Interested in joining the 916 Ink Board?

916 Ink Board of Dreamers

Board President: Shelley Blanton-Stroud has taught college composition for 30 years, most of them at Sacramento State University. She is founder and principal at What’s Your Point? LLC, through which she leads writing workshops for economists at the independent system operator corporations that run the U.S. electrical grid. Her great love is writing fiction and creative nonfiction. Her stories appear in such places as Brevity, Cleaver, and Aethlon literary journals, and the anthology This Side of the Divide by Baobab Press. She has previously served on advisory boards of The Belize Writers' Conference and Slow Food Sacramento. She lives in Sacramento with her husband and irrepressible beagle. She has two reader-sons, one of whom was previously known as 916 Ink’s Mistah Complainah.

See why Shelley is so passionate about the work 916 Ink does with Sacramento youth.

Board Vice President: Dr. JaNay Brown-Wood is an award-winning children’s author, educator, and scholar. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Child and Adolescent Development Department at California State University, Sacramento where she teaches and conducts research. Her research investigates how the lack of diversity in children’s literature affects young learners, their academic outcomes, and the development of biases. Dr. Brown-Wood has received numerous awards for her scholarship such as the AERA Minority Diversity Dissertation Fellowship and the Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship. Additionally, Dr. Brown-Wood’s children’s books, including Imani’s Moon and Grandma’s Tiny House: A Counting Story, have gleaned a number of accolades and awards including the NAESP Children’s Book of the Year Award as well as the Center for Excellence in Reading Instruction’s Read Aloud Book Award through the University of Mississippi. She has at least ten forthcoming picture books including Shhh! The Baby's Asleep (Charlesbridge Publishing Inc, June 2021).

Dr. Brown-Wood is committed to spreading the word about the importance of early language, literacy, and brain development within home, educational, and community contexts, as well as finding ways to help children and youth see themselves in the books they read. She lives in Sacramento with her fantastic husband Catrayel—who is also her high school sweetheart—and their daughter, Vivian. Dr. Brown-Wood enjoys speaking to children through school, library, and community visits, as well as presenting to adults about literacy, supporting brain and language development, and writing for children. Feel free to visit her website www.janayebrownwood.com

Board Secretary: Lynn Lizarraga is the Assistant Vice President and a Business Specialist at First Citizens Bank in Sacramento, California. She is proud to be part of the First Citizens family since 2006, where “Forever First” is more than just a slogan. Growing up in the one of the tougher neighborhoods in Stockton, California, Lynn learned hard work from her parents, and it was during those graveyard shifts they worked, that she found a passion for writing and crafting her own books.

In combining personal and professional goals into her profession, this led her to be knowledgeable and passionate about the Not-for-Profit/Association industry. 916 Ink is a perfect opportunity to maintain the focus of being a trust worthy professional, while providing opportunities for children to find passion in writing and in books. Lynn lives in West Sacramento, CA, with her husband, Adam, and their three aspiring teens, where she hopes they can see how contributing to greater societal purposes can have an impact on others beyond themselves.

Board Treasurer: Tigh Rickman is the Senior Investment Strategist at DeCamilla Capital Management in Sacramento and an investment adviser representative registered with the state of California. In this capacity, he manages a wide range of accounts including non-profit endowments, family trusts, and both individual and employer-sponsored retirement plans. Tigh is also a writer of short fiction and holds an MFA in creative writing/literary fiction from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine. His work has appeared in several literary journals including The Bradford ReView, The Conium Review, and The Farallon Review. He was also a contributor to the 2017 anthology Soap Opera Confidential.  A fourth-generation Californian, Tigh was raised in greater Sacramento and, like most native Sacramentans, he moved away after high school only to realize that it doesn’t get better than here. After several years and several cities including Boston, New York City, and Tucson, he moved back. He is passionate about his hometown and helping its next generation develop their individual voices. Tigh and his wife Kelly live in the Med Center neighborhood. 

Immediate Past President: DJ Waldow is a husband, parent (of four, including twins!), writer, public speaker, and former teacher. From NY to MI (GO BLUE!) to IL to MO to FL (back to NY) to NC to UT, DJ and his family officially made it to California in 2012 and have no intentions of ever leaving. Since moving to Sacramento in 2016, DJ has immersed himself in the community with his true passion for education and helping see young people succeed. When DJ is not writing for clients, he can be found helping his children with distance learning, sneaking in a 30-minute Peloton, or on a Zoom!

