Meet Rona & Team |
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Rona Renner,
Executive Director of Interactive Parenting Media
and Childhood Matters Host
Rona Renner, RN, is an accomplished parent educator and
talk show facilitator. In addition to her role as host
of Childhood Matters, she has been a guest expert on radio
and has appeared on national television segments on CNN
and 20/20 and is a monthly guest on ABC 7's The View
From The Bay. Rona is the parent of four children,
ages 20 to 38, grandparent of two, and has been a registered
nurse for over 40 years with a wide range of experience
in health care, administration, and patient education
in New York, California, Zaire, and India.
For the past twenty years, Rona's
focus has been on parent education and community outreach.
She was trained by Kaiser Permanente as a Temperament
Specialist, helping parents adjust their approach to parenting
in light of their children’s individual temperaments.
She’s been a speaker at national conferences on Children’s
Temperament and ADHD and presents trainings for school
faculties and community-based organizations on a wide
variety of topics. She regularly offers assistance to
parents regarding their children's rights in school issues
and health care access. Rona developed a monthly parenting
series at the Berkeley YMCA, taught parenting classes
at Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center, and founded
the Childhood Matters nonprofit radio show, all aimed
at providing free comprehensive compassionate parent education.
Click here to
download Rona's bio. |
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Nazmin
Bishop, Director of Development
Nazmin has been in the field of Development/ Marketing most
of her professional career, which spans more than two decades.
She began in the business world in corporate aviation and
has held positions in both the for profit and nonprofit
sectors. She has worked extensively on state and federal
government student loan contracts, most notably working
with the U.S. Department of Education. During her tenure
in the nonprofit world, Nazmin served as Corporate/Community
Relations Officer for a domestic violence agency and went
on to become Executive Director of a children’s advocacy
group that addressed the needs of those impacted by childhood
abuse. Although her vast professional career has been gratifying,
her true passion is working on community building projects,
especially those that focus on children. She and her husband
Daryl, are proud parents of two daughters, Sharisse and
Mckinsey. |
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Xan
West , Producer
Xan holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from American University's
School of Communications. She has worked extensively in
talk radio for outlets such as XM Satellite Radio, NPR,
and KPFA. She has produced shows such as Interfaith Voices,
All- American Talk Radio, Prison Abolition Radio, and many
more. In her spare time she enjoys gardening with children.
Xan is also a proud Oakland native. Xan is very excited
to be working with the Interactive Parenting Media team. |
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Lacey
Daniell, Producer of Nurse Rona's Community
Forum
Born and raised in New Mexico, Lacey graduated from
New Mexico State University (NMSU) with a degree in Journalism.
Her short career has included working as a reporter for
an NPR affiliate and a production assistant at Bloomberg
Television as part of the Washington, DC Center for Politics
and Journalism. Outside of being a news junkie, she is interested
in many forms of dance and was a member of NMSU's student
run dance company. She is excited to help bring valuable
information and resources to California families as a part
of the Interactive Parenting Media team. |
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Anthony
Georgetti, Assistant Producer and Americorps*VISTA
Originally from New York, Anthony moved to the Bay Area
after an eleven year stopover in Virginia. Anthony has a
BA in psychology from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.
His previous production work includes a barely broadcasted
college radio show and the production of his self written
and directed film The Scholarship. His outside
interests include health, writing, and drama. |
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Liz
Courtois, Communications Associate
Liz grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and moved
to the Bay Area in 2006 after graduating from Kalamazoo
College. At Kalamazoo she studied Theatre (stage management)
and Anthropology, and had the opportunity to study in Spain.
She reads and listens to music avidly, teaches herself to
cook, and hikes. |
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María
Álvarez, Director
of Communications and Outreach
María Alvarez is responsible for community relations
with different organizations in the Bay Area and Monterey
County. She has over 15 years of professional journalism
experience in broadcast, print and online media, and has
worked as an international correspondent in Central and
South America. Her academic degrees include a B.A. in
Journalism from the Central University in Venezuela, and
a M.A. in Communications from the Catholic University
in Santiago, Chile. Currently, Maria is working towards
a Non-Profit Management Certificate at Cal State University.
