SPEAKERS + PRESENTERS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Lisa Patel
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine
Executive Director, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health
Lisa Patel is the Executive Director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine where she maintains an active clinical practice as a hospitalist. She is a former Presidential Management Fellow for the Environmental Protection Agency where she coordinated the US Government's efforts on clean air and safe drinking water projects in South Asia in collaboration with the World Health Organization, and received the Trudy A. Specinar Award for her work. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change and a faculty mentor for Stanford Climate and Health. As a mentor, she works with students and residents on projects related to climate-resilient schools, environmental justice, sustainable healthcare, and medical education curriculum reform. She is a Board Member for Our Children’s Trust, the legal organization that represented youth in Held v. Montana and for Undaunted K12, an organization working toward climate resilient schools. She is a Commissioner for the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health and a Science Mom, communicating the health impacts of climate change for parents and caretakers to build more public engagement.
A nationally recognized expert on climate and health, she is regularly interviewed by national outlets and has been published in the New York Times and LA Times, among others. Dr. Patel received her Master's in Environmental Sciences from the Yale School of the Environment, her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and completed her training in pediatrics at UCSF.
Dr. Curtis Chan
Deputy Health Officer, San Mateo County Public Health
Curtis Chan is the Deputy Health Officer for the San Mateo County Public Health . He has cared for patients and communities as a physician for over 25 years, practicing at UC San Francisco and serving as Medical Director of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health and Deputy Health Officer at San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Maria Durana
Director, SF Children & Nature, San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Maria Durana (she/her) is the Director of the San Francisco Children & Nature collaborative. Working through the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department and within a cross-sector collaborative of over 40 government agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations, Maria works to ensure equitable access to nature for youth in San Francisco through policy, programming, and design. Combining her passion for parks and people, she has previously worked at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy managing volunteer programs and at KABOOM!, leading community-built playground projects. She earned her Masters in Architecture from McGill University
Angie Garling
Senior Vice President, Early Care and Education, Low Income Investment Fund
Angie Garling is the Senior Vice President for Early Care and Education at the Low Income Investment Fund. She has more than three decades of experience as an advocate, funder, policy analyst, researcher and program developer dedicated to quality early care and education for all children and families. She joined LIIF in 2019 where she oversees the organization’s national ECE footprint, including work in California, New York City, Georgia, Oregon, greater Washington DC, Texas and New Mexico. She continues to grow this work at LIIF, which to date has invested more than $672 million to create, enhance and preserve ECE spaces impacting more than 434,000 children nationwide. She served as a member of the Capita/Aspen Institute Early Years Climate Action Task Force which developed recommendations at the intersection of child care, climate change and the built environment. She lives in Berkeley, California with her family.
Jean-Paul “JP” Renaud
Executive Director, Canopy
JP Renaud is Executive Director of Canopy with more than 15 years of leadership experience in public and nonprofit communications. Previously, he was Chief Communications Officer at TreePeople in Los Angeles, where he helped build support for Southern California’s largest environmental nonprofit. He also served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Ukraine as an Organizational Capacity Building Specialist and was Executive Director of Communications for the UCLA College of Letters and Science, where he also served as Executive Speechwriter to the UCLA Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor. Born in Cuba, JP emigrated with his family to Paris before settling in Miami. He earned degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Miami and a Master’s in Public Administration from Florida International University. He began his career as a journalist, reporting for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun Sentinel, and the Los Angeles Times.
Jasneet Sharma
Director, San Mateo County Sustainability Department
Jasneet Sharma is the Director for the San Mateo County Sustainability Department where she provides leadership to fulfill the County’s mission of enhancing the resilience and sustainability of both the County’s operations and the wider community through efforts to combat and adapt to climate change, ensure access to clean energy, water, and air, and conserve resources through effective waste reduction strategies. Prior to this, she led the County of Santa Clara Office of Sustainability and Resiliency in implementing the County' sustainability goals, policies and projects. Jasneet is a trained architect and urban planner, experienced working in both academia and local governments and has led several research, policy and community-based initiatives on sustainable land use and food systems, health policy and planning, smart growth, and climate change.
Michelle Blakely
Deputy Director, First 5 San Mateo County
Michelle Blakely is the Deputy Director of First 5 San Mateo County. She has over 30 years of experience in the non-profit, private philanthropy and public service sectors in child and family serving organizations. She provides executive leadership in all aspects of the agency’s work including strategy, program development, budget planning, communications, advocacy, and Commission/Board engagement. Colleagues describe her as an enthusiastic visionary leader with great people skills, practical mindedness, and creativity. She has served on non-profit boards and currently enjoys serving on work groups and advisory roles for Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB+) Diversity Inclusion groups for philanthropy and with San Mateo County. Michelle received her undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas and her graduate degree from San Francisco State University in Early Childhood Special Education Administration.
Dayna Chung
Executive Director, Community Equity Collaborative
Dayna Chung is passionate about advancing systemic change that strengthens opportunity and well-being for women, children, and communities. Most recently, she partnered with Build Up San Mateo County to help launch the nation’s first Early Childhood Climate Action Plan. In addition to her leadership at Community Equity Collaborative (CEC), Dayna serves as a Commissioner on the Status of Women for San Mateo County, a member of the KQED Community Advisory Panel, and a Board Member of Brazelton Touchpoints.
