Our Staff

Aissa, Development Manager

Christian, Youth Program Manager

Gaugdy, Family Program Coordinator

Gustavo, Youth Program Coordinator – Academics

Kristina, Co-Executive Director

Sieng, Community Engagement Manager

Tamthy, Co-Executive Director

Thu, Family Program Manage

Xochilt, Administrative Coordinator

Kandelia Staff Flunk Day 2024

Our Partners

Emily, English Conversation Class Instructor

Our Board

Mary Emile-Wagler, Chair
She/Her | Languages: English, French, Arabic
Mary was born in Egypt and spent the first 10 years of her life in Syria before moving to rural Kansas. Seeing her childhood home become the site of the largest ongoing refugee crisis has instilled in Mary a deep passion for working with refugee and immigrant communities. Mary is excited to bring her experience in education, strategy, and philanthropy to the board and to play a small part in supporting Kandelia achieve its mission.

Fun fact: Mary loves to cook and is always looking for new recipes to try (recommendations always welcomed!)

Anne Gerry, Vice Chair
She/Her | Languages: English, French (advanced), Japanese (intermediate)
I was born in New York to immigrants from South Korea. I have a degree in Classics from Yale University and a J.D. from Yale Law School. In my previous life, I was a corporate attorney, and more recently I have had the privilege of being a stay-at-home parent to two wonderful children. During our time living on both coasts of the U.S. and abroad in Japan, I have supported our surrounding communities through deep involvement in local schools, teams, and other organizations, and have also engaged in pro bono legal work and philanthropic activities. I passionately believe that exposure to other cultures broadens our perspectives, increases our humility and respect for others, and helps us live in community with each other. I also have faith in the unique power of education to transform lives. I am inspired by the work that Kandelia does to honor the many cultures of the communities that it serves, while providing young students with the tools to succeed through its programs at the Seattle World School. I am honored to assist with Kandelia’s mission.

Fun fact: I can do 40 push-ups in a minute and once participated in a stair-climbing competition.

Johnny Nguyen, Secretary
I am a proud Vietnamese American that was born and raised in Seattle. I graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and have been working in the emergency and cardiovascular critical care settings in California and Washington state. I am passionate about health equity and health literacy, and after spending a couple years at the bedside am now pursuing my PhD in Nursing Science at the University of Washington with a research focus on occupational health and demography. I am excited to use my health science background and research focus to bring a unique lens to Kandelia’s mission and improve the inequities in our community.

Melissa Grubb, Treasurer
She/Her | Languages: Spanish, English
Melissa brings over 15 years of expertise in business management and finance, with experience spanning both large corporations and small businesses. She spent the majority of her career at Boeing, specializing in strategy, finance, operations, and executive program management. She also served as a Controller for a privately held company, overseeing accounting functions and supporting executive decision-making. Currently, Melissa is a licensed insurance broker specializing in Medicare health insurance plans for seniors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. Melissa previously served on the Board of Directors for ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America), where she supported professional development and community engagement.

Fun Fact: Outside of work, Melissa enjoys traveling and Latin dancing. She currently resides in Renton, Washington with her son.

Gregorio Vincent, Board Member
He/Him | Languages: English, French, survival Spanish
I’m the son of Haitian immigrants and I was born and raised in New York City. I graduated from Cornell University in 2011 with a degree in Applied Economics and Management. Though I pivoted a couple of years ago into engineering and was brought to Seattle via my role as a Quality Analyst for Xbox. Being the child of immigrants, I saw the value that Kandelia brings to the Seattle community, and I wanted to be part of it. Being on the board allows me to leverage my professional and community work experience while gaining new skills.

Fun fact: I helped start the Black Joy Parade, an annual community event in Oakland, CA.

Maria Jimenez-Zepeda, Board Member
She/Her | Languages: English, Spanish
Maria is the proud daughter of Mexican parents and has spent her life living and working with immigrant communities. Professionally, Maria brings her policy and project management experience to help create equitable conditions that allow individuals and families to thrive. In her personal time, Maria serves on the Seattle Immigrant and Refugee Commission and is a partner of the Education Collective Action Team at Social Venture Partners.

Fun fact: Maria got to play the star of a Metro video highlighting Metro’s COVID safety mitigations! Check it out here.

