Randy Barth, founder and chief executive officer (CEO), is recognized as one of the nation’s leading social entrepreneurs. During his tenure as CEO, Barth developed and implemented a successful strategic plan; raised more than $20 million of private philanthropy to leverage more than $130 million of public funds; acquired bank financing to cash flow rapid growth; built a deep management team and a strong results-oriented culture; achieved some of the strongest academic outcomes in the nation; and built a replicable, scalable school support model. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from $1.5 million in annual revenues serving 2,000 students to an organization with more than $50 million in annual revenues serving more than 100,000 students at more than 480 locations from San Diego to Sacramento. In addition, THINK Together has created 2,600 jobs over the last five years. Barth has earned numerous leadership awards for civic, business and community leadership, including a Servant Leadership Award from Concordia University. He also currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors for the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce. Barth holds a bachelor’s in economics from UCLA and completed graduate work at the Peter F. Drucker & Masatochi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Sue Cornell, Ed.D., chief operations officer, oversees all day-to-day operations at all THINK Together sites. A 28-year education veteran, Cornell was previously the general manager of THINK Together’s Foothill Region. In her years of work in public education, she has been a teacher, reading specialist, assistant principal and district administrator. Immediately prior to joining the THINK Together team, she served as the director of Curriculum and Extended Learning for the Ontario-Montclair School District, where she was responsible for all after-school programs, community collaborations, categorical programs and curriculum alignment. Dr. Cornell holds a bachelor’s from California State University, Long Beach, a master’s in educational administration from Chapman University and a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of La Verne.

CynDee Zandes, Ed.D., chief program officer, oversees the development of the program and curriculum in the Early Childhood Education (0-5 years old) and all K-12 Extended Learning programs. In addition, she is responsible for training and staff development of more than 1,800 program staff. Prior to joining THINK Together, Dr. Zandes spent 39 years in the Greenfield School District in Bakersfield, where she served as a teacher, principal and district administrator. She also provided consulting to the Los Angeles Region of the California Department of Education during the implementation of the After-School Education & Safety Programs (ASES) mandated by California’s Proposition 49, and has consulted with programs throughout California. She earned a bachelor’s from California State University, Fresno, and master’s in education and doctorate degree in organizational leadership from the University of La Verne.

Beccie Dawson, chief people officer, oversees recruitment/staffing, human resources and volunteers. A 20-plus year human resources professional, she served as the executive vice president of human resources for a division of Sage Software, a leading Orange County employer. She also spent nearly 10 years with Wonderware, where she served as the manager of finance and administration, and later as the human resources director. Dawson serves on the board of directors for the Irvine Valley College Foundation, is a past chair and board member of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce and has been actively involved with local charities including Working Wardrobes and the Orange County United Way. Dawson holds a bachelor’s in business management from the University of Redlands and a master’s in human resources and organizational development from the University of San Francisco.

Mike Frobenius, chief financial officer, oversees finance and accounting, information technology, and is responsible for overseeing the detailing reporting to our school district partners, the California Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to joining THINK Together, he served as director of finance for LA Chemical, a $175 million leading regional distribution company. Frobenius has served as a board member for a local credit union and is an active volunteer for a number of local community youth sports programs. He holds a bachelor’s in accounting from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), is a California Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Anne K.Turner, DPA, executive director/Los Angeles Region, is responsible for fund-development, school district relations and community relations. Prior to joining THINK Together, Dr. Turner was the executive director of the Rio Hondo College Foundation. Before that time, she served as the director of development for the Claremont Museum of Art, was a marketing/public relations consultant working with school districts, community colleges, and educational organizations, and served as the vice president of institutional advancement for the University of West Los Angeles. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of La Verne, where she teaches public policy and change and conflict management. Dr. Turner holds a bachelor’s from Pitzer College, and master’s and doctorate degrees in public administration from the University of La Verne.

Jenel Prenovost, Ed.D., director of evaluation, is responsible for developing and implementing an organization-wide evaluation strategy. Her work supports both program improvement processes and reporting needs through the collection, examination and guided use of academic achievement data and survey feedback. Prior to joining THINK Together, she taught at both middle school and high school, and later managed a large, district-wide implementation of some of the state’s first after-school programs. Dr. Prenovost graduated with honors from the University of California, Davis, and earned a doctorate of education from the University of California, Irvine. Her research examined outcomes from some of the first after-school programs in California.

Alicia Maciel, director of strategic initiatives, oversees the alignment of various projects and initiatives with the organization’s overall strategic plan. Prior to joining THINK Together, she worked with nonprofit and for-profit executive and interdepartmental project teams to develop thorough strategic and leadership development plans as principal of On the RISE, Inc. Throughout her career, she has contributed to organizations such as Chevron Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, KRAFT Foods and the UCI Medical Center. She also taught management courses related to entrepreneurial leadership and new venture launch at California State University, Fullerton. She is a trustee and chair of the Board Excellence Committee of the non-profit, Community SeniorServ. Maciel holds a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Steven Amick, director of School District Partnerships, is responsible for managing the organization’s expansion across California. Amick has more than 20 years experience at every level of after-school direct service and administration. He previously served as the executive director of the League of California After-school Providers and the Region 9 Lead for Before- and After-School Programs, offering training and technical assistance to providers in San Diego, Orange and Imperial Counties. Amick is vice chair of the National After-school Association, is past co-chair of the California After-school Network Executive Committee, and was designated by the state Office of the Secretary of Education to serve on the California Advisory Committee on Before- and After-School Programs. He holds a bachelor’s in political science from San Diego State University.

