Our Team​

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County staff are dedicated to the health and well-being of young children, prenatal through five years, and their families and caregivers.
Two babies sitting on a colorful play mat surrounded by soft toys. One baby claps their hands and the other watches intently.

Meet the Team

We approach our work with heart and humility, seeking ways to collectively and collaboratively innovate and improve systems of care to better serve the health, early learning, and basic needs of young children, families and caregivers in our community, prioritizing those who are most vulnerable to systemic racism and oppression and who have been historically-marginalized and under-served in our county.

Alma Sanchez

Program Officer

Early Learning and Care

she/her/ella

Angelina Andrade

Director (Facility)

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Beverly Lee

Assistant Director (Accounting)

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Charlotte Caudle

Program Officer

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Connie Bozant

Coordinator (Contracts)

Finance/Operations

she/her/ella

Ditas Alabado

Coordinator (Accounts Payable)

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Emily Fayram

Program Officer

Community Health and Wellness

she/her/hers

Erica Brown

Director of People and Culture

Human Resources

she/her/hers

Erica Rico

Coordinator (Business Operations)

Finance/Operations

she/her/ella

Erika Vazquez

Program Officer

Early Learning and Care

she/her/ella

Esmeralda Rosales

Director

Finance/Operations

she/her/ella

Eula Idemoto

Director

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Gabriella Sandoval

Coordinator

Community Health and Wellness

she/her/ella

Hector Tatis-Peguero

Coordinator

Family Strengthening and Support

he/him/his

Heidi Emberling

Executive of Community Impact

Community Impact

she/her/hers

Huyen Le

Director (Contracts)

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Ingrid Medina

Coordinator (SEEDS)

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Jennifer Cloyd

Executive Director

she/her/hers

Jenny Zhao

Assistant Director (Finance)

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Kelsey Bhatnagar

Director

Community Health and Wellness

she/her/hers

Leah Asuncion

Director

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Lee Bangphraxay

Grants Assistant Director

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Lin Xu

Coordinator

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Lula Ali

Program Officer

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Martha Nevarez

Program Officer

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Maureen Shilling

Executive of Finance and Operations

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Mayra Mena

Assistant Director (Contracts)

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Melissa Johnson

Executive of People and Culture

Human Resources

she/her/hers

Mike González

Executive of Family and Health Strategies

Family Strengthening and Support/Community Health and Wellness

Minerva Sarellano

Director

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Nadia Gonzalez

Coordinator

Family Strengthening and Support

she/her/ella

Nathan Lingat-Thomas

Director of Research and Evaluation

Community Impact

he/him/his

Nishma Samat-Singh

Program Officer

Community Health and Wellness

she/her/hers

Patty Serrano

Coordinator

Early Learning and Care

she/her/ella

Prabi Atwal

Coordinator

Family Strengthening and Support

she/her/hers

Rosa Carrera

Coordinator

Community Health and Wellness

she/her/hers

Sarah Distler

Coordinator (Contracts)

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Sara Yin-Somera

Executive Assistant

she/her/hers

Shannon Aivazian

Executive Assistant

she/her/hers

Shannon Dutra

Coordinator (Communications)

Community Impact

she/her/hers

Teresa Ballete

Controller

Finance/Operations

she/her/hers

Tham Nguyen

Program Officer

Family Strengthening and Support

she/her/hers

Trena Hudson-Davis

Executive of Early Learning and Care

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Veronica Lopez-Cruz

Program Officer

Early Learning and Care

she/her/hers

Yadira Oseguera-Guizar

Program Officer

Family Strengthening and Support

she/her/ella

Yamileth Jimenez

Coordinator

Early Learning and Care

she/her/ella

Zulema Inai

Director

Family Strengthening and Support

she/her/hers

Join Our Team

At FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, we work collectively to uplift the needs of young children and their families and caregivers.

Our staff is diverse, multilingual, and brings a variety of skills and talents to our social justice work.

We are looking for people who are compassionate, who seek to make a positive impact in our community, and who enjoy working collaboratively to innovate and create impactful programs that directly benefit young children and those who care for them.