Board of Directors 2024-25
MVEF is a non-profit educational foundation run by an unpaid Board of Directors of dedicated parent and community volunteers who are elected annually. Their time, professional expertise, energy, and passion for public education enable the MVEF to maintain a low overhead, so more of every dollar donated goes directly to fund our programs.
Sraddha Shukla - President
Sraddha is a mom of two, a Finance & Strategy consultant and passionate about positive change. She joined the MVEF Board in 2022, and has led community-building initiatives, like the Gala as Co-Chair for two years, and Co-Vice President in 2023-24. She is now elected President for 2024-25.
Originally from India and having lived in Canada before settling in California, Sraddha has a lifelong commitment to community building. From teaching underprivileged children in India to creating a social enterprise hub for immigrant women in Canada, and now at MVEF, she strives to make a meaningful impact.
School Representative at Bubb
Dwight Rodgers - Vice President
Dwight joined the MVEF board in 2013 and was elected President of the Board in 2020 after serving as Secretary for two years.
He is now serving as Vice President. He has two children, both in the Mountain View public school system. Dwight holds a BS in computer engineering from Princeton University. He is a Director of Engineering at Adobe by day, and can sometimes be found making short films and animations in his nights and weekends.
School Representative at Graham
Aishwarya Rengan - Secretary
Aishwarya grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been living in the Bay Area since 2002. She joined the board in 2020 and began serving as secretary a year later in 2021.
She has two daughters, one at Graham and one at Mountain View High School. She worked as a medical device quality engineer with a focus in risk management. She is also passionate about education and has taught middle school math and science as well as Math Olympiad at various elementary schools. She served as the VP of memberships and secretary for the local elementary PTA and volunteers in the classroom. Aishwarya is currently an associate director at Palo Alto Partners in Education. She holds a B.S.E. in ChE from University of Michigan and an M.S. in Industrial Mathematics from Michigan State University.
School Representative at Graham
aisha@mvef.org
Shilpa Paleri Sharma - Treasurer
Shilpa joined MVEF board in 2024. Her daughter attends Crittenden Middle School. Originally from India, Shilpa moved to the Bay Area in 2018, and has been a MVWSD volunteer since her daughter began Vargas Elementary. She served as Project Cornerstone lead, a homeroom parent, and actively participated in the PTA. Joining the MVEF board allows her to make a meaningful impact on educational initiatives fostering excellence and equity for all students. Beyond her volunteer work, Shilpa has 15+ years of experience in the tech industry, in Client management. A LinkedIn alumni and a biking enthusiast, Shilpa is currently on a creative break exploring her artistic passion and learning to play the piano.
School Representative at Crittenden
shilpa@mvef.org
Alane Kataria-Rennie
Alane joined the MVEF board in 2023 after serving for many years as a volunteer for MVEF. She especially loves the fact that MVEF provides high quality Art and Music instruction to every student in MVWSD.
Alane has two students in the district: a 7th grader at Graham and a 4th grader at Mistral. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley and taught first grade in East San Jose with Teach for America. Alane co-leads a Girl Scout junior troop and dances with her Zumba class as often as possible.
School Representative at Mistral and Graham
Silja Paymer
Silja joined the MVEF board in Fall 2023 because she believes that the mission of providing an equitable educational experience for all children within MVWSD directly contributes to increasing the diversity in the STEM community. Silja teaches Physics at Los Altos High School, where she finds that all students learn more when offered hands-on experiences that they can relate to their own lives. Silja has two students at Bubb Elementary: a 4th grader, and a 1st grader.
She earned a BS in Physics and History from Boston College and a MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London. Silja is excited to bring combined perspectives as a parent, a high school teacher, and an active Mountain View neighborhood resident to her leadership role with MVEF.
School Representative at Bubb
Walky Goode
Walky brings a unique perspective to the MVEF Board. A Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Maryland complements her experience working in the creative, tech, and non-profit sectors, from startups to FAANG companies. Originally from Ecuador, she enjoys infusing her family life (with two boys at Bubb and Graham) with Latin culture. Walky is passionate about education, as evidenced by her prior service on the Global Youth for Education and Change board. She's excited to contribute to MVEF's mission to empower MVWSD students through innovative programs.
School Representative at Bubb and Graham
walky@mvef.org
Khalil Bensassi
Khalil joined the MVEF board in 2024. He has two children in the Mountain View School District. One of his motivations for serving on the MVEF Board is to help propose and secure funding for new programs.
Khalil, an aerospace engineer and computational scientist, is at the forefront of advancing spacecraft entry and re-entry models to improve predictive capabilities and ensure the safety and reliability of space exploration missions. He holds a M.S. in Aerospace engineering and a Ph.D. in applied science from The von Karman Institute and the Free University of Brussels, Belgium.
Executive Directors
In addition to the volunteer Board of Directors, MVEF employs a part-time Lead Executive Director and a part-time Executive Director focussing on Operations.
