BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Laura Llerena

  • Laura Llerena is originally from Mexico and a proud mother of a 19-year-old son who participated in the Enriching Lives through Music (ELM) program for 11 years. As an ELM parent, Laura found a strong, supportive community of families that stood together during both joyful and challenging times.

    Laura’s commitment to community engagement extends beyond ELM. She served on the board of Parent Services Project (PSP) from 2012 to 2019, including a term as board president in her final year and a half. She brings a passion for empowering families and believes strongly in fostering leadership among parents within the ELM community.

    Professionally, Laura works as an Assistant Manager and Quality Assurance specialist at Peak Building Services. She is excited to serve on the ELM Board to help ensure families feel connected, engaged, and inspired by the transformative power of music.

Co-Chair

Karen Rosenquist

  • Karen is an educator and nonprofit leader with a passion for improving educational access and outcomes for underserved communities. After a 15-year career in film and digital media, she returned to the Bay Area in 2006 to focus on raising her two sons. During this time, Karen pursued a Master’s in Education from Dominican University, concentrating on educational policy and parent engagement. She became a founding board member of Minds Matter San Francisco, supporting first-generation high school students, and a mentor with the Meritus College Fund. In 2016, when it became clear there were no adequate schools for her dyslexic son, Karen founded North Bridge Academy to provide specialized education for children with dyslexia. Currently, Karen's role is as Executive Director/Founder. 

    Committed to addressing the literacy gap in low-income communities in Marin, Karen went on to earn a second Master’s in Education from Johns Hopkins University, specializing in mind, brain, and teaching. She now works to improve kindergarten readiness in under-resourced populations. In addition to her professional work, Karen serves on the board of Canal Alliance, where she chairs the governance committee and serves on the executive committee. She volunteers as a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) for foster and newcomer youth. 

    Karen lives in San Anselmo with her husband, Matt, their two dogs and parakeets. A recent empty-nester, she has deepened her knitting skills and attempts ceramics and pickleball.

Co-Chair

Linden Berry

Secretary

  • Linden Berry is a former marriage and family therapist who worked primarily with Marin

    County students and their families. After retiring she served as Poet-in-the-Schools; her

    students performed at Book Passage and Civic Center. She has served on the boards

    of Berkeley Rep and Marin Theater Company and is a member of the Lark Theater

    Brain Trust. Linden tutors at Bahia Vista Elementary and is a reading buddy at ELM. As

    the least musical member of a very musical family, she believes in the lasting gifts of a

    musical education: competence, confidence and community. She holds a BA in English

    from Vassar College and an MA in counseling psychology from the University of San

    Francisco.

Lynn Roy

  • Lynn has a Ph.D. in finance from Rutgers University and began her working career as an assistant professor of finance at Brooklyn College. After leaving academia she worked at several large investment management firms. Lynn left professional life several years ago to help shepherd her two children through high school and college. In her retirement, Lynn has been an active volunteer at Marin Academy High School, Marilyn Izdebski Productions, served on the board of Northern California Al-Anon, and currently is on the board of Congregation Rodef Sholom, where she serves on the finance committee and was their treasurer. Outside of volunteering, Lynn spends most of her time with friends and family, and nurturing a variety of interests. She is a devotee to movement; dancing West Coast Swing, hiking, and practicing yoga. She also is a ceramicist. Additionally, Lynn enjoys a robust spiritual life, she is currently training to lead retreats focused on expanding consciousness to connect with the Divine. Lynn’s association with ELM started at its inception. She strongly believes in its mission and the power of music and community to change lives. She was a reading buddy during COVID and is thrilled to be able to join its Board to support ELM more formally.

Treasurer

Jane Kramer

  • Jane has a Ph.D. in health policy from the University of California, Berkeley and worked for over a decade conducting adolescent health policy research at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the founding executive director of Enriching Lives through Music, an El-Sistema inspired program that uses intensive engagement in a vibrant music community as a powerful tool towards individual and social transformation. Jane plays oboe and English Horn and loves to kayak. She is the recipient of the 2016 Marin County Humanitarian Award for her social justice and music leadership. Jane is also a member of Marin Promise, a partnership committed to a common vision that all Marin students meet the educational milestones that are critical to assure lifetime success.

Executive Director

Marian Gutierrez Curiel

Director

  • Marian Gutierrez Curiel is an orchestral conductor and arts leader whose career is rooted in the El Sistema movement in Venezuela. She began her musical training at age nine and went on to perform internationally with the National Children’s Orchestra and later the
    Simón Bolívar Orchestra, appearing on major stages including Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Royal Albert Hall. Her experience within El Sistema continues to shape her commitment to excellence, collective music‐making, and youth empowerment.


