Our Team
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Alexis Filippini
Founder | CEO
Dr. Alexis Filippini’s fierce commitment to joyful, effective learning for all children started with her first job as a camp counselor, and shows up today in her leadership, speaking, and teaching. Her 20+ years of experience in building capacity of individuals and systems include bilingual reading interventionist, behavioral clinician, special education professor, consultant, and executive director. Alexis earned her MA and PhD in special education with an emphasis in cognitive science from UC Santa Barbara and holds a preliminary education specialist credential. As a certified word nerd (B.A. in linguistics) and a nature lover her favorite place to teach reading is in a vegetable garden.
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Carol Carr
Operations Director
Carol comes to Words in the Wild with 20 years of experience in nonprofit administration and leadership and a passion for supporting the work of visionaries and program staff who are making a difference in the world. Carol has a B.A. from Western Washington University in Organizational Communications and Political Science, a certificate in FundRaising Management from Indiana University School of Philanthropy and completed post-bacc work at Northern Michigan University in adult learning, training and development. When not poring over spreadsheets and reports, Carol can be found in her garden, hiking with her family or traveling to new places around the globe.
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Erin Pollack
Senior Consultant/Client Coordinator
Erin is a strengths-based leader who knows and values educators in order to foster their growth and reflection. Erin's culturally responsive & interdisciplinary approach to capacity building supports new & veteran teachers. Focused on building upon the strengths of an institution, Erin has engaged in curriculum reviews, faculty coaching and valuation, schedule design, classroom management, and interdisciplinary initiatives.
With a wealth of skills from her 25 years as a 6-12 classroom teacher, instructional coach, & administrator, Erin specializes in collaboratively identifying the values & beliefs that make up a pedagogical philosophy.
Erin earned her BA in English from Denison University (Ohio) and her MFA in English (Writing) from the University of Utah. She is also a National School Reform Faculty certified Critical Friends coach. -
Jessica Bates
Teaching Fellow
Jessica is thrilled to be joining Words in the Wild as a first-year teaching fellow. After graduating from Harvard University with a BA in Social Studies and English, she worked as a naturalist at Sierra Outdoor School. This experience revealed the power of inquiry-based learning, which she is excited to continue exploring with Words in the Wild. When she’s not teaching reading, or reading herself, Jessie enjoys baking, knitting, backpacking, and cuddles with her cat Biscuit.
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Michelle Brewer
Teaching Fellow
Michelle is following her passion to provide enhanced opportunities for children to become joyful and confident readers. She came to teaching as a second career after a long career in the field of affordable housing. After volunteering and tutoring in Oakland schools, she decided to pursue her teaching credential at San Francisco State University. As a part of the credential program, she served as an assistant/student teacher in Berkeley and Alameda. Michelle then taught first grade in Oakland full-time for 2 years, during which she learned tremendously from her students. She believes that all children deserve to learn to read and is committed to helping children realize their potential. She looks forward to exploring and providing literacy instruction with Words in the Wild. In her free time, Michelle loves to sing, read, and spend time with family and friends.
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Leah Mills
Learning Specialist
Leah holds a masters in Educational Therapy from Notre Dame de Namur University and a B.A. in Deaf Studies with a concentration in Education from CSU Northridge. Leah grew up in the Bay Area and has worked with students from preschool through high school, with experience as teacher and paraprofessional, providing support for students with various disabilities. She volunteered as a tutor and assistant teacher at the California School for the Deaf and is fluent in American Sign Language, which she frequently incorporates in her work with students. After completing our 2-year teaching fellowship she joined Words in the Wild as a full-time learning specialist, supporting students through small-group and individual reading & writing intervention. She is passionate about making education accessible and engaging to all students and incorporating their strengths and interests into their learning. She enjoys musical theater and spending time with her adorable nephew.