Valerie Duncker - Lead Executive Director
Valerie joined MVEF as Lead Executive Director in April 2024. She is a mother of three kids who have attended schools in the LASD and MVLA districts. Her oldest kids are in college and her youngest is a sophomore at MVHS.
Valerie serves on the PTSA Exec. Board of MVHS as an auditor. Previously, she served as the Financial Secretary for the PTA Exec. Board at Blach Junior High. Her passion lies in enhancing children's education and making positive contributions to the community.
She volunteered at Loyola, Blach, Egan, MVHS, & LAHS, as well as at Foothill College, where two of her kids participated in the Middle College Program. She has been actively involved in fundraising efforts at Loyola Elementary School and as a Board Member of a local education non-profit. She is an active member of NCL, a national non-profit fostering community service and volunteering opportunities for mothers & daughters in grades 7-12. She holds an MBA and brings over15 years of experience from the corporate and tech startup sectors as Program Manager, primarily focussing on Marketing, Communications, and Operations.
valerie@mvef.org
Dena Seki - Executive Director
Dena Seki joined as MVEF Executive Director in summer 2020, during the COVID pandemic. Prior to that she was an active volunteer in Palo Alto public schools starting in 2010. This included serving five years on the Addison Elementary School PTA and Greene Middle School PTA executive board in various roles, including co-president at Addison.
She was on the board of Palo Alto Partners in Education as Assistant Treasurer and then worked as Development and Campaign Manager. Prior to moving to Palo Alto, she worked for over twelve years in various finance and banking roles. She was a VP/Account Officer for Wells Fargo Foothill and worked in various positions for GE Capital, the last as a Deal Manager. While working for GE Capital, she served as the Elfun Chapter Treasurer and acting Secretary. Elfun is a global organization of GE volunteers. Dena has a BA in International Politics from Penn State University and a joint MBA/MA from the University of Connecticut.
School Representatives 2024-25
MVEF is proud to have these dedicated School Representatives (non Board Members) as part of our bigger team.Their commitment to our schools is invaluable, and we are deeply grateful for their contributions to our students and our community.
Cindy Chow, Graham
-Photoroom.png)
Dhwani Shaw, Imai
Dhwani, originally from India, has called the Bay Area home since 2005. Passionate about building strong communities, they're actively involved at Amy Imai Elementary where their child attends, and at Graham Middle School where their other child is a student. Dhwani and their family have directly benefited from MVEF programs, including reduced class sizes and enriched music and art opportunities. They are eager to raise awareness for MVEF's impact at Amy Imai. Beyond their involvement with the PTA and MVEF, Dhwani is a dedicated volunteer with Pack 33, serving as a committee chair.
Antara Bhardwaj, Graham
Antara Bhardwaj, a Bay Area native and dedicated community member, is the mother of a Graham Middle School student. During her son's time at Gabriela Mistral Elementary, she served as a room parent for five years, actively supporting the school community. Since 2021, she has also represented the school in the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), advocating for resources and support for local schools. As an arts educator, Antara runs her own dance organization, Antara Asthaayi Dance, based in Mountain View. Through her organization, she mentors young girls, sharing the rich traditions of Indian classical dance and culture, and fostering a deep appreciation for the arts.
Lara Gill, Vargas
Lara Gill has been a Foundation rep for Vargas since 2020. As an English teacher and Teacher Induction Coach for the Sequoia Union School District for over 20 years, she knows how crucial educational Foundations are in supporting teachers and ensuring that art and music survive in our schools. She is the membership chair for the PTA and loves volunteering at school events. Her youngest son attends Vargas and her oldest son is a freshman at Mountain View High School, and both children love to draw thanks in part to the amazing CSMA arts education provided by the Foundation. She moved to California from Bellevue, WA to attend Santa Clara University where she played varsity Water Polo and majored in English. After working as a college admissions counselor and homeless youth advocate she earned a Master's Degree from Stanford University and is a National Board Certified Teacher.
Judy Wu, Imai
.png)
Jon Stewart is an educator and Instructional Coach with the Sequoia Union High School District, where he has dedicated his career to teaching math and supporting newcomer immigrant students in their transition to a new school environment. Jon holds an MA in Education from USC and an Ed.D. in Organizational Learning from Vanderbilt. As an MVEF site representative, Jon is passionate about strengthening student experiences through the resources MVEF provides. With a first grader in the district and another future MVWSD student, Jon is committed to fostering the partnership between MVWSD and MVEF, helping to build impactful programs for all students in Mountain View.
Rajaram Gaunker, Landels
Rajaram is a dedicated community member and the proud father of a third-grader at Landels Elementary. Originally from Goa, India, he relocated to the U.S. in 2015 to pursue new opportunities. With a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering, Rajaram currently works in the tech industry in the Bay Area. A resident of Mountain View, he’s a proud Costco member who enjoys giving back to his community. When he’s not busy, Rajaram spends quality time with his family, engages in running, delves into the world of math and programming, and finds solace in reading poetry.