Parents' Club of Palo Alto and Menlo Park

Allison Chao, Co-President

Allison is currently co-President for the 2008-09 term. She was Treasurer & Vice President of Finance of PAMP from 2006-2008 and was able to document and streamline many of the finance processes that were very manual in the past. She recruited a number of people to handle all the bookkeeping for the Club and has maintained a consistent team of people over the past few years. As Treasurer, she was a PAMP Board member for 2006-2008. She also took on the role of Vice President of Membership Operations from 2007-2008 and was able to improve the membership renewal and sign-up process this past year as well as improved the Yahoo Group administration for new members.

Allison is the proud mother of two daughters, a six-year-old and two-year old. She has been an active member since June 2002 when her oldest daughter was only a few months old. She has volunteered as the PAMP Bookkeeper since April of 2005. Allison was in the Preschool Family program in Palo Alto with her daughter for 2 years and volunteered for a number of committees. She also volunteered at her oldest daughter’s preschool. Currently, she volunteers at her daughter’s elementary school, Oak Knoll, as a room parent. She is also currently a co-leader for her oldest daughter's Daisy Girl Scouts troop at Oak Knoll. She served on the Finance Committee at Lytton Gardens, in Palo Alto, for a short time before her oldest daughter was born. Allison was an alumni advisor to her college sorority at UC Berkeley and she volunteers as a mentor for many students at Cal and answers student questions as needed.

Professionally, Allison was the VP/Corporate Controller for Ariba, Inc. and worked in various financial management positions at start-ups including Netscape, Frame Technology and Radius. She worked in public accounting prior to that at KPMG and Ernst & Young.

Her goals for PAMP include trying to increase the number of volunteers since PAMP is 100% volunteer-run. She would like to see PAMP continue its many adult & kid activities/events that have been the mainstay for PAMP over the years and then also increase PAMP's visibility in the community as it relates to community outreach programs. PAMP has a very large and diverse membership and we need to continue to provide programs and services that serve all members. Our members are wanting a better website that can provide useful information for our members not only to communicate with each other but to provide more information about PAMP's programs and services more easily than is available currently.

Heather Davila, President

Heather is a new Director on the Board and will be holding a two-year term. She most recently chaired one of our largest events, the annual Rummage Sale and has volunteered to coordinate it again next year in 2009. She has been a member of PAMP for about four years.

She has two children, a son (4yrs) and daughter (21 months). Her son attends Bing Nursery School where she currently volunteers. She also is serving a two-year term as chairman of the Social Committee at the Los Altos Hills Golf & Country Club. Other organizations our family contributes to are ALS Association, Cancer Society, Child Advocates, and the 49'r Academy.

Heather is passionate about being part of the PAMP leadership team because she is dedicated to volunteering and networking to help foster closeness in our community. PAMP is such a valuable resource to our community, and Heather wants to be abreast of topics to keep her family and community working and growing together.

She is a third-generation native to Los Altos. Having worked in her family's businesses, a bed & breakfast and an insurance brokerage, she feels that having the sales and customer service background from those makes her a strong people person, and feels that these skills will help her be a great liaison to the PAMP community.

Lucia Guh-Seisel , Secretary

Lucia has been a PAMP member since 2001, and lives in Los Altos, CA with her husband, two sons, a daughter, and two rabbits. She loves to volunteer at her children’s’ schools, Almond Elementary and Los Altos Parent Preschool and engage in fund raising events for the community and the local schools. She’s been very active in forum discussions and an active participant at the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year celebrations.

Lucia graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and then went on to graduate from law school at UC Hastings. Lucia is currently Director of Legal Affairs at Codexis, Inc, where her areas of expertise include corporate and intellectual property transactions. Prior to joining Codexis, she was an associate at the firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP, and before law school, Lucia worked at Amgen, UCSF, and Merck & Co., as a scientific researcher.

