Staff and Consultants

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 30-year-old son, Abram. They live in Marin County. Contact Laura at lauratalmus@beyonddifferences.org.

Alba Alvarado is a queer, first-generation Latina who is deeply passionate about the intersectional work between racial justice and public health. Her work centers community voices in order to create engaging discourses surrounding reproductive health and equity.

Alba’s passion stems from the health-related injustices she witnessed in her youth as low-income people of color were stripped of their right to access, safe and affordable health resources. Her drive to alleviate this injustice led her to earn her B.A. from Wellesley College where she majored in Women’s and Gender Studies with a concentration in intersectional feminist theory.

Alba has experience working in non-profit, with government entities, and in school settings. Her advocacy work has been published in the historically feminist publication Ms. Magazine as well as Glamour, Vice, Planned Parenthood, and Sex Etc. Magazine. 

Contact Alba at albaalvarado@beyonddifferences.org

Alyssa Ching has spent the last decade transforming the education and nonprofit sectors. While earning her M.Ed from Long Island University, she worked as a high school SPED teacher before becoming an instructional coach, account manager, and curriculum developer. For the NYC Department of Edu, Girls Who Code, and other nonprofits, she has created vibrant student learning experiences, helped educators hone their craft, and led an organization through a DEI strategic plan, resulting in employee-led affinity groups and more equitable work policies.

To be the Director of National Programs is a full-circle moment for Alyssa. In one of her first jobs after college, she tutored students at another Bay Area-based SEL organization. She hopes to continue amplifying teachers’ brilliance and equipping students with the skills to authentically live their lives out loud.

Outside of work, Alyssa loves playing with her two rescue dogs, skateboarding, and making Filipino-inspired desserts. She is the proud daughter of immigrants who taught her the values of integrity and kindness, always asking her warmly: “Did you eat yet?”

Contact Alyssa at Alyssac@beyonddifferences.org

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 bachelor’s degree in Business/Accounting and Political Science from Dominican University of CA and a master’s 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. Laurel was awarded the Nonprofit Accounting Professionals Certification in February 2021.

Contact Laurel at laureldruke@beyonddifferences.org.

Taylor Fisher brings over 10 years of accounting experience to Beyond Differences. Taylor began working in the non-profit world right out of college, as the Operations Coordinator at the Mid-Michigan Childrens Museum. She continued her non-profit journey at Alton Little Theater, working as their Business Manager. 

The Know Your Classmates® (KYC) program speaks to Taylor’s soul. She remembers the anxiety-filled days of middle school and knows firsthand how isolating those years can feel. She is thrilled to be working alongside the team at Beyond Differences to “create cultures of belonging for everyone.” 

Taylor graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing. When she’s not working, Taylor enjoys hiking with her husband and tending to her bees and garden.

Contact Taylor at taylorfisher@beyonddifferences.org.

Born and raised on Miwok land in the tiny gold rush town of Knights Ferry, California, Frederick’s hopes and dreams span the globe. They hold Bachelors of Arts degrees in Spanish, Women’s Studies, and Linguistics from San Diego State University, and a Master of Arts degree in Gender & Peacebuilding from the University for Peace in Costa Rica. They earned their certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from American Cultural Association Language Schools in Antalya, Turkey, their certification in Volunteer Management from Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, and their certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Practitioners from the Sarah Jane Academy.

Deeply committed to social justice with over 20 years of experience in community organizing, Frederick’s professional expertise lies at the intersection of LGBTQIA+ rights, reproductive justice, domestic violence, and strategic nonviolent action. They’re excited to help make middle school a better place in honor of their (fat, queer, nerdy and neurodivergent) inner child. When they’re not volunteering they love to read, write, eat, learn new languages, dance, and gaze lovingly at the sky. Frederick is relatively new to mindfulness and meditation, but acknowledges the practices as integral to their dedication to anti-racism. They consider themself a semi-professional booper of snoots, and yes, they would love to see a picture of your furbaby! 

Contact Frederick at frederick@beyonddifferences.org.

Jewel has worked in the field of serving youth for more than 10 years.  Over the years she has worked in afterschool programs as an instructional aid and has climbed all the way up to holding the role as a site coordinator for multiple sites at a time.

Jewel has also been able to gain experience in the fields of substance abuse counseling with youth as well as ABA Therapy.  Jewel has a strong passion for youth development and is fulfilled in any position that offers this mission and values in their work.

Contact Jewel at jewelfrost@beyonddifferences.org. 

