Serving the Alpha Community, Expanding Alpha’s Impact

Peter is an executive in high tech and specializes in negotiating and managing corporate partnerships. He is currently head of strategic partnerships at Snowflake, a data analytics company. Prior to that he spent over 10 years at Microsoft and previously worked at Yahoo, Netscape, the Boston Consulting Group, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Peter has long had a passion for the education of underprivileged children. He tutored inner city youth in Washington, DC, after graduating from Dartmouth College. He later tutored students in East Palo Alto while a student at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, where he co-chaired the Public Management Initiative on Education.

Lex works in corporate development and strategy at NerdWallet, a fintech company that educates and empowers consumers to make their own personal finance decisions. He also spent time in business operations building out Nerdwallet’s student loans and personal loans businesses. Prior to NerdWallet, Lex was a private equity investor at Symphony Technology Group (STG) where he focused on investing in software and technology-enabled services businesses.

As the son of a Cuban immigrant, Lex has always understood the importance of education and is passionate about ensuring underrepresented students have equal educational opportunities to achieve their potential. Lex earned his B.A. in Commerce with concentrations in Management and Finance from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

Mary Anna Cazarez-Sterling was born and raised in Mexico and has been living in the Bay Area since 2011.

She has worked in tech for five years until she decided to stay home to focus on her family. During the pandemic she began to participate in two areas that she is passionate about: Food Justice and her Kids education.

She got involved with La Mesa Verde (LMV) at Sacred Heart Community Services and Innovate Public Schools (IPS). At LMV she co-founded the parents participation Kids Club program for families to grow food together, and later was hired as the Organizing Program Coordinator for LMV.

At IPS, together with parents leaders in San Jose, she advocated for access to high quality education.

Currently, she is a full time Food Access and Community Engagement specialist for the non profit Fresh Approach.

Her other main goal, of course, is to be a role model to her children as a mom, wife, community member and leader with a vision where everyone has a role in transforming societies, policies and systems.

Alejandrina Flores is the proud mother of two boys who attend Alpha: José Hernández School. For the past six years, she has been working for a non profit organization, Bay Area Community Health, as a Referral Coordinator.

During her free time, she likes to attend music concerts, go to the movies and can’t miss out on the foodie festivals. She is a dedicated individual who is looking forward to actively advocating the advancement for all our Alpha schools.

Cheria Funches is originally from Boston, MA. She has a Master’s in Education Leadership from Queens University in Charlotte, NC and currently serves as the Director of Innovation and Design at Teach for America – Bay Area. Cheria begin her career in education as a founding 3rd grade teacher in New Orleans, and has since served as an elementary school teacher and leader in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and in San Jose, CA.

She is passionate about working alongside schools to create equitable educational experiences for students.

Noreen Guevara appreciates Alpha’s approach to excellence and is a proud parent of a junior student at Cindy Avitia High School. She works as a Sr. Talent Development Specialist at a local credit union and is committed to helping youth prepare for their financial future.

Born in San Jose and raised in Morgan Hill, Noreen serves on Alpha’s board to support Alpha and enrich our students, faculty, and community.

Adam is a private equity investor at Symphony Technology Group (STG), focused on investing in software, technology-enabled services and data services businesses and transforming those companies by partnering with management to build customer-centric market leaders. Adam sits on the board of several STG portfolio companies.

Adam’s public school upbringing in the Midwest and prior experience working with Minds Matter of San Francisco serving low-income high achieving high school students have driven him to be passionate about ensuring that all students have access to quality education and the tools and opportunities for college success. Adam earned a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from Drake University and attended the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Silvia Scandar Mahan leads the San Jose region at the nonprofit Innovate Public Schools. In that role, she brings together Innovate’s community organizing, research and policy work, and schools expertise toward a vision of a world-class school for every student in San Jose. Previously, Silvia led Innovate’s Communications team, where she developed and executed subscriber communications, web development, social media strategy, content development, and press relations. She also managed Innovate’s partnership with GreatSchools, expanding the accessibility of school data and advocacy tools to parents of underserved students.

Before joining Innovate, Silvia founded and ran an e-commerce company and online art community where she led product development, partnerships, and online marketing.

