By Amy Shea, Mt. Tam College
I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary with Mount Tamalpais College (MTC), as the Writing Program Director. I am amazed to see all the amazing changes and growth we’ve experienced in
that time, including new opportunities with the computer lab and the student Learning Center, new students, and new classes.
Even more impressive is all this has happened in the midst of the ever-present COVID. In recent months, we’ve also had a great new group of staff joins us that I would love to introduce you all to. You’ve likely seen or met with some of them around education but I’d like to take this time to formally introduce them to you. Please give our new folks a big MTC welcome!
Nandita Dinesh is our new Senior Academic Program Director. She’s an alumna of the United World College movement and has conducted community-based theater projects in Kashmir, India, the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Nandita has been involved in prison education since 2015 and founded the Prison Education Portals program in New Mexico.
Ali Bond is our Humanities and Social Sciences Director. She’s a former MTC faculty volunteer who has taught numerous courses across the humanities and social sciences.
Ali worked internationally in Poland, South Africa, and the demilitarized United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus.
Dr. Windy Franklin Martinez is our Director of Student Services & Advising. Her professional experiences and career spans from being a faculty member to administrator of student services for more than 24 years. Windy’s interests include students’ development, administrative leadership development, and the psycho-social aspects of disability.
Frances Santiago is our Learning Specialist who has over five years of experience in creating resources for students with learning disabilities. Frances’ passion for social justice and serving students from marginalized backgrounds has positively impacted families and students with disabilities in meeting their academic goals.
Amy Brunson is our Director of Library Services & Educational Technology. She was instrumental in establishing outreach services for incarcerated people during her time as a Community Services Librarian at the Suffolk Public Library in Virginia. Amy is working to expand MTC’s library and technology services so that all MTC students have access to essential resources, computer skills, and independent research.
Carson Temple is our Development Associate. She previously worked as the Development Coordinator at The Crossroads, an organization serving homeless youth, and prior to that as the Intake Assistant at the New England Innocence Project. Car-son is passionate about permanent criminal justice reform and ensuring every person has access to high-quality higher education.
