Our Board
Get to know our dedicated board
Board Chair
Advancement, Governance & Visibility Committee Member
Governance Committee Member
Advancement Committee Chair
Board Secretary
Governance Committee Chair
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Finance Advisory Committee Member
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Board Treasurer
Advancement Committee Member
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Advancement Committee Member
Visibility Committee Chair
Governance Committee Member
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Finance Committee Member
Visibility Committee Member
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Visibility Committee Member
Meet Our Board Members
Anita (“Anaita”) Kapadia joined the Family Connections board in 2020. She was introduced to the organization by a friend, went on a tour of one of Family Connections’ preschools, and was impressed by the range of services that Family Connections provides families in addition to high-quality education. She particularly valued the fact that Family Connections supports underserved caregivers in becoming leaders in their families and communities; Anita worked full-time while raising two sons and knew how much her family benefited from a high-quality preschool with strong, supportive leaders.
Anita is a leadership and certified Positive Intelligence (PQ) Coach. She focuses on overcoming the pressure to be perfect, builds on strengths, and encourages learning to handle healthy conflict to find mutual purpose. For over 20 years, Anita has held leadership roles in high-tech companies and holds a dual degree in Math & Computer Science from UCLA. She is now focused on helping others who feel stressed, anxious, or need clarity to manage negative self-talk, lower anxiety, and learn to stay calm while managing life’s challenges. She loves to read, travel, and volunteer.
Nisha rejoined the Family Connections board in 2024, having previously served from 2016 to 2022. Initially inspired during a tour of the Redwood City site, she was struck by Family Connections' holistic approach to education and whole-family support. Since then, she has been a dedicated advocate for early education, working to raise awareness about the research and data that underscore the importance of Family Connections' work. Nisha has also served on the national board of Breakthrough Collaborative and currently leads service learning across the Hillsborough City School District.
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With a professional background in product and marketing strategy, Nisha has spent over a decade working on global projects at Visa Inc. Her focus has been on marketing strategy and planning, corporate strategy, and product innovation. Prior to joining Visa, Nisha worked in the private equity and finance sector. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
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Outside of her professional endeavors, Nisha enjoys hiking, traveling, and watching sports with her family.
Elizabeth Weal, who joined our board in 2022, first learned about Family Connections more than 20 years ago while teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at Sequoia Adult School in Menlo Park, where many of her adult students enrolled their children in the Family Connections program alongside them.
Elizabeth is the founder of Upward Scholars, a local non-profit that provides support to adult immigrants to continue their education in community college. Before working as an ESL teacher, she worked at Apple Computer and then spent a decade as a freelance marketing communications consultant. Elizabeth received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and an elementary teaching credential from Santa Clara University. She recently retired and is loving the freedom of having time to improve her Spanish, read, volunteer, and spend time with her grandchild.
Yvonne Freund joined the board in 2023. What piques her interest in Family Connections is the wrap-around service that includes the entire family and brings them into a supportive community of other parents, offering parenting classes, social options, and, if necessary, mental health support for the youth and/or their parents.
Yvonne is retired, and her current activities include advocating for youth in the social services system through CASA of San Mateo County and working to decrease gun violence through Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Professionally, Yvonne is an immunologist and worked for many years in a biotech start-up in Palo Alto, where she was part of a team that developed new small-molecule drugs to combat neglected tropical diseases. She worked as a consultant in the areas of infectious diseases and drug development for 5 years before retiring.
Yvonne holds a Ph.D. in microbiology/immunology from the U.C. Davis, a master’s degree in nutrition from the same institution, and a B.A. in biology from Mount Holyoke College in MA.
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Yvonne has two grown children, a son and a daughter, and worked full-time while raising them. She enjoys traveling, skiing, kayaking, hiking, cooking, and gardening.
