Meet the J3 Team

Rick Barry was co-founder and CTO of optical networking company Sycamore Networks. He currently advises starts-up and runs his foundation focused on K-12 STEM education and social issues. He is on the Board of Directors of 9Dots, Crossroads School of the Arts and Sciences, and on the advisory boards of the J3 Foundation and MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. Rick received his SB (‘88), MS (‘89), and PhD (‘93) in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Roger H Howard is Partner at Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro, LLP specializing in real estate, corporate, mergers, and acquisitions. Roger chairs the Corporate department​ and specializes in finding strategic solutions to complex business issues. His transactional real estate practice is focused on acquisitions, residential and commercial development, sales, restructuring, workouts, title issues, and leasing. His corporate and business work is in the area of mergers and acquisitions as well as corporate restructuring and tax. Roger is on several corporate Boards, and works with numerous worldwide, national and local companies, providing legal advice.

Sherry McKuin has been on the J3 Advisory Board since 2017. She has over 20 years of experience working as a designer and architect in Los Angeles and is the Founding Principle at McKuin Design. Sherry and her husband, Joel, have been proud supporters of several non-profit organizations with a focus on early childhood education, support and services. In addition to being on the Advisory Board at J3 Foundation, she is also on the Board of the Kids Art Museum Program at the Hammer Museum which raises funds to provide free arts education to children in Los Angeles. She is a proud parent of two children ages 10 and 12.

Rebecca Gotlieb, Ph.D. is a human developmental psychologist and educational neuroscientist. She is an Assistant Researcher in the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice in the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. Her work examines the coordinated development of literacy and social-emotional functioning from early childhood to young adulthood.

Shyamala Reddy is a writer based in Los Angeles, where she also works as a docent at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). At LACMA she has led hundreds of students through the museum’s collections, as well as developed in-person and virtual curricula and DEI methods used for students of all ages. As a technology journalist she has also worked for publications by Ziff-Davis, Newsweek and CNET, and also has over a decade of experience working as a strategy consultant in Silicon Valley. She holds a B.A. in English from Barnard College and a MS in Education from Carnegie Mellon University.

Stacee Longo joined the J3 team as Program Director in 2019 and was later promoted to her current position as Senior Program Director. In addition to her Master’s coursework in Special Education, Stacee has degrees in Sociology and Film Production. She spent 30+ years working in education; Stacee has experience as a special education teacher, a reading intervention teacher, and an arts education teacher. She also has 10 years of project management experience in the film and entertainment industry. Stacee has always done volunteer work and focused on work with a strong mission, which is why she felt that J3 Foundation chose her instead of the other way around. When not at Cozy Reading Club, Stacee can be found taxiing one of her two children around, hiking with her dog, or watching movies with her husband.

Valerie Jauregui joined the team in 2021 as J3’s Program Director. She was excited for this opportunity to be part of an amazing, effective organization and see firsthand how books can change the lives of our students and their families. Before joining the J3 team, Valerie worked as an elementary school educator and a teacher-librarian for several years. Her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science lends itself well to her work curating the J3 book collection. When she is not busy working, she loves to write. She is active in picture book and middle grade writing and was even awarded a Highlights Foundation writing grant this past summer!

Arthur Scott joined J3 Foundation as a teacher at Watts Learning Center in 2018 before becoming a Site Coordinator in 2019. He currently works as J3’s Program Coordinator. Arthur has a B.A. in Radio/TV/Film Production and Geography/Geology. He began substitute teaching in the Inglewood School District to fill in work during off months of production and he is so thankful that the non-profit world found him! In addition to his work as J3’s Program Coordinator, he is a leader with One LA-IAF, a non-partisan political group, and the Black Faith Coalition Against Human Trafficking. When he isn’t busy with all of his work and volunteer endeavors, he enjoys surfing and playing volleyball.

Courtney Gilmore joined the J3 team in 2021 as a Site Coordinator and now serves as the Program Administrator and Restorative Practices Coordinator. Deeply committed to social justice and educational equity, she is dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the non-profit sector. Courtney holds a B.A. in Applied Behavioral Science and a Master’s degree in Restorative Practices with a focus on Education. Her work at the J3 Foundation centers on meeting students’ human needs before their academic needs, emphasizing social-emotional learning through a trauma-informed lens. Outside of work, Courtney treasures being the mother of two remarkable children who inspire her daily to celebrate life and strive for a brighter future for all.

Alondra Fabian joined the J3 team in 2021 as a site coordinator and later became a SIPPS reading coach. She is now the Reading Intervention Supervisor and Regional Program Manager working with site coordinators and reading coaches. Before joining J3, she was a 6th grade bilingual, math and science teacher and has worked with students with diverse backgrounds. In addition to her Master’s in Urban Education: Policy and Administration, Alondra has a degree in Sociology and Labor & Workplace Studies. Since college, Alondra has been an educator working with undocumented students and advocating for social justice. When she’s not at Cozy Reading Club, Alondra likes spending quality time with her family, especially, her little sister, who sometimes volunteers at J3!

Jed Carandang currently works as J3 Foundation’s Social Media and Communications Coordinator. In addition to earning a B.A. in Graphic Design and having over a decade of design experience in the entertainment and corporate world, Jed has also had experience with after school programs for elementary kids and elderly home ministries with his local church. He chose to use his skills for non-profit work because of his heart for individuals who need that extra helping hand. When he’s not posting to J3’s social media accounts, taking photos and shooting videos, he’s posting to his own social media accounts, taking photos and shooting videos! He’s also keeping up-to-date with the latest geek and pop culture news, too!