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

Karen Dunn

Director

  • For the past 25 years, Karen has been an active volunteer supporting Marin families.

    She is currently Treasurer of the Board at Enriching Lives through Music, a year-round,

    tuition-free music program providing children from the Canal in San Rafael music

    education as well as academic support. In the past, she served as PTA President and

    Treasurer for Neil Cummins Elementary School, as Treasurer of the Tidalwaves

    recreational swim team, and as President and Treasurer of the Board as well as

    costume coordinator at Stapleton School of the Performing Arts in San Anselmo. She

    began her career in the private sector as a financial analyst and project manager.

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

Rosa Gonzalez

  • Since 2011 Rosa has been the Family Center Coordinator at San Pedro Elementary School, one of two elementary schools in the Canal neighborhood served by ELM. In this role, she oversees a variety of parent engagement and support services, including school-based counseling, family advocacy, and parent education. During the past six summers, Rosa has also led the SRCS Summer Bridge program, which promotes school readiness for kindergarten-bound students and their families. Born and raised in Mexico, Rosa holds an Associate degree in Accounting from CBTIS Mexico and, in 2021, was awarded the Above Self award by the Evening Rotary Club of San Rafael. Rosa’s daughter was in the first class of cellists at ELM and currently plays in ELM’s Youth Orchestra.

Director

Tiana Wimmer

Director

  • 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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