SDRT Governing Board
Brian
Becker
President
Brian Becker is an international educator at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego where he directs both International Ministry and Study Abroad programs. He earned the MA Nonprofit Management and Leadership degree at USD School of Leadership and Education Sciences. Brian has also lived and worked in microfinance in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo with HOPE International.
Brian and his family reside in City Heights and have been shaped by close relationships with families from the DR Congo and East African countries.
Christine Friedman
Secretary
Christine Friedman has practiced law in California since 1996. Currently, she is a Deputy Attorney General in the Appeals, Writs & Trials section of the California Attorney General’s Office. Previously, she practiced employment law and commercial litigation, and served as a law clerk for Hon. Barry Ted Moskowitz, United States District Court Judge, and Hon. David R. Thompson, Senior Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Christine has been a volunteer with SDRT since 2018. As an immigrant herself, she appreciates the difficulties of adapting to a new culture and wholeheartedly believes in SDRT’s mission of achieving social justice through educational access.
Patrick
Goddard
Treasurer
Patrick Goddard is a public high school teacher working within the San Diego Unified School District. Prior to being an educator, he spent almost twenty years in the entrepreneurial start-up industry, scaling and growing businesses. He holds his MBA and educational administrative credential from San Diego State University and a BA in history from Boston College.
A San Diego native, Patrick enjoys time with his spouse and two boys. He was introduced to San Diego Refugee tutoring through his older son, who was a tutor for several years while in high school.
Rohit
Ahuja
Director
Rohit Ahuja is a UCSD graduate with a degree in Human Biology. He joined SDRT in 2021 during the midst of COVID and has had a wonderful time helping students learn and grow.
Rohit aims to pursue a career in medicine through a social justice lens. During undergrad, he engaged in various community service initiatives including a homeless organization that connects individuals to services and programs that combat barriers to housing and unemployment. He worked as a mentor at the International Center of UCSD and as a teaching assistant for over a year. His mission and philosophy is committed to helping students of all backgrounds thrive and succeed.
Joanne
Brown
DIRECTOR
Joanne Brown began her career as a teacher of students with learning differences. She then became involved In leadership positions with a variety of nonprofits, often using her teaching skills to train adults. She ended her professional career as the manager of a volunteer program for a non-profit hospice. She holds a BA from Yale, an Ed.M from Harvard and an MPH from Boston University.
She has served on a number of boards, including the governing board for Cambridge Friends School, the only Quaker school in Massachusetts, and most recently for Mothers Milk Bank Northeast.
Now retired, Joanne and her husband moved cross-country from Cambridge, MA to San Diego in the summer of 2023. She began tutoring at SDRT in February 2024 and is delighted to be back to working directly with students. She is also honored to draw on her board experience to further support the organization.
Masooma Esmaelzada
Director
Masooma Esmaelzada is currently a community health worker at La Maestra Community Health Centers at City Height, San Diego where she assists and connects people to the county to get the benefit they are eligible for. She earned a Master of Economic Sciences with Specialization in Management at the Kazakh-American Free University of Kazakhstan, a BA in English Literature at Herat University in Afghanistan, and a Diploma in Leadership at the Institute for Leadership Development in Afghanistan. Masooma has also worked as an English Instructor, Teacher, and Master Trainer with international organizations in Afghanistan such as Jesuit Refugee Services, Herat University U.S Fully Funded Project, and Swedish Committee for Afghanistan.
When the democratic regime collapsed by Taliban in August 2021, like most Afghan evacuees, Masooma and her family left their homeland, Afghanistan, and after a long challenging journey in different refugee camps, finally resettled in San Diego in February 2022. Currently, she lives in the Mira Mesa area and does her best to make a new stable life.
Masooma loves volunteering to make a positive influence on people’s life, especially helping those who have been through the same traumas, and difficulties and are struggling to adapt to their new life.
Steve
Gilbert
Director
Steve Gilbert has been actively helping refugees in San Diego, where he currently resides, and in various countries for 30 years. He has been involved in these countries helping to build schools, micro-finance and job skill training. He has an ESL certificate and has taught ESL at Salvation Army. Through the years and when able, he and his wife have had the joy of volunteering with SDRT. He knows that education is a key factor to everyone’s success.
Currently, he is involved with ministries in Haiti, India, Brazil, and Mexico. In recent years he and his wife have hosted families from Ukraine and Sudan in their home. He truly believes in what SDRT is all about, the idea of “loving the foreigners in your land”, and is humbled and honored to be a board member.
Erin
Lavigna
DIRECTOR
Erin Lavigna is the Executive Director of Marketing and Brand at UC San Diego Health, the region’s only academic health system. In this role, she leads the marketing strategy for the health system and oversees a diverse and award-winning team of professionals in advertising, content creation, social media, branding, design, website development, and user experience.
Erin was introduced to San Diego Refugee Tutoring (SDRT) by her husband, Ken, who is an active volunteer. She has since developed a deep connection with SDRT’s mission, especially cherishing her involvement in the annual Back-To-School event, where she enjoys helping students pick out new pairs of shoes.
In her spare time, Erin enjoys quality time with her family and two dogs. She has a passion for reading, solving jigsaw puzzles, knitting, and crocheting, and is an avid listener of true crime podcasts.
