Get to know Our Team

Board of Directors

Mary Zheng M.A.

Founder/President

Richa Shah

Vice-President

Jasmine Chen

Treasurer/Volunteer Coordinator/Publicist

Jose Ortiz M.A.

Secretary/Community Liaison

Mary is a recent graduate of the Stanford GSE and a teacher working with High School Students. She has a younger brother with Autism and through this program, she hope to not only increase awareness for ASD, but also empower individuals with ASD through skill building and education. When she's not in the classroom, she enjoys creating art, reading, and cooking.

Richa is currently a Tax LLM/JD Candidate at Loyola Law School. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Feminist, Gender, Sexuality Studies with a background working with non-profits that work with under-served communities. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, painting, and reading.

Jasmine is a student at University with interests in Literature and Social Science. She has a family member with ASD and sees firsthand the struggle for individuals to explore and increase their repertoire of interests and skillsets. During her free time, she enjoys playing musical instruments, lacrosse, and organizing.

Jose is born and raised in Costa Mesa. He is a high school teacher working with underprivileged and marginalized students. He graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Microbiology and also earned a Master's of Arts in Teaching from Stanford Graduate School of Education. During his free time, he enjoying gaming and resting.

Advisory Board Members

To better serve our community, various professional and community members from different background serve as our advisory board member to make sure all angles of empowering individuals with Autism is taken account of.

Cindy Yan M.A.

Advisory Board Member

Chiron Crayton M.A.

Advisory Board Member

Jesse Delgadillo M.A.

Advisory Board Member

Cindy is an elementary school teacher teaching Cantonese immersion school in Northern California. She graduated from UCLA in the department of Education with a Bachelor's of Arts and earned a Masters of Art in Teaching (multiple subject) at Stanford University.

Chiron is a middle school English teacher originally from Minnesota who currently teaches in the Bay Area. His background includes bachelors in English and Linguistics, a master’s in Education, and a certification in teaching English as a second language. He’s an avid reader whose favorite books include Beartown and The Book Thief.

Jesse is an Spanish-English bilingual elementary teacher. He graduated UC Berkeley with a Bachelor's and went on to earn a Master's degree in Multiple Subject teaching with bilingual certification at Stanford University.

Program Leads

Lego Club - Mary Zheng

Artist Club - Mary Zheng & Richa Shah