Meet the Team

ChARLENE mARGOT

Board Member

Charlene Margot is a Palo Alto native and lifelong advocate of children, schools, and families. She is the co-founder and CEO of nonprofit The Parent Venture, a leading provider of inclusive, high-quality parent and community education, and founder of The Parent Education Series. Charlene began her career in education at the Laboratory School for the Department of Psychology, Stanford University, and as a consultant to IBM in educational software development.

She currently serves on the Advisory Board of The RILEY Project and the Executive Board of the Wellness Advisory Council in the Sequoia Union High School District. Charlene holds a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University and a Master’s in Education from SJSU with a concentration in Child and Adolescent Development. She lives in Menlo Park with her partner, and is the proud mom of two young adults and one new grandchild.

Charlene connected with Riley Mulcahy through The Parent Venture, where he is currently a member of the Advisory Council. She continues to be impressed with Riley’s networking, communication, and fundraising skills – his superpowers!

Kate Brownfield, ACC

Advisory Council Member
Certified ADHD & Executive Function Parent Coach, ADHD Kids Can Thrive

Kate Brownfield, ACC, is a Certified ADHD and Executive Function Parent Coach, founder of ADHD Kids Can Thrive, host of The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Podcast, and author of How We Roll: A Parent’s Journey of Raising a Child with ADHD. Drawing on more than 20 years of lived experience as a parent and advocate, Kate supports families raising children and teens with ADHD and other neurodivergent profiles.

Her work focuses on helping parents better understand the ADHD brain, strengthen connection, reduce conflict, support executive function and emotional regulation, and create practical strategies that work in everyday family life. Through private coaching, group programs, writing, and conversations with leading experts, Kate is committed to making high-quality ADHD education and parent support more accessible.

She brings a whole-person perspective to her work and is especially interested in helping families navigate complex systems with greater clarity, confidence, compassion, and hope.

Nicole Connell, M.Ed.

Advisory Council Member
Educational Therapist, Mentor & Founder of Girls Shine Bright

Nicole Connell, M.Ed., is an educational therapist and mentor. She
loves supporting kids, teens, and adults to better understand
themselves, recognize their unique strengths, navigate challenges, and
discover what works for them. Her work is rooted in honoring
neurodiversity, listening deeply to children, and inviting their ideas
to shape the work they do together. She specializes in helping
families find and create educational paths that fit their child.
Nicole is also the founder of Girls Shine Bright, where girls build
confidence and leadership through creative projects and publishing.

Keira Dooley

Advisory Council Member
Founder & Principle Designer, Dooley Design Group

Keira Dooley is the founder and principal designer of Dooley Design Group, a digital agency specializing in accessible websites, marketing, and human-centered design. With over 26 years of practice designing for nonprofits, schools, and healthcare, she brings deep expertise in creating accessible designs and materials for differently-abled users, including those with learning differences and neurodivergence. As a lecturer at California State University, Long Beach, she taught future educators how to translate accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.1, ADA Title II, and Section 508, into accessible websites and communications that work for everyone.

Keira’s commitment to this work is both professional and personal. She understands what it means when design fails the people it is supposed to serve and how meaningful it is to them when thoughtful, accessible design is made with everyone in mind. That experience shapes every project she creates. 

Keira is a proud supporter of The RILEY Project’s mission and honored to contribute her expertise to the advisory council.

Ryan Eisenberg

Advisory Council Member
Chief Executive Officer
Children’s Health Council

Ryan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Health Council, a community-based nonprofit that has served the Bay Area for over 73 years. He brings more than 25 years of experience in direct work, advocacy, and leadership for children and families with complex learning and mental health needs. A teacher, administrator, community advocate, and organizational leader, Ryan has dedicated himself to improving outcomes for children and families.

During his career, Ryan has developed innovative school programming in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California for students with learning differences and mental health needs. His work has focused on creating more inclusive community settings, building programs of acceptance and learning, and improving outcomes for children who were not finding success in their communities or schools. He has also been an active voice in public policy related to education and child welfare and has served on state-level work groups and as a special education expert for districts exploring equity issues.

Ryan lives in the Bay Area with his wife, Sindy, and their two children. He enjoys traveling, hockey, music, cooking, and reading.

DIANE GUTIERREZ

Advisory Council Member
Co-Founder, Cognition Labs

Diane Gutierrez is co-founder of Cognition Labs, Inc., where she leads business development, fundraising, and product strategy for technologies designed to support neurodivergent learners. Her work focuses on expanding access to tools that strengthen reading and comprehension for individuals with differences in visual, auditory, and perceptual processing.

Diane has led early deployments of CogniLens in diverse educational settings, including collaborations with educators at Charles Armstrong School, Mission Dolores Academy, and schools serving tribal and Indigenous children in Miao, India. She brings more than 20 years of experience across business-to-business and business-to-consumer sectors, including building and scaling revenue streams exceeding $10
million, developing enduring partnerships, and leading
multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns supporting education and social-impact initiatives.

Her commitment to neurodiversity is both professional and personal. As the parent of four neurodivergent children, Diane brings lived experience alongside entrepreneurial leadership, educational advocacy, and strategic philanthropy to her work on more inclusive and effective educational systems.