She’s been a member of PAMP for a number of years, now that two of her children are in grade school; she wants to give back to PAMP. As Secretary, she will primarily play a support function. She will help the Board manage and memorialize discussions, meetings and resolutions. She will also lend us her professional expertise in the general area of corporate governance.

Lucia says: “I’m originally from the East Coast, but moved to California for school. I graduated and worked in the biotech and pharma industries for several years before entering law school. I had my oldest son right before law school, my second right after taking the Bar, and my daughter after I started my career at Shearman & Sterling LLP. Balancing a career in law and a family is a constant challenge, with its minute-by-minute ups and downs. PAMP has been such an irreplaceable resource and lifesaver for me and my family. When I have questions, related to mothering or otherwise, the first thing I think of is PAMP. For me, PAMP is a lifeline to the community, social and play groups, parenting advice and general information about education, networking and the community in which we live. I think the PAMP mission statement is right on. PAMP supports and enriches the lives of parents in the community, to share, support, and provide a social network for moms and dads alike. It’s the link that binds us – a commonality that is shared by all parents on the peninsula. After all these years, it would be my honor help PAMP with its mission.”

Elizabeth Kent Levy ,Co- Treasurer

Elizabeth has been a PAMP member since 2007. She’s a native Texan, relocated to the bay area 4 years ago from West Hartford, CT . She lives in Los Altos. She is married and is the mother of two beautiful daughters, 6 and 2.

Since 2007, Elizabeth has volunteered at Oak Elementary, Los Altos school district, as a room mother and more generally with various projects at the school including the book fair and auction.

Elizabeth graduated from Texas A & M University, College Station, TX, with a degree in Agriculture Economics. Professionally, Elizabeth has been with Smith Barney for 12 years, before that she was with Chemical Waste Management and a book keeper with an executive suite in Houston. She is currently part of a financial advisor team located in Menlo Park and she organizes and runs client events for her team. Elizabeth also has a successful home show business with Silpada Designs Jewelry, which she exhibited at the fall 2008 PAMP rummage/boutique sale.

Elizabeth says: “My goal is to help PAMP be known more than just a local Palo Alto/Menlo Park club – we are in fact a Silicon Valley Moms club and we do help support activities in various areas. I have heard of others wanting to start groups in the local area, copying PAMP, my goal is to help PAMP grow to incorporate them instead. I’m going to be a keen listener to the voice of our members, working to support the vision of the group. PAMP helps so many people with all parts of their lives from simple things such as where to go eat to extraordinary, life changing events. I want to make sure we are giving all of our members the voice and support they need.”

Ming Mou (co-treasurer)

Ming joined PAMP in June 2008, when her family relocated to the peninsula from San Francisco. She has 2 boys, the oldest 3 years old and her youngest, 3 months old. She now lives in Palo Alto with her husband Jeff, who is a software developer works for Google.

Ming originally moved to the US from China to attend business school at Golden Gate University in 1997. She received a master’s degree in Finance in 1999.

Professionally, Ming is employed by NEPC LLC, (formerly New England Pension Consulting), an investment consulting firm for institutions, in Redwood City, as a Sr. Analyst. Her previous position was with Sutter Health as a Treasury Analyst in San Francisco.

Ming says: “I’m so happy that I found PAMP this past year. The fact that my skills in accounting and finance are so applicable to the community is a wonderful opportunity for me to contribute to a group that has helped me almost every day since I moved to the peninsula.”

Heather Davila, Board of Directors

Teresa Kelleher Zepeda, Board of Directors

Teresa has been on the PAMP Board of Directors since the beginning of 2007 and was previously a part of the team that developed PAMP's 5 year strategic plan.

Teresa has one daughter, Sofia (3 years old) who attends Preschool Family in Palo Alto, where she is an active volunteer. She also serves on the board of Hand in Hand Parenting a local organization whose mission is to foster strong, healthy connections between parents and their children. Teresa has an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg school and was a marketing executive specializing in branding before retiring into full time Motherhood. She held various marketing/management positions at Pillsbury, Diageo, Pete's Brewing and SKYY Spirits.