Nausheen Rajan, Board Member
She/Her | Languages: English, Urdu, Hindi
Nausheen is the daughter of immigrants from Karachi, Pakistan. She is currently a Policy Advisor for the city of Seattle’s Mayor’s office, where her portfolio covers transportation, parks, and climate action. Prior to joining the Mayor’s office, Nausheen was at Kinetic West, a Seattle-based social impact consulting firm, where she worked with clients on workforce development programming and community stakeholder development for public sector entities across the country. Her experience also includes being on the Economic Development Team at Bloomberg Associates, where she advised clients on improving economic mobility outcomes in cities such as Phoenix, Tampa, London, Newark, and New York.

Fun fact: In 2020, Nausheen co-founded an initiative to increase generational voter participation and civic engagement in her Muslim community by training over 150 community members how to relationlly organize. The initiative was able to reach close to 10,000 individuals. 

Ruel Olanday Jr, Board Member
He/Him
Since 2004, Ruel Olanday Jr has held various roles in the public sector in support of youth, that include community organizer, educator, social worker, philanthropic advisor, executive director, and most recently as the Organizing Director for FEEST Seattle. Recognized for being an innovative, purpose-driven leader with a steadfast commitment to the empowerment of youth and communities impacted by racial inequity. He is a sought-after expert on community-led racial justice, youth development, and policy/systems navigation/change with a proven history of building bridges across sectors, community organizations, philanthropy, and the education system. Not only leveraging his professional background, but also his lived experience as a 1st gen Filipino American, has contributed deeply to the impact of projects across local city to nation-wide efforts.

Fun fact: When not out hustlin’ for the community, you can find him reading fiction, playing with his two pups, hanging out his wife, helping out his huge extended family, or/and throwin down in the kitchen!

Chanin Kelly-Rae, Board Member
She/Her
Chanin Kelly-Rae is a nationally respected expert in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and the Founder & CEO of Chanin Kelly-Rae Consulting. She partners with leaders across government, philanthropy, nonprofit, and corporate sectors to assess organizational health, align intent with measurable outcomes, and build accountable systems that foster belonging and sustainable change. A former public-school educator and coach, Chanin began her career in Milwaukee, where her commitment to equitable access became her life’s work. Her approach blends strategic insight, data, and authentic storytelling to move teams from intention to action—guided by the principle, “Build nothing for them, without them.” Clients value her honesty, practical frameworks, and ability to translate complex challenges into clear, people-centered solutions. Originally from Milwaukee, she now lives in Washington State with her husband and their dog, Max, and is the proud mom of two college students. She continues to serve communities through mentorship, philanthropy, and pro bono advisory work.

Fun Fact: While teaching high school in Milwaukee, I organized after-school $25 sports physicals—covering costs for students who couldn’t pay—so they could play, stay in school, and keep a 2.0 GPA. That small, year-long effort became a mini clinic and remains one of my proudest investments in young people.

Jordan Wong, Board Member
He/Him | Languages: English, conversational Cantonese
Jordan is the son of Chinese immigrants, born in New Orleans and raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and San Diego, California. He is currently a Strategy Officer at the Gates Foundation, where he supports global development and social impact initiatives. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Jordan led strategy roles at Humana, CVS Health, and Accenture, working across public and private sectors to expand access to care and advance health equity. His early work included public health roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Jordan holds a B.A. in International Development Studies from UCLA and brings a deep commitment to building inclusive systems that reflect the communities they serve.

Fun fact: Jordan has been to 20 national parks so far!

Marcela Diaz, Board Member
She/Her | Languages: Spanish, English
Marcela was born in Mexico and was raised there until age 8. Her family then migrated to Washington state where she was raised in Kirkland. She began schooling in 4th grade with no English and surrounded by predominantly white peers. Her experience with the lack of support coupled with the culture shock around her, shaped and guided her path towards her profession and life work. For over 20 years she has been an advocate for immigrant rights and preserving of cultures with various community-based organizations where she is better known as Mara. She is the Director of Equity and Social Justice for a local communications firm where she bridges advocacy work with agencies by building strategies and practices that increase access for diverse communities. As a circle keeper she works to bring healing methodologies to systems and teams. She is honored to use her skills and life experience to support Kandelia in this new role.

Fun fact: Marcela finds healing and restoration through music and movement, so she is a habit dancer in various genres.

Are you passionate about removing barriers to immigrant and refugee success? Board members use their unique skills and life experiences to help guide our organization to make an impact. Contact us to learn more about opportunities to join our board.