Staff
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Paul Thiebaut III, Founder & CEO
Paul created Thiebaut Method nearly 15 years ago to cultivate the passions of students. He has cultivated the passions of students from all backgrounds and abilities and nearly every student Paul has worked with has caught up to grade level. Paul has founded a tutoring business, a home tutoring nonprofit, and an after school program. In his 11 years as a Founder & CEO in the nonprofit sector, Paul has raised approximately $5M in grants and donations and built effective partnerships with educators, medical professionals, and other agencies that work with high need students, Paul is a local hero for overcoming poverty by pursuing his passions and creating educational innovations for low-income struggling students. He has given a TEDx Talk, among other presentations, about the effects of passion on human potential. Paul researches and writes extensively about the passion and is intent on giving all children a pathway out of poverty through their passions. Please email Paul if you would like to learn more about Thiebaut Method and how we can collaborate. paul@thiebautmethod.org |
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Mariamne Borden, Director of Programs and Outreach I have worked in the field of social services and education for the past nine years. I recently worked as a Family Advocate for Head Start for nearly four years. My past responsibilities included qualifying and enrolling families, maintaining health records and teaching families how to advocate for their children’s education. I graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Psychology and Social Work. I grew up in a diverse community of low economic status. I am first generation in terms of American citizenship and college education, and was raised by my mother who immigrated from Panama with little means. Coming from a single parent family, I know the struggles of not having the financial support that I needed to overcome the cycle of poverty. My motivation is that all children from disadvantaged communities have the opportunities to become self-sufficient and successful without having to experience the same hardships that I went through getting to where I am today. |
Board of Directors
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Jonathan Thomas, Founding Member
Born in the Bay Area, Jonathan grew up in East Palo Alto during some of its worst years. He went to grade school and high school in East Palo Alto before going to Harvard University to obtain his undergraduate degree in English. Since Jonathan was thirteen, he has worked in a multitude of educational settings, working with children between the ages of preschool and high school. Jonathan found out about 10 Books A Home through its founder Paul not long after its creation in July 2009. He has been an active member of the organization ever since, serving as a board member and tutoring three children. Jonathan’s commitment to his community and his passion for education makes him a perfect fit with the mission and goals of 10BH. Currently, Jonathan is employed in the education and health care sectors. |
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Jessenia Solorio, Treasurer & Parent of Thiebaut Method Student
Born and raised in Mexico, as a child, she moved back and forth between Mexico and California, finally settling in the Bay Area when she was 14. As an immigrant and first generation college student, she pursued her dream of graduating from the University of California in Santa Barbara. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Economics with an Emphasis in Accounting, and a Minor in Spanish. Since then, Jessenia has worked in the Finance field, while volunteering to bring quality schools/education to her community. As a mother of three children, she understands how critical it is to bring excellent education to under-served communities. After spending a few minutes with Jessenia, you quickly realize that she is an excellent example of someone who has grit – the term that describes the quality of perseverance in the face of challenge. |
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John Benjamin, Chief Financial Officer
John Benjamin joined SD Mayer as the Director of Business Development after 30 years of entrepreneurship, real estate development, accounting and management consulting experience. He has worked within the fields of finance, real estate development and hospitality services. His specialties include fundraising, team development, and strategy consulting. His work at SD Mayer focuses on the relationship management of all client engagements as he leads the expansion and growth initiatives for the firm. |
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Kevin Ahlstrom, Legal Councel
Born and raised in Southern California, Kevin recently moved to the Bay Area, where he is an attorney at the law firm of Paul Hastings. Kevin developed a love for books as a child, when he and his dad read "The Chronicles of Narnia" together. Books have shaped his life, and he wants to help others experience the same excitement and satisfaction that he has found in reading. He believes that the most effective (and maybe only) way to help a person change his or her circumstances is to help that person learn how to read. Kevin is honored to assist 10BH however he can. He has an undergraduate degree from BYU in electrical engineering and a law degree from The George Washington University. |
