Staff

Jennifer Ahn

Interim Executive Director

Jennifer Ahn (she/her) is the Interim Executive Director at Lead by Learning, where she oversees organizational strategy to develop adult learning cultures that...

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Sarah Sugarman

Senior Director

Sarah (she/her) believes in the power of learning communities that honor educators’ professionalism, where colleagues supportively challenge each other to hone their practice in service of equitable outcomes...

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Malia Tayabas-Kim

Director of Programs

Malia (she/her) is a proud Oakland native and is a product of the Oakland Unified School District. Growing up in a family of educators, she chose to give back to...

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Nina Portugal

Director of Visibility and Community Engagement

Nina (she/her) is passionate about students, equity, and continuous improvement. Nina spent 9 years teaching High School English, 7 of which in Oakland Unified School District focusing on...

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Mahru Elahi

Lead Program Facilitator

Mahru (she/they) supports the building of inquiry communities centered around collectivism, transformation and equity. Mahru began her educational career in 1998, teaching English and Social Studies...

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Brooklyn Joseph

Lead Program Facilitator

Brooklyn (she/her) is a Lead Program Facilitator with Lead by Learning and is passionate about coaching, innovative teaching, and life-long learning.  Born and raised...

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Nhi Truong

Lead Program Facilitator

Nhi Truong (she/her) is deeply invested in working with educators and students to use education as transformative tools to liberate ourselves and the world. She is an OUSD...

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Charley Brooks

Lead Program Facilitator

Charley (she/her) is a Lead Program Facilitator with Lead by Learning, where she works in service of transformative adult learning grounded in commitments to justice, inquiry, and research.

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Huyen Nguyen

Administrative Assistant

Huyen Nguyen (she/her) is a recent graduate of Cal State East Bay with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing Management. She’s a creative,...

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Kailani Moran

Executive Assistant

Kailani (she/her) is Executive Assistant at Lead by Learning. For over a decade, she has held roles supporting creative business leaders in the literary, interior design, and construction fields, primarily...

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Dr. Anna Richert

Anna Richert

Founder & Advisor

Anna is the founder and Faculty Director of Lead by Learning, with a decades-long passion for studying teacher learning. Her teaching and research interests center on the preparation of and...

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