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Lindi Shepard
Fellowship Director
Lindi is pursuing a PhD in Education at Johns Hopkins University where she conducts research at the intersection of the learning sciences and environmental education at Dr. Hunter Gehlbach’s Social Psychology in Environmental Education Lab. Lindi developed an interest in the learning sciences as a teacher, inspired by watching students play and co-construct knowledge in community. After 15+ years in the classroom, she moved into curriculum development and teacher education, supporting teachers across the globe as an instructional coach with the Center for the Professional Education of Teachers. She brings this passion for educator learning to her work with Words in the Wild, as the director of our teaching fellowship program. Lindi holds a B.S. in Special Education from the University of Georgia and a M.A. in Cognitive Science in Education from Columbia University. When she isn’t knee-deep in research, you can find her doing yoga, poking around her garden, or exploring wild spaces with her best (four-legged) friend, Lu.
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Priscila Lopez Urzua
Administrative/Marketing Assistant
Priscila holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from San Jose State University as well as a Certificate in Marketing Management and Graphic Design from De Anza College. She joins Words in the Wild with over 7 years of administrative experience. She is proficient at coordinating tasks and keeping records. As a previous Academic Consultant, she loved working with students and their families to establish and commit to their goals. She truly believes that learning can be an exciting and fun experience for everyone. Priscila enjoys arts and crafts, traveling, and spending time with her family. Her 2 little children and 2 dogs brighten her home every day.
Fellowship Alumni
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Kiku Kimura
Teaching Fellowship Graduate
Kiku joined Words in the Wild with little classroom experience but a deep passion for learning and growth. A graduate of San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, their focus on sustainability and social justice shapes their commitment to equity in education. Kiku is a dedicated reader, writer, and advocate for Environmental Justice, with a background in organizing around student debt and educating Bay Area youth on environmental racism.
As a teaching fellow, Kiku brought empathy, curiosity, and a strong sense of community to both their classroom and 1:1 tutoring. Their belief that every student holds unique brilliance made them a beloved part of our learning community. As a 2-year fellowship graduate, Kiku was inspired to pursue a career in teaching! We could not be more proud and are so excited for the many lives Kiku will go on to change in their future.
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Zainab Alrashid
Teaching Fellowship Graduate
Zainab is a “teaching ecologist” who holds a Bachelors of Art in Biology from Mills College. Born and raised in Oakland, Zainab has worked with local communities exploring animal behavior and outdoor education. She has a background in non-profits, helping things run smoothly on the programmatic and administrative side. Zainab is passionate about providing space for “the outdoors” to be accessible and centering interdisciplinary approaches to the sciences. In her free time, Zainab enjoys hiking, writing short stories, and reading sci-fi and horror books.
Zainab is a 1-year Teaching Fellowship alumni who is currently a wildlife biology research assistant in South Africa.
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Nathalie Hites
Teaching Fellowship Graduate
Nathalie’s lifelong love of learning began in childhood, reading the dictionary and collecting rocks for fun. Her curiosity led her to earn a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Zoology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. After finding research too confining, she returned to her passion for education and has spent the past 17 years guiding children and adolescents as a dedicated Montessori teacher.
Eager to deepen her knowledge of literacy instruction, Nathalie joined our Fellowship with extensive classroom experience. After two years as a Fellow, she continued for a third year as a Teacher in Residence, supporting our WordLab, tutoring, and family engagement programs. Nathalie brings a deep belief in every child’s capacity to learn and a joyful commitment to discovery.
Nathalie has returned full-time to the Montessori classroom, equipped with new tools and insights. We’re grateful for all she’s brought to our community and look forward to future collaborations!
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Ella Holton-Mccoy
Founding Teaching Fellow (and fellowship graduate)
Ella joined Words in the Wild as a teaching fellow in our inaugural Summer Institute (2019). After completing a 2-year teaching fellowship with Words in the Wild, she helped lay the foundation for our cycle of educator and student support as a Words in the Wild Learning Specialist.
