Education Levy Oversight Committee - Who We Are

Amruta Mane (she/her) is an executive leader with extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, early childhood education, organizational strategy, and workforce development. She currently serves as Executive Director at Sound Child Care Solutions, where she leads initiatives focused on advancing high-quality early learning programs, building equitable systems that support children, families, and the early childhood workforce.

Throughout her career, Amruta has successfully led complex organizational initiatives, including strategic planning, financial stewardship, human resources, governance, and cross-sector partnerships. Passionate about expanding access to high-quality early learning, Amruta works closely with public agencies, nonprofit organizations, community partners, and policymakers to strengthen the early childhood education system.

As a member of the committee, Amruta values inclusive decision-making and strives to ensure that policies and initiatives reflect the needs of the communities we serve.

 Dr. Lakeya Afolalu is an Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Washington's College of Education. With more than a decade of experience in education, she is deeply committed to advancing literacy and language education for K–12 students and families. 

She is a former elementary and middle school literacy teacher and teacher educator whose work has spanned Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, and she brings that experience to her current work in Seattle. Her research examines the intersections of language, literacy, and digital literacies in the identities and educational experiences of Black immigrant and transnational youth across schools, families, and communities. It has been published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Literacy Research and Teachers College Record.

Dedicated to bringing research and educational practice into public spaces to serve communities, she has shared her public scholarship on TEDx and NPR and actively advocates for accessible literacy and arts education through school and community partnerships. As a 2026–2027 member of the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, she partners with communities statewide to facilitate conversations about literacy, identity, migration, and the arts.

Fathima was born and raised in Seattle and is a proud Seattle Promise graduate of Seattle Central College, where she earned her degree in 2023. She went on to graduate from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

She currently works as a Recruiter at Amazon Leo. 

Leon Garnett is Director of Community Partnerships at the Healthy Lives Institute, a joint initiative of Seattle Children's and UW Medicine, where he brings healthcare providers, researchers, community organizations, and public agencies together around issues affecting children and families. He has spent more than twenty years in community-facing nonprofit and healthcare operations, focusing on organizational strategy and cross-sector collaboration. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Morehouse College and is pursuing an MBA from Seattle University. Leon is committed to ensuring that community perspectives inform decisions about programs and resources for Seattle's children and families.

Erica Johnson is Chief Mission Officer at Woodland Park Zoo, where she leads the organization’s conservation, learning, inclusion, and impact evaluation efforts. She brings more than a decade of experience in public service, nonprofit leadership, and policy development, including serving as Education & Youth Policy Advisor to Mayor Jenny Durkan and managing the development of the Seattle Preschool Program. Throughout her career, Erica has focused on expanding opportunities for children, youth, and families through effective public systems, community partnerships, and data-informed decision-making. She is honored to serve on the Levy Oversight Committee and support the responsible stewardship of public investments that benefit Seattle’s children and families.

Gabriel de los Angeles is son of Chief Andy de los Angeles of the Snoqualmie Tribe. He is also a PhD candidate in Learning Science and Human Development with UW's College of Education. His research is learning and development in games, play, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. He wants improved curricular development through game play and design. He is formerly the Snoqualmie Tribe's first Director of Education. He has worked as the program manager for UW's Native Education Certificate Program and served as the president of the Indian Parent Advisory Committee with Seattle Public Schools. He is dedicated to healing intergenerational trauma in Native communities as well as working to improve education outcomes for Urban Natives in Seattle. He is also a storyteller under the teachings and mentorship of Roger Fernandes, S'Klallam storyteller.

Sofia Michelakis is Managing Director at Phīla Engaged Giving, where she helps individuals and families translate their values and generosity into meaningful impact in their communities. She has spent 25 years working across philanthropy and social impact, with a particular interest in how resources can be used thoughtfully and effectively to expand opportunity and help people and communities thrive.

A lifelong resident of this region, Sofia’s commitment to children and families is also deeply personal. Her own family relied on public and community supports at times while she was growing up, giving her an enduring appreciation for the difference those investments can make in a family’s life. She is also the parent of a teenage son who attended Seattle Public Schools from kindergarten through eighth grade. Sofia believes in listening to people and communities and putting resources to work in ways that reflect their strengths and aspirations. In her free time, she can often be found taking very cold swims year-round in the Puget Sound.

James is proud to serve on the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy Oversight Committee, bringing the perspective of a parent deeply invested in Seattle's commitment to its youngest learners. He also serves as a Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner representing District 6, where he has seen firsthand how parks and early learning intersect to shape strong communities.  He and his wife are raising two young children here, in a bilingual home. As a family navigating early education firsthand James sees the levy's mission to transform the lives of Seattle's children and families as both professional responsibility and personal priority. He believes that strategic investments in education and early learning are among the most powerful things a growing city can do to ensure every child has an equitable start.

James is a former U.S. Army captain and Bronze Star recipient who deployed to Iraq, an experience that shaped his commitment to public service and working alongside people toward a common goal. He has spent the past 15 years building a career in technology, and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from Arizona State University.

