Meet our Team Vanessa Bertelli – Executive Director and co-founder Prior to becoming engaged in education policy and advocacy, Vanessa advised private sector companies, not-for-profits and inter-governmental organizations on cross-border M&As, EU media regulations, corporate social responsibility, and management and organizational structures. She holds a law degree from Université de Lausanne, a masters of laws from University College London and an MBA from INSEAD. Vanessa speaks five languages and has three kids at Washington Yu Ying PCS. vanessa@dcimmersion.org
Jimell Sanders – Director of Engagement and co-founder Jimell is a federal employee by day and a force for civic good the rest of the time. She currently works as a Health Systems Specialist for the Department of Defense and has over 15 years experience in the fields of healthcare and clinical research. She received her Bachelors in Anthropology from Emory University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Ashford University. Jimell has developed a strong commitment to improving her local community , specifically education opportunities, through her work with local nonprofits. She lives in ward 7 and is the joined at the hip with Layla a soon to be Houston Elementary DCPS immersion program student. jimell@dcimmersion.org
Sara Arranz – Director of Education Sara is a Spanish Immersion teacher at Cleveland Elementary DCPS, CityBridge Innovation Education Fellow, DCPS Leading Educator and mother of soon to be two LAMB PCS students. Sara, a native of Castilla, Spain, came to DCPS with a wealth of teaching experience. She has worked extensively in developing bilingual curricula and in training other language teachers. Follow her on Twitter at @PKExploradoressara@dcimmersion.org
Linsey Silver – Director of Communication Linsey is an award winning graphic designer, part-time design educator, bilingual publications expert. She is an expert in bilingual typography and has worked with many national and local non-profits in the areas of health, early childhood development, education and global affairs. Linsey is a mother of three students at Tyler Elementary DCPS (Dual Language strand) linsey@dcimmersion.org
Tam Nguyen – Volunteer Coordinator
Tam is a young professional, who currently works for a bi-partisan consulting firm on Capitol Hill. Previously, she spent two years teaching ESOL, Reading Intervention, and Adult ESL. Tam graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2013 with a Master of Public Policy; and, Rice University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) in Political Science and French Studies. During her formative years, she attended French immersion public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland. Tam speaks French and Vietnamese and has limited proficiency in Spanish.