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Kurtis Kludt, Member
Kurt brings over a decade of entrepreneurial experience in real estate and start-up investing. Prior to his project management and development duties at Golden Gate Global, he co-founded Silicon Valley Real Ventures, a diversified real estate investment, construction, and brokerage sales platform where he managed over $50 million of luxury residential projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He earned a bachelor's degree in Business Economics with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles, College of Letters and Science. |
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Victor Shin, Member
Victor has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, along with being a Senior Adjunct Professor since 2013. Currently he is the Vice President, Branch Manager for Bank of the West in downtown Oakland. He has held various senior positions amongst major institutions, such as Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, Comerica Bank and First Republic. He also serves on the board of the Asian Business League of San Francisco and The Presidio Dance Academy, and in the past The Natural World Museum and Museum of Craft and Design. He graduated with an Executive MBA from Golden Gate University in 2004 and BA in Management and Accounting from Sonoma State University in 1996. Victor is an avid restaurateur, loves to travel, cook, read, run and spend time with his wife and two daughters. |
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Victoria Schultz, Secretary
Victoria, originally from a small town in Germany, has spent a good chunk of her life living in the Menlo Park, Redwood City and East Palo Alto areas in California. She developed a love for reading at an early age, devoured the Harry Potter series so fast that her parents didn’t believe her, and taught herself how to read in German. This passion translated into later life where Victoria worked as a Student Librarian during her four years at Menlo College. Victoria joined 10 Books A Home as a Role Model in March of 2015 with the hopes of giving back to the community she calls home to encourage more children to find the joy and value in reading. Victoria currently leads Marketing for a small start-up that provides a Learning Management System to businesses and other organizations. She is also putting her marketing skills to work by running the 10 Books A Home Twitter page. |
Advisory Board
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Ruthie Bolton, 2x Gold Medal Olympian and WNBA Hall of Fame
Mighty Ruthie" is respected around the globe not only for her skills on the court but for motivating, energizing and engaging audiences, drawing on her rich life experience: as a former professional basketball player, author, educator and lifelong advocate for women. She is an original franchise player for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. She has scored over 2000 career points, she is 4th on the WNBA's all-time 3-pointer list, and she is the only player in the history of the Monarchs to have her number retired. She is a 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, a USA Basketball Female of the Year, the Sports Illustrated Best Woman Athlete by home state, and one of only four players to be named to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2011. Ruthie was the WNBA's first National Spokeswoman for youth development program "Play Fit/ Stay Fit." Watch ESPN's full feature documentary about Ruthie's life. |
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Monica Bendernagel, Accenture
Monica is a management consultant with Accenture helping her clients transition to subscription business models and establish their customer success organizations. Outside of her client work, Monica works with several non-profits, including Farming Hope, focused on local causes in the Bay Area. She holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University. |
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Evan Buhler, Sidley Austin LLP
Evan is a corporate attorney practicing law in Silicon Valley. He is responsible for drafting legal agreements in a broad slate of matters including IP licensing deals, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, and employment litigation, among others. Evan has worked for several consumer electronics and software startups in their operations and marketing departments, and he has worked for several non-profits including the ACLU and the Anti-Defamation League. |
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Leslie Johnson, Hurlbut-Johnson Charitable Trust
Leslie is a former early childhood educator and Special Education teacher who is passionate about children’s literature and early literacy. She recognizes the value of early education and intervention and the involvement of both parents and children in the learning process, thus is a strong advocate for what 10 Books A Home provides to families. Leslie has a B.S. degree in Child Development from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a Master’s degree in Special Education from San Francisco State. She is an advisor to the Hurlbut-Johnson Charitable Trust, a 10 Books A Home contributor since 2012. In addition, she is founder and co-president of Epic Transitions, aka Trek Epic, a non-profit that supports young adults in discovering their authentic selves and unique gifts through guided, transformational trek experiences. A native of the Bay Area, Leslie is the mother of four young adult children who share her love of reading. |