Cindy Ressi, Board of Directors

Cindy lives with her husband and three year old daughter in Palo Alto. They spend most of their time outdoors.   Cindy has been a member of PAMP since 2007. She joined PAMP remotely, actually becoming a member prior to relocating to California from New York City, where she had lived her entire life.

Since joining PAMP, Cindy’s been extraordinarily active, and has participated in many activities, including the new member socials, the babysitting coop, playgroups, kids activities (art and bubbles), parties, and of course, the festivals in 2008, including the Moon Festival, Diwali and Halloween. She also regularly volunteers and was very active in many activities, including the Rummage Sale as a volunteer, the Earthquake fund raiser – contributor and worker, the Halloween Party – which she organized, the Thanksgiving Shelter Event – she was the co-organizer and most popularly, Mom’s Night Out, where she’s been a charter member, as well as the ongoing organizer and social butterfly! She’s also a prime mover on PAMP’s Community Outreach Committee. Members may be most familiar with Cindy’s regular column, “Transformative Feng Shui” in the PAMP newsletter.

Cindy has amazing non profit experience, beginning with the American Cancer Society starting in high school, followed by a work study program in Nicaragua. After graduating from Pace University she tutored and ran workshops for at-risk kids at Hawthorne Cedar Knolls. She co-founded The Pygmalion Project, a 501c3, with a mission to support women in violent domestic situations. She’s organized and ran more than a dozen profitable fund raisers for several organizations, including scavenger hunts, tea parties, gallery openings and modern dance performances. In addition, she and her husband, Adeo Ressi are supporters of both the X Prize Foundation (http://www.xprize.org/) and the California Academy of Sciences (http://www.calacademy.org/), where they’ve hosted private evening tours and events on-site.

Professionally, Cindy was a publishing coordinator for the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, a video producer for a corporate communication firm working with clients such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society and a producer for The Biography Channel. She left the corporate world to focus on motherhood and her studies in Feng Shui. She is about to graduate from a 3 year masters program at the BTB School of Feng Shui.

Cindy’s vision for PAMP is to inspire more PAMP members to become involved in the organization by participating in the community outreach that we do, as well as to grow and expand our adult programs which serve to empower mothers. She recognizes PAMP as a powerful group of parents who have a lot to contribute to our community and realizes much is to be gained on all sides by bridging economic and other gaps that exist in our geographical area. She sees PAMP as being a unique resource to affect the quality of life for the community.

Cindy says: “I think PAMP has an incredible mission, which provides support and community to parents in the area. I would like to support PAMP in incorporating women’s empowerment work and community service as an extension of the organization’s mission.   After the MNO New Year New You workshop, it was abundantly clear moms were ready to feel inspired again, ready to take the next step towards their goals.   Once the exhaustion and fog dissipate, we are all ready to incorporate a little bit of our true selves with the amazing world of motherhood. What that looks like is different for each of us and PAMP can provide a forum for that journey.   I would also like to incorporate community service as an extension of the organization’s mission.   It is in helping others that we help ourselves and inspire our children. The board has a powerful opportunity to steer the organization and can support and inspire leadership amongst our members by maintaining what works, recognizing what isn’t and creating solutions for those areas."

“My approach to fund raising and community outreach includes providing an experience for guests, participants, donors, and volunteers, one that extends beyond the particular need at hand. In other words, my events have been successful, I believe, because my intention has been to inspire and to shed light on what’s possible rather than dwell on the past."   “Helping groups finds common ground is a role I play frequently when organizing events and working with large groups. My experience with community development, conflict resolution, active listening and creating consensus in large groups is based on active listening, repeating the situation back to the other person and making sure everyone is heard and understood.   It is the common ground which a strong foundation can be built."

Audra Ibarra , Board of Directors

Audra joined PAMP in 2008. She has a son, who is 15 months old, and a husband, who is a Deputy District Attorney. Audra has been working with PAMP’s Community Relations and Outreach Team, and is coordinating this year’s Preschool Fair.

