OUR TEAM
Sara J. Totonchi, Interim Executive Director
Sara Totonchi brings more than two decades of effective organizational leadership to her work in support of nonprofits and social justice leaders. For many years, Sara’s advocacy home was the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR), an Atlanta-based public interest law firm that works for equality, dignity, and justice for people impacted by the criminal legal system in the Deep South. Sara is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Promise of Justice Initiative, a Board Member of Motherhood Beyond Bars, an Advisory Board Member of New Disabled South, and a member of the GO Team at her local public elementary school.
Michelle Ocampo, Director of Operations
Michelle is responsible for overseeing the operations at Literacy Action. After working for ten years as a paralegal, Ms. Ocampo was drawn to working in the nonprofit field when she registered her daughter at LaAmistad, a not for profit after-school program, and ended up taking a part-time position as the Parent Liaison. This led to full-time positions there, first as the Replication Coordinator and eventually as the Afterschool Director, cementing her passion for working in the education field. She held this position for four years until January 2021 when she started at Literacy Action.
Kanis Fatima, Program Director
Kanis oversees all aspects of program and curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation for Literacy Action. Prior to this role, Ms. Fatima served as Literacy Action’s Instructional Strategist and as the instructor of the GED Fast Track program and supervisor of part-time instructors in adult basic education, English as a Second Language, and digital literacy. Ms. Fatima holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry as well as an MBA. Her extensive experience includes teaching at the middle school, high school, and collegiate level, as well as volunteering with immigrant- and refugee-serving organizations. At Literacy Action, Ms. Fatima has taught ESL, Civics, and GED preparation.
Viviana Rodriguez, Admissions Coordinator
Viviana has been engaged with the Latin community since childhood. At 15, she moved to Colombia to study abroad to further her Spanish skills. After returning, she graduated from Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Georgia. After working for many years as an office manager, Viviana took on the role of Parent Liaison for LaAmistad Afterschool Program. She was quickly promoted to Volunteer Coordinator, where she enjoyed onboarding and working directly with families and students. After years at LaAmistad, Viviana noticed how much the gap in adult education can compromise a child’s success rate. This led Viviana to Literacy Action, where she now serves as Admission Coordinator.
Angela Green
Angela Green oversees the day-to-day interoffice operations at Literacy Action. Angela has extensive experience in customer service and office management in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining Literacy Action’s Operations team in 2014, Angela was employed by LVA-Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta for eight years, and before entering the non-profit sector, Angela was employed by AT&T Telecommunications Corporation from 1977 to 2008. Angela attended Georgia State University. Currently, Angela lives in Woodstock, GA with her husband. She is a proud wife, mother, and grandmother.
Dreleaseya Beasley
Dreleaseya Beasley is the Data and Assessment Coordinator at Literacy Action. She oversees student test administration and coordination of all test logistics. She has a strong desire to learn and grow professionally. Dreleaseya exemplifies a unique perspective and relationship with numbers. She enjoys visualizing, interpreting, and analyzing data. She is an effective team player with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. Dreleaseya is an Atlanta native and a Georgia State University graduate.
INSTRUCTORS
Kevin Spearman
Kevin started out as a young military officer in the U.S. Army, training young civilians to become gung-ho soldiers. Teaching, mentoring, guiding and advising turned into his raison d’être, his driving force, his sole motivation, which he has carried with him long after leaving the military. Kevin earned his undergraduate degree at Hampton University in Political Science with a minor in English Literature. With a specialization in Professional Studies, his MS in Education and a certification as a Workforce Development Professional, Kevin understands how to win the battle in the trenches of adult basic education.
Dawn Jackson- Robinson
Dawn has been teaching Adult Basic Education (ABE) for over 20 years. She is currently the Lead ABE Reading Instructor at Literacy Action. Since July 2009, she has taught everything at LAI from Reading 1 to GED Prep, ESL to Citizenship, Health Literacy to Digital Literacy classes. She also taught part-time in the ABE program at City College of New York for eight years while working full-time at the New York Daily News as an editorial researcher and archivist. She has a BA in Broadcast-journalism from Western Kentucky University and an MA in Creative Writing from City College of New York.
Tyneisha Hamilton
Tyneisha is an instructional strategist responsible for preparing and presenting lessons that enable adult learners to learn math skills and concepts. Mrs. Hamilton is an experienced professional educator with 13 years of experience working in education including Early Childhood and Middle School Education, Gifted Education, Educational Consulting, Interventions, Lesson Planning, and Instructional Design. Mrs. Hamilton has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Valdosta State University, a Master of Science (M.S.) in K-12 Studies in Education from Capella University. She is currently completing her Doctor of Education in Leadership with the American College of Education.
Monique Williamson
Monique is one of the lead instructors for the English as a Second Language (ESL) Advanced and Foundations classes for adult learners at two different Goodwill locations. Mrs. Williamson holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington in Seattle and a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and ESL from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Mrs. Williamson started with Literacy Action in 2017 as a volunteer at Cross Keys, teaching Family Literacy, at Decatur Housing Authority teaching immigrants Work Readiness, and at local libraries facilitating conversation classes.
Larry Conley
Larry is the instructor of Literacy Action’s Foundations class for beginning ESL students. He has been involved in adult education for 12 years, including as ABE instructor, individual tutor, conversation class facilitator, and new volunteer trainer. He also has extensive teaching experience at the university level. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Dartmouth College and a Master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Before coming to Literacy Action, he spent more than 25 years as a journalist and editor.
Philip Serebrenick
Philip has been instructing adults of various ages and skill levels for over 13 years. He gained most of his experience while living in Taiwan for over a decade. There he taught ESL with a focus on test taking skills and college placement. Throughout his extensive travels, he gained invaluable experience with a wide variety of cultures and uses this to help shape and heighten his teaching abilities. He earned a BA in History from Ursinus College with a double minor in International Politics and Gender-Women’s Studies.