A long-time supporter of Family Connections, Amy Schwimmer joined the board in 2021. A native Bay Area resident, Amy is passionate about supporting opportunities for under-resourced populations, especially in education. Her background includes serving as a teacher and administrator at Middle College High School sites, working with at-risk students, and working as Director of Operations and Communications at The Life You Can Save, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable, cost-effective global interventions for extreme poverty. She is also a long-time volunteer with local organizations, including PTAs, Friends of the Library, Second Harvest Food Bank, and, of course, Family Connections. Amy enjoys applying her communications and project development skills to supporting Family Connections’ important work.
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Amy received her bachelor's degree in International Relations from U.C. Davis and her secondary teaching credential in English from U.C. Berkeley’s Bay Area Writing Project. She and her husband enjoy hiking and spending time with their daughter, who is a high school choir teacher, and their son, a product manager.
Mike Hoffmann joined the Family Connections Board in 2023. He grew up locally in San Mateo County and attended Aragon High School. He and his wife, Berit, are both strong supporters of mission-driven organizations that focus on providing under-resourced individuals with the tools to enhance their self-sufficiency, particularly in the areas of education and healthcare.
Professionally, Mike is a Partner at Thoma Bravo, a software-focused investment firm. He joined Thoma Bravo in 2014, having previously worked as an investor at Providence Equity Partners and as an investment banker at Citigroup. Mike earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an AB degree from Harvard University.
Monali Shah joined the Family Connections Board of Directors in 2024. She was introduced to the organization by a colleague who mentioned Family Connections’ need for a board member with deep expertise in human resources. With nearly twenty years of experience in the field, Monali was a natural fit. She currently serves as a Lead Global People Partner at Waymo, where she supports complex, global teams and strategic people initiatives.
In addition to her corporate leadership, Monali is the Philanthropy Manager for the Young Men’s Service League and has been selected to represent Alphabet as a People and HR advisor to companies participating in the Google for Startups accelerator program worldwide.
Monali was drawn to Family Connections because of its commitment to strengthening families through early childhood development, caregiver support, and mental health services. She values the organization’s systems-level approach to building stable foundations for children and sees strong alignment with her passion for developing healthy, resilient communities.
Monali earned a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Rutgers University and a Master of Accounting from Gujarat University.
Andrea joined the Family Connections board in 2025. She first learned about Family Connections while volunteering with the Young Men’s Service League. Andrea is inspired by Family Connections’ dedication to enhancing the lives of individuals in our community through early childhood education and improved access to resources. She hopes to assist Family Connections in continuing to create sustainable value for the communities they serve.
Andrea brings over 25 years of experience in high-tech, with the last 23 years dedicated to enhancing operational efficiency at scale at Google. She has also served as President of the Young Men’s Service League (Redwood), co-leader for the Girl Scouts of America, and volunteered at Carlmont High School, St. Charles Parish, Serra High School, and San Carlos Children’s Theater. Andrea holds a degree in Japanese and Economics from Indiana University and is currently pursuing the next chapter of her career in Fashion and Costume design.
Sebastien Hutchinson originally joined the Family Connections Board in 2018. He became familiar with Family Connections and developed an appreciation for the organization while a student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. While at the GSB, his work in a strategic philanthropy class led him to conduct thorough diligence on Family Connections in his search for a Bay Area non-profit that impacted the lives of families through early childhood education. Sebastien believes that the best way to impact the lives of underserved children and their families is through investment in early childhood education, combined with parent education. After completing a six-year term, Sebastien took a mandatory year off from the board before rejoining as Treasurer in 2025.
Professionally, Sebastien is a Research Analyst at Snyder Capital Management, an investment firm in San Francisco. He began his career in investment banking before transitioning into investing. Before Snyder, Sebastien held several investment analyst positions. Sebastien received his Bachelor of Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He lives in Hillsborough and enjoys spending his free time with his family, traveling, trying new restaurants, and watching sports.
Julie Gosler's journey with Family Connections began during her leadership of a Young Men’s Service League project aimed at enhancing the Family Connection’s Redwood City facility and playground. Witnessing the Family Connections team's impactful work and dedication to linking families with vital services left an indelible mark on her. Consequently, Julie joined the board in 2024, eager to contribute her skills and passion to the organization's mission.