Audra was an Assistant U.S. Attorney and supervising Assistant U.S. Attorney for seven years, prosecuting international and organized crime drug trafficking cases. She was a Deputy District Attorney for two and a half years, prosecuting a wide range of cases from burglary to attempted murder. She was an attorney at a large law firm for a year and a half, representing clients in complex litigation. She earned a J.D. from New York University and a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. Audra also directed community outreach programs at the United States Attorney’s Office. This work ranged from awarding and administering grants to community organizations throughout Northern California to managing programs and camps for at-risk-children. She worked at a pro bono law clinic while working at the law firm. She mentored children from the inner city and worked at a homeless shelter while in law school.

Audra says: “I would love to be more involved with PAMP development, planning and outreach. I believe in PAMP’s mission. Being a new parent in our area at best can be overwhelming and at worst can be isolating. The area is rich in parenting resources. But it can be difficult to get a handle on all of the options or connect with other new parents. One way we could better help our members is by creating and maintaining an online member manual. New members could get more out of PAMP and existing members could keep up with PAMP’s resources as they expand. PAMP offers its members a wealth of information and opportunities. But frequently members have difficulty finding what they need. Another way we could help our members is by implementing a sliding scale membership. This would allow members to contribute in whatever way is easiest for them. Members could choose to fulfill their dues by volunteering, by paying a fee or by a combination of both. PAMP could raise more money and manpower for more member and community events.”

Alpa Shah , Board of Directors

Alpa Shah is the mother of 2 children – a 5 year old boy and a 17 month old girl. She's been a member of PAMP for 1+ years.

Alpa is a generous contributor of time and effort to PAMP and has participated in many activities, including the Kid's Activities Team functions, In a Pinch, First Steps for Families PAMP Thanksgiving Dinner and the Pamela Weiss speaking event. During 2008, she was co-chair of the Kid's Activities Team. She co-chaired the Moon Festival, and supported the team leaders in their efforts to bring holiday parties including Diwali and Halloween activities, sciences and arts to our children. Her non profit activities include volunteering for Discovery Preschool activities; Share & Care, an organization that collects and distributes clothes and books to India; and a variety of India club activities while she was a student at NYU. Alpa graduated from NYU with a BS and from Hofstra University with an MBA.

Professionally, Alpa leads a global team of IT and Telecommunications industry analysts at Frost & Sullivan. She's been at Frost & Sullivan for over 13 years. Prior to that, she worked for Edward Jones as a financial services representative and for Smith Barney as an accountant. Her vision for the club is to help create a community where our children can thrive. This means having more opportunities to get to know our neighbors, sharing parenting ideas, participating and volunteering in community activities, creating a greener environment, encouraging good health and most importantly, having a lot of fun.

Alpa says: "I hope to continue to give back to the club over the next few years to support not only new moms and dads, but also second, third and fourth time parents, since the joys and challenges never seem to cease!" "I have had a wonderful experience with the PAMP club and wished I had joined when my friend introduced me to the club a few years ago. When I first joined, I was able to access the wisdom of fellow moms, which helped me to get through my first year with a baby that refused the bottle and had bad sleeping habits. I was also able to share lessons learned from my experience with my first child with new moms. Now I am able to find out about neighborhood activities to take the kids to and get recommendations for all kinds of services. Since my involvement with the Kid's Activities team, I have met some wonderful people, and have enjoyed the chance to contribute to the community. "As a Board member, I hope to educate and increase involvement in the "go green" movement. I also hope to address health issues and focus on getting kids, and adults, to enjoy movement and exercise. Aside from this, my focus will be on volunteer recruitment and retention. Continuing to build partnerships will help provide more support and activities for club members. And of course, improving our web management service and functionality is a big priority. Additionally, I'd like to help develop a more detailed handbook to better guide new leaders in their positions."

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