Our Board & Staff

Lawrence Siegel, J.D.

VICE PRESIDENT & FORWORDS FOUNDER

Lawrence is a civil rights attorney, author, a Fulbright Scholar Specialist, has advised numerous organizations and universities in the United States and abroad, and was honored with an endowed chair at Gallaudet University. He is deeply grateful for the hard work and dedication of his fellow board members.

Since 2007 I have worked for ForWords and donated to ForWords to honor my daughter Catie and to give back to the students who are determined to have a productive life but often lack the educational resources to that end.

Nancy S. Wasserman

BOARD MEMBER

Nancy has worked in the public school sector for over 45 years as a classroom teacher (elementary and middle school), an assistant principal, and principal. She has also provided math staff development for the Equals/Family Math Program at Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. Nancy trains student teachers at Dominican College, San Rafael, and provides administrative coaching through the Sonoma County Office of Education.

My commitment to ForWords is an extension of my personal educational philosophy- to strive to provide the most engaging learning experiences for all students while promoting excellence in literacy skills.

Molly Beyer

BOARD MEMBER

Molly Beyer, now retired, devoted 20 years to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, as the Manager of the Museum Ambassador Program in the Education Department. This program develops leadership, teamwork, and communication skills in San Francisco public high school students, while introducing these young Ambassadors to visual arts as a way to explain and explore historical, cultural and social issues. The program received the high honor of The Coming Up Taller Award, given by the United States President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, under Molly's leadership. The quote from Michelle Obama regarding this program resonates with Molly today in her work with ForWords:

You affirm that their contributions are valued and that their success matters to all of us.

Gail Siegel

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & FORWORDS FOUNDER

Gail started her career in education as an eleven year old running a neighborhood summer day camp in her Los Angeles backyard. She followed members of her family to UC Berkeley for undergraduate and graduate school. After teaching K-8th grades, Gail became a school administrator and Teacher Consultant for the renowned Bay Area Writing Project at UC Berkeley, traveling throughout the US, South America and Europe teaching fellow teachers how to teach writing. She is married and has two daughters.

Working with the ForWords staff and board on behalf of our incredible students is a daily dose of hope and inspiration for the future of our community and our country. It is a gift to be able to see the growth and progress of our students.

Rose Jennings Newhouse

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Four-decades of experience in capacity-building and furthering the missions of several Marin nonprofits, all with the focus of improving the quality of life and scope of opportunity for children and families, have resulted in the common sense approach to management that Rose is respected for today. In addition to her nonprofit advancement expertise, Rose has a robust background in Education.

Education/Training
BA, in Liberal Studies a K-12 Multiple-Subject Lifetime Teaching Credential, CSU,Chico
Nonprofit Executive Certification, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern
Graduate of the Excellence in Executive Leadership program of the Center for Volunteers and Nonprofit Leadership, Marin.

I’m grateful to be part of an organization that prioritizes youth who otherwise would not be able to participate in the life-changing process known as ‘The ForWords Way’. By introducing students to the magic of their own words, they gain new knowledge about themselves and can begin to rewrite their future. There’s no more important work right now.

David A. Calderon Varguez

DIRECTOR OF YOUTH EDUCATION

David A. Calderon Varguez is a Mexican immigrant scholar, uncle, community member, and descendant from the Yucatec Mayans. He truly loves knowledge, from the scientific, to the spiritual and to the artistic. He enjoys reading academic articles from all subjects that this wonderful world and universe can offer.

Mr. Calderon attended San Francisco State for two years, majoring in Gender and Women's studies. He then transferred to end his undergrad at Sarah Lawrence College concentrating in Education, Poetry, Playwriting, and Social Psychology. Mr. Calderon was raised in San Rafael, California, which means he is a Davidson Middle School and San Rafael High School alum.

Mr. Calderon brings to ForWords his knowledge and wisdom from the communities he had worked with in the past. In high school he began to develop his own pedagogies combining Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Indigenous Coyote teachings, as well as his Mayan Yucatec roots of how to guide people to a place of knowledge and undersanding. He is dedicated to supporting ForWords students to develop their critical thinking skills while learning about themselves and the world.

Elisabeth Siegel

YOUTH EDUCATOR & FORWORDS FOUNDER

Elisabeth was raised in Marin County and attended local schools while studying and training in classical ballet. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco and attended Dominican University studying Psychology.

Elisabeth is inspired everyday by the opportunity to work with ForWords students and be part of continuing her sister Catie’s legacy. Working as a Youth Educator allows her to both teach and learn. She loves being able to contribute to her community and to this new generation of learners and leaders. Her goal is to see ForWords continue to grow and thrive.

Barbara Yupit Gomez

YOUTH EDUCATOR

Born and raised in Marin County, Barbara graduated with a B.A. in American Studies from Wesleyan University in 2019. She merges her passions for social justice and education to create critical and meaningful discussions with her students. Empowering the voices of underserved youth is at the core of her work. A graduate of San Rafael High School, Barbara understands the importance of programs like ForWords Literacy Lab in addressing educational inequalities in the U.S. Barbara wants to bolster student’s intellectual growth and creativity —the voices and dreams of today’s youth—the same way her educators did for her.

Edwin Martinez

YOUTH EDUCATOR

Edwin Martinez is both a ForWords Youth Educator and a student. A graduate of Terra Linda High School, he currently attends College of Marin and is in the process of transferring to complete his education at a four year university. Edwin’s long-term goal is to become a teacher. Working at ForWords has helped him become a better teacher as he learns new strategies and skills. Edwin says that it is a joy to work with the community where he grew up. He says that ForWords is making a change in students’ lives and he loves being part of that change.

After each ForWords session each student and each staff member talks about what they have “taken away” from the day’s efforts. Vicki said her take away was that “anybody has the potential to make change.”

Board of Directors

Jeffrey Gough

PRESIDENT

Lawrence Siegel, J.D.

VICE PRESIDENT & FORWORDS FOUNDER

Marleen Roggow

TREASURER

Brenda Winston

BOARD CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

Judy Gough

RECORDING SECRETARY

Cheryl Ruby PhD

COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR

Steven Wasserman

GOVERNANCE CHAIR

Gail van Adelsberg

PARTNERSHIPS CHAIR

Nancy S. Wasserman

BOARD MEMBER

Molly Beyer

BOARD MEMBER

Dave Nelson

BOARD MEMEBER