Staff

Gregg brings over 25 years of experience working in partnership with private and public institutions to improve outcomes and advance opportunities for vulnerable populations. His background as a senior executive, leading capacity-building initiatives at organizational-, systems-, and regional levels, coupled with his experience managing cross-functional operations has enabled institutions to launch their strategic priorities.

Gregg has led County-wide assessments and spearheaded institutional capacity-building efforts all in the effort to improve program infrastructure across collaboratives. Gregg’s rock-solid commitment to ensuring that underserved communities are better served, that they have equal access to education and the rich opportunities that come as a result of pursuing their goals, continues to inform his work. Mr. Zaire has enabled such institutions as the Sequoia Unified High School District, San Mateo County’s Behavior Health and Recovery Services, and the City of Redwood City to partner more effectively on system-wide efforts. And is proud of the work he continues to do to remove or else minimize Social Determinants of Health, -Employment, and -Incarceration.

Gregg professional experience is enhanced by his continued work with local agencies and organizations, and currently serves as an advisor for All Good Living Foundation. Gregg received a Master’s Degree in Sociology and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a B.A. in English and Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. When he is not working, Gregg enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, reading, driving, and traveling.

Mara Matosic’s multicultural background has given her the opportunity to make an impact both in the private and nonprofit sectors, working for companies such as The Economist, PepsiCo, and Nielsen. After co-founding and exiting her own company, Mrs. Matosic decided to head back to the nonprofit sector to use her skills in marketing,
communications, and partnerships and community building to make a positive impact in the world.

Born in Croatia and raised in Mexico, Mara has always searched for belonging, often finding a place for herself and feeling most comfortable in community building. It was her desire to connect with a community and her passion to embrace the change in trajectory that education offers that led her to become Country Director of Women Who Code, a global organization that champions women to excel in tech careers with more than 100,000 members. Here Mara grew volunteering engagement by 300%+ and established partnerships with companies such as Microsoft, Facebook, Stripe, and WeWork. Mara was also a part of the Board of Directors of STTE Foundation, an organization that empowers youth to pursue STEM and entrepreneurship careers. While there, Mara helped the team with strategic planning for marketing and communications.

Mara is a human-focused, data-driven leader who received a Dual Degree in International Relations and Business Administration from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). She also attended the William Esper Acting Conservatory in New York. When she is not working, Mara enjoys hiking, reading, exploring new places, and spending time with her family.

Tatiana Sandoval has over seven years of experience working with minority and immigrant youth, providing comprehensive, culturally sensitive, context-based programs in education, social services, and community engagement. As a Community Schools Coordinator and Educational Programs Manager, Tatiana effectively led wrap-around community-wide events; created and implemented strategic planning for middle schools and high schools; coordinated partners steering committee meetings, and managed budgets to uplift the missions of the programs and the schools. Telemundo recognized Tatiana as a “Hero Among Us” in 2020. Tatiana was also recognized by the National Afterschool Association as the 2021 Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders for the state of Maryland. Tatiana’s passions include mental health, family reunification, youth development, and college access for minority communities.

Tatiana was born in El Salvador and moved to the U.S. when she was 11 years old. As an immigrant, she was able to experience the hardships of learning a new language, family separation, and adjusting to a new environment. After graduating from college, Tatiana worked in the schools she attended and made it her mission to serve the communities that raised her. These personal and professional events led her to advocate for pro-immigration policies, culturally-relevant curriculum/programs in schools, and whole- child approach in her work.

Tatiana holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an A.A.S. from Montgomery College, MD. In her spare time, Tatiana loves reading, traveling, dancing, and spending time with family and friends.

Lissette Maliza has worked as an educator in various capacities. She brings a significant amount of experience to SFA. She has served as a Success Coach at Let’s Get Ready, a Behavior Therapist at Songbird Therapy, and an Assistant Teacher at Winston Preparatory School New York. Lissette has guided cohorts of 40+ freshman and sophomore students at the City College of New York and brings a strong passion and commitment to working with young people with different learning abilities.

Her personal experience of growing up an Ecuadorian immigrant in the New York City Public School system has given her an immense sense of urgency around how students navigate education and social communities. She feels a great commitment to uplifting under-resourced communities through education and mentorship.

Lissette received a B.A. in Sociology from The City College of New York and an A.A. in Sociology from the Borough of Manhattan Community College. She enjoys analog photography, reading, museums, dancing, and spending time with her friends and family.

Sabrina is a San Francisco native with a passion to create positive changes in under resourced communities. She is a mother of two and has first-handexperience of how lack of adequate resources can discourage individuals from obtaining their goals. Her mother, a San Francisco native as well, instilled strong dedication to helping those in need and being an active listener. She has over 15 years of experience serving the community in the healthcare field and understands how challenging it can be to not be heard or receive the support one seeks. She brings high attention to detail and a strong organized mentality to the SFA team.

In her spare time, she enjoys exploring every inch of Golden Gate park with her family, cooking and traveling.

DevonBanks is a San Francisco Achievers Alumni and is super excited to be a part of the team. He was born and raised in Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco. He graduated from Sonoma State University, with a major in Business with a concentration in Management. Being the first person in his family to graduate from college, he recognizes how SFA helped him throughout his college years and beyond and he hopes to be that pillar of support for the next generation.

In his off time, he loves spending time with his fiancée and two children, Lil Dev and Deshawn.
He is also a huge sports fan and an ardent follower of the Niners.

Kelvin Sanders III was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. He grew up in a family-oriented household and served at the church from a very young age. As he got older, he began to grow love and passion for sports, helping others, and serving the community. Towards the end of 2014, he was diagnosed with End Stage Renal disease, which caused his kidneys to fail and required to be placed on dialysis. Ultimately in the year of 2015, he received a kidney transplant from the assistant principal of his alma mater, Sacred Heart Cathedral. This experience further assured the importance of giving back and helping others. Post recovery, he started working with the youth. Since 2017, he has been working with students of all ages as a student aide in both elementary and middle school for the San Francisco Unified School District.He has also been a high school football coach for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and helped multiplestudents receive full ride scholarships at Division-1, 4-year universities and win a state championship.

He believes that his experiences paved the way and led him to SFA. He was drawn towards SFA because of the opportunity it provides for the youth and looks forward to making a positive impact on both the youth and the community.

Staff

GREGG ZAIRE

MARA MATOSIC

Tatiana Sandoval

Lissette Maliza

Sabrina Foster

Devon Banks, Sr.

Kelvin Sanders, III