Laura
Requena
Director
Laura Requena has worked in the biotechnology life sciences field for over 20 years. Laura focuses on developing and commercializing technologies, which scientists use to understand diseases and develop new therapies.
Laura was a refugee from Chile, gaining asylum in the UK as a child. Laura and her family initially struggled with the English language and culture—she was often seated at the remedial table in primary school. After overcoming these difficulties, Laura completed her Ph.D. and emigrated to the US in 2001. Her career has led to secondments in Japan and China.
When at home in San Diego, Laura enjoys live music events, and tending to her unruly backyard chickens.
Susie
Sovereign
Director
Susie Sovereign was a public school educator and administrator for over 30 years and is now happily retired. She was the principal at Herbert Ibarra Elementary, where San Diego Refugee Tutoring started, for 14 years.
She grew up in Monterey, California, went to college at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and came to San Diego for graduate school.
After completing her master’s degree she stayed in San Diego and will not leave unless it is to visit Italy for an extended period of time with her boyfriend.
Navid
Zohoury
DIRECTOR
Navid Zohoury graduated from UCSD with a degree in Molecular Biology in 2010, and began his career as a researcher in the field of autoimmunity. Over the past seven years, Navid has transitioned into computer programming, specializing in data visualization and automating business processes.
As a refugee who immigrated to the U.S. from Iran with his family at the age of nine, Navid has a deep, personal understanding of the challenges of adapting to life in a new country.
He resides in University Heights with his wife, dog, and cat, and they are expecting their first child in January 2025.
SDRT Advisory Board
Itzel
Bustamante
ADVISOR
Itzel Bustamante was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico and moved to San Diego when she was ten years old. She recently graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a major in Molecular Cell Biology and Physiology and a minor in Chemistry.
Itzel has always been passionate about fostering personal and educational growth with every person she comes across. She believes there's something incredibly fulfilling about witnessing someone discovering their passion through things they have learned along your side.
Having personal knowledge with the struggle of adjusting to the new language and academic system here in the USA, it brings Itzel even more joy to keep supporting SDRT on the right path to making learning more enjoyable and accessible. This is why she is more than excited to bring her unique and creative ideas to the SDRT Advisory Board.
Chris
Magagnini
ADVISOR
Chris Magagnini is a Behavioral Neuroscience undergraduate at the University of San Diego. He has been a tutor with SDRT since 2023, where he has greatly enjoyed supporting students' learning.
Prior to attending USD, Chris competed on the men's soccer team at Las Positas College in Livermore, California. He also worked as an EMT in the Bay Area, where he provided patient care to people of many geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. These experiences helped shape his commitment to helping any student succeed.
In his free time, Chris enjoys soccer, concerts, and exploring San Diego.
A.J.
McGladdery
Advisor
A.J. McGladdery has been working in education since 2008. Currently, he is a Technical Producer for an educational technology agency, helping develop educational apps and websites. Previously, he taught English as Second Language both locally in San Diego and abroad in the United Arab Emirates. He has a heart for refugee populations, having volunteered for the International Rescue Committee (San Diego), the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (Portland), and now San Diego Refugee Tutoring.
A.J. has been a volunteer with SDRT since 2023. He loves building connections with students through listening and laughter. In his free time, he loves to paint, draw, and take his dog to the beach.
Ratasha
Pugh
Advisor
With over 12 years in special education, Ratasha Pugh is deeply passionate about creating inclusive learning environments that address the diverse needs of all students. Her journey has allowed her to take on various roles within the field, each one enriching her understanding of how to best support students with different needs.
One of Ratasha’s proudest achievements has been designing and implementing a school-wide Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) intervention program. This initiative was driven by her commitment to closing the reading gap and enhancing educational outcomes for every student. By using evidence-based strategies and a holistic approach, she has been able to support not just academic growth, but also the emotional well-being of students.
Ratasha firmly believes in supporting the whole child, which means engaging with and empowering families as well. She strives to create a collaborative environment where students, families, and educators work together to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Ratasha’s experience has been both challenging and rewarding, and she remains dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of students and their families through innovative, compassionate, and comprehensive support. Over the last year, she has had the opportunity to tutor with SDRT to continue to support the learning and growth of children. She enjoys the opportunity to be a part of such a great and rewarding program that supports her vision of providing ‘All’ students with the skills and opportunities to learn. She looks forward to being a part of the Advisory Board and giving back to this awesome organization.
Sopyda
Yin
ADVISOR
Sopyda Yin is a second-generation Cambodian American. Her family were refugees who immigrated to the United States after the Khmer Rouge. Deeply touched by her parents' story and the experiences of fellow Cambodians, Sopyda was inspired to advance her education and represent her community. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and works as a Staff Research Associate at UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine in the near future.
Sopyda’s passion for education is evident through her previous experience as an undergraduate writing tutor at UCSD. Since then, she has been an advocate for quality education and was deeply moved by the mission of San Diego Refugee Tutoring (SDRT). Since joining SDRT as a volunteer in January 2023, she has had the honor of tutoring many talented refugee students and is committed to making a positive impact on the refugee community.
In her free time, Sopyda enjoys spending time with loved ones, reading, pilates, and painting.