Bringing a wealth of experience from the world of advertising, Julie honed her craft at the esteemed creative agency Wieden & Kennedy. There, she spearheaded global commercial projects for iconic brands such as Nike, Miller, and Coca-Cola. Upon relocating to California in 2007, she redirected her creative energy toward landscape design, obtaining a certification in the field with a specialization in water-efficient plants.
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Julie's commitment to community service is evident through her extensive volunteer work with various nonprofits and local school systems, where she has played an integral role in program development and event execution. Her unwavering dedication to community engagement underscores her overarching goal of uplifting others and fostering a stronger, more interconnected society.
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In her leisure time, Julie enjoys traveling and tending to her garden, finding joy and fulfillment in exploring new destinations and nurturing the natural beauty around her.
Claudia Schweikert rejoined the Family Connections Board of Directors in 2026 after previously serving from 2019 to 2023. Her continued involvement reflects her deep commitment to ensuring that families from all backgrounds have access to high-quality early learning, supportive caregiver communities, and nurturing educators.
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Claudia was first introduced to Family Connections through Little Wonders, the cooperative preschool her children attended. Little Wonders was a transformational experience for her family and inspired her desire to help expand access to the kind of high-quality preschool classroom and strong parent community that made such a difference in their lives.
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Claudia’s professional background spans both law and education. As an attorney, she practiced securities litigation and later worked at a legal services agency serving low-income clients in housing, consumer fraud, and public benefits matters. She also served as Assistant Dean for Graduate Diversity at Stanford University, where she focused on recruiting and supporting graduate students of color.
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Claudia has remained deeply engaged in education and community leadership. She served on the Site Council at Escondido Elementary School, is an emeritus mediator for the City of Palo Alto, and previously served on the board of Parents Nursery School. She is also a former volunteer with the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team.
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Claudia earned her bachelor’s degree in History and French Literature from Duke University and her JD and MBA from Stanford University. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband and three children and enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family.
Lewis Thompson joined the Family Connection board in 2024 after learning about the organization at an information-sharing session, where he was drawn to Family Connection's mission and impressed by its strong leadership. Lewis is a longtime supporter of early childhood education and believes that Family Connections is poised to have a significant impact on the outcomes of children in the Bay Area who have the opportunity to participate in its programs.
Lewis is Senior Vice President of development for Oracle Human Capital Management (HCM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) Cloud Application, where his responsibilities include direct ownership of Oracle Global Payroll, Country Extensions, Absence, Time Management, Scheduling, Learning, and RSCM Health. In addition, Lewis is responsible for the execution of the HCM/SCM Health Care Vertical. In this role Lewis is responsible for ensuring Oracle delivers a comprehensive solution for Oracle’s Healthcare customers.
Ana Paula Garay joined the Family Connections Board of Directors in 2026. Born and raised in Chula Vista, just south of San Diego near the U.S.–Mexico border, Ana Paula grew up in a multicultural and multilingual household where education was deeply valued. Those early experiences shaped both her worldview and her commitment to expanding access to educational and mental health supports for children and families.
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Ana Paula has volunteered extensively with nonprofit organizations in the education and health sectors, including time spent in Guatemala translating for physicians and supporting an elementary school community. These formative experiences inspired her to pursue advanced training in mental health, and she is now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
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In 2021, Ana Paula joined the Redwood City School District as Lead Mental Health Counselor. There, she built the district’s in-house mental health team from the ground up, developing the systems and infrastructure needed to deliver counseling services across 12 school sites serving students ages 4 to 14. Under her leadership, the counseling program has received the Community Partnership Award from Stanford University, the Kent Award from the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association.
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Through her work and service, Ana Paula is committed to ensuring that children and families have access to high-quality, culturally responsive mental health support.
Join our Board
We're looking for energetic, inspiring people to join our board.
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We steer the organization toward a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as by ensuring the organization has adequate resources to advance its mission.
Contact us at boardchair@familyconnections.org to learn more about joining our board.