Director: Neva Bandelow’s career in early care and education has spanned over 30 years as an educator and administrator. She is a fierce advocate for young children and their families, teachers, and educational systems change. Neva served as adjunct faculty at local community colleges where she taught early education students on topics focused on social justice, anti-bias analysis of curriculum, educational standards and assessment, and teaching practice.
Neva is passionate in raising equity issues and is honored to be a graduate from Build’s Equity Leaders Action Network, a national fellowship. She holds degrees in liberal studies, early childhood education, and human and community services, and a Master of Arts degree in 21st Century Leadership.
Assistant Director: Vanessa Dilks has been in the Early Childhood Education field for over 15 years. Beginning her career as a preschool teacher, Vanessa found her passion in working with young children and their families. Vanessa continued her work in the ECE field at an Alameda County Resource and Referral Agency in providing professional development opportunities for child care providers, partnering with families to help them find and pay for quality child care, and to most recently working as a Program Director providing innovative programs to families, child care providers and the community.
Vanessa has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology with an Applied Psychology Minor from the University of Santa Barbara and most recently served on the Leadership Pleasanton Steering Committee and Las Positas Early Care and Education Advisory Board.
Grant Project Coordinator: Clea Shapiro (she/her) is a passionate advocate for early care and education with a deep commitment to equity. With extensive experience in project management, ECE administration, and in her past life as a Casting Director, she has spearheaded multiple equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives; overhauled hiring practices to hire more BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQ+ actors; and coordinated professional development opportunities to meet the needs of ECE Professionals in Alameda County. Clea has a passion for streamlining program operations and an unreal love of spreadsheets. When not at work, she can be found playing with her three niblings, befriending neighborhood cats, and traveling the globe.
Senior Administrative Assistant: Vareece Lincoln is an administrative professional with over 17 years of experience working in a higher education system. Vareece has held roles in office management and administrative analyst positions where she has been able to utilize her skills towards making her workplace operate efficiently with a positive attitude.
Vareece holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, with a Minor in Sociology, from California State University East Bay.