a teacher's patient, caring, and appropriate education approach. I have been working with children for 8 years. Now I am a toddler teacher in the broadway center.
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Regina Wong
Teacher
Regina has been working in the child development field for over 30 years. She has been working at Kai Ming for 16 years starting as a Center Aide then moving up to a Teacher’s Aide, Teacher’s Assistant, and now a Lead Teacher. She has also worked at the Early Years Academy, a private program working as a Teaching Assistant and then Lead Teacher. In addition to this, Regina has worked at Visitation Valley Community Center Children’s Program in various teaching roles. She likes to learn from new challenges so that this can enhance her work experience with children and families.
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Shuhua (Sharon) Chen
Teacher
Sharon Chen earned her Associate’s degree in ECE at City College of San Francisco and received her Bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State University. She is passionate about designing engaging lesson plans that help children discover their favorite learning styles. Sharon enjoys everything about the process of observing, teaching, and helping children develop their talents. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, listening to music, reading, and cooking.
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Stella Lau
Teacher
Stella grew up in Hong Kong and moved to San Francisco about 30 years ago. Becoming a teacher was a childhood dream of hers. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a major in Child and Adolescent Development - Early Childhood Education. In January 2021, Stella joined the Kai Ming Head Start family at St. Luke as a Teacher Assistant. Her philosophy on Early Childhood Education: “Everyone has an equal opportunity to learn.” She believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to learn, no matter what race you are, where you’re from, what financial status you are in, we’re all the same. She understands every child is unique, some of them learn fast but some may be slow. Stella will use different lenses to observe and discover their strengths. As children stay at the school for many hours, building respectful and trustful relationships are the most important aspects to support children's success in the future. Stella will be an active listener and learner for her children and their families. As an early childhood educator, her goal is to provide quality care while nurturing children’s development and learning. She will use what she has learned to teach young children to be a good and responsible person. She will focus on each child’s needs and strengths, and treat each of them equally. During her free time, Stella loves to exercise and to explore new restaurants. She believes exercise and good food helps her relax from her busy life.
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Vicky Huang
Teacher
Vicky Huang graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA degree in Early Childhood Education. She is passionate about working with children and their families. Her career goal sprouted while she was a Kai Ming Parent and got involved in classroom activities. She believes supportive and responsive relationships with children and their families are significant to children’s development. She enjoys witnessing children’s progress and takes it as a reward to her job. In her spare time, she likes hiking and watching movies.
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Wendy Li
Teacher
Wendy holds double BA Degrees: one in Child and Adolescent Development: Concentration in Early Childhood, with a Minor in Special Education from San Francisco State University, and another in Art Design from WUYI University. She has six years of teaching experience in the ECE field in San Francisco, and two years teaching of experience in an Art School in China. Wendy has always been interested in working with young children and helping them to learn and grow. She strives to create a positive and nurturing environment where the infants/toddlers feel safe and loved, and where they can explore and learn.
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Yong Mei Hu
Teacher
Mei has three years of experience working in early child education. She has completed a year of training in the Program for Infant Toddler Care and is currently the lead infant teacher at the Rainbow Center. She believes that building a trusting relationship with parents and children is fundamental in a classroom. She also loves to witness children reaching each of their developing milestones.
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Samar Brown
Teacher
Samar Brown was born and raised in Vallejo. She moved to San Francisco for college and graduated from San Francisco State University. She loves music, children, and exploring nature. One of her favorite hobbies is to go on walks where there is a beautiful view. Samar is very excited to be joining the Kai Ming team as a lead teacher.
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Sherry Tao
Teacher
Sherry graduated from National Taipei University of Education with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Family Education. She has been working with children for 3 years in Taiwan. She believes that the most important thing as a teacher is to remain supportive and accessible to all kids and be ready to provide guidance whenever this is needed.
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Rosalie Chen
Teacher
Rosalie graduated from the Department of Early Childhood and Family Education, NTUE in Taiwan. She has been working as a preschool teacher since February 2020. On a teaching level, Rosalie is familiar with theme teaching and project approach. Rosalie enjoys discussing and planning schedules with the kids. Rosalie loves to travel because she believes there are so many beautiful things that deserve to be explored.
