Alex Lofton, a proud product of Bellevue Public Schools in his native Washington state, believes in the productive potential of design, compassion, and digital technology. He was one of the early employees on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and ran field operations for swing states. As a former startup executive, he worked to get poor folks good jobs in a greener economy, and he designed communication strategies for England's National Health Service, Airbnb and Lyft. Alex got his start in real estate at developer Forest City, and he holds a B.A. from Northwestern and an MBA from Stanford. Alex firmly believes that valuing Black lives is not zero-sum, and he and his husband spend their decompression time outdoors, on the dance floor, or playing the “funcles” (fun-uncles) role.
What was your first paying job?
I was a swamper at a restaurant in Seattle starting when I was 15. I took dirty dishes from bussers and organized them for the dishwashers.
What don't most people guess is true about you?
I've been a huge fan of planes, trains and automobiles my entire life. I try to keep the 8-year-old in me alive whenever possible...
Andrew Ho is a software engineer who loves working on products that empower and create opportunities for others. He is a proud Bay Area native who is passionate about finding ways to give back to his community. He’s worked at companies of all sizes — before joining Landed, he worked at a small fin-tech startup and a large e-commerce company. Andrew holds a B.S. from UC Berkeley.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love exploring San Francisco, watching movies, and sharing meals with friends.
What life experience would you say defines you best?
For a summer, I volunteered at a rural, under-resourced school in Taiwan. I taught English to a classroom full of energetic first-graders. I remember the heat, the humidity, and the typhoon that flooded the classroom for a few days. But what stands out to me most is how challenging, yet rewarding, the work itself was. The experience made me incredibly appreciative of the hard work and dedication that teachers bring to classrooms every single day.
Andrew Senior is a proud resident of Boston, MA who loves helping others and building genuine connections. As a product of a public school education, he believes providing educators with the financial freedom and flexibility to remain in the communities they serve is an impactful step we can take to improve student outcomes. Prior to joining Landed, Andrew worked with K-12 public school districts and saw firsthand the challenges schools face to recruit and retain talent. He holds a degree in Marketing and Sociology from UMass Amherst and firmly believes that laughter is the very best medicine.
What was your first job?
My first "real" job was stocking shelves at a grocery store when I was in high school. My hand-eye coordination and reflexes are near-superhuman after years of accidentally knocking jars off of shelves.
What does "home" mean to you?
To me, home is where you can be your true, unencumbered, authentic self.
Angela Kearns (Angie), has been coined the Prosperity Queen since entering her real estate career in 1998. Her mission in life is to connect her clients to prosperity while purchasing or selling their homes.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Angie relocated to Metro-Atlanta, where she became a radio personality covering various topics on love, self-love, and healing from emotional chaos. Known for interviews with celebrities and professionals who have mastered their craft, her radio talk show offered advice and impactful epiphanies. Surprisingly, not being a fan of sports at all, she also had a popular sports talk show.
Think Angie would stop at real estate and radio? Think again. Her first success as an entrepreneur was in 1994 with a daycare center in Smyrna, GA called Teach Me Write Preschool. Today, you can find Angie impacting the lives of many through her speaking engagements for adults and high school teens. Angela is also the mother of two daughters who have inherited her tenacious trailblazing attributes.
Angie believes this is a great life, and you should make every day a great day; the choice is yours!
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love spending my time listening to live music, experiencing nature, going on family outings, watching a sunrise/set and reading.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Belize and Africa. Belize is a place that saturates me with love. The beautiful water and people refresh me upon every visit. Africa is a place that I have visited that taught me a lot about my origin and why I'm crafted the way that I am, physically and spiritually.
Anjali Cameron leads marketing for Landed. A San Francisco resident, Anjali is committed to enabling more diverse