A native of Miami, Florida, Silvia holds a BA in Economics from Harvard College and a JD from Georgetown Law. Silvia also has experience producing social impact films, and was a volunteer digital producer for the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2016. She is passionate about civic engagement and quality education for all. She previously served as Bay Area board chair of Generation Citizen, a nonprofit re-imagining civics education.

Janine Ramirez is an education advocate with over a decade of experience and a track record of collaborating with community stakeholders to bring educational opportunities to underserved communities. She currently serves as the Regional Director for Rocketship Public Schools in the South Bay, where she is responsible for regional leadership, strategy and vision setting, navigating external politics and showcasing Rocketship’s impact externally while fostering collaboration with external stakeholders. Janine was identified as a 40 under 40 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2018 for her strategic partnership, vision setting, cross-functional initiatives and bridge-building which has led to an impact for thousands of students across the Bay Area.

Previously Janine served as Regional Director for the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) supporting statewide policy efforts and prior as Executive Director of Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) where her leadership directly impacted nearly 2,500 students annually.

Janine served on the board of directors for Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley (LCSV), serving as Board President in 2017. She is a proud alumni of the Latino Board Leadership Academy (LBLA), Latino Leadership Alliance (LLA) and SVO’s Leadership San Jose Class of 2020. Janine begins the Aspiring Latino Leaders Fellowship with Latinos for Education in the Fall of 2021.

Bio Coming Soon!

Mario currently serves as the Finance Operations Manager for the City of Fremont overseeing the Purchasing and Accounts Payable Division. He’s responsible for administering the City’s purchasing ordinance, overseeing competitive bidding and request for proposals processes, managing the purchase card program, and supervising payments to service providers, suppliers, and City staff. Mario started with the City as a Budget and Treasury analyst assisting with the coordination and production of the annual budget document, supervising the City’s investment portfolio, and assisting with issuing debt. Prior to the City of Fremont, Mario served as a Budget Analyst for the City of San José and as a program coordinator at the Visitacion Valley Strong Families Collaborative and the Support Training and Employment Program in San Francisco.

Mario earned his M.P.A. from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of California, Berkeley. Mario served on the board of directors for the New Leaders Council Silicon Valley and was also a New Leaders Council fellow. Mario is an alum of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley Latino Board Leadership Academy (LBLA).

Alicia is a proud parent of two scholars, Olivia and Mateo, who have attended Alpha: Cornerstone Academy since Kindergarten. She has been engaged in her kids education by providing support in the classroom and through school events. She has seen the importance of collaborating with families, teachers and staff in order for all kids to thrive and succeed in their education.

Alicia is a San Jose native and a first-generation college graduate. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico and is grateful for their continued support. She learned from them the importance of an education and the many opportunities it brings. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in taxation from San Jose State University. Alicia is also a Certified Public Accountant currently working for a public accounting firm in San Jose where she provides tax and accounting services for individuals and small businesses.

Jen Wallner is an assurance director in the Bay Area market serving clients globally in the technology and consumer and industrial products sectors. She primarily focuses on audit services for Fortune 500, public companies and emerging growth companies.

Jen credits her continuous focus and strive for personal and professional growth to her supportive parents. She is the daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant who always emphasized the value of her education and the power it had to unlock life’s opportunities. As a child who benefited from the public-school system, Jen is passionate about paying it forward to others and giving back to the community. Jen currently serves as an assurance director and Chief Auditor in the PwC San Jose practice and is a Certified Public Accountant – CPA (Oregon).

Cindy is a seasoned product and business leader who is passionate about building great consumer experiences, products, brands, and communities. She has a proven track record of delivering top-notch products, defining strategies, driving revenue and user growth, and building teams at companies such as Shutterfly, Disney, Gap, and Philz Coffee. In recent years, she has been an independent consultant for consumer-oriented start-ups providing marketing, product, and general management support.

Cindy has a keen interest in education and improving access to quality education for all children given her own experience in the public school system in Asia and the US. After graduating from Harvard Business School, she became involved with the HBS Community Partners in SF where she has worked on a number of projects for education-related non-profits such as the Bay Area Discovery Museum, YMCA Youth & Government, and Readworks.org. Cindy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Stanford University.