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Shu Mei Lee
Home Visitor
Shu Mei Lee had both of her sons graduated from Kai Ming Head Start, and she fell in love with Kai Ming from her own kids’ experiences. In 2012, she started as a substitute teacher, then a Lead teacher in Infant/Toddler Early Head Start program, and is now a Home Visitor. She currently is working on a BA in Early Childhood Education in San Francisco State University.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 361
Glenda Colindres Vasquez
Home Visitor
A Child Care Teacher, she began her professional work as a Substitute Teacher in the STEP program, where her vocation grew, and she continued with her academic preparation. The following year, with effort and dedication, she became a Teacher Aide at Kai Ming Head Start St Luke's Center, working as a team with the best attitude to offer children and their families quality care and safe learning spaces.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 362
Larry Vitale
Board Chairperson
Larry Vitale, RN, PHN is a Registered Nurse with two master’s degrees, Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master in Public Health (MPH). His entire career has been in public service, including 23 years of service in Alameda County as a Public Health Nurse (PHN). After leaving Alameda County Public Health Department, he has served as community health clinical faculty and lecturer at SF State School of Nursing. From 2007 through 2010, Mr. Vitale was the Health and Nutrition Service Manager for the SF State federal grantee Head Start Program. Since 2007 he has brought Community Health Nursing students to Kai Ming each fall to help with the children’s health screening and assessment. Shortly after SF State released their Head Start grant and Kai Ming became a federal Head Start grantee, Mr. Vitale was invited to join the KM Board of Directors and has served since 2015.
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Charlotte Ferretti
Board Vice-Chairperson
Between 1966 and 1984, Dr Ferretti’ s clinical practice focused on medical surgical nursing and occupational health nursing. From 1985 to 2001 Dr Ferretti taught case management in the graduate nursing program at San Francisco State University School of Nursing. While teaching at SF State, Dr Ferretti designed, implemented and funded, a state licensed, nurse managed health center at Mission High School, serving over 1,800 high risk students. The site still serves as a training center for a variety of health professions students. 2001-2016, Dr Ferretti directed the Marian Wright Edelman Institute at SF State, where she provided leadership for 8-10 programs each year focusing on improving the lives of children, youth and families. Programs included; Head Start/Early Head Start for the City/County of San Francisco; Children’s Campus at SF State; SF State AmeriCorps Jumpstart program; Metro College Success program, Gateway to Quality, an early care and education research and evaluation project, and the Diversity in Nursing Leadership project.
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Scott Burrell
Board Secretary
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Silan Stahlhut
Board Treasurer
Retired (in January 2014) from Head Start Program at San Francisco State University. She has been involved in non-profit organizations for over 30 years of her financial career; in Foster Care and Families Service, Family Resources Center and Head Start Program. She utilized her strong finance background and computer knowledge from University of Illinois; developed an effective financial system for the non-profit organizations she served. She has passion to serve the low income families and children.
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Elizabeth Lau
Board Member
I am a licensed clinical social worker who is interested in child development and parent education. I have published 27 books in Chinese on parenting. I am also an experienced speaker who has given speeches locally and in China and Hong Kong for years. Teachers and parents find my speech is practical and immensely helpful.
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Ivy Wang
Board Member
Ivy received her Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Francisco. She has spent the last ten years working in different non-profits and agencies to support children, youth, adults, and families to live a better quality life. Ivy is devoted to creating a healing space and providing opportunities for individuals and families to unlock their full potential.
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Karen Chin
Board Member
Karen Chin is a former elementary school teacher, retired from the Oakland Unified School District after 31 years of teaching. Education is Karen’s passion. Throughout college, her focus was to have a career in the education field. In graduate school, part of her credential program requirement was to volunteer in an organization, where she would gain experience in working with children. She chose to work in a child development center in the Chinatown North Beach area. This was the perfect placement for Karen since she also had an interest in working with the Chinatown community. Upon completing her credential, she returned to the child development center to eventually become its director. Since she was working in a pre-school program, Karen continued post graduate work to complete her MA in Early Childhood Education. Early childhood education was a “new field” in the 1970’s, many Chinatown child development and pre- school programs joined together to support each other and to advocate for more early childhood programs. Working with other child development center administrators, two programs were founded—1) a state funded childcare center with a resource and referral center to serve the Chinatown community—which came to be Wu Yee Children’s Services and 2) a federally funded program—which came to be Kai Ming Head Start. Although Karen left the Chinatown community to teach in Oakland, she kept her connections with both programs serving on their boards. However, due to growing demands on her time, she chose to serve only on one board--Kai Ming Head Start, serving for the past 30 years and Board Chair for the past 5 years.
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Noelle Lee
Board Member
Noelle Lee has more than 15 years of experience working in public service and is committed to improving the health of our community. She is Director of Operations and Administration for UCSF Health's Office of Population Health and oversees UCSF’s journey in value-based care. She served as Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and helped implement the Affordable Care Act, as Associate Director for Policy and Events to First Lady Michelle Obama, and as health policy advisor for then Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and received her Master’s degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. She joined the Board of Kai Ming in 2023.
