Staff

Ian Hadley (He/Him/His)– Executive Director at 916 Ink.

Ian has been leading our organization since January of 2018. He has spent his entire professional career developing effective programs for underserved children and families. Under his leadership, 916 Ink has grown and evolved. Taking creative risks in the service of our mission, he has led to the organization serving more than 5,000 students and produced 300 anthologies of student work.

Prior to working at Ink, his work involved building statewide programs that develop kindergarten readiness, youth life-skills development, as well as strong and healthy family dynamics. In ten years at the Child Abuse Prevention Center, he brought many innovative projects to scale with diverse partnerships including the First 5 Association, The Corporation for National and Community Service, and dozens of community-based nonprofits throughout California. His projects have been recognized at the local, state, and national level for their efficiency and impact.

Ian was inspired by 916 Ink for a number of years before joining the team, and he has also experienced the power of creative writing and self-expression first hand. Growing up in difficult circumstances while facing a number of early challenges, it was his connection to the written word that ultimately changed the trajectory of his life. He believes strongly that by helping youth experience that same positive connection to literacy, 916 Ink can provide transformational experiences for youth throughout the Sacramento area.

Paulette Greenhouse is 916 Ink's Community Program Manager.

Paulette (She/Her/Ella) is a bilingual (English/Spanish) writer, artist, and community leader, existing somewhere in between the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Mexico City. Navigating creatively through her own exploration of self-identity, curiosity about the world around her, and a passion for storytelling has led her to where she is today.

Paulette graduated in 2011 from San Francisco State University with her Bachelor’s of Arts in Journalism, followed by a Multimedia Certificate through their College of Extended Learning. She has helped 916 Ink grow for the past 8 years, having started as a volunteer and eventually graduating to her current position as Community Program Manager. She is the leader of the Drop a Pen campaign, the Rancho Cordova Youth Poet Laureate program, and so much more. She is passionate about live music, youth engagement, access to the arts, and her chihuahua Melvin.

Maria Gavia is 916 Ink’s Business Operations Manager.

Maria (she/her/hers) was born and raised in South Sacramento and grew up in and around the communities 916 Ink serves. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as a Master of Fine Arts and a secondary education teaching credential from San Jose State. After her years out studying and earning degrees, she knew she wanted to come home and give back to the place she loves.

Maria has served as a content editor for San Jose State's Reed Magazine and is an alumna of the VONA Voices workshop for writers of color, the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice, and Maestrxs teaching collaborative. Prior to her work at 916 Ink, she taught English and Creative Writing at the high school level, specializing in creative writing curriculum development. Maria has been working for 916 Ink since 2017, first as a Wordslinger and eventually taking on a myriad of essential responsibilities that led her to a position on 916 Ink's Management Team where her new specialties are systems development, financial tracking, and reporting. 

When she’s not saving the day at 916 Ink, Maria enjoys spoiling her many animals, powerlifting, baking, reading and, most importantly, writing.

Christina Nelson is Read On! Program Manager.

She grew up in the Bay Area, where she was involved with working with youth and serving her community from a young age. Christina attended UC Davis where she earned her undergraduate degree in history and master's in elementary education. She found her true calling in teaching reading when she served as an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners Sacramento in 2014-2015. Christina solidified her passion for teaching reading and program management when she worked as a Program Manager with Reading Partners Sacramento from 2016-2020.

Christina joined 916 Ink to develop the Read On! Tutoring program in the Fall of 2020. Launching the Read On! program and seeing how it has evolved over the years has been one of her life’s greatest achievements. She continues to enjoy learning all that she can about literacy and its intersection with equity and social justice. 

When Christina is not teaching children to read, she can be found rock climbing or cross-training, listening to music or a true crime podcast, cooking, reading (more often than not, children’s books), watching TV or a movie, and spending time with her husband, family, and friends.  

Angela De Claro serves as 916 Ink’s Find Your Voice Program Manager.

She was born and raised in the East Bay and made her way to Sacramento State to study journalism, where she eventually became a D1 rower. After several years of being away from the Bay Area, Angela transferred to San Francisco State where she earned her BA degree in Journalism and International Relations. 

Early in her career, Angela worked as a freelance journalist and editor at several Bay Area publications, which led her to meet tech entrepreneurs, launching her career into the technology start-up industry. In 2014, she was a part of the team that led a start-up to a successful IPO, and onto the S&P/ASX 300 by 2016. She continued her SaaS sales career at TrustArc and Salesforce, where she introduced new emerging technologies to the market. 