Reina comes to Beyond Differences® with a strong background working with marginalized communities and youth, and stellar administrative skills. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Reina grew up with her mother, a hard-working immigrant from Honduras, and her brother. With her father in and out of her life, and her mother working twelve-hour days, Reina and her brother experienced social isolation firsthand.

After witnessing her family grapple with addiction and mental health disorders, Reina dedicated herself to advocating for treatment and prevention, promoting good mental health, especially in marginalized and BIPOC communities.

Reina received her BA in Psychology at UC Santa Cruz and is now pursuing a Masters in Public Health at the University of San Francisco.

Contact Reina at reinagaraysolis@beyonddifferences.org.

Dr. Ingram has over twenty years of experience in education, primarily guiding organizations through the research and evaluation process, from conceptualization to completion. Much of her work focuses on youth and community development, particularly how to support belonging, healthy child and adolescent development, and social justice. Dabney also brings strategic management and program development expertise as co-founder of ScreenSense, a non-profit that empowers families to develop a healthy relationship with technology.

Prior to starting her own consulting business in 2012, Dabney held research and consulting positions at organizations such as The McKenzie Group (Washington, DC), The Centre for Educational Research (at the London School of Economics), and The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities (at Stanford University). Since 2012, she has mainly consulted to school districts, local government departments and non-profit organizations.

Dabney earned her Ph.D. in Education at Stanford University, M.S. in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics, and B.A. from Amherst College. Dabney lives in Marin County with her husband and three children.

Casey Mancl is an experienced development director who comes to Beyond Differences with over 15 years of experience in raising funding and awareness for the important missions of non-profit organizations. Prior to Beyond Differences, she was responsible for fundraising and organizing key events for the American Heart Association. In a volunteer capacity, Casey has served on the Board of Directors for Belvedere Hawthorne Nursery Schools as well as in various roles for the Foundation for Reed Schools.

Casey grew up as an “Air Force Brat” and lived in six different cities by middle school. She is no stranger to eating alone, which drew her to Beyond Differences. She is excited to bring her passion and vast fundraising knowledge and background to Beyond Differences and to support and empower educators and youth around the nation to end social isolation within their schools.

Casey graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She lives in Marin County with her husband, 3 kids, 2 cats and a dog.

Contact Casey at caseym@beyonddifferences.org.

With over 20 years of nationally recognized work in education, Sally is honored to pay forward the compassion of those who came before her by serving the youth of Beyond Differences®.

After earning her MFA from the USC School of Film and Television, Sally began her career producing anti-racist educational programming. Wanting to be on the front lines of the fight for educational equity, Sally founded Next Generation Scholars. As its Executive Director, she created pathways for first generation college students into higher education, wrote anti-racist curriculum and created a BIPOC teacher training academy. Sally has also built mentorship programs and created community engagement programs that empower students to uplift their communities. Her programs have become models for education justice organizations and schools across the country.

Sally is the proud descendant of Japanese Concentration Camp survivors, fruit packers, and social justice activists. She and her daughter live in the Bay Area where they love watching Bong Joon-ho movies, eating burritos from Taqueria San Jose and taking selfies with their two small dogs and one large cat.

Contact Sally M at sallym@beyonddifferences.org.

Lisette brings 15+ years of experience as an educator, researcher, bully prevention trainer, program director, and social and emotional development leader. She thrives on building strategic partnerships and creating curricula and experiential learning activities that empower youth and support social and emotional development. 

 In the Fall of 2020, Beyond Differences® created The National Innovative Educators cohort, a year-round professional development program that supports educators and SEL influencers by raising mental health and SEL awareness knowledge and building student leadership to end social isolation. Lisette designed and launched this National Program. In partnership with mental health practitioners, community-based experts in social justice, and diversity and inclusion experts, Lisette provides educators with support, practical strategies, and tools.

In 2016, Lisette completed her Ph.D. in Education, specializing in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Her research explored how a Bay Area educational non-profits’ summer enrichment program for pre-K to 4th-grade students integrated social and emotional learning competencies into instructional activities.

Contact Lisette at lisetteo@beyonddifferences.org.

Karina Parada comes to Beyond Differences® with 8 years of administrative experience. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2015 with a BA in History. The focus of her education was the analysis of the development of the working-class women during the first Industrial Revolution, through the eyes of literary writers during that time. Karina believes that historically underrepresented groups are still struggling for equality and educational equity, but through study and good-works, every act of kindness builds to close those social gaps.

In 2017, Karina and a small group of individuals started their own budding nonprofit, Love Is, that helps connect low-income and isolated senior citizens to community members for companionship and get-togethers during the holiday season. Karina is very passionate about the betterment of her community and is excited to pass on the Beyond Differences® message of ending social isolation to schools, parents, and local leaders in Solano County.