Noelia Corzo
Supervisor, District 2, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Noelia Corzo (she/her/ella) made history as the first Latina elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in a county with over 62% people of color. A lifelong resident of San Mateo County, Supervisor Corzo is a single mom, daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, and bilingual Spanish speaker. Supervisor Corzo was twice-elected Board Trustee of the San Mateo-Foster City School District. She has worked as a social worker, foster youth advocate, and community organizer. She studied Sociology at Cañada College and San Francisco State University, obtaining her A.A. and B.A. degrees. She lives in San Mateo with her son, Mikey, and her dog, Quetzi
Michael Kane
Dean, Business, Education, and Professional Programs Division, Skyline College
Michael Kane holds his B.A. in Secondary Education and B.S. in Biology at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and completed his M.S. in Applied Ecology at Eastern Kentucky University.
Sarah Kinahan
Strategy Consultant, Sarah Kinahan Consulting
Sarah Kinahan has over two decades of professional expertise in the early care and education sector. She began her career at the Child Care Coordinating Council (4Cs), where she ultimately served as the Executive Director for two years, providing strategic direction during the Great Recession. Sarah served as the Coordinator for the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, an advisory body to the San Mateo County Office of Education and County Board of Supervisors, from 2020 to 2024. Currently, at Sarah Kinahan Consulting, she provides strategic planning, needs assessments, program startup planning and management, and planning process facilitation. Recent consulting clients have included Build Up San Mateo County and the Alameda County Office of Education. She is also a trustee for the San Carlos School District, first elected in 2022, and currently serving as the Board President.
Kitty Lopez
Executive Director, First 5 San Mateo County
Kitty Lopez has served as Executive Director of First 5 San Mateo County since 2012, where she focuses on policy, advocacy, and communications. She also serves as Chair of the First 5 Association of California. Previously, Kitty was Executive Director of Samaritan House, a leading safety-net nonprofit serving low-income families and individuals in San Mateo County with food, shelter, health care, counseling, education, and other essential services. Earlier in her career, Kitty taught kindergarten, second grade, and high school in the Bay Area and Santa Barbara, and consulted with schools serving children with autism and other special needs. She also worked in a residential substance abuse treatment center in San Francisco and a psychiatric hospital in San Diego. Kitty earned a B.A. in Psychology and a California Teaching Credential from UC Santa Barbara. She is active in her community and serves on several boards, including HEART (Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County) and STEP (Success Through Education Program), and is a past president and current member of the San Mateo Rotary Club
Rubie Macaraeg
Coordinator, Advocacy and Community Partnerships, SMC Office of Education
Rubie Acosta Macaraeg‑Moliga Puletasi (she/her/siya/sila) is a justice‑centered Pinay educational leader with over 20 years of experience in youth development, culturally responsive teaching, and community partnership building. She currently serves as Coordinator for Advocacy and Partnerships in the Superintendent’s Office at the San Mateo County Office of Education, where she advances countywide initiatives that align schools, community‑based organizations, and public agencies around justice‑centered education, workforce development, and youth empowerment. Grounded in liberatory pedagogy and healing‑centered practices, and community organizing, Rubie has led transformative initiatives across TK–12 systems to dismantle oppressive structures and expand equitable pathways for historically marginalized communities. She is deeply committed to empowering youth, families, and educators through collective leadership and systems change.
Christine Padilla
Director, Build Up San Mateo County
Christine Padilla has led Build Up San Mateo County as its Director since its founding in 2018. She brings deep expertise in policy, partnerships, and systems change to expand access to early care and education. Her leadership has helped shape local and statewide efforts to address child care facility needs, including inspiring the creation of Build Up California, where she now serves as an advisor. Christine’s work has been nationally recognized, including in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation case study, and in 2024, she was inducted into the San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame.
Dow-Jane Pei
Program and Operations Manager, Build Up San Mateo County
Dow-Jane Pei joins the Build Up San Mateo County team after over 15 years with the Office of Head Start providing program and fiscal oversight, grants administration, federal guidance, and training and technical assistance to Head Start and Early Head Start programs throughout California and other western States. Her experience also includes roles at non-profits and philanthropic foundations supporting early care and education policy, infrastructure, and access to child care. She brings a children-first approach to policy implementation with a focus on equity, collaboration, and community voice. Dow-Jane holds a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley and is a proud alumna of Wellesley College.
Christine Thorsteinson
Director, Early Childhood Initiatives, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
As SVCF's Director of Early Childhood Initiatives, Christine Thorsteinson works to ensure that all young children in Silicon Valley have access to the care, education and resources they need to grow and flourish. Recognizing the critical importance of the first years of a child’s life, and the subsequent impact on future success, Christine strives to support local, state and federal efforts to dismantle the systemic barriers that stack the deck against our youngest and most vulnerable. Christine joined SVCF in 2016 and her earlier work included efforts to bridge the gaps between preschool and TK – 12 education systems and develop early learning leadership competencies.