Who We Are: Staff and Consultants

Laura Talmus, Executive Director and Co-founder

Laura Talmus founded Beyond Differences along with her husband, Averell “Ace” Smith, following the unexpected death of their daughter Lili Rachel Smith in October 2009. Laura has run the day-to-day operations of Beyond Differences as a volunteer since its founding and was hired by the Board of Directors as its first Executive Director in August 2015. With over thirty-five years experience in running and consulting to non- profit organizations, she is passionate about bringing awareness to the issue of adolescent social isolation. Ace and Laura have a 25-year old son, Abram. They live in Marin County. Contact Laura at [email protected]

Laurel Druke, Special Projects and Data Manager

Laurel Druke comes to Beyond Differences with over six years in international education where she specialized in serving students learning English and creating a sense of belonging for those new to the American culture. As a student and professional at Dominican University of CA, she worked to extend the student community to include the ELS international students. With her dynamic personality and background, Laurel brings a new energy to the team. With a double degree in Business/Accounting and Political Science from Dominican University of CA and a Masters in Public Administration from University of San Francisco, she hopes her work through Beyond Differences will make diverse changes in social justice in the world. Contact Laurel at [email protected]

Eva Iglesias, Regional Program Manager, San Mateo

Eva Iglesias started her career working for technology companies in Silicon Valley, Europe, and South America in the areas of Marketing, Management, and Operations. After becoming a mother she started to pay attention to our education system and to reflect on ways to support her students. For the past 8 years, Eva has been involved in the design, organization, and launch of enrichment programs in Mindfulness and Environmental Education in the San Carlos School District. She brings her passion for student leadership and empowerment, social and emotional wellbeing, and equity on behalf of Beyond Differences to the San Mateo County schools. Eva has a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalunya in Barcelona and a Masters in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. She lives in San Carlos with her family and enjoys connecting with nature, traveling, and skiing. Contact Eva at [email protected]

Sally Kuhlman, Director of National Programs

Sally Kuhlman comes to Beyond Differences with over 20 years of leadership and communications expertise. For many years, she ran her own consulting business providing support to small businesses, nonprofits and entrepreneurs in online marketing, business development, and project management. Sally is passionate about the mission of Beyond Differences to end adolescent social isolation. She, along with her wife, Celia Graterol, raised three children in Marin County. Through her children, she witnessed what social isolation felt like prompting her to join the middle school’s diversity board to help problem solve around the issues some of the students were facing, social isolation being one of the big issues. Sally majored in Social Ecology at UC Irvine and studied Project Management at UC Berkeley. In her free time, Sally enjoys roller skating, reading, social media, blogging, taking photos and hiking on the beautiful trails in Marin County. Contact Sally at [email protected]

Sheri Louis, Regional Program Manager, Portland, OR

Sheri Louis has worked with hundreds of parents and children through Mindful Parenting PDX, a business which she created to teach parenting and social skills in order to transform the culture of classrooms and student social dynamics. Prior to that she taught Special Education and Elementary Education in Quito, Ecuador and in Maine for 13 years. She received a Bachelor of Arts in both Elementary Education and in Special Education from Lesley University as well as a Masters in Science in Elementary Education from the University of Alabama. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband and two children.

Sheri feels privileged to be working for Beyond Differences to help bring attention to social isolation in middle schools in Portland, OR. Having worked with children for over 20 years and now having a middle school child of her own, she is passionate about empowering students to create a community where they feel acknowledged and accepted. Contact Sheri at [email protected]

Dr. Louise Malandra, Regional Program Manager, Oakland

Dr. Malandra brings over 30 years of experience in the field of education as a teacher, school and program administrator. She is nationally recognized as a consultant with a reputation for inspiring educators to foster the potential of children and young adults. She has spent most of her career working with parents, teachers, school and district administrators to promote and support rigorous, and transformational learning environments that recognize the negative effects of student isolation incorporates the diversity of student learning styles, promotes cultural competency, student advocacy, and collaborative learning communities. Dr. Malandra has both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and an EdD degree specializing in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of San Francisco. She lives in Oakland with her husband Lewis and son Darian. She is honored to be a part of the Beyond Differences community and will focus her work with the Oakland Unified School District. Contact Louise at [email protected]

Richard Margolis, Administrative and Events Coordinator

Richard Margolis joins Beyond Differences after spending the last eight years in higher education as a professor of composition and rhetoric with a focus on underserved student populations. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from Fresno State where he was the 2010 Philip Levine Scholar. He strongly believes in the mission of Beyond Differences and enjoys knowing he is contributing to the end of social isolation in middle and high schools. Contact Richard at [email protected]

