Laura is happy to be part of the team at North Marin Community Services. She is a Bay Area native, raised in Petaluma. She is a graduate of Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Berkeley, where she majored in Social Welfare. After working as an IT consultant for bay area non-profits, she spent several years as a data analyst at Santa Rosa Junior College, and joined the North Marin Community Services team in March of 2022. In her spare time, Laura hangs out with her cat Andromeda, reads everything under the sun, and devotes endless hours to solving puzzles.

Emily Bugos is a long-time member of the Novato community and has dedicated her career to the Child Development industry. She obtained a Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education in December 2020 from San Francisco State University. Prior to this, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Education with a focus on community-based public health. Emily has worked within SFSU as a Head Teacher with Associated Students Early Childhood Education Center serving children 0-5 years, and as an Elementary Education Dept Teaching Assistant (she will also be a lecturer there this fall). She has experience working with children and families from diverse backgrounds, and has worked at various childcare centers including Bright Horizons at Letterman Digital Arts Childcare Center. She holds a Site Supervisor Permit and has familiarity working with CA State licensing requirements (Title XXII) and CA Dept of Education (Title V) regulations. Emily is a Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) Certified Trainer, consults for Early Care Educators of San Francisco, and has presented at various conferences. Emily progressed through the NUSD public school system, from kindergarten through high school, and is an alumna of the Novato Youth Center afterschool program. Working with children and families has always been a passion for Emily, who believes that these relationships are at the heart of the work that we do. She is delighted to be welcomed to the NMCS team and to become part of such a strong community of people working to offer high quality programs. In her personal time, Emily enjoys reading, indoor cycling and hiking with her dog.

Berta emigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 16 years old. She did not speak English and faced the struggles of being a new immigrant. The gifts and challenges of those experiences have informed her work and given her great compassion for the difficulties that are faced by newcomers to this country. She has focused her career and volunteer work on human rights and the health and wellness of immigrants, in particular Latine and low-income communities.

As the former Health Education and Promotores Program Director at the Novato Youth Center, she was integral in launching a teen pregnancy prevention program, the Novato Teen Clinic and most recently a Promotores Program. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley and has over 33 years of experience working with Latine and low-income young people and their families.

As a former active parent volunteer, Berta has served on the Site Leadership Team and PTA Board at San Ramon Elementary and as a Lynwood parent representative in the Blue Ribbon Coalition and NUSD Gate Advisory and Diversity Committees. Berta was also a steering committee member of United for Safe Schools Novato (USSN), a former board trustee at the Novato Youth Center, School Fuel and Marin Academy. She is also a volunteer docent at the Robert Ferguson Observatory.

Berta is a passionate advocate for her community and continues to make a lasting contribution to the community at large. In 2008, she received the Novato Multicultural Commission Rene Lopez Faces of Novato award; in 2009, the Marin County Human Rights Commission Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian award; in 2011, Empowering the Latino Community Leadership Award, North Bay Leadership Council and in 2021 the Latino Leadership Award from the North Bay Business Journal. Her commitment to fostering cross-cultural understanding and building interpersonal respect has helped make Novato and Marin County a better place for us all to live.

Maria worked for the County of Marin- Behavioral Health and Recovery Services as the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator and helped support their efforts to reduce ethnic and racial disparities by investing more resources, training, and support for Community Health Advocate and Promotores programs in underserved communities (including Latine individuals, mono-lingual Asian populations, and individuals living in Marin City), and increasing coordination and cultivating relationships with grassroots, faith-based, and other community providers and partners. In this role, she fostered strong relationships with key community partners, led Mental Health First Aid trainings, Family Support Groups, and Parenting Classes. She was previously a therapist at an inpatient facility providing services for people with dual diagnoses and has trained and worked in a variety of clinical settings and provided psychotherapy to adults, adolescents, children, couples, and families, with a focus on addressing the needs and disparities in the immigrant Latine population and LGBTQ+ communities.

Alaine Kalder joined NMCS as the organization’s first HR Generalist in February 2020. Alaine was promoted to HR Manager in October 2021. Prior to NMCS, Alaine worked in Human Resources at VIP Petcare, with a focus on recruiting, talent management, and employee relations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Illinois, Chicago and PHRca certification.