In addition, she brings her own personal parenting experiences
to the team. She has an adorable 18-month-old son, Ricardo
Amador. Maria loves travelling and her favorite and most
frequent destination is Venezuela, her birthplace and
where the majority of her family currently lives. |
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Isabel
Ferraris , Monterey Outreach Coordinator
After a successful 23-year career as a dentist in Argentina,
Isabel and her husband and decided to offer their children
better opportunities by moving to the United States. Over
the last eight years she has had the opportunity to develop
the strong foundation her parents and grandparents passed
on to her. She wants to continue their family legacy for
the generations to come because it was the key to her own
success. Honesty, integrity and looking for the best interest
for everyone comes first for her. Isabel lives in Salinas,
CA with her husband. They have three fully grown children. |
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Holly
Wilder, Controller
For over twenty years, Holly has been working with nonprofits
in accounting, human resources, and administration. She
earned her business degree from JFK University. In addition
to her work in business administration, she does conflict
resolution work with individuals, groups, and organizations.
Holly is a member of CompassPoint's Nonprofit Finance Professionals
Network and previously served on the board of Blue Skies
for Children (formerly the Association of Children's Services).
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Peter
B. Collins, Radio Production Consultant
Peter B. Collins is a well-known broadcaster, voice-over
talent, entrepreneur, and media consultant. He started in
radio in Chicago in the 1970's as an air personality and
talk show host. Peter moved to the San Francisco Bay Area
in 1976 and spent most of the 1980's hosting a top-rated
morning show. In 1989, he moved back into talk radio and
is currently the host of “The Peter B. Collins Show”
which airs daily. Peter’s distinct and authoritative
voice has been heard in hundreds of radio and TV commercials,
as well as station promos and voice mail systems. Since
1986, he has served as Board President of the Freedom Foundation,
a nonprofit based at San Quentin Prison, which provides
legal and investigative assistance to wrongfully convicted
inmates in California. |
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Mick
Renner, Communications Consultant
Mick has been a college professor of English, an actor,
director, and producer in Bay Area theatres, and, since
1985, an award-winning technical writer. Mick is a senior
technical writer at Varian, Inc., and teaches in the University
of California, Berkeley, Extension Program. He is a father,
a stepfather, and now a grandfather! |
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Marisol
Muñoz-Kiehne, Nuestros Niños
Host
Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne, Ph.D., has practiced as a licensed
clinical psychologist for over 20 years. She dedicates her
career to fostering the well being of our children and families,
with special attention to the Latino community, through
child development and parenting classes, individual and
family psychotherapy, training of therapists, interviews
in the media, and educational and inspirational writings.
Her work has earned official recognitions, and the appreciation
of innumerable families. |
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Marco
Berger, Nuestros Niños Producer
Marco Berger has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for
28 years. He graduated from San Francisco State University
in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Broadcast Communication
Arts. Marco enjoys working in the community and developing
good relationships with people. In 1992, he earned his teaching
credentials with Spanish Bilingual emphasis from the University
of San Francisco. Marco was a teacher for 15 years, first
in Redwood City working with bilingual students, and then
taking on various teaching roles in San Francisco. He then
served as Community Engagement Specialist at Parent Services
Project in Marin County, supporting and helping parents
to be leaders in their children's schools and in their communities.
In 2007, he coordinated the Parent Leadership Institute.
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Zoila
Cartagena,
Nuestros Niños Associate Producer
"Greetings. Children and parents, are my work and passion.
My mother's struggle and the war in my country of origin
have left the most important mark and legacy in my life,
which is the love and struggle so that our children can
develop and grow in a home and a society filled with love
and good values. Nuestros Niños offers me the opportunity
to be close to the community and to listen to the voices
of mothers, fathers, and children from communities throughout
the world. I have learned that media is a powerful tool
to make a difference in our society. Day by day I meet with
you in schools, theaters, churches, and other places in
the community. Your voices and your stories count! The work
that I see is like a miracle. What you do as a parent is
the essence of how you can transform you children's lives
for the better. I strongly believe that our children are
the most important seed of today and the future. ¡Si
se puede!"
Zoila was born and raised in El Salvador. She has a BA in
Communications Sciences and currently studies Sociology
and Media at San Francisco State University. |
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2002-2009