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Kimberly Jantz, Sofia University
Kimberly is a Bay Area native with a passion to assist students with accomplishing their educational goals in a variety of settings. Originally from East Palo Alto, Kimberly is currently working in Higher Education as a Director of Recruitment and Alumni at Sofia University. Her experience working with students of all ages spans 20 years. As a former 10BH volunteer, she is excited to continue that work with Thiebaut Method. Growing up in a single parent household with limited resources, Kimberly knows firsthand how important it is to have educational support and mentors that guide students to reach their full potential. She has been fortunate enough to have such support during pivotal times in her life, which allowed her to remain passionate and resilient to accomplish her goals. Kimberly hopes to offer that same support to any child in need. She has a BA degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University and a MA in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University. |
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Sean Murphy, Achieve Kids
Sean is currently a Special Education teacher at AchieveKids in Palo Alto. He studied Special Education with an emphasis in Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) at Michigan State University. Before moving to the Bay Area Sean was a Special Education Teacher in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. Sean founded Good Humans Tutoring LLC in Tempe, Arizona with the goal of providing quality special education services to home schooled children with mild to moderate disabilities. Sean is passionate about inclusive and equitable education for individuals with disabilities, and individuals from underserved communities. When he’s not in the classroom you can find him pursuing his passion for adventure through travel, hiking, camping, or reading. Action Sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding have been long-term passions of Sean’s that continue to motivate and challenge him. |
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Nancy Kludt, Twister Sports Center
Nancy Kludt, a lifelong entrepreneur, practices her passion for ongoing education. She spends her days as a youth business consultant, inclusive of movement curriculum author, world level gymnastics coach, events coordinator, tutor, student and working artist. Nancy brings over forty years of foundational business systems knowledge to learning experiences for youth. She is a staunch advocate of right to education for children in low-income environments and those living with special needs. During her years as owner of Twisters Sports Center Nancy taught at Head Start and conducted free "Instructor Seminars" for early childhood and elementary educators. Her award-winning nonprofit governing and advisory board positions include Stand for Children, City of San Jose Month of the Young Child, Santa Clara County Child Care Coalition, Special Olympics, USA-Gymnastics, Movement Matters, Twisters Kids With Special Needs, and Wipeout Cancer, to name a few. A proud alumni of San Jose State University, Nancy is the mother of two children and two grandchildren. |
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Adriena Garcia, Fenwick & West
Adriena joins the advisory board as a Passion Project Coordinator. She comes from a legal background - working as a Patent Secretary for a firm based in the Bay Area. Adriena graduated from Lincoln Law School in 2019 and is currently studying for the bar. She earned her B.S. in Political Science at San Jose State University in 2007. In her spare time, Adriena enjoys traveling, visiting breweries with her husband, going to Disneyland, and chasing around her toddler. |
2018 Gala Planning Committee
Committee Chairs
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Sheri Sobrato (Trustee, Sobrato Organization) - Eldest daughter of John and Sue Sobrato, Sheri recently coauthored and is distributing Digging Deep: A Journal for Young People Facing Health Challenges, which helps children and teens build emotional strength and resilience through journal writing. Other philanthropic priorities include small arts organizations, brain tumor research, and global programs including education and women and children’s issues. Sheri is a current member of The Philanthropy Workshop, a Dame of Honor of the Knights of St. John, and an alumna of the Pipeline Fellowship.
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Victor Shin (VP, Bank of the West) - Victor has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, along with being a Senior Adjunct Professor since 2013. Currently he is the Vice President, Branch Manager for Bank of the West in downtown Oakland. He has held various senior positions amongst major institutions, such as Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, Comerica Bank and First Republic.
