Who We Are.

Community Volunteer

Denise moved to Sacramento more than 50 years ago with her family. She spent most of her 25-year career with Wells Fargo here in Sacramento, except for a 5-year period when she managed three different branches on the Monterey Peninsula. She would eventually move back to Sacramento when she married her husband Donald Timmons. After leaving her Wells Fargo career, Denise felt a strong desire to be more involved in the Sacramento community and sought out volunteer opportunities aligned with her philanthropic interest to help children, whether that involved the arts, homelessness, education, health care, foster programs and hunger. Together Denise and her husband started Restoration House in 2003, a transitional living facility for male parolees. Denise has served on the Crocker Art Museum Board, Crocker Foundation Board, as well as the Verge Center for the Arts Board. When asked to join Sacramento Literacy Foundation’s Board, she felt it would be a good fit for her personally and that the Foundation’s strategic focus on children’s literacy aligned with her long-term charitable contribution plan.

Abby Lunardini is a Sacramento native and life-long reader. She believes that early access in reading and the arts can change the trajectory of a child’s life – and transform our communities along the way. Abby brings an accomplished background in marketing — she is currently the Chief Marketing Officer of Truity. Prior to Truity, she served as the Chief Communications and Brand Officer for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Vice President for Brand Marketing and Communications at Virgin America. Abby is also a volunteer for TurnAround Arts: California, the nonprofit organization co-founded by renowned architect Frank Gehry and arts education advocate Malissa Shriver.

Neill SooHoo is a hair stylist and owner of SooHoo Style. Neill has a passion for education, and has served as a board member for Attendance Institute. Neill is excited to get involved with the Foundation and get more kids reading.

Carlos Marquez III is currently a full-time candidate for the California State Assembly. Prior to launching his campaign, Carlos served as the inaugural Executive Director of ACLU California Action where he advanced the statewide advocacy and policy objectives of California’s three ACLU affiliates in the State Capitol. While on the campaign trail, Carlos is actively advocating for children’s literacy.

Prior to joining ACLU California Action, Carlos represented public education and healthcare stakeholders as Founder and Principal of CM3 Advocacy LLC, a Sacramento-based government affairs consultancy. He served as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Political Director for the California Charter Schools Association before that, where he negotiated a major overhaul to the Charter Schools Act and helped secure a $300 million block grant for low performing students. Carlos’ career in advocacy has spanned leadership across the LGBTQ equality movement, labor movement, and education equity movement. Other past roles include serving as Government Affairs Representative for SEIU Local 221; Deputy Political Director, Western Region for the LGBTQ Victory Fund & Institute; Executive Director of HONOR Fund, a sponsored initiative of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF); and Public Policy Fellow at United Way Worldwide. Carlos holds a B.A. in Political Science & Journalism from San Diego State University. He was named “40 under 40” by the
Sacramento Business Journal in 2019.

Jeannie Wong brings a wealth of expertise in journalism, communications and marketing. We are grateful that Jeannie is willing to explore, with us, how we can better shape our messaging. As a Senior Associate Vice President at Sacramento State, Jeannie oversees university-wide communications and marketing, including media relations, crisis communications, social media, multimedia, and brand and visual identity. She helped develop the award-winning campaign Made at Sac State. In 2018, President Robert S. Nelsen appointed her to his Cabinet, where she continues to serve as a member of his senior leadership team.

Prior to joining Sacramento State, Jeannie served as part of the upper-management newsroom team at The Sacramento Bee. A lifelong learner, Jeannie is a passionate advocate for literacy, education, equity and community. She is a Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, Mountain Valley Chapter (ALFMVC). She helps coordinate the ALF-MVC Racial Equity & Inclusion affinity group. Born and reared in Los Angeles, Jeannie graduated from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. She lives in Sacramento with her husband and their two daughters.