Michelle Keane began her journey at North Marin Community Services (then the Novato Youth Center) in December of 1998.  She began as the After School Kindergarten Aide, and since then has taken on a variety of classroom roles in all Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs - from the infant room to preschool.  In 2017 she became the Preschool Head Teacher and focused on providing quality care, and an enriching, developmentally appropriate environment for the children in her care.  In 2020, she was promoted to ECE Assistant Manager, where she splits her time between the classroom and providing more focused support to the ECE Program.  She also runs the Developmental Playgroup Program, offering support to families that don’t have access to affordable and high-quality preschool. Michelle holds an AA degree in Early Childhood Development from Santa Rosa Junior College.

Liliana comes to North Marin Community Services with experience in the non-profit sector working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay, followed by transitioning into a Staffing Consultant role with AppleOne Employment Agency and experience within Administrative Support. Serving in an array of roles from intake, case management, recruitment, administrative and management, Liliana has been a strong support for the community and organizations.

Graduating from Sonoma State University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Liliana knew her future roles would involve directly working with the community. Returning to an organization which directly supports youth, adults and families has been a place where she feels most comfortable and passionate. Now, as a mother of 3 young school aged children, Liliana sees the importance of community support for all.

Isaura has been with our organization for more than 20 years and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. She has been working for several years with our Amigos program and for many years with the Thriving Families program, assisting some of our most vulnerable families to strengthen relationships, reduce barriers to care, connect them with critical resources and participate in wraparound team meetings. Her support and effective case management have allowed many families in Marin to overcome personal crisis and family emergencies. These interventions have created family stability reducing the likelihood of child abuse.

While her days are filled with difficult stories of challenging circumstances, Isaura receives each family with an open-heart and her full attention, treating each family or individual with the utmost dignity, compassion and respect.

Isaura has also done contract work for Children & Family Services and in 2015 became certified as a Visitation Supervisor through Marin County’s Superior Court. Isaura received the North Bay Business Journal’s 2022 Latino Business Leadership Award. She lives with her husband and son in Novato.

Paul was born and raised in Novato attending local schools and has distinct memories of meeting his friends at what was then known as the Novato Boys Club. Paul graduated from Marin Catholic High School and received a Bachelor of the Arts from the University of Chicago.  After several years in the outdoor recreation industry, Paul returned to the Bay Area and began a career focused on helping others through non-profits.  Over the last 15 years he has held multiple leadership positions at the Alameda Food Bank and Hand in Hand Parenting, with an emphasis on operations and finance including time as Executive Director at both organizations.  Paul has a record of building capacity and creating programs that improve the client experience while protecting the bottom line. When not working Paul enjoys exploring the outdoors with his three children, preferably on bicycles.

Stefanie F. Smith, Ph.D is a licensed clinical psychologist who brings 30 years of youth and family focused experience across a range of sectors including public and private school education, community mental health, crisis response, health care/hospital, legal, non-profit, residential, and undergraduate and graduate training.  She has served as direct service provider (teacher and psychologist), researcher and program evaluator, consultant, supervisor, trainer, professor, and executive leader. She specializes in training, strategic planning, program development, and evaluation design. Her overarching expertise is in trauma specific services, and trauma-responsive care. She has published articles and book chapters in this area and presented at regional, national, and international conferences and is an affiliate member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

She loves to develop innovative and engaging services that use the science of trauma and adversity and to train providers, especially in trauma-specific interventions. She is “passionate about expanding the ways we think about providing mental health services, especially when it comes to trauma and adversity, so the services can be more accessible and effective.”

Dr. Smith loves spending time outdoors, especially hiking and participating in many other outdoor recreation activities and spending quality time with her daughter.

Angelina has worked for Marin Community Services (and previously Novato Youth Center) for nine years, and has held various positions including Student Intern, Elementary Teacher, Kindergarten Teacher, School Age Head Teacher and more recently Child Development Program Coordinator. She has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Sonoma State and continues her education through College of Marin, taking ECE and administrative courses. Angelina is a lifelong Novato resident, attended Waldorf and NUSD schools. She quotes, “I am excited to grow in my new position and to learn new things each and every day. Working with the children and their families brings me joy. Seeing the smiles on their faces and being able to make a difference in their lives is why I get up in the morning. When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the support and guidance of those around me. You can always find me singing, dancing, and cracking a joke inside and outside of the office. I look forward to beginning my next chapter at NMCS!”