Read why DJ is committed to 916 Ink’s mission.

Dr. Beatrice Tetteh is a pediatrician with her own practice, Tetteh Pediatric Health. Dr. Tetteh believes that a child in need of care is her top priority …full stop. Her demand of empathy, justice and authenticity in herself and all others is the driving force of her life’s work, and guides her practice today. Additionally, Dr. Tetteh is the Pediatric Clerkship Director for California Northstate University, one of eleven California medical school campuses. In her capacity as director, she ensures that all third-year medical students receive a quality Pediatrics clerkship experience.

In her undergraduate years, Dr. Tetteh was required to take a class with a rhetoric component as a general education requirement. She chose Journalism 101 to challenge herself. As a pre-medical student, she knew all about doing a scientific work-up, but journalism presented a more colorful means of describing a setting that was completely foreign to her. This experience has fueled her passion to instill a love of writing and reading in her patients and of the children of the Sacramento area.

Read more about why Dr. Tetteh serves on the 916 Ink board!

Patrick Harbison is the owner of Patrick Harbison Public Relations (PHPR), a full-service public relations firm in Sacramento. With more than 15 years of experience as a publicist, media consultant, publicity professional and media booker, Patrick leverages his extensive contacts within broadcast and print media to yield coverage for his firm’s diverse client base which includes marquee city-wide events, politically-minded organizations and daytime television actors. 

Patrick is a three-time Hermes award winner, has been voted “Best of Sacramento” in various categories by both the Sacramento News and Review and the KCRA A-List and was selected as one of the Sacramento Business Journal’s top “40 Under 40” professionals in 2014. In 2015, the Sacramento Public Relations Association named him the Public Relations Professional of the Year and in 2016 Patrick was named Influencer of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America. In 2017, Comstock’s Magazine named him one of its Emerging Leaders and Access Sacramento awarded him its "Power of the Voice" award. In 2018, PHPR was selected as the inaugural Agency of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America. In 2020, the Sacramento Business Journal named him one of its inaugural Corporate Citizenship Award winners and this year, Sacramento Magazine named him one of Sacramento's Top 100 Professionals. 

Patrick is a dedicated advocate for Sacramento non-profits and regularly donates his time and PR expertise to area organizations including WEAVE, the Make a Wish Foundation, the Sacramento Theater Company and the Sacramento LGBT Community Center. A lifelong Sacramento resident, Patrick lives in midtown with his fiancé Charles and their dog Tux.

Mimi Warshaw is a Legislative Reprisentative at the California Department of Education and a former Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher. She works on California education policy, fiscal policy, and federal education issues. Although no longer in the classroom, she is a lifelong educator and engages with her community, and in her job, to positively impact students and families. She carries with her daily the mantra from her former principal and mentor, “Above all else, kids come first.” Outside of work, you’ll likely find Mimi walking her labradoodle, Arno, in Curtis Park, dancing at Sac Dance Lab, or enjoying a local brewery with her husband, Cory. 

Jennifer Baker is a Legislative Advocate with Murdoch, Walrath & Holmes. She is an education advocate, specializing in teachers’ retirement, budget, and tax policy. She is a former Trustee for the Natomas Unified School District and President of the California Latino School Boards Association and has fought tirelessly for equity in education at the local and state levels. Public speaking and technical writing are skills she wields on a regular basis, whether she’s testifying on legislation or writing an article on federal or state activities that impact retired teachers or education. Learning the importance of being concise and precise have been key to helping her navigate the world of government, politics, and bureaucracy. She has lived in the Sacramento region for more than two decades and spends her free time helping her local school and spending time with her family roller skating or riding her bike.

Michael Subialka teaches writing and literature at the University of California, Davis, where he enjoys working with students from a wide variety of backgrounds to explore the power of words and imagination. Before coming to California half a decade ago (more or less) he taught abroad at the University of Oxford in England and at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. A native of Colorado, where he still likes to spend time on vacation whenever he can, he studied at the University of Notre Dame and then the University of Chicago, where he received his PhD and where for many years he has also taught academic writing to high school students in the Neubauer Summer Scholars program.