She currently supports students and families as an Executive Function Coach, incorporating her knowledge of special education, neuroscience, strengths-based teaching practices, and mindfulness to create individualized learning pathways. She holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Literacy and a focus in Special Education as well as a minor in Child and Family Development from San Diego State University. She earned her M.A. in Educational Therapy from Holy Names University.
Find her at Illuminated EF Coaching
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Paige Harrington Clark
Teaching Fellowship Graduate
Paige first joined Words in the Wild as a volunteer supporting remote WordLab in 2020, which influenced her decision to pursue a reading specialization through her graduate studies. She earned her M.A. in Teaching Reading at the University of San Francisco and holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in Literature. As an educator, Paige is committed to creating a nurturing and community-oriented environment in which every student can learn. A lover of books and baseball, Paige has been to nearly every bookstore in San Francisco and many, many Giants games.
After completing a 1-year teaching fellowship with Words in the Wild, Paige accepted a full-time position teaching Kindergarten with SFUSD and continues to support both teachers and students by creating joyful, inclusive learning communities.
Advisors
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Gretchen Macchiarella
Gretchen’s expertise is on emerging technologies in storytelling, digital journalism, and innovative business models. She is a professor at CSU Northridge, where she teaches Design Thinking in her courses and through applied programs such as the Internal Entrepreneurship desk in student media.
She is also one of our parents, with two curious kids who are huge fans of Words in the Wild, and holds a B.A. in Mass Communications and an M.A. in Digital Journalism and Design.
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Ryan Nepomuceno
Mentor Teacher & Founding Naturalist
As a Master Garden Teacher and Science Curriculum Advisor Ryan is key to integrating literacy and the outdoors using scientific observation as well as music, drawing, and cooking. He also teaches experiential environmental education at a school garden in Oakland with kindergarten through eighth-grade students, and has been part of the team since 2016. He earned his B.A. in Environmental Education from Warren Wilson College and has since been teaching in a variety of ecosystems from the sandy coast of North Carolina to the oak woodlands of the East Bay.
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Annie Crangle
Annie is a team leader, strategist, and coach. She utilizes her experiences in education, business, and athletics to facilitate inclusive and inspiring strategic planning processes. Her ability to work across sectors and with diverse leaders stems from years of advising social impact organizations and businesses, playing Division I college basketball, and teaching elementary kids.
Annie has worked and consulted in public education as a Teach for America alumnae, former Minneapolis Public School District curriculum and data consultant, and strategic advisor to over thirty public schools across the country, including KIPP St. Louis during their regional expansion.
She is a former Big Ten Conference athlete, a current member of the San Francisco Olympic Club Women’s National Basketball team, and serves as a member of the Northern California Board of Directors for Playworks.
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Tami Weiss
Tami supports a variety of wellness, education, and food system organizations with strategy, operations, and communications. With a background in environmental policy and experience as an environmental educator and curriculum developer, Tami uses her quantitative and qualitative skills to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate impactful programs while keeping an eye on organizational goals. Basically, she helps WITW look great (she took most of the photos on our site) while running smoothly.
She is also a parent who loves spending as much time in nature as possible. She earned an M.A. in Environmental Policy & Management from Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Biology from UC Santa Cruz.
We are a community of lifelong learners.
WITW Foundation board, WITW team, and advisors. From left to right: Gretchen Macchiarella, Annie Crangle, Ryan Nepomuceno, Alexis Filippini, Tami Weiss, Ella Holton-McCoy, Kenton Young
Fellowship director Lindi Shepard and founder Alexis Filippini at a Council for Exceptional Children reception. Lindi is also a PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins University.
Teaching team learning together at the Oakland Literacy Coalition’s Literacy & Justice for All conference. From left to right: Year two fellow Kiku K., founder Alexis F., learning specialist (and fellow grad) Leah M., and year one fellow Zaynab A.
Join our playful learning lab!
Our team is at the heart of what we do.