Brian McDaniels, Regional Program Manager, Marin County

Brian McDaniels is a local resident of San Rafael, a determined activist for social-equity and environmental-justice and a proud uncle to two Marin students. Brian has worked with youth in numerous private, non-profit, and government agencies as a mental health counselor and has helped to design and implement interventions to address teenage substance-use. Brian took an interest in education and leadership-development in the process of earning a Master degree in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. While in Los Angeles Brian taught leadership skills to inner-city youth as a volunteer-therapist for the Culver City Police Department Juvenile Diversion Program. Now back in the Bay Area, Brian is to thrilled bring his passion for student leadership and empowerment, social justice, and equity programs on behalf of Beyond Differences to all Marin County middle schools. Contact Brian at [email protected]

Grace Alexander, Consultant, Finance and Operations

Grace Alexander has worked for over 25 years as a consultant and Board Member, primarily for nonprofits serving youth. While her service has included work in fundraising, governance, strategic planning, finance, and capital project planning, her consulting focus has been developing dynamic financial forecasting models to inform planning, operations, management, and policy decisions. Grace received her Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, and a California Teaching Credential in high school Mathematics and Physics from the University of San Francisco. She moved from her home in Victoria, British Columbia to California in 1986. She lives with her husband, Josh Brier, in Mill Valley. She and Josh have two sons, Jared and Adam. Contact Grace at [email protected]

Air Gallegos, Director of Education, Curriculum and Instruction

Air Gallegos began her career as a middle school English teacher at Strive Preparatory Schools in Denver, Colorado. She lived in Denver for five years and served as a member of a curriculum design team and as a cultural responsive teaching lead, where she dedicated her energy to bringing culturally responsive teaching methods into classrooms. In 2014, she transitioned to Smart High School where she continued teaching literature to 9th-11th grade students as well as serving her school as an instructional coach and professional development lead. She is trained in non-violent communication and stress resilience and has worked as a social justice advocate within education for the last ten years.

Air is extremely honored to have the opportunity to work for Beyond Differences. She is deeply passionate about Beyond Difference’s mission to end social isolation. As a middle school and high school teacher, as well as on a personal level, she has seen the intense and unnecessary effects of social isolation. Air enjoys connecting with students and believes strongly in students developing their own voices and learning to advocate for themselves and their community. Contact Air at [email protected]

Erin Ginder-Shaw, Grant Writer

Erin Ginder-Shaw is a Bay Area based writer who is committed to telling stories that illuminate positive, indispensable change, and that highlight the ripple effects of those changes on, and in, the communities in which they occur. Erin has worked with various nonprofits, foundations large and small, impact focused consulting groups, music review sites, and a factual television production company. She holds an MFA from the California College of the Arts, and she focuses her writing by working with mission-driven organizations that are making a clear difference in the lives of those they serve. Erin is also a committed, curious traveler; and an ardent music lover.

Rosie Platt, Development Coordinator, Portland, OR

Rosie Platt joins the Portland team as the Development Coordinator and brings with her over a decade of experience working in the non-profit sector. She received her Masters degree in Public Health from SDSU with an emphasis in Health Promotion and completed her undergraduate degree at UC Davis in International Relations, with a minor in Spanish. Rosie has devoted herself over the past 6 years to school improvement efforts through grant writing and leadership positions. She coordinated the school garden program for 3 years, teaching gardening classes and raising funds to create the Native Wildlife Garden and a handcrafted garden shed. She was the PTA President for a 2 year term and successfully organized volunteers, planned events and raised funds. In the spring of 2017, Rosie was awarded the Heritage Excellence Award, for the work that she did with coordinating a conservation project to restore a WPA wood marquetry mural at Chapman Elementary School. Rosie looks forward to joining Beyond Differences and leading fundraising efforts at the Portland branch.

Barbara Zamost, Zamost Public Relations

Barbara Zamost has developed regional and national publicity programs for a wide range of clients including 7-Eleven, Sutter Home Winery, Ghirardelli Square, The San Francisco Recording Academy, The Clorox Company, Rainforest Café, Warren Miller Entertainment, Stanford University Hospital, and Beyond Differences. Through her work with Brazer Communications, Zamost is currently part of the public relations team on The Bay Lights, the monumental art sculpture on The Bay Bridge.

Zamost has placed clients on national news programs including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, NPR, CNBC, and more. Print placements have included USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, Redbook, LA Times, Associated Press, InStyle, Real Simple, Businessweek, Woman’s World, Better Homes and Gardens and Family Circle.

Zamost is the author of Handstands in the Sand, a children's book that was published in 1992. She studied literature and contemporary British theatre at University College, Oxford University in England, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Emory University in Atlanta.