One of Michael’s favorite classes to teach is “Literature of Fantasy and the Supernatural” (you can see his complete list of courses here, if you’re curious), while his own writing focuses on the relationship of literature and philosophy. He is the co-editor of a new digital translation of the complete short stories of Luigi Pirandello, Stories for a Year; previously, he has also directed student theater at Oxford. He now enjoys writing poetry in his free time, when he isn’t spending it with his husband, Carlos, or their friends in Sacramento.

Joanna Potenza is a mother (of 2), wife (of 1), and fiction writer (1 novel in progress), and proof that you can take the girl out of Chicago, but you can’t take the Chicago out of the girl. She has had the great fortune to build adult careers out of her childhood dream jobs – archaeologist, stay-at-home parent, and writer. These careers share a highest reward - the electric charge that buzzes between student and teacher when they connect over their shared discoveries.

Josue “Sway” Garcia is an Enterprise Technology Specialist at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District or SMUD, specializing in executive technical support. Additionally, Sway has served as president of SMUD’s employee engagement team, where he collaborated with various departments to create a more efficient, positive, and inclusive work environment.

Sway is a 90’s kid, whose passion for reading and writing started when he first discovered the Goosebumps series. His older brother Jesus would bring these books home for them to read together, while their parents worked evenings.

Growing up, Sway recalls how difficult it was for him and his family to purchase the various books he would so often request from Scholastic book fairs and general stores. Now that Sway is a father to a toddler himself, he is committed to making sure that there are adequate and ample resources for children to find their passion in reading and writing.

Concepción Tadeo has been writing in the Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) method, upon which 916 Ink was based and inspired by, for over 12 years. She is certified as an AWA instructor and leads workshops through her Stone Stories creative writing groups. She served as a 916 Ink Wordslinger for two years after retiring from her position as a California State Senate Policy Consultant in health. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, she was raised as a Navy brat in various places, but did most of her growing up in the Los Angeles Harbor town of San Pedro. Concepción worked in public health for 15 years in the Greater LA Region, creating award winning multi-cultural education and outreach programs for youth and their families in various high need neighborhoods. The perpetually astonished mother of 17-year old Carmela and daughter to 86-year-old Carmen, she is grateful to be making a home with them both in this lovely city of trees, great food and emerging art, even though she admits she arrived here  kicking and screaming at first. Concepción's written and photographic works have been published in Susurrus, Soul of the Narrator, Caffeine Magazine, Crossroads Magazine, Bukowski in Pictures, Bukowski and the Beats, The Ultimate Illustrated Beats Chronology and A Wailing of a Town.

Founders

Katie McCleary is the founding Executive Director of 916 Ink. Prior to the opening of 916 Ink, Katie served as the director of mentoring services for at-risk youth in the Grant Joint Union High School District and Grant Community Charter Schools. In 2007, Katie earned her MFA in writing and consciousness, completing her first literary novel, Blinded, which is currently being shopped by her agent. For three years, McCleary taught composition at American River College and Sacramento City College, helping underserved students. It was there that she discovered “the secret sauce" to unlocking youth voice, and thus, 916 Ink was born. Katie finds that 916 Ink is the perfect marriage of empowering youth and engaging them in the literary arts.

Katie's dedication and vision brought the 916 Ink model from original concept to execution, shepherding the project from its very first workshop to the notable Sacramento institution that it is today!

Michael Spurgeon A 916 Ink founder and our first Board President, Michael Spurgeon is a tenured professor of English at American River College, where he teaches composition, literature, and creative writing. He is Executive Vice President at the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation and the Director of the foundation's Center on Literary Arts. Michael holds an MFA from the University of Arizona and is the author of the novel Let The Water Hold Me Down (Ad Lumen Press).

Though no longer on the Board of Dreamers, he remains an enthusiastic advocate for the organization.

Chris J. Baltzley, a founding board member of 916 Ink, is a specialist in organizational and leadership development with Continuity Consulting, where he works with public, private and nonprofit sector clients to achieve both business results and promote human flourishing. He has a MA in intercultural studies, with additional training in a variety of fields, including experiential cultural learning and leadership (EXCELL) and successful language and culture acquisition. He has worked in a variety of industries, including banking, insurance, and higher education, and he has served in leadership with NGOs and nonprofit organizations in Central Asia and New Zealand. He and his wife Tara have two daughters, named Asia and Maia, and one recycled Terrier, named Milo.

Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer!

Board of Dreamers Alumni