Contact Karina at karinap@beyonddifferences.org.

Regina comes to Beyond Differences with over 15 years experience in planning and executing a variety of events. Her passion for fundraising stems from working with non-profit organizations on their fundraising auctions and seeing their mission continue through these efforts. Prior to Beyond Differences, she chaired principal events on the Board of Directors at the Kenwood Education Foundation. Regina worked on the Development team at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley where she was responsible for fundraising and organizing events, major gifts, annual giving, database management and marketing. In a freelancing capacity, Regina has worked on auction and gala registration teams for non-profit organizations throughout the Bay Area benefiting, Beyond Differences, Roots of Peace, Make A Wish Foundation and Adopt A Family of Marin.

With Regina’s multitude of experience and passion for fundraising she looks forward to supporting Beyond Differences mission to inspire students nationwide to end social isolation and create cultures of belonging for everyone.

Regina received her BA from the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at Sonoma State University with an emphasis on humanities. She lives in Sonoma Valley with her husband, two girls, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 4 chickens and 2 ducks.

Contact Regina at reginarolland@beyonddifferences.org

Su Yates was born in Buffalo, New York, but ended up spending many years in Hawaii after obtaining a Masters’ degree in Public Health from the University of Hawaii. Prior to that, Ms. Yates had obtained her Bachelors of Science in Community Health Education from Hunter College in Manhattan. Thus began a varied and interesting career in many public health venues – one of the first AIDS outreach workers in the U.S., in the Governor of Hawaii office as Youth Affairs Officer, executive director of a children’s health nonprofit, leader of a rural health network. Prior to that, work in New York City included health education at American Cancer Society, Alan Guttmacher Institute, and Planned Parenthood national headquarters.

Prior to this career, Su was a successful journalist in New York City and Westchester County. At one point, she was a nationally syndicated columnist. In the last eight years, Su has focused on grants writing primarily, and other forms of fundraising. Grants were always a part of her jobs and she worked with all aspects of grant implementation. She performed this work successfully at the Child & Family Service of Hawaii, one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious nonprofit organizations in Hawaii. Most recently, she worked as a grants writer for a network of American Indian clinics in eastern California. She now has her own grants writing business and writes for health, social equity and arts organizations. She also has varied special interests outside of work that include hula and other forms of dance and movement. She has a part-Hawaiian son, aged 28.

Contact Su at grants@beyonddifferences.org. 

Barbara Zamost has developed regional and national publicity programs for a wide range of clients including Guide Dogs for the Blind, Sutter Home Winery, Ghirardelli Square, 7-Eleven, The San Francisco Recording Academy, The Clorox Company, Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, Warren Miller Entertainment, Noah’s Bagels and Boys & Girls Clubs.

Through her work with Brazer Communications, Zamost was also 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, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, LA Times, InStyle and Real Simple.

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.

Contact Barbara at barbara@zamostpr.com. 

Carly comes to Beyond Differences with a strong background in Social Media and Marketing. She began her journey working with a small nonprofit in Boston helping students living in poverty build confidence to attend school by providing free clothing and toiletries. She focused on creating digital content and organically grew a community through storytelling and impactful campaigns. Her passion to design meaningful content grew when she started a brand online focusing on mental health and sustainable living. As someone who especially values connection and community, engaging with a new audience was the highlight of her journey as an entrepreneur. She also has many passions outside of work including running, hiking with her two rescue dogs, and making plant-based meals.

Carly is enthusiastic about joining Beyond Differences in hopes to connect to another community who is passionate about helping students and educators. She is looking forward to working with this impact driven team and reaching their goal of creating a sense of belonging in schools.

Contact Carly at carlyz@beyonddifferences.org.

Don Carney has led numerous sessions on Restorative Practices for our online learning community & our local Bay Area, Dallas, and NYC communities. Don is an invaluable resource to the Professional Development department and continues to work closely with members of our educator community.

Active in the field of Juvenile Justice for over 45 years, he started his career in 1975 directing group homes and educational services for wards of the court. In 2000, Don became Director of Youth and Family Services for the YMCA, where he recruited and trained mentors, supervised youth on probation at Marin County’s Community School, and during the summers, directed a residential camp for high-risk youth. In 2004, Don established a program that has diverted nearly 1,300 youth from the juvenile justice system through restorative practices and trauma-informed practices.

In 2020, Don established the nonprofit organization Youth Transforming Justice. This allowed Don the opportunity to expand the programs he established over previous decades, including implementing a successful Alcohol and Drug Safety Skills Harm Reduction program, a School Suspension Alternatives program, and the creation of a youth advocacy arm dedicated to ending the school-prison pipeline and addressing racial equity issues.

