Research & Development Director
(559) 600-6186
Matilda Soria joined Reading and Beyond in 2001. She was born and raised in Fresno and attended Central Unified School District schools. Matilda has earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology and a Minor degree in Ethnic Studies from California State University, Fresno; a Masters degree in Human Development and Psychology, with a specialization in Risk and Prevention from Harvard University; and a Doctorate in Education from California State University, Fresno.
She has extensive experience conducting scientific and behavioral research among ethnic and at-risk populations, as well as in the development and management of educational programs for children and families.
Matilda serves on the Chancellor’s Task Force on Community Engaged Scholarship of UC Merced; the Fresno City College Child Development Department Advisory Committee; and the United Way Successful Children Impact Council. She is also a lifetime member of the Honor Societies of Golden Key and Phi Kappa Phi.
Executive Assistant
(559) 600-6184
Kao Saetern joined Reading and Beyond in 2000. He was born in Thailand and came to the United States in 1991. After moving to California, his family moved to Redding, California for two years and then settled in Visalia, California, where he attended Visalia Unified schools before moving to Fresno to attend college. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Finance from California State University, Fresno.
Kao oversees facilities, IT, office operations and the Human Resource Department. He is a certified CPR and Standard First Aid Instructor through American Red Cross. He enjoy spending time with his wife, Mai and his daughter, Serenity. Kao is an Alumni of Delta Sigma Pi, loves chicken, movies, cars and basketball.
Administrative Manager
vmouanoutoua@readingandbeyond.org
(559) 600-6187
Vong Mouanoutoua is happily married and the proud father of four children. Vong came to America in 1976 from Laos and is the sixth child in a family of 10. He started school in the first grade and obtained his Jurist Doctorate degree from San Joaquin College of Law. He currently teaches at Fresno State University.
In addition, Vong remains highly involved in the community by serving on several boards and commissions. He enjoys chairing the School Site Council at his children’s school, while volunteering at his church as the Children’s Sunday School Director.
Master Teacher
Lili Medrano came to the United States from Honduras in 1991. In December 2000, she joined Small World Preschool as a Teacher's Aide. During this time, she studied Child Development at Fresno City College, completing all units.
Throughout the past 11 years, Lili has acquired knowledge and professional growth through training and classroom experience. In March of 2007, the Terry Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation honored her with a National Teachers award for the highest dedication and achievement. In 2009, she began working with Reading and Beyond as a teacher at Small World Learning Center, working with the private program serving children two-and-a-half to six years old.
Currently, Lili holds a Master Teacher position, which gives her the opportunity to gain more knowledge and experience in the child development field. Her goal is to prepare children to enter kindergarten developmentally ready to succeed. Lili and her husband Tomas are blessed with two sons, Nathan and Joshua.
Controller
(559) 600-6183
Jonathan Cook joined Reading and Beyond's administrative staff in October 2009, after serving on its Board of Directors for 4 1/2 years. Jonathan graduated from Asbury College in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Jonathan is responsible for overseeing all financial activities of the organization and ensuring that the Executive Director, Finance Committee, and Board of Directors are provided timely and accurate financial information. Jonathan has been working in the accounting/finance field in Fresno for the past 9 years.
Jonathan is happily married to his amazing wife Sally and enjoys spending time with family, friends, and his two rogue dogs. He also enjoys playing sports and is a fan of the Seahawks, the Mariners, UW basketball and football, Fresno State football, Yahoo Fantasy Football, Olive Garden, Fazoli's, The Office, Parks and Recreation, King of Queens, Boggle, Scrabble, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, Applebees’ Chicken Fried Chicken, Hungry Bear cookies, traveling, the stock market, and Jell-O cheesecake.
Community Connection Coordinator
mceballos@readingandbeyond.org
(559) 600-6188
Maria Ceballos joined the team at Reading and Beyond in May 2009 as the Community Connection Coordinator. She graduated from CSU Fresno in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies.
Maria has worked in the education field for five years. As a former English Language Learner (ELL), she focuses her time on addressing the needs of ELL students in our community.
She manages the English Learners Advocacy Program at Reading and Beyond, providing educational workshops and home visits for parents of ELL students. The goal of the program is for its students to be re-designated from English Learner to Fluent English Proficient (FEP) by the fifth grade. She believes parent involvement is a key factor in a student’s academic and social success, and has worked with parents within the program for three consecutive years.
Maria is the proud mother of a three-year old boy named Salvador, who loves to listen to stories about trains and sea animals.
Manager, K-12 Programs, and PR
jbrietigam@readingandbeyond.org
(559) 600-6189
Jenny Brietigam joined Reading and Beyond’s administrative team in 2004. Jenny was born and raised in Fresno, and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Communications at California State University, Fresno. She’s certified in CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) and is an endorsed trainer with California School Aged Consortium (CalSAC) whereby she provides staff development training for programs serving school-aged students throughout Central California.
Jenny is responsible for the day-to-day operations, program assessment, and contract/grant compliance of Reading and Beyond’s K-12 Department. This includes the oversight of our four after-school ASES sites, five community-based sites at local churches, Einstein Park Neighborhood Center in partnership with the City of Fresno, and the ESEA Supplemental Educational Services in-home tutoring program from Visalia to Modesto.
Additionally, Jenny is responsible for organization’s public relations, marketing, and volunteer recruitment and management. She serves on the Fresno County Mentoring Coalition, the United Way Successful Children Impact Council, and is a member of the Fresno Women’s Network.
Executive Director
(559) 600-6185
Luis came to the United States from Brazil in 1991 to earn his Master’s degree in Social work from Sacramento State University. In Brazil, Luis was a Hospital Director and Administrator of the Bar Association. After earning his Master’s degree, he worked as a missionary coordinating street outreach and mental health counseling efforts in South America.
In 1999, Luis joined a group of concerned citizens and established Reading and Beyond to address the high illiteracy rate and low educational attainment in Fresno. He was asked to serve as the first Executive Director; a position he still occupying. Under his leadership, Reading and Beyond has flourished with programs that span from early childhood education to workforce development. Luis’s philosophy of providing holistic services and reaching out to the entire family has assisted the organization in effectively building foundations for children and families.
Luis has served as Chairman of the Fresno County Local Childcare Planning Council, is a member of the Voluntary Preschool Master Plan for Fresno County, as a Board member for the United Way of Fresno County, representing the nonprofit sector, served on the Preschool Leadership Council of the League of Women Voters of Fresno, and is currently on the board of the Children’s Collabrium, a state-wide organization committed to quality early care and education. In 2009, Luis became the first person in the Central Valley to receive the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.
Senior Staff