Stephanie Williams joined North Marin Community Services in September 2018. Stephanie is an experienced fundraiser that brings donors closer to NMCS’ core work and its positive impact on the children, families and community of Northern Marin. Prior to joining NMCS, she worked as a fundraising consultant and advised clients on best practices to deepen and diversify their funding base. She also taught a suite of fundraising classes at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL. Stephanie was the past Director of Annual Giving for the Marine Mammal Center, where she helped grow the annual fund during a successful capital campaign for its current facility. Stephanie holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College. She is the author of “Donor Preferences and Charitable Giving,” published in the International Journal of Educational Advancement.

Stephanie served on Charity Navigator’s Consultative Council of Nonprofit Leaders and is a past board member of Marin Charitable. She is passionate about helping children and families in need. Stephanie is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She enjoys fundraising and communicating to donors the power and effect of their investment.

“Our mission to help support under-resourced families in Novato with a variety of critical services was both motivating and inspirational. I believe in equity and leveling the unequal playing field for our participants and providing a voice for families and individuals who are unable or afraid to speak up. Advocating for these families and helping them be productive members of our community lifts us all up and was instrumental in me wanting to be part of this important work.”

“I’m truly honored to serve on the NMCS Board of Directors, a responsibility I take very seriously. Working to support our participants and staff is one of the highlights of my policing career.”

“A TFI client's joyful tears, a Food Pantry client's friendly smile, so precious.”

Kate joined the board of North Marin Community Services in 2015, and she brings over 20 years of nonprofit experience both as an internal change agent as well as a governance leader, and most recently as president of her own nonprofit consulting group. Her experiences range from securing multi-million-dollar philanthropic revenue, to streamlining organizational processes and procedures. Kate is currently a doctoral candidate in Organizational Change and Leadership at USC where her favorite research topics are nonprofit governance dynamics and the fundamentals of accountability and change within the nonprofit sector. She lives in Novato with her opera-loving husband and her two sweet and sporty kids.

“Giving back to the community is one of the most impactful ways to make a difference in our world. NMCS is where our community connects, the services provided touch so many people every single day, and it has been an honor to contribute to its success as a board member.”

“The desire to be a part of North Marin Community Services centers on my belief that people matter, as individuals, as family members, as community members.  And yet, our social justice system and our safety net for those who are impoverished (and/or disabled, from diverse communities, legal and illegal immigrants and so on) are both profoundly unjust and demonstrably unequal. I personally do not know how to take steps to correct such wide scale injustice or to patch the basic safety net – and yet, serving on the Board of NMCS is one way that I can help course correct. Working with like-minded fellow board members and staff, gives me the satisfaction that at least in this corner of the US, our community members receive needed, essential services timely and effectively, while treating the recipients with dignity and respect.”

“Together we are strong.”

“I am honored to serve on the board of North Marin Community Services, which mission closely aligns with my values. This dynamic team solves complex challenges for our neighbors, making sure there is opportunity for all in our diverse community.”

“I chose to serve on NMCS Board because I believe in the Mission: To empower youth, adults and families in our diverse community to achieve well-being, growth and success.”

“I choose to serve on the board because I believe in NMCS’s mission of ensuring opportunities for all. NMCS is a strong advocate for change and equality, and their work ensures the underserved are heard, seen, and have access to the much-needed safety net services that help families, youth and adults thrive. I am honored to be part of their community.”

"NMCS was instrumental in seeing me through a rough patch of my life and after getting back on my feet, it was an easy decision to give back in service and support to an organization so near and dear to my heart."

“Deciding to serve on the NMCS Board was not a difficult decision for me. Not only did I want to share my time and energy serving the less fortunate in my wonderful hometown community of Novato, but I also wanted to carry on in my mother's footsteps. My mother, Annette K. Smail, was one of the founding forces in the formation of the Novato Human Needs Center 50 years ago and also served on the Board!”

“I am very proud of my service to NMCS over the years. I have witnessed many people in our community benefit from its programs and I continue to admire the leadership and staff which makes it happen.”