Tami Hill-Washington

Advisory Council Member
Research Professional & Educator | Arizona State University

Tami Hill-Washington is an educator, organizational leader, and practitioner with more than 20 years of experience spanning K–12 education, higher education, and nonprofit leadership. Her career has included roles as a secondary social studies teacher, assistant principal, adjunct faculty member, nonprofit executive, and Executive Director of Arizona State University’s Center for Whole-Child
Education.

Tami works at the intersection of research, practice, and systems change, translating research into actionable approaches that help young people and adults learn, belong, and thrive. Her work is grounded in three interconnected ideas—cognition, connection, and variability—and has focused on whole-child education, leadership development, organizational change, equity, and supportive learning environments.

At Arizona State University, Tami is a Research Professional in the Division for Advancing Education Policy, Practice and Leadership and teaches in ASU’s Educational Leadership program.

Originally from New York and now based in Georgia, Tami also brings the perspective of being the parent of a neurodivergent young adult. Outside of work, she enjoys nonfiction reading, museums, the beach, professional tennis, and college basketball.

Ramsey Khasho, PsyD

Advisory Council Member
Clinical Psychologist, One Life Counseling Center

Dr. Khasho is a seasoned clinical psychologist and executive leader with over 25 years of experience in mental health care, clinical practice, and organizational leadership. He has dedicated his career to supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families, specializing in areas such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, forensic assessments, and family therapy. 

Before joining One Life, Dr. Khasho served as Chief Clinical Officer at Children’s Health Council (CHC) in Palo Alto, where he led strategic vision, program growth, and operational excellence for clinical services for over 17 years. He brings extensive nonprofit leadership experience, having overseen programs that serve thousands of young people and families annually and shaped clinical models rooted in evidence, collaboration, and compassion. 

He earned his Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) and MA in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and his BA in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Dr. Khasho is a trusted community leader who is known for leading with integrity, clarity, empathy, and purpose.

Helen Marlo

Advisory Council Member
Dean of the School of Psychology, Notre Dame de Namur University

Helen Marlo is Dean of the School of Psychology and Professor of Clinical Psychology at Notre Dame de Namur University. She has been on the faculty since 1999, having led the graduate Clinical Psychology Department, where she has served as Chair. A licensed clinical psychologist (PSY 15318) and certified psychoanalyst member of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, she has maintained a private practice in San Mateo for over 25 years. Dr. Marlo trains students and mental health professionals at various community agencies; founded the community service, Mentoring Mothers; serves as Reviews Editor for Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche; and is a board member for AbilityPath. She publishes and presents on topics such as spirituality, psychoneuroimmunology, wellness, depth psychology, reproductive mental health, dreams, and synchronicity. Helen co-edited The Spiritual Psyche in Psychotherapy: Mysticism, Intersubjectivity, and Psychoanalysis, and publishes a monthly blog in Psychology Today.

Jody Pellegrini

Advisory Council Member
Lead Director of Admissions, Fusion Academy

Jody Pellegrini is the Lead Director of Admissions for Fusion
Academy’s Pacific Northwest region, where she works closely with students, families, educators, and mental health professionals to help young people find academic environments where they can thrive. She is especially passionate about supporting students who learn differently and helping families understand the options available to them.

Before discovering her passion for education, Jody built a career in advertising sales, marketing, communications, and business development. Her experience spans traditional media, digital marketing, and event marketing, giving her a strong understanding of how to build partnerships and connect organizations with the people and communities they hope to reach.

As both an educator and a mom of two, Jody has a special place in her heart for young people who may not fit neatly into the boxes they have been given. She believes every young person deserves to feel seen, valued, and proud of what makes them different. She is honored to join The RILEY Project Advisory Council and help more young people find
their voices and share their stories.

Kelli Suding, M.Ed., CPACC

Advisory Council Member
Professional Learning & Implementation Specialist, CAST

Kelli Suding, M.Ed., CPACC, is a Professional Learning and Implementation Specialist at CAST and a recognized leader in accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), assistive technology, and inclusive educational practices. Through her work with CAST and the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES), she supports educators, schools, districts, and organizations in creating learning environments where all learners can access, engage with, and succeed in meaningful educational experiences.

Kelli brings extensive experience in professional learning, systems change, and implementation support, helping organizations translate research, policy, and innovative practices into sustainable action. She regularly presents to national and international audiences and is known for connecting evidence-based practices with practical implementation strategies.

DEBBIE VIELBAUM

Advisory Council Member
Founder, Vielbaum Consulting

For more than 35 years, Debbie Vielbaum has dedicated her career to supporting neurodivergent children, including those with autism, ADHD, learning differences, and other unique learning profiles, as well as the families who advocate for them.

As the parent of two neurodivergent children, Debbie’s commitment to this work is both personal and professional. Her firsthand experience as a parent, combined with decades of experience across nearly every side of the special education landscape—from classroom instruction to leadership positions at Bay Area schools, including Charles Armstrong School and Mid-Peninsula High School—gives her a unique, 360-degree understanding of how schools operate and how families can effectively navigate the educational system.

Debbie brings both professional expertise and a parent’s perspective to her work, helping families understand their options, advocate for appropriate supports, and make informed decisions about their child’s education.