Office staff bios
ZACHARY WHELAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Zachary Whelan has worked on criminal justice reform for over a decade leading community-based organizations focused on creating innovative solutions to heal the impacts of incarceration on children and families. He was the Program Coordinator of a violence prevention program on Boston's North Shore, Director of the Orleans County Community Justice Project in Vermont, Associate Director of Restorative Resources in Sonoma County, and is currently the Executive Director of Project Avary. In his free time, Zach enjoys running, gardening, baking bread, and wrestling with his two children.
AMBROSIA PHOUMMATHEP-WINSPEAR, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS
Ambrosia Phoummathep-Winspear attended Cal State East Bay and majored in Finance with a minor in Criminal Justice. She is the third generation in her family to work in finances and has over a decade of financial and operational experience. In her role she manages all of the finances, accounting, compliance and controls for Project Avary. Ambrosia first found out about Project Avary when her partner was sentenced to county jail. Since then, she's found a home within the organization and hopes to continue to help impact the lives of children of incarcerated parents. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, going out to eat, trying out new recipes, and traveling.
Amy DeLeon, DIRECTOR OF Development & Communications
Amy DeLeon has a degree in Marketing, and throughout her professional career has developed her strength for sharing rich stories and fostering unity. She brings these skills to her position at Project Avary, passionately endeavoring to connect people to the heart of this vital mission. As the Director of Fund Development & Communications, Amy spearheads the communications efforts, plans events, and works diligently to raise critical funds for the organization through grant writing and donor engagement. Her unwavering motivation stems from the inspiring resilience, vibrant personalities, and deep community bonds of the Avary youth. In her leisure hours, Amy revels in outdoor escapades with her husband and young son, immerses herself in podcasts, savors hikes, practices yoga, and eagerly plans her next grand adventure.
Kellene vanbrackle, program director
Kellene VanBrackle found her calling to serve children back in 2006 when she started working with foster youth at residential treatment centers. After reading Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, she became increasingly focused on criminal justice reform and how incarceration disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities. As Program Director for Project Avary, she passionately blends her love for working with and forming deep relationships with the children & families and her dedication to stewarding social justice. When she’s not adventuring outside with the Avary community, she enjoys zooming around San Francisco on her e-bike with her husband (aka “Chef Will”) and kiddo, and taking advantage of all the city has to offer. She is also an avid baker and sweet treat connoisseur and is constantly perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe.
William Guillen, Program Director
William Guillen has an extensive history working with youth of all ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses and has formal education in various areas of youth development and education. Additionally he has participated in vast trainings aimed at relationship building, youth development, overcoming obstacles, and addressing the needs of our communities. He utilizes his wealth of training and personal experience of familial incarceration to inspire him in his role as Program Director for Project Avary. He is passionate about this work because he gets to help other youth break free from the shame, stigma, and generational cycles of incarceration that he has worked so hard to break free from himself. While away from work he enjoys traveling and sharing new experiences with loved ones.
Danielle brook, Program Director
Danielle Brook has a long history of supporting at-risk and foster youth and is passionate about restorative justice. She grew up in a home full of foster children and has dedicated over a decade of her life trying to make their lives better long-term. Danielle grew up as a child of a previously incarcerated parent and has a close friend that is currently incarcerated. She uses this personal experience to fuel her work as Program Director for Project Avary. In her role, she passionately introduces the work of the organization to communities across the U.S. so that children with a parent in prison are able to have support that wasn't accessible to her when she was younger. In her spare time, Danielle enjoys powerlifting, listening to podcasts, gardening, reading, and spending time with her spouse and two rescue dogs.
david seigel, program developmenT & Training
David Siegel has dedicated his life to learning from young people, and has done so within a variety of clinical, academic, and community settings. He has worked as a preschool teacher, preschool director, behavior therapist, researcher, and is currently an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. David is a child of a previously incarcerated parent, and is honored to bring his personal insights to Project Avary as Director of Program Development. He is continuously inspired by the enthusiasm for life which children seem to posses in abundance and is grateful this work allows him to learn, play, and grow with the beautiful people within the Avary community. When he’s not working, David loves to practice yoga, hike the trails of Marin County, sing on youtube, and travel California in his self-converted camper van.
