Meet The Board President
Randy Getz
Randy Getz is an investment broker with CBRE, Inc. He is married to the artist Pat Mahony and together they are the parents of Camille, a film editor in Los Angeles. Randy is also on the boards of LAI-Sacramento, an international invitation-only land economics society, as well as the American River Natural History Association. Randy believes that “one’s ability to read deeply and well and to think critically have never been more important. The Sacramento Literacy Foundation is an important source of support for the development of important learning skills that will lead to a better informed, more knowledgeable and perceptive community now and into the future.”
Meet The Board Officers
Dr. Sobha Kollipara
Dr. Sobha Kollipara‘s professional career has been dedicated to caring for children with special conditions. Dr. Kollipara practiced at UC Davis Medical Center and retired from Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento.
She moved to the United States in 1973 after graduating with honors from Osmania Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India. She received her postgraduate medical training in Pediatrics at DC General Hospital, Washington, D.C., and then a fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at UC Davis.
During her career, Dr. Kollipara has been involved in all aspects of children’s health and well-being. In 2001, she and her team at Kaiser created educational camps for children with Type 1 Diabetes and spearheaded an educational program for the prevention of Type 2 Diabetes in children. These programs continue today, helping children with Type 1 & 2 Diabetes. Sobha and her team were awarded the much-coveted Sidney R. Garfield Exceptional Contribution Award for these innovative projects.
Sobha strongly believes children’s overall well-being is tied to their literacy. As a Sacramento Literary Foundation board member, she hopes to help improve childhood literacy by connecting the medical and literacy communities. Sobha’s hobbies include writing stories/poetry and fusion cooking.
Sarah Jimenez
Sarah is a communications executive with nearly two decades of experience serving in public policy and nonprofit organizations, including Calbright College, the California Health Care Foundation, and the California Budget & Policy Center. She is an avid reader and eager to talk about the growing TBR (to be read) list she’s always building. Sarah started her career as a journalist in California’s Central Valley, covering the communities where she grew up. That experience has fueled her passion to ensure people have access to quality information to make decisions in their lives and to highlight diverse stories of people, policies, and decisions across our communities. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from California State University, Sacramento and bachelor’s degrees in print journalism and gender studies from the University of Southern California.
Christine Shelby
Christine, a Sacramento native, holds a master’s degree in Communication Studies from Sacramento State. She is a dedicated wife and mother of four, and has a thriving career as a Digital Strategist and journalist for the Sacramento Observer. Christine has been a passionate supporter of the Literacy Foundation for many years and is excited to further her commitment by joining the board. She is an advocate for literacy and fondly remembers her childhood visits to the Rancho Cordova Library. Christine is an avid user of Libby and is known to get lost in a book to avoid housework weekly. She has instilled a love of reading in her children, who also avoid housework but can’t blame anyone but herself. Besides her professional work, Christine also coaches youth sports, teaching soccer and softball to kids in Sacramento. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching sports, and spending time with her family.
Meet The At Large Board Members
Clark Carter
Clark Carter teaches at Estrellita High School, which is a continuing education high school in Galt. There he teaches US History and American government, where his main objective is to “help students realize their academic goals whether it be returning to their original high school or getting a diploma from Estrellita.” Carter has had a long standing relationship to the Foundation, having attended his first of eight consecutive Authors on the Move galas in 2006 where he enjoyed the musing of an up and coming author, now New York Times best selling author, Dave Eggers. Six years later Carter was invited to join the board. Clark is a tennis coach at Galt High School and a golf coach at Liberty Ranch High School. Carter also likes to read and travel, and in the last several years he has combined his travel with international humanity efforts.
Cindy Hill
Cindy Hill is an accomplished marketing and brand strategist with over 25 years of experience, primarily in hospitality and entertainment. As an early hire for W Hotels Worldwide, she led marketing efforts for over 25 properties globally. In 2019, she founded Grace Marketing Agency, partnering with businesses, especially women-owned, to develop compelling brand narratives and dynamic marketing strategies. Her work with iconic brands like Getaway House, VS&Co, and Hitachi Vantara highlights her creative approach and extensive network.
Mary Ellen Shay
Mary Ellen Shay’s professional background is in affordable housing and community development initiatives. Previous titles include State of California Housing and Community Development Department Program Manager and City of Redding Planning and Community Development Department Director. She is a licensed real estate agent and has been affiliated with the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program, California Housing Consortium, Northern California Association for Non-Profit Housing, Southern California Association for Non-Profit Housing, and Sacramento Habitat for Humanity (Past President 1989-1991). She is a co-Author of California Affordable Housing Handbook (1998). Her degrees are from San Francisco State College and University of Southern California. Mary Ellen is the Owner and President of M.E. Shay & Co.
Dr. Elvia Ramirez
Dr. Elvia Ramirez is a faculty member at California State University, Sacramento. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology and specializes in the study of higher education. She is a former President of the California Sociological Association and former Board Member of the Pacific Sociological Association. Dr. Ramirez is passionate about educational equity and access and expanding opportunities for all students.
Meet The Foundation Staff
April Javist Email April Javist
Reading is April’s revolution. She believes reading will be the tipping point for a true humanitarian movement. April is an avid advocate for literacy because without literacy we cannot have democracy, without literacy we cannot level the economic playing field, without literacy we cannot be a civil society. Literacy is so closely linked to equity that everyone should consider whether reading and equity are synonymous. April has actively worked toward increasing children’s literacy since 2009.
Before leading the Literacy Foundation, April was a CFO in both private and nonprofit corporations. For 8 years after obtaining a master’s in business administration from the F.W. Olin School of Business, Babson College, April explored financial and leadership positions in both small private corporations, and small nonprofit organizations primarily focused on children.
Rigo Tovar Email Rigo Tovar
In 2021, Rigo graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Davis, with a degree in Sociology. He loves sociology because it helped him identify problems and develop solutions to the inequalities he faced growing up in South Central Los Angeles. After graduation, Rigo worked as a substitute teacher with aspirations to become a full-time teacher but shifted gears when he saw that the lack of school resources and support severely limited his ability to teach. This is what brought him to the Foundation. Rigo sees the potential in this new role, “I can help bridge the literacy gap among low-income youth in my community and can help educate parents and teachers on the importance of implementing the Science of Reading into their school’s curriculum!”