Leadership Team

Vice President, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove

Christina Sepulveda is the Vice President of Community Impact Programs for Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove. Christina has been in youth development for 15 years and on the CAN Leadership Team since 2017 and Co-Chair since 2020. She is currently responsible for overseeing Early Learning Initiatives, Community Health Services, and Family Engagement/Outreach. She is responsible for the recruitment, coordination, and maintenance of community partnerships that foster the coordination of services for families in the community. She has a proven track record leading and facilitating community projects that build healthier communities through education, advocacy, and support. Christina’s focus in youth development has been on ‘whole-child’ models and mental health. Her strong belief in collaboration and serving the ‘whole-child’ has been a guiding philosophy throughout her career in youth development.

California Regional Director, Girls Leadership

Amal has worked in the Expanded Learning field for about fifteen years, providing leadership to out-of-school time programs in non-profit, school district, and municipal organizations throughout California. Amal has received her Masters in Education with a major in Equity and Social Justice from San Francisco State University. She is currently the California Regional Director at Girls Leadership and is a serving member on the California Afterchool Network Leadership Team.

Regional Director, LA’s Best

Maria holds an LA’s BEST Regional Director position with the Los Angeles Unified School District, in which she is responsible for providing support and development to a Region. Her role includes monitoring program sites to ensure that program values are implemented and that sites are in compliance with terms and conditions of grants. As well as creating and supporting continuous learning opportunities for staff in successfully integrating ideas and strategies towards quality student engagement. Maria’s passion comes from 26 years of experience in the afterschool movement. Maria has seen first hand the memorable impact afterschool programs have in the communities we serve and through the experience has assimilated the understanding needed as an afterschool practitioner into the various field positions she has held within the LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment program.  Maria was motivated to join the CAN Leadership Team because she is committed to working to develop the growth and progress of our staff so that our children have a safe place to engage in meaningful learning experiences. 

Co-Regional Lead,  Ventura County Office of Education

Consultant, Los Angeles County Office of Education

After a successful professional motorcycle road-racing career, Bill began his new career in education in 1998 with the Pasadena Unified School District as a Campus Aide.   In 2000 he moved to Blair IB School as a School Security Officer, a 3 sport Varsity Coach, and eventually Athletic Director.  Bill then became the first Site Coordinator for Blair’s 7^th-9^th grade ASES Program in 2004.  Four months after opening the ASES program, Bill and his Principal agreed to take on one of California’s first ASSETs pilot programs in 2005.  The success of the program was recognized early on, and it also provided the opportunities for him to become a pioneer, innovator, exemplary practitioner, and thought leader in High School Expanded Learning nationwide.  Bill was then hired by Think Together in 2009, as its first Director of High School Programs.  Once there, he successfully opened 14 ASSETs Programs across 4 Counties and 7 Districts, which all attained greater than 100% ADA in their first year of operation.  Bill recently served as the Director of High School Programs for A World Fit For Kids!, based in Los Angeles.  He is currently a Consultant for the Los Angeles County Office of Education.  He also currently serves on the CDE Workforce Implementation Committee and ASAP Connect’s BOLD Project.

Grants and Funding Programs Manager, Los Angeles Unified School District ​

Pablo Garcia-Hernandez is the Grants and Funding Programs Manager for Los Angeles Unified School District’s Beyond the Bell Branch. Pablo has worked in the youth development field for 25 years. His first experience was as an arts educator for Los Angeles Conservation Corp’s Clean and Green Program at Carver Middle School in South Los Angeles. He has worked in a wide variety of capacities and job titles in the field since then. He is currently responsible for overseeing grant operations for over 600 ASES, ASSETs, and 21CCLC-funded schools within LAUSD. He is also currently on the Founding Advisory Board for a new Los Angeles-Based organization, Rainbow Labs, that will pair Queer and Gender Non-Conforming Youth with mentors and leadership programming. His strong commitments to authentic youth-led programming and empowering young people to shape their own communities have made True North throughout his career, and in his choices for groups that he works and volunteers for.

Program Director Marin – Bay Area Community Resources

Mariana Lopez Quintanilla is a native of Venezuela who started her journey in the educational field in 1998 working in early childhood education and academic support for students with ADHD. In 2007, she worked with refugee youth in Miami Dade County to ensure that families understood the educational system and that students received services that supported their academic and social development.

In 2009, Mariana joined Bay Area Community Resources, where she has worked in the afterschool field in different capacities serving thousands of students every year, and supporting a team of 60 afterschool and family services professionals. A few years later, continuing her efforts to support marginalized communities, Mariana started training volunteers in Cultural Sensitivity to equip them with tools before they started helping students in Title I schools. For the last seven years, she has been an active board member of San Rafael City Schools Foundation, HeadsUp, where she continues to be an advocate for immigrant children and families in Marin County.

In 2014, Mariana received the BACR Best Practices Award for After School Programs and a Golden Bell Award from the Marin County Office of Education. She completed a fellowship program in 2016 with the National Equity Project and a fellowship with the National After School Matters Initiative in 2020. She is passionate about equity in education, implementing strategies to develop quality after school programs, and finding resources that inspire students to learn.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ProYouth

Dr. Marie M. Pinto is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for ProYouth, a nonprofit, Expanded Learning organization based in the Central Valley of California. In her role at ProYouth, Marie oversees the operation that serves 15,000 students, on 50 school sites, in six school districts and two counties. Marie is passionate about out-of-school time because it provides opportunities to those children who may not access to academic support, enrichment, a healthy meal, and a caring adult. Marie was motivated to join the CAN Leadership Team because it allowed her to participate in the process that can effect positive change for the field of expanded learning, and to work and interact with the change agents of the state.

Director of Programs & Operations, Think Together​ 

Harlyn Santos is Director of Programs and Operations for Think Together in the Santa Fe Springs Region. Harlyn has been in the Expanded Learning field for over 20 years. In her role, she leads strategically, acts intentionally, and works collaboratively across several platforms in order to ensure that students benefit from participating in OST programs. Her primary responsibility is to ensure the quality and fidelity of all programs by supporting daily operations, and oversight of the region. She collaborates with district partners and community partners to ensure that policies, procedures, and protocols are followed to benefit the students served. Harlyn was motivated to join the CAN Leadership Team because she is passionate about closing the achievement gap and giving all students an opportunity to develop as a whole. She wants to be part of the catalyst for change that is needed across our state for benefit of those in the field and for the field.