Amanda Collins

Executive Director & Board President

Amanda Collins joined Access Books in 2015, and founded the Bay Area chapter in 2016. As a school librarian herself, Amanda is excited to be bringing the valuable work of Access Books to schools in need in the greater San Francisco Bay area. Amanda holds a B.A. in History from UC Santa Barbara, and a … Read More

• amanda@accessbooksbayarea.org

Alison Guan

Program Director & Board Secretary

Alison Guan was born and raised in Northern California and attended UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley, earning a Master’s from UCB’s School of Information. She had a career as a User Experience Designer which she’s now moved on from, but she retains a strong interest in design. Alison is also passionate about education and … Read More

• alison@accessbooksbayarea.org

Linda Forrester

Program Director & Board Member

Linda Forrester has been volunteering with Access Books Bay Area since March 2017 and joined the Board in May 2017. She is passionate about reading and educational equality leading her to Access Books Bay Area .  Linda has been an active volunteer at her children’s schools for the last 15+ years while raising her two … Read More

• linda@accessbooksbayarea.org

Pete Ravani

Board Member

Pete Ravani joined Access Books Bay Area in October of 2020. He is an Investment Advisor and Vice President for CBIZ Retirement Services. He earned his CFP® designation from UCLA and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary. Pete also serves on the Board of FEI (Financial Executives International) and is an Executive Committee member for a … Read More

• pete@accessbooksbayarea.org

Kavitha Pendyala

Board Treasurer

Kavitha Pendyala was born and raised in India but has been a Bay Area resident for almost 20 years. She attended Louisiana State University and UC Berkeley, earning an MBA from Haas School of Business. A mom of two readaholic kids, she currently works at Stanford University as an Assistant Director of Finance. Prior to … Read More

• kavitha@accessbooksbayarea.org

Robert Coles, BFA, MS

Board Member

Robert is an award-winning senior creative and digital director, brand manager and artist. He brought his creative efforts to Stanford University in 2018 where he oversees brand management for dozens of brands and identities. Robert has served in various roles throughout his career, including as director of creative services & brand management for Franklin University … Read More

Jady Wei

Board Member

Jady Wei is a Bay Area native from Cupertino, and leads our corporate fundraising endeavors along with grant application efforts. Growing up, reading had a very special place in her heart, and some of her favorite books were To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre. Jady attended Cornell University, where she double majored in Economics … Read More

Shannon Greevy

Social Media Manager & Board Member

Shannon Greevy is president and founder of A Bigger Room, a social media marketing agency in San Francisco, California. She launched A Bigger Room in March 2020 to provide growing brands and agencies with social media marketing services. Shannon previously established social media teams and practices on the agency and client sides with some of … Read More

Sofiya Melnykova

Web Content Administrator & Board Member

Sofiya Melnykova is a Design Producer with a focus on supporting creatives in tech companies’ design organizations. She is passionate about promoting literacy for children. In her free time, Sofiya enjoys traveling, attending live music concerts, and exploring museums with her family.