Vida Verde Executive Board Members

nelly alcantar SHE/HER/HERS Secretary

Nelly was born in Watsonville, California but was raised in the small town of King City, just two hours south of Vida Verde. Her parents are immigrants from Mexico who have been farm workers in the Salinas Valley for more than 25 years. Her parents have been her role models and motivation to work hard, take on challenges, be humble and always helps others. 

Nelly attended University of California Santa Barbara where she graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Athletic Coaching. During her time in undergrad, Nelly worked at a local elementary school where she confirmed her love for teaching. She volunteered at community events, always with a focus to empower low-income families in their child’s education. After graduation, Nelly knew she wanted to be a teacher, but wasn’t ready to settle into a career. 

Nelly then became a Peace Corps Volunteer in a small indigenous community in Panama, where her focus was helping local English teachers improve their English and improve their teaching skills. Along the way, Nelly aided the community in creating a community library and youth group. After her 26 month journey with Peace Corps, Nelly returned to California to complete her Master’s in Education and teaching credential from Stanford University. 

Nelly is currently teaching at East Oakland PRIDE Elementary School where she teaches 5th grade ELA & History. Nelly has the honor of attending Vida Verde Camp every year with her students. It is her favorite field trip each year because she gets to witness first-hand the positivity and empowerment that Vida Verde has on her students, even after camp. 

When Nelly is not teaching, she spends her time playing basketball, reading, napping, hanging out with friends, eating chocolate, lesson planning and saving all pennies to travel during the summers.

MELISSA FOWLKS SHE/THEY

Melissa grew up in the East Bay and as a child, romped through the marshlands of Coyote Hills Regional Park. She has fond memories of fishing, riding her bike through the dusty hills, and identifying local waterfowl. Melissa holds a degree in Anthropology with an Archeology focus from California State University East Bay, and a Special Education Teaching credential with an Autism and English Language Learner authorization.

Melissa has worked as a Naturalist at various Environmental Education institutions including the East Bay Regional Parks, Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, San Joaquin County Outdoor School, Youth Science Institute, the Oakland Zoo, and Vida Verde Nature Education.

Melissa has been a part of the Vida Verde Community for over a decade. Her first contact point with Vida Verde was a volunteer at a benefit in 2012. She then joined the team as an instructor in 2013. After working with Vida Verde for a year, she transitioned to the classroom and taught Mild-Moderate Special Education in the cities of Richmond and Union City. In 2018 Melissa, realizing her heart was in the outdoors took a position at Vida Verde as a Facilitator for the Summer Leadership program, then becoming Co-Director, and finally as an Outreach Coordinator to support spreading awareness about the amazing programming that Vida Verde is dedicated to. Since 2019, Melissa has been a Naturalist for the East Bay Regional Park District. She is located at the Tilden Nature Area in Berkeley, but conducts programming and outreach at all of the Richmond sector parks and runs an Adventure Crew program on the weekends for middle school youth from Richmond called “The Richmond Rangers”.

Melissa is committed to social justice work and collective organizing. She sits on the Executive Board for her union, AFSCME Local 2428, is a shop steward, and is ecstatic to join Vida Verde again providing guidance and support in a different capacity as a board member. In her free time Melissa enjoys going to Spanish class, cooking, dancing, strengthening community, warm-full belly laughs, and going for long rainy day hikes.

AVANI PATEL SHE/HER/HERS BOARD CHAIR

Avani was born in San Jose, CA, and grew up in the Bay Area. She joined Teach For America and taught middle school at Costaño School and the 49ers Academy in East Palo Alto. She has worked in both traditional and charter school systems and has served as a school site and district administrator. Avani joined the Peery Foundation as Local Portfolio Director and eventually became the co-Chief Executive Officer in November 2013. She graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Sociology and African & African American studies. In addition, she pursued her Master’s in Education and received her doctorate in Educational Leadership. Avani also serves as a board member at the Ravenswood Education Foundation, is a philanthropic advisor to Concrete Rose Capital, and co-chaired Palo Alto Unified's “Minority Achievement & Talent Development” Committee.

andrew schapiro HE/HIM/HIS Treasurer

Andrew believes that great storytelling, design, and experiences can create moments of delight while developing deep, meaningful relationships between people and the world around them. Andrew has built brands, teams, and products across industries. He has spent nearly seven years at Airbnb, where he started and grew the brand creative team; led an award-winning rebranding; and helped launch and steward Airbnb's mission and core values. In addition, Andrew got significant initiatives off the ground, such as the company's Experiences vertical, an e-commerce platform for hosts, and an unlikely format in the tech industry: a print magazine whose distribution now exceeds that of nearly every other travel magazine.

Prior to Airbnb, Andrew sought out purpose-driven work as a designer and led projects in the publishing, conservation, and technology spaces. He cares about education as a cause and volunteered time over the course of a year to rebrand Malala Fund with Malala Yousafzai, her father, and their team. He serves on the Alumni Board of Calvert School, an independent school in Baltimore, Maryland that has shown him how an excellent elementary school education can become the foundation for one’s values and accomplishments later in life.

Andrew’s involvement with Vida Verde extends back more than a decade. In 2016 he was named Volunteer of the Year, and in 2017 he participated in the full 3-day program with students. Vida Verde's work neatly aligns with Andrew's passion for the environment, experiences, and community—all of which play a role in his daily life in and around San Francisco.

SHAWN Sears - Vida Verde's Executive Director HE/Him/HiS

See bio above