Jessica Tollenaar Cafferty serves as the Best Starts for Kids Co-Lead for Public Health – Seattle & King County, a six-year voter-approved levy working in partnership with community to support thriving outcomes for all kids and families across King County. In 2017 Jessica joined Best Starts to lead investments in community-based child care health consultation, and later served as the County’s Child Care Policy Lead. In this role she partnered with families and providers to help build a regional child care subsidy system and grow provider wages. Jessica’s professional background includes early learning and inclusion in child care settings, policy and advocacy, and hospitality, and she brings a deep commitment to equity and justice. She is a proud graduate of Garfield High School and the University of Washington. In her free time, Jessica enjoys gardening, eating great food, hosting friends and neighbors, and adventuring with her family.

Liz Huizar is the Executive Director of the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC). She has dedicated her career to advancing education justice for communities historically excluded and underserved by formal systems. Liz brings years of experience working at the intersection of youth development, racial equity, and community organizing. 

At SESEC, Liz leads coalition-building efforts to center the voices of BIPOC families and community-based organizations in Southeast Seattle, working toward a more equitable and just education system. She is passionate about shifting power into community hands and believes that those most impacted must lead the solutions. Liz is a changemaker who deeply cares about thoseshe works with and the community she serves. 

A product of Seattle and Shoreline School Districts, Girard got his elementary and middle school science certification from Central Washington University. He spent 9 years teaching in Seattle Public Schools before stepping into leadership with the Seattle Education Association. In his first year, he lead the bargaining team to a Tentative Agreement with Seattle Public Schools before July. He is looking forward to taking on this new role ensuring we are using our Levy funds to support the essential work of public education.

Zamzam Mohamed is the Founder and CEO of Voices of Tomorrow, a nonprofit serving immigrant and refugee families across Washington State. She founded VOT out of a conviction that immigrant and refugee families deserve programs and systems built around their own cultures and lived experiences, rather than adapted from models that were never designed with them in mind. That conviction continues to guide her work today: building alongside communities, not simply for them.

Zamzam is a committed advocate for racial equity and culturally responsive early learning. Much of her work focuses on ensuring children can access a high-quality education without having to set aside their culture or home language, and on affirming African Indigenous parenting practices within the systems families rely on. She has presented on these issues locally and nationally, advocating for the policy and regulatory changes needed to address disparities facing immigrant and refugee communities, and remains dedicated to ensuring public systems serve every child and family equitably.

Katie B. Wilson is the Mayor of Seattle, taking office in January 2026. A longtime transit advocate and community organizer, Wilson co-founded the Transit Riders Union and then led the organization for over a decade, during which time she had extraordinary success building coalitions to win better transit, affordable fares, higher wages, stronger renter protections, and new progressive revenue. Wilson approaches the role of Mayor from the perspective of a coalition builder and has assembled a diverse and experienced team ready to deliver responsible, effective governance and make progress on our city's biggest challenges. She rents an apartment in Capitol Hill which she shares with her husband and young daughter.

Maritza Rivera grew up in New York City, and attended Bronx High School of Science, followed by Skidmore College on a full-ride scholarship, then Fordham Law School, before accepting a position in the White House as President Clinton’s Hispanic liaison. She later served as a Vice-President of the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where she worked closely with Hispanic small businesses from across the country.

In Seattle, Maritza has had the privilege of working at the ACLU post 9/11 to protect Muslim communities from xenophobia, at City Hall working for Former City Council Member Tom Rasmussen, for Mayor Jenny Durkan, and most recently in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Administration as Deputy Director of the Department of Arts & Culture.

Maritza loves Seattle, the small businesses, food, arts, music, and diverse populations that make up our city’s rich fabric.

Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap has dedicated much of her career to Seattle Colleges serving as president of South Seattle College since 2018, and Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Seattle Colleges district. She contributed to the city-wide effort to implement Mayor Jenny Durkan's ambitious Seattle Promise program by representing the colleges in this effort and serving on the City's Design team to implement the work. Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap holds a B.A. in English and Ethnic Studies from Washington State University (WSU), a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, and a Doctorate of Education from WSU.

Benjamin “Ben” Shuldiner, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, previously led the Lansing School District in Michigan from 2021 to January 2026, where he oversaw improvements in academics, operations, and finances—including notable increases in graduation and attendance rates, renewed student enrollment growth, and a strengthened fiscal position. Before Lansing, he served in key education leadership roles, including Dean’s Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer at Hunter College, an appointed member of the New York City Board of Education, and President of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Earlier, as founding principal of the High School for Public Service in Brooklyn, he helped earn national recognition for the school’s success. He has also consulted internationally, holds degrees from Harvard College and Baruch College, comes from a family of educators, and looks forward to partnering with the Seattle community to make Seattle Public Schools the nation’s best urban school system.

Director Joe Mizrahi (he/him) represents Seattle Public Schools District 4, which includes Fremont, Queen Anne, South Lake Union, and parts of downtown Seattle. Selected on April 3, 2024, through the District 4 Director Appointment process, he was later elected to a four‑year term in the November 2025 general election. Mizrahi has lived in North Seattle for 15 years, and his professional work centers on community organizing, shaping his belief that meaningful engagement is built on time and listening. His commitment to public service and deep experience working with community members motivated his decision to join the Seattle School Board.