Michelle Pelliccino serves as executive director of School Age Care. She oversees the program and operations for the School Age Care program and is responsible for expanding the fee-based extended learning time programs offered by THINK Together. Previously, Pelliccino served as the executive director/CEO for Camp Fire USA Orange County Council. She began her career with the organization as the associate director of after-school programs and through the years developed and grew all programs. She brings 12 years of experience working in non-profit organizations. Pelliccino is president-elect of the California School Age Consortium (CalSAC) and is also an elected member of the Orange County Child Care and Development Planning Council. She holds both a bachelor’s in human development and a master’s in human development with a specialization in social change and human development in administration from Pacific Oaks College.

Elizabeth Morales, director of Supplemental Educational Services, is responsible for THINK Together’s individualized tutoring services for hundreds of low-income children across five Southern California counties. Prior to coming to THINK Together, she was the vice president of Vankirk-Media, a closed-captioning and subtitling company. In her public education career, she was an elementary school educator and intervention specialist for students who were working below grade level. Her background also includes serving as the special projects manager for the editorial department of a Spanish-language magazine, film translator, and as an international recording artist. Morales holds a bachelor’s in Spanish literature from California State University, Fullerton, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Nadia Flores, director of the Early Literacy Program, oversees two national efforts – Reach Out and Read and Raising a Reader program – at more than 90 pediatric medical clinics, schools and licensed pre-school facilities across Orange County. She trains and coordinates a large volunteer force of community members who read to young children and model reading techniques for their parents. Flores also oversees a growing parent education program targeting families with children ages 0 to 5. Prior to joining THINK Together, she was the director of community outreach for People Growers. Before that time, she held management positions in integrated marketing and online marketing with private sector firms. She holds a bachelor’s in global studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is currently enrolled in a project management certificate program through the University of California, Irvine.

Bill Fennessy, director of High School Programs, oversees before-school, after-school, and Saturday extended learning programs for high school students. Prior to joining THINK Together, Fennessy created and grew model after-school programs at middle and high schools in the Pasadena Unified School District. He is the current co-chair of the California After-school Network’s Older Youth Committee, is a former Los Angeles County Office of Education High School After-school evaluator, the vice-president of the First Tee of Pasadena, and is active in other civic and community organizations. With his expertise in launching after-school and other extended time learning programs for older youth, Fennessy serves as a senior consultant for a nationally renowned firm that supports these programs in communities across the U.S. Fennessy has also previously served as a high school athletic director.

Regional General Managers

Tia Dwyer, serves as the general manager of the Orange County Region, where she oversees THINK Together’s largest after-school and summer learning programs. She began her career at THINK Together as director of Learning Programs. Prior to that time, Dwyer served as director of Program Development and later the executive director of Lawndale School District’s (LSD) Realizing Amazing Potential (RAP) Program. Under her leadership, the RAP program grew to include before- and after-school programs at all elementary and middle schools in the LSD, as well as Kindergarten Academies at all elementary schools. Dwyer has also worked as an elementary classroom teacher. She holds a bachelor’s in music from University of California, Irvine.

Adriana Garcia Kingston serves as general manager of the Riverside Region serving students and partners across Riverside and San Diego Counties. She previously served as assistant general manager of the Inland Empire Region. Adriana has experience as a bilingual classroom teacher in the Corona-Norco Unified School District and Val Verde Unified School District and managed the Family Literacy training program while at the Val Verde District. Kingston was one of Sylvan Learning Center’s 1999 Kid’s Choice Teachers of the Year. Kingston graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a bachelor’s in social relations and holds a teaching credential from Chapman University.

Fernando Reyes serves as general manager of the Foothill Region (I-210 & I-10 Corridors, straddling Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties). Reyes, a 30-year education veteran, worked at the El Rancho Unified School District (Pico Rivera, CA) as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and principal. He also served as the district coordinator of Categorical Programs and an elementary and high school principal in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District (LEUSD). During his tenure at LEUSD, Reyes provided leadership that helped graduate the district out of Program Improvement (PI) status. Specifically, Fernando moved scores at one struggling PI elementary school +100 API (Academic Performance Index) points and at second elementary school moved scores +120 API points and attaining the "800" API state recognition. He holds a bachelor's from California State University, Fullerton, and a master’s in educational administration from California Lutheran College.

Lisa Somerville-Bennett is the general manager of the Inland Empire Region overseeing programs in San Bernardino County and Riverside County. A 31-year education veteran, Somerville-Bennett was among the first female vocational agriculture teachers and Future Farmers of America advisors in California. She has taught elementary and high school students in the Lake Elsinore and Jurupa Unified School Districts. She has served for more than 14 years as an elementary, middle school and continuation school principal in the Ontario-Montclair School District. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture education, single subject and agriculture specialist teaching credentials from California Polytechnic University, Pomona, a multiple subject credential and SB1969 certification. She completed an administrative credential from Chapman University, and received a professional administrative credential from California State University, San Bernardino.

Frank Pisi is the general manager of the Capitol Region serving school districts within Sacramento County. A seasoned educator who taught middle and high school and ran extended learning time programs and was the co-regional lead for the After-School Programs with the Sacramento County Office of Education, Pisi worked for California Department of Education (CDE) where he helped to shape policy and worked to ensure greater efficiency in after-school and other extended learning time programs. As the former coordinator of the CDE’s Regional System of District and School Support, he provided guidance to low performing schools and districts across the state. Pisi is a member of the California After-school Network’s Leadership Team. He holds a bachelor’s in history from California State University, Sacramento, and a master’s in teaching history from Occidental College.