We Are WriterCoach Connection
MISSION & VISION
Uplifting student lives through writing
We are incredibly proud of the ongoing success of our mission to engage, encourage and inspire our middle and high school students to think more critically and write more skillfully with the support of our caring volunteer coaches.
Our vision is that all students discover the power and richness of their own voices and learn to communicate their ideas with clarity and confidence to enable them to participate successfully in personal and academic challenges, career options, and community conversations.
OUR VALUES
Building a foundation to guide our decisions and foster a strong culture
OUR TEAM
Advancing our work
We are a dedicated group of individuals with diverse backgrounds of experience. We are united by a shared goal of helping young people thrive in life, and we know strong writing, communication and critical thinking skills are essential for that outcome. We work together, supporting each other’s roles and projects, and respect the knowledge and skills everyone brings to WriterCoach Connection.
Lynn retired as a Senior Vice President in the Financial industry, after a career that spanned the United States and 23 countries. Her experience included financial statement analysis, credit and compliance policy, diversity committees and training development and delivery. Deeply committed to the WriterCoach Connection mission and values, Lynn has served as an office administrator, coach, treasurer, and Vice Chair for the WCC Board over the last several years and has developed relationships with staff, volunteers, and contract team members. In addition, she led a committee to deliver a successful auction in which $10,000 was raised. Lynn has extensive experience in the non-profit and corporate space and has mentored and managed large teams throughout her career.
Clarisse Choy joined WCC in 2010 as a coach at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley. “I stayed on as a coach at King and then at Longfellow Middle School for a combined eight years because I enjoyed meeting and working with so many young people full of ideas, interests, and aspirations at a pivotal time in their lives.”
Clarisse joined the WCC staff as co-site coordinator for the coaching program at Longfellow. In her current role as Program Manager, Clarisse collaborates with program partners and oversees planning, implementation, and evaluation of coaching programs at their respective school sites. In addition, she is part of the strategy team committed to building relationships with new program partners. Her prior experience with nonprofit and public organizations includes work in public relations, community-based arts management, and grant proposal writing. Clarisse holds advanced degrees in business administration (MBA, UCLA Anderson School of Management) and instructional design with an emphasis on online learning (MS Ed, California State University East Bay).
“What makes the WriterCoach experience special is the relationship that forms between student and coach. Every student is different. To see a young person find their voice and use it to express who they are in the world is powerful.”
Ambata Kazi joined WriterCoach Connection as an administrative assistant in 2022. She learned about WCC through her son’s school, Korematsu, where she also volunteered as a writer coach. “The experience of coaching gave me a greater understanding of the work WCC does and how important and impactful it is for the students, both for improving their communication skills and building relationships with adults who are not their parents or teachers.”
Previously she worked for many years as an educator, and has been writing and editing professionally for over ten years. She earned a Master of Arts in English and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. A New Orleans native, she has been a resident of the Bay Area for four years.
In her new role as Communications Associate, Ambata looks forward to deepening her support of WCC’s various communications needs including community engagement through social media, enriching relationships with volunteers and donors, website maintenance, and supporting recruitment, marketing and development. “For an organization dedicated to helping young people find and cultivate their unique writing voice, I know how important language and effective communication is, and I’m excited to support those organizational goals with WCC.”
Patricia (Patty) has managed fundraising for two Congressional campaigns and served as a political and non-profit fundraising consultant and grant writer for various non profit organizations throughout the state of California over the past two decades. She is passionate about education, women’s causes and the environment.
In addition to fundraising, Patty is a local realtor, and serves on the Local Government Relations Board of Bridge Association of Realtors. She is a member of the Berkeley and Kensington Democratic Clubs and a lifetime member of the Newport Beach Women’s Democratic Club, which she founded in 2006.
She is the mother of two great kids, who are passionate about writing. Her Palm Springs based daughter is joining WCC as a remote volunteer coach in the fall. In her spare time, Patty enjoys swimming, human powered watercraft, walking, hiking, the piano and cooking. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from University of California-Davis and a Master of Business Administration from New York University.
School Site Coordinators
Jane Gitelman
Maya Manesh
Alisa Morrill
Kim Wolf
Thank you to our foundational and community partners!
