Reading Partners Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that engages community volunteers to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade. We seek to create a more equitable future, one where every child in Los Angeles has the support they deserve to become strong readers and lifelong learners.
Reading Partners Los Angeles is powered by AmeriCorps, a federal agency for national service. We mobilize AmeriCorps members to recruit and coach volunteers, support students during and outside of tutoring sessions, work on capacity-building projects, and so much more.
Meet our team
Rebecca DeVille graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor of arts in International Studies. Since graduating, Rebecca has been passionately engaged in the movement for educational equity. She served two terms of service as an AmeriCorps Member with Reading Partners Tulsa, managing, training and supporting over 100 community volunteers, and made sure students were making gains in their reading abilities. Rebecca also served for two years with Teach for America as an early childhood education teacher. While teaching, she planned and implemented a rigorous curriculum for students that resulted in 104% content mastery in literacy/ language skills, as measured by the GOLD assessment. Her students developed a love for literacy and learning, and she is excited to ensure students across North Texas develop a love of learning to unlock their full potential.
Growing up in Manila, Philippines, Iza has seen firsthand the stark disparities in access to education. Driven by her passion for educational equity and her advocacy to ensure every child in her community has access to quality education, she found herself joining Reading Partners Los Angeles as an AmeriCorps member in 2020. She recently joined the Reading Partners Los Angeles staff as the community engagement associate. In this role, she is excited to help expand the region’s volunteer network and community outreach. In her free time, she loves to go for a walk while soaking up the morning sun, enjoy game nights with friends, and explore Los Angeles with its range of diverse cuisines.
Cecilia was born and raised in Southern California. She attended San Francisco State University where she received her B.A. in Communicative Disorders and minored in Special Education. Her passion for education and literacy brought her to Reading Partners as a tutor in the Bay Area, and her desire to continue working with and being a role model for students from diverse backgrounds led her to serve three terms as an AmeriCorps program coordinator at Saturn Street Elementary. As an AmeriCorps member, Cecilia saw firsthand the positive impact Reading Partners had on the lives of the students and families she served. Cecilia continues to work towards closing the opportunity gap as a program manager with Reading Partners, managing six AmeriCorps members across the LA region.
Graham Sutherland is a development professional with a strong commitment to social justice and education equity in the Twin Cities. He believes that a love of reading can unlock the potential to become powerful self-advocates and lifelong learners. Prior to joining Reading Partners, Graham worked in development in the realm of college access and success with College Possible. Originally from Seattle, Graham earned his bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN.
Since 2013, Kayla has followed her passion for community empowerment and educational equity in the non-profit sector. She is a two-time AmeriCorps alumnus and served as Foster Grandparent Program project director at Jumpstart, where she trained older adult volunteers to help preschoolers from underserved communities build foundational language, literacy, and social-emotional skills. At Reading Partners, Kayla manages a portfolio of AmeriCorps members to deliver exceptional literacy programming with an emphasis on tutor training and support. Kayla is a San Diego Native, a proud UC Berkeley golden bear, and enjoys road trips, camping, and of course, reading.
AmeriCorps team
Community engagement
Gelsy, Silva, volunteer coordinator
Carina Robles, volunteer coordinator
Maya Woo, senior volunteer coordinator
Program
Aarushi Sanjana Bhaskaran, regional program coordinator
Alice Harper Lucas, senior program coordinator
Anastasiia Brigadnova, regional program coordinator
Bethael Mulugeta, literacy lead
Callie Dochterman, program coordinator
Carolina Gutierrez-Tunstad, program coordinator
Dayana Cardoso, program coordinator
Hayley Mejia, program coordinator
Isabel Helm, regional program coordinator
Kaiya Pomeroy-Tso, senior program coordinator
Kimberly Tran, program coordinator
Kody Dillon, program coordinator
Lillian Maria Chau, program coordinator
Macy Beal, program coordinator
Marytere Baranda, program coordinator
Maxine Matheson-Lieber, program coordinator
Monica Alexxa Juarez, program coordinator
Mouhamadou Lamine Cisse, literacy lead
Pamela Greene, program coordinator
Roselynn Hernández, program coordinator
Rowan Hoel, program coordinator
Ryan JN Tsai, senior program coordinator
Samantha Alexis Campbell, program coordinator
Sophie Shirin Antestenis, program coordinator
Sumeeta Singh Ghai, senior program coordinator
Board of directors
Stefanie Bond, Chair, Reading Partners Tutor
Alex Evans, Writer
Arthur Moore, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Managing Consultant
Céline Vendler, Aurora Solar, Senior Product Manager
Dan Carter, Sony Pictures, Associate Manager, Digital Sales Planning – Home Entertainment
Lauren Diaz Monitor Institute by Deloitte, Manager
Lauren Hernandez, CKW School Uniforms, Chief Executive Officer
Michelle Lee, Gavel, Chief of Staff
Roberto Escobar, Scripps College Academy, Director
Tiffany Dyson, Franklin Templeton, Sr. Investment Learning Consultant
Vani Lewerke, Lewerke Consulting, Owner, Founder and Principal Consultant
Veronica Troung, Woodland Investments, Asset Manager