Contact Don at dcarney@ytjustice.org

Erin Curtin worked with Beyond Differences National Teen Board to create our featured Disability Visibility curriculum & led sessions in our online learning communityon Redefining Disability. Erin has also advised Beyond Differences on curriculum and internal and external accessibility best practices.

Erin began her career as a special education teacher and quickly realized as a person with a disability, she could not continue to participate in a system that did not honor her disabled identity, but instead, it labeled her and other students who are disabled as broken. She wanted to make an impact in the larger educational system. She earned a Master’s in Learning and Design from Vanderbilt University and is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) through the International Association of Accessibility Professions (IAAP). As a curriculum developer, she creates accessible content while centering student identity and autonomy. Erin’s work informs policies for both students and adults in inclusive spaces.

Contact Erin at erincurtin3@gmail.com

Genavae Pierre Dixon facilitated sessions & created content on tools to assess student well-being and support for our Nashville, Aurora, and Phoenix educator communities.

Genavae is a licensed marriage and family therapist, LMFT, and currently serves as the Mental Health and Wellness Supervisor at Palo Alto School District. She received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy, from University of San Francisco, and completed her BA at the University of California, Riverside in Psychology.

Genavae specializes in trauma-focused CBT practices, client-centered care, and motivational interviewing, having worked in community mental health settings since 2015. Her previous placements were at Bill Wilson Center, Community Solutions, Unity Care, and CASSY (counseling and support services for youth), where she gained experience working with children, adolescents, families, couples, and adults. Genavae’s greatest goal is to reduce mental health stigma, increase access to care, and better the lives of children and families in her community!

Contact Genavae at genavaedixon@gmail.com

Aza Frias has led numerous sessions for our NYC educator community and online learning community on Gender Identity & How to Support Transgender Students, facilitated a session for our National Teen Board, and helped to create our Know Your Classmates: Diverse Expressions of Gender Lesson.

Aza has been learning about and teaching others how to support the transgender community for many years. They’ve worked in the mental health field since 2014 and hold a Master’s in Social Work from UC Berkeley. Aza is genderqueer and Latinx and has been steeped in the LGBTQ+ community in the Bay Area since they were a child. Aza is a trained sexual health educator and has personal and professional experience supporting folks with disabilities. Aza seeks to always address internalized biases and wishes to acknowledge that they have class and light-skin privilege and live on the unceded land of the Chochenyo Ohlone.

Contact Aza at azafrias.therapy@gmail.com

Dr. Harding led a series of sessions for Beyond Differences on the effects of loneliness and depression and the healing power of kindness, and worked closely with the Professional Development team to design sessions for our Nashville, Aurora, and Phoenix educator communities.

Dr. Harding is a Columbia University-trained board-certified psychiatrist. She is based in New York City and specializes in the interplay between mental and physical health. She writes about how groundbreaking new research shows that love, friendship, community, life’s purpose, and our environment can have a greater impact on our health than anything that happens in the doctor’s office. Learn more about her paradigm-shifting research in her book, The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness

Contact Dr. Harding at kellihardingmd@kellihardingmd.com

Dr. Lanette Jimerson facilitated a series of sessions for our Marin County (California) local educator community and advised the Professional Development Department on designing transformational trainings.

Founder and CEO of The Literate Self, Dr. Jimerson has over 20 years of experience helping equity-minded leaders bring forth their ideas through writing. Prior to launching The Literate Self, Lanette served as a professor, researcher, and educator. Within these roles she identified and implemented strategies that support adult learners in leveraging the power of their everyday literacy practices to achieve academic and financial success.

Lanette has facilitated writing workshops to support workforce development for corporate and nonprofit organizations such as Cook Biotech, Elev8te, Aspire Public Schools, and San Francisco Unified School District. She has developed curricula for UC Berkeley, The Literacy Design Collaborative, and Hidden Genius Project.

Lanette earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Fong Marcolongo facilitated our November 2020 session: “How to Cultivate an Anti-racist Classroom” and worked closely with our Director of Education to develop the initial program design of our local educator communities.

Fong (she/her/hers) is a bridge-builder, community capacity builder, and youth development advocate dedicated to supporting communities of color to lead their own transformations. Her expertise resides in the design/implementation of experiential human-centered learning, culturally competent youth leadership development, positive youth development trainings, experiential curriculum development and collaborative team management. She specializes in creating interactive visual frameworks for group collaboration and strategic visioning. Fong has over 15 years of working in the non-profit sector. Her passion is to support the youth development and education field to build the capacities of their leaders.