Claudia Muñoz, Enrollment Manager
Claudia Muñoz has extensive experience working directly with youth and families. She worked as a Child Support Specialist for the Department of Child Support for 16 years. Growing up, Claudia spent a lot of time in prison visiting rooms and writing letters as a close family member was incarcerated for several years. Claudia discovered Project Avary after her daughter’s father was sentenced to 2 decades in prison. Her daughter, Aliana, is now a Junior Leader with Project Avary. These life experiences have fueled Claudia’s passion for advocating on behalf of children with an incarcerated loved one. During her free time, Claudia enjoys listening to podcasts, trying new restaurants and cafes in San Francisco, supporting small POC-owned businesses, and Sunday dinners with her family.
Ahtziri Rivera, Office Manager
Ahtziri became a part of Avary by volunteering for Summer Camp when she was 16 years old. Seeing her peers be so open about their struggles encouraged her to share her own experience of having her parents incarcerated. Since then she knew she wanted to give back to her community and help break the cycles of incarceration. She currently attends Sacramento State and is pursuing a Criminal Justice degree where she wishes to use it to continue to help underserved youth in the Criminal Justice System. When she’s not working away in the office, Ahtziri enjoys cuddling with her dog, Mylo, spending time with her loved ones and looking for cool Airbnbs where she can spend her time off.
Eric Almeida, Program Manager
Eric Almeida has worked with many system-impacted groups but has always felt his true calling was working with children of incarcerated parents by helping them heal and break the cycles of incarceration within their family. Eric is a Project Avary Alumni, who began his journey with Avary when he was only 8 years old. Throughout his years in Project Avary’s Leadership Program he worked his way up from a camper to counselor to camp director and now works full-time with Project Avary, guiding today’s youth in the program as they develop their own skills to become the next generation of counselors and leaders in the Avary community. In addition to directly serving Project Avary youth, Eric also coaches new counselors and works with partnering schools and school districts in the SF Bay Area and beyond to help identify and enroll youth into our program. In his free time, Eric enjoys listening to music, cooking, fishing, and being with family and friends.
Julio Sandoval, Program Coordinator
Julio Sandoval embarked on his professional journey as an elementary school computer science teacher in Los Angeles, nurturing young minds with the fundamentals of coding. In 2019, he made a remarkable shift from the classroom to the great outdoors, joining Outward Bound Adventures to introduce BIPOC youth from underserved communities to the wonders of the natural world. With rigorous training and certifications, Julio now leads young adventurers into the backcountry, passionately embracing this experience. He derives deep comfort, resilience, and profound mental health benefits from nature, and he's dedicated to sharing these benefits to support the healing of Project Avary youth. During his leisure time, Julio is an avid explorer, whether on foot, bike, or in a car, as he delves into the history of cities and towns, learns about Indigenous cultures, and identifies local flora and fauna.
Kele Nitoto, Program coordinator
Kele Nitoto is a second generation African-American percussionist and singer. Born and raised in the Oakland Dance Culture, Kele Has studied with Masters of many styles, becoming proficient in West-African, Congolese, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Peruvian, and Afro-Haitian traditional musics. Over the last 25 years, Kele has performed throughout the country in dance companies, bands, and teaching workshops and classes, summer camps, spiritual and workplace retreats, and for countless ceremonies and celebrations. Kele has worked with Project Avary for over 22 years. He has been a counselor, drum teacher, song leader, games master, and camp director. Currently he is the Program Coordinator and Senior Community Leader for Project Avary -- curating games, music and fun, and providing support to all Avary programs. In his spare time, Kele enjoys reading comics and watching movies and TV.
Megan Nordin, Development & Communications
Megan Nordin gained exposure to the criminal justice system from a very young age, as the daughter of a Public Defender. She completed a degree in Urban Studies with a deep rooted interest in public policy reform and advocacy. Her career journey led her in many directions within a range of disciplines and she came to Project Avary with a strong passion for the work from many perspectives. Megan's commitment to the Avary mission fuels her drive to garnish support for the organization and grow the impact. In her free time, Megan enjoys diving deep into conversation, trying every food that exists, creating, exploring and snuggling with her son.
Natasha Blakely-Berteloot, Outreach coordinator
Natasha Blakely-Berteloot obtained a degree in Education with a minor in Counseling. For over a decade she worked as the Executive Program Director for an after school Drawing Program for youth throughout the Central Valley. As an Art Instructor, she developed and facilitated classes to help students improve their patience, attention to detail, boost confidence and increase self-esteem. Natasha grew up in a single-parent home and experienced firsthand the effects of having an incarcerated parent. As a child, she was strongly impacted by community and enrichment programs for underserved youth, and from a young age made it a goal to give back to young ones in her community. Today Natasha is ever grateful to have the privilege of being a part of the Project Avary Community as the Outreach Coordinator. In her free time, she enjoys working out, traveling, creating art, concerts, and cooking vegan meals.