OUR
TEAM
TEAM MEMBERS.
Marisela Santana
Founder & President
Marisela Santana is the Founder and President of Guerrera Leadership. Marisela oversees the organization’s long-term planning and strategy. In her role, she is responsible for leading the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the organization.
Marisela received her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, Monterey Bay as well as her Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has been working in education for over 15 years and ranges from working with students in the classroom, to working with parents in school settings as a parent liaison and administrative support. She is currently working as a third-grade, Dual Immersion teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. This year marks her 10th year at Lincoln School where she has been sharing her passion and knowledge of Spanish Language acquisition with the school community. When not in the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to their favorite places, and developing new concepts and ideas for Guerrera Leadership.
Agustina Leyva
Vice President
Agustina Leyva is the lead board director of financial management and oversight for Guerrera Leadership. In this capacity, Agustina develops systems for ensuring the organization's solvency.
Agustina received a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from California State University Monterey Bay and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. She prides herself in being a Salinas native-born to farm working parents. She is a first-generation college graduate and an ELL who was reclassified as a fluent English speaker in the second grade. She began her experience in education working with California Mini Corps as a teacher assistant and has been a teacher for 17 years in Salinas, California. She is currently in her 9th year as a 4th-grade Dual Immersion teacher at Lincoln Elementary School and is passionate about advocating for the Dual Immersion program and preparing students via the biliteracy pathway. She is also passionate about working with second language learners and helping them achieve fluency in both English and Spanish. When she is not in the classroom she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and tending to her garden.
Elizabeth Matos
Treasurer
Elizabeth is a founding board member and treasurer co-chair of Guerrera Leadership.
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Elizabeth received her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies from Sonoma State University, her TESOL master's degree from San Jose State University, and is a nationally board-certified teacher in English as a New Language-Early and Middle Childhood/Specialist. She has been teaching elementary school for 14 years. The first eleven years teaching in English, and the last three in a dual-immersion, Spanish and English setting. Elizabeth is a first-generation Portuguese American and she and her husband enjoy visiting their family in the Azores, Portugal, and continuing to pass the traditions of her culture to her two boys.
Zinniah Mariscal
Secretary
As Secretary, Zinniah Mariscal leads the organization in meeting preparation, planning agenda, and taking minutes. Zinniah also handles the process for welcoming new board members, mentors, mentees and junior mentees.
Zinniah received her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and Masters of Arts in Teaching from Santa Clara University. She is currently in her fourth year of teaching as a dual-immersion teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. She is passionate about helping her students reach their goals and grow to be contributing members of our community. In her free time, Zinniah enjoys cooking up new recipes, spending time with her loved ones and attending concerts.
Laura Santana
Communications
As Communications and Marketing Officer for Guerrera Leadership, Laura leads the internal and external communication functions for the organization. She also oversees the marketing and branding assets for the Guerrera Leadership campaigns.
Laura received her Bachelor's Degree from California State University Monterey Bay in Social and Behavioral Sciences, with a Minor in Nonprofit Management. She began her experience in Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has worked in the Graphic Design and Marketing Industry for over 15 years. She is currently working as a Social Media Manager and Strategic Lead at Central Coast Sign & Design. In her free time, Laura enjoys reading, watching a good movie, gardening, and spending time with her husband and young daughters.
Christina Pérez
Board Member & Advisor
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Christina received her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies from Fresno State and her Masters degree in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University.
She has been teaching for ten years and is currently an administrator at Salinas City Elementary School District where she has been an ongoing advocate for the Dual Immersion Program and an active member in helping build the culture at Lincoln Elementary School. She feels passionate about helping students and giving back to her community. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and enjoying the outdoors. Some of her hobbies include hiking, running, and mountain biking.
Christina is a founding board member and advisor to Guerrera Leadership.
Maria Giannini
Board Member & Advisor
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She is a former Vice President of e2k and, currently, a freelancer with the same company as a senior producer. Maria has extensive experience with contract negotiation and managing large-scale budgets. Her expertise is in marketing and special events. Maria has had the opportunity to travel the world and work with clients like the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Microsoft, Sony, Marvel Films, and Pixar just to name a few. In addition to producing high-profile events, Maria served as the Executive Director for the San Diego Charger Girls for nearly 15 years, where her responsibilities included; contract and budget negotiation, audition management, personnel oversight, public speaking training, and overall professional consulting for the NFL dance team. In addition, Maria enjoys giving back to the community. She is very active in philanthropy, working with non-profits, such as; The Boys and Girls Club, Junior League of Monterey County, Natividad Hospital Foundation, and the Grower-Shipper Association. In addition to non-profits in Monterey County, Maria and her husband, Dirk, were active school volunteers at Lincoln Elementary School while both of their daughters attended the school.
Maria is a founding board member and advisor to Guerrera Leadership.
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Dr. Beatriz S. Chaidez
Board Member & Advisor
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She serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources for the San Jose Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD). She possesses a Bachelor of Arts Degree from California State University, Fresno, a Master’s Degree from Fresno Pacific University and earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from University of California, Davis. Dr. Chaidez has a broad range of experience as a teacher and as K-12 school administrator and most recently the California Community College system. Her career began as a teacher of a Two Way Bilingual Immersion program. Her teaching experienced included first grade through middle school and as a high school English Language Development (ELD) teacher. Subsequently, Dr. Chaidez became a high school principal at her alma mater Tranquillity High School. Over the span of thirteen years she served Superintendent/Principal of Raisin City Elementary School District, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for Sacramento City Unified School District and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Salinas City Elementary School District. In her free time she loves spending time with her husband, Juan Manuel Chaidez, a fellow educator, principal of Lincoln Elementary School. They are the proud parents of ten-year old, Juan de Dios Chaidez.
Dr. Beatriz S. Chaidez is a founding board member and advisor to Guerrera Leadership.