After a fulfilling and successful career in the tech world in the Bay Area, she has returned to Sacramento and is eager to get back to her roots of storytelling by supporting 916 Ink's vision for inspiring the next generation of change-makers through the power of storytelling.

Jade Rodgers (she/her/hers), originally from Sacramento, CA, serves as the 916 Ink AmeriCorps Fellowship Manager.

In 2008, she received a double Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Reconciliation Studies from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN. She is a proud alumni of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program, a Sacramento-based, professional development program, that prepares its Fellows for effective and ethical leadership in their companies and communities. Rodgers' philosophy is deeply tied to Ubuntu “my humanity is tied to your humanity.” She has made it her life’s work and commitment to positively impact BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and vulnerable communities through healing, authenticity, and empowerment.

Professionally, Rodgers has over 15 years of experience working in schools and youth development non-profit organizations in California, Minnesota, Louisiana, D.C., and South Africa. Rodgers' experience collaborating with educators, activists, and mental health professionals across the nation have fueled her passion for transforming systems and policies impacting disenfranchised communities, including holding space as a ‘Circle Keeper’ or Restorative Justice Facilitator. Rodgers is married to Gino and they have a beautiful daughter named Indigo. In her spare time, she enjoys playing her ukulele, performing her original songs to small audiences, and traveling.

Zuzu Schmitke, Program Coordinator.

I was raised in rural Minnesota by two teachers and have always had a passion for writing and literacy. After graduating high school, I moved to Sacramento and served with Americorps City Year. During my year of service, my eyes were opened to the massive inequities permeating our school system. I started volunteering with 916 Ink in fall of 2019 and was hired as a Wordslinger not long after. In 2022, I joined the Read On! Team as a program coordinator to help combat the literacy crisis and make a more equal education experience for all. 

Brooke Noble is the At-Promise Youth Coordinator for Find Your Voice.

She was a student in a 916ink program during her 4 years of high school. She immediately fell in love with the program and attending the book release party each year is what pushed her to want to work for 916ink. She graduated high school in 2018 and became a Wordslinger in 2019. She became 916ink’s At-Promise Youth Programs Coordinator in 2022 and graduated from Sacramento State with a BA in social work in 2023. She plans to continue to work with foster youth, unhoused youth, and incarcerated youth for as long as she can.

Brooke has always loved to write and has a passion for reading as well. She prefers to write poetry, and sometimes will try to write short stories. She has been published over 20 times in various anthologies, is working on self-publishing a book of poems, and attends various open-mics all over the Sacramento area.

In Brooke’s free time, she is most likely cuddling her cats, playing video games, playing magic the gathering, or attempting to cook and/or bake something.

Dan Barr is the Production Coordinator at 916 Ink.

A lifelong student, Dan has been an archaeologist, a rare book dealer, travel journalist, frustrated writer, and free-range editor. But his first and greatest love has always been books and publishing. He’s excited to be able to help support the Sacramento area’s rich literacy future with 916 Ink and the young writers in its programs.

He attended the University of Maine, Machias, studying English and Book Arts, where he learned handset printing, bookbinding, and papermaking. While there, he did page design and typography for Julia and the Illuminated Baron and wrote the introduction for The Wreck of the Nottingham Galley, both published by the university’s Stone Island Press. He has won awards for his fiction writing. He’s always happy to give a book recommendation to anyone who asks . . . and occasionally people who don’t ask.

Jason Brennan is 916 Ink’s Operations Coordinator.

Prior to working with 916 Ink Jason was Music Director for School of Rock Elk Grove for seven years. Teaching multiple instruments, audio engineering, and performance skills to students of all ages. Jason holds a degree in Music Performance from Musicians Institute L.A. As a passionate musician, Jason loves the power of words in Music. He brings his enthusiasm for language arts and teaching to our administrative department.

When Jason is not crunching numbers at the desk he enjoys playing live music, recording music, teaching music, skateboarding, and Magic the Gathering (the wordiest, nerdiest game ever).

Sara Knudson has had a love of teaching, books, and made-up worlds for as long as she can remember. She started writing stories as a teen, published her first poem in college as an English major, completed her MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College in 2020, and finished a rough draft of a science fiction novel in 2023. Her first jobs and experiences with teaching came from coaching equestrians and training horses, but it was always literacy that allowed her to better herself as a person. She believes in the powerful impact writing can have, and loves that she gets to watch and facilitate students discovering their voice and the power of their stories.