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Committee Members
Kevin Ahlstrom (Associate, Baker Botts LLP) - Born and raised in Southern California, Kevin recently moved to the Bay Area, where he is an attorney at the law firm of Paul Hastings. Kevin developed a love for books as a child, when he and his dad read "The Chronicles of Narnia" together. Books have shaped his life, and he wants to help others experience the same excitement and satisfaction that he has found in reading. Arum Lansel (Program Operations Manager, David & Lucile Packard Foundation) - Prior to joining the Packard Foundation, Arum was a Senior Project Officer for Tetra Tech DPK, a consulting firm that helps developing and transitioning countries establish the rule of law. She also previously worked for International Justice Mission (IJM), a non-profit organization working to protect the poor from violence in the developing world. Kurtis Kludt (Managing Partner, Silicon Valley Real Ventures) - Kurtis Kludt is a Managing Director at Silicon Valley Real Ventures and manages SVRV's Global Real Estate Segregated Portfolio. He is CEO of ANA Holdings (Angel Networking Access), a diversified management and consulting company. Kurtis works with and supports non-profit organizations such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Poppy Foundation Animal Hospital. Seth Gottleib (Partner, Cooley LLP) - Seth Gottlieb is a Partner at Cooley LLP where his practice focuses on representing private and public companies, entrepreneurs and venture capital investors in a broad range of corporate transactions. He counsels high growth companies throughout their lifecycle and guides them from startup through IPO or acquisition. Seth’s corporate clients have also included Platfora, Roku, Snowflake Computing and Stemcentrx. Seth was the recipient of numerous awards in law school and has been named a Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2014. Ankesh Kumar (Serial Entrepreneur, Currently building out Personic and Shartivity) - Ankesh Kumar is a serial entrepreneur who has incubated numerous companies, taken 2 companies from inception to $20m in revenue. Raised $50m along the ways and sold patents to Google. Apart from currently growing two start-up's, Ankesh is also running a CEO Think Tank group. Connie L. Ellerbach (Partner, Fenwick & West LLP) - Connie Ellerbach’s practice focuses on trademark and trade name counseling, including the development and management of trademark portfolios, resolving conflicts over disputed marks and names, and establishing and enforcing rights in trademarks used on the Internet. She advises clients from start-ups to multinational corporations on the selection, enhancement and enforcement of trademarks and brands, and regarding securing and protecting domain name rights. Tarah Evans (Executive Director, Franklin and Catherine Johnson Foundation) - Tarah has more than 15 years of experience with non-profits. Tarah was a consultant to the Job Corps division of the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC. and the director of New Ways Workers, a San Francisco-based youth program for high school students. Working with the mayor’s office and the San Francisco school district, she designed and launched a variety of mentoring and school-to-career programs. Youth education programs are her passion – she currently serves on the board of the East Palo Alto Youth Court, one of the newest additions to the portfolio. Eric Forgaard (Civic Engagement Specialist, San Mateo County Manager's Office) - Eric Forgaard is the Civic Engagement Specialist in the San Mateo County Manager’s Office and is proud to serve as a Role Model in the 10BH program. Prior to joining the County he served as Director of Administrative Services at JobTrain, managing the HR function and overseeing IT, volunteers, facilities and the website. He also served as the Preschool Director. He previously served on the County’s Fatherhood Collaborative Board, and has volunteered in various capacities to promote youth education and literacy. Lisa Chaberlain (MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Chair, Policy & Community Engagement, Stanford School of Medicine) - Lisa worked in East Palo Alto for 14 years as a Pediatrician, and she is proud of the fact that she referred the very first kid to 10 Books A Home. At Stanford she does research examining child health disparities in California and teaches courses on how poverty and health intersect. She is often in Sacramento bringing the best evidence to child health policy discussions. Jennifer E. Villa (Trustee, Villa Family Foundation) - Originally born in Miami, FL, Jennifer moved out to the Bay Area to pursue joint master's degrees in business and computer science at Stanford. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a hardware engineer at Intel in Austin, TX. Although her career and education have focused on STEM fields, she enjoyed reading novels from a young age. Series like Harry Potter and Nancy Drew were an important part of her childhood, and by working with 10BH, she hopes to help Palo Alto kids find books that delight and inspire them. Claire Chang (Startup Investor) John Delaney (Software Engineer, Salesforce) Henry Kim (Founder & CEO, Luminous Talent) Gisela Bushey (Fellow, San Jose Mayor’s office, former director of SanDisk Foundation) |