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Michael Hinckley
Board Member
Mike Hinckley is a criminal trial attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a former public Defender and indigent defense attorney in the City. He has served as an Advisory member of Fogbreak Justice, an implicit bias & procedural justice Training Provider and as a speaker on bias and structural racism and interfaith issues for the Islamic Networks Group. Mike is also on the faculty at the Administrative Office of the United States District Court, teaching attorneys sentencing nationwide. He has also served as a subject matter expert for the state of California in police use of force, is a certified Force Science Analyst, PTSD cert. trained, and has taught evidence, sentencing, domestic violence, and meditation. As a trial attorney Mike has participated in several notable trials, including People (& U.S.) vs. Garcia Zarate (AKA, the Kate Steinle murder case) and United States vs. Eddy Lepp (world’s largest medical marijuana farm). Mike is married with three sons, one who lives and works in the City, another in college and another in law school. Mike is also a conceptual artist and devout Buddhist.
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Thomas Jue
Board Member
Thomas Jue is a Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine at the University of California Davis. He grew up in the San Francisco Chinatown-North Beach neighborhood and worked in and on behalf of the Chinese community as a crisis line coordinator for the Chinese Newcomers Service Center, as a Manpower Service Representative for the Human Resource Development Department (California State Employment Service), as a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the California Department of Social Services’ policies that discriminated against family day home licensure in minority communities, as the program director in training the 1st set of family day home providers in Chinatown, and as the 2nd Administrative Director of the Chinatown Child Development Center (CCDC) who launched a key child development/child mental health program that has lasted for over 50 years. As the Director of CCDC, he reached out to community members to develop child care resources in the community and helped establish the Kai Ming Head Start program in 1975. The opportunity to serve now as a Kai Ming Board Member confers a special privilege to once again respond to the “War on Poverty '' call to ennoble the lives of fellow Americans.
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Jabbar Luo
Project Manager
Jabbar Luo joined Kai Ming in August 2018. He had background with children from preschool to 12th grade, parents and community in Peninsula and Santa Clara county. Jabbar got his ECE units in Canada College, degree of psychology and communication in UC Davis; moreover, he holds the Chinese Medicine of Acupuncture in his master degree. With his personal philosophy, balance is in all of your life interests.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 341
Menyee Lin
STEP Project Coordinator
As a Kai Ming alumni, Menyee joined the team in December 2022. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Communication from UC Davis. She has experience working with children and is interested in learning more about Early Childhood development. She wants to give back to the Kai Ming community that started it all, by being on our STEP Program Team. She is passionate about supporting underprivileged families and their children’s growth. Her recent hobbies include sticker design and rock climbing.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 345
Marijane Castillo
Recruiting & Outreach Specialist
Marijane Castillo is a new Recruiter & Outreach Specialist at Kai Ming. She has 6 years of recruiting experience in the education, corporate, and finance industries. She uses her background in psychometrics and software engineering to make recruiting more data-driven. She earned her M.A. from New York University and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 351
Evelyn Bandelaria
Early Learning Mentor
Evelyn completed her Master degree in Educational Leadership, majored in Early Childhood Education through a scholarship grant at University of North Florida. She has been with Head Start for 14 years and in different positions from Lead Teacher, Site Manager, and a mentor coach. She is a CLASS observer and trainer. She believes that effective teacher-child interaction can lead to successful learning. She enjoys working in the field of education where children have vast opportunities to learn.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 339
Phil Xu
Recruiting, Partnership and Development Specialist
Phil Xu was born in Arizona, and is proud of the state for having floundering sports teams, which keeps related conversations short. He was partially raised in Nanning, China for the first few years of his toddlerhood before coming back to the USA.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 305
Lea Chan
Early Learning Mentor
Lea earned her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and her B.A. from the National University of Singapore. She has over a decade of experience in early childhood education, and prior to that, she held various positions in government and non-profit management. She believes a high quality early childhood education levels the playing field for children to reach their full potential, and she values a tripartite partnership between educators, families and children. Occasionally, you might find Lea dancing to a tune or creating art from found objects.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext: 314
Krystal Rodriguez Madera
Early Learning Mentor
Krystal is a former special education teacher fluent in both English and Spanish, with experience in Early childhood and special education. She is passionate about lifelong learning, traveling the world with her family, and when she’s not teaching or practicing yoga, you can find her lost in a good book or crafting film reviews in her head. Krystal brings a creative, playful energy to everything she does, with a strong focus on fostering growth and connection.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext: 315
Brenda Yap
HR/STEP Administrative Assistant
Brenda joins the Kai Ming team with over five years of experience specializing in HR programs, internal communications, and events and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Communication. She has a strong passion for supporting her local communities and creating meaningful experiences in any project she takes on. She loves trying to learn new skills, snuggling with her (or anyone else’s) dogs, and all things food related.
Phone:(415) 982-4777 Ext. 354