    Since relocating to the United States, Marian has expanded her work into youth‐orchestra leadership, nonprofit administration, and community engagement. In Portland, she has served in multiple roles at BRAVO Youth Orchestras, including Community Engagement Manager, Orchestra Manager, and Strings Coordinator, supporting program development and family partnerships. She also serves as a conductor with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony.


    Across all her roles, she remains committed to expanding access to
    transformative music experiences and building supportive learning environments that help young people grow artistically and personally.

Rita Escajadillo

  • Rita is the Deputy Director for the Bay Area Office of PIQE (Parent Institute for Quality Education), overseeing the implementation of parent education programs for grades K-12 in schools throughout the region.  Involved with ELM since 2014, Rita’s two daughters study violin in the program and Rita serves as our Parent Facilitator, orienting new families and organizing parent presentations and activities.  Rita is originally from Peru and holds a degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from Inca Garcilaso de la Vega University in Lima and an Associate degree in Business Administration from College of Marin.

Director

Brian McLeran

  • Brian McLeran grew up in Larkspur and Kentfield and has deep roots in the Marin community. He and his wife, Laura, have been married for 48 years and have two adult children and three grandchildren.

    Brian earned an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science from the College of Marin and served as a volunteer firefighter for 28 years in Kentfield and Larkspur. He also owned and operated McLeran Roofing Co., Inc. for more than 45 years, continuing a family business founded by his father in 1929. Guided by his father’s belief in giving back, Brian has long supported local nonprofits and community organizations.

    A member of the Rotary Club of Terra Linda since 1994, Brian served as club president in 1997–1998 and Rotary District 5150 Governor in 2007–2008. Through Rotary, he has participated in service projects locally and internationally, including in Vietnam, India, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and Mexico.

    Brian first learned about Enriching Lives through Music (ELM) after hearing Jane Kramer speak at the Marin Forum. Inspired by the students’ musical performances and ELM’s mission, he began volunteering and sharing his experience in construction, building maintenance, real estate, business, and community service. He looks forward to helping ELM continue to grow and make a lasting difference in the lives of its students.

Director

Tiana Wimmer

Board Emerita

  • Tiana worked for over 20 years as a senior marketing executive at American Express and Wells Fargo. She was raised in a musical household with parents who were professional string players and teachers. Tiana became an avid amateur violinist, playing with orchestras and chamber music ensembles in the Bay Area, New York, and Europe. An active community volunteer in Marin County, Tiana chaired the Mill Valley Emergency Preparedness Commission and serves on the Marketing Committee at Marin Horizon School. She received her MBA from Columbia University and her BA from Yale.

Bob Rosenberg

Director

  • Bob practiced endodontics in Marin and taught at UCSF for almost 30 years. He co-founded the Ross Valley Girls Softball League and tried to never miss a game, a crew meet, or a water polo game enjoyed by his daughters.

    He is active in the environmental community as Board Chair of the Henry Fork Foundation, a watershed conservation organization in Eastern Idaho and on the boards of SPAWN and Cal Trout.

    Returning to his love of education, Bob was the Board Chair of the Marin County School Volunteers and encouraged its merger with 10,000Degrees, on whose board he served after the merger. He has been a volunteer tutor for the past fifteen years at Davidson Middle School and looks forward to continuing that relationship. He co-authored Giving from Your Heart, A Guide to Volunteering with Guy Lampard and is a Reading Buddy at ELM.

    Bob can often be found walking or biking the trails of Mt. Tam but is happiest when carrying a fly rod on the way to a trout stream.

Mitch Feldman

Director

  • Mitchell D. Feldman, MD, MPhil., FACP, is Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine (DGIM), Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Mentoring at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and currently serves as President of the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in General Internal Medicine. Dr. Feldman’s recent research has focused on mentorship and sponsorship in academic medicine. He has also conducted research on barriers and facilitators to quality depression care for medical patients.

    Dr. Feldman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The Johns Hopkins University, obtained an M.Phil. from Cambridge University, England in medical anthropology, and completed his MD and internal medicine training at UCSF. He has received several honors and awards including the Article of the Year Award from Academy Health, the National Award for Innovation in Medical Education from the Society of General Internal Medicine, and the ACLGIM Chiefs Recognition Award given to one general medicine Chief annually. Dr. Feldman has been a visiting professor at numerous universities in the U.S. and internationally, a Fulbright Research Scholar at Kyoto University, Japan, and a Fulbright Specialist at Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. He is the former co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) and now serves as Chair of the JGIM Editorial Board. He is also the co-editor of the textbook Behavioral Medicine: A Guide for Clinical Practice. Dr. Feldman maintains a primary care practice and is committed to providing equitable care to all patients. He is married to Jane Kramer, PhD, and is the father of two wonderful adult children, both in healthcare careers.

ELM provides youth with an immersive music education that empowers them to pursue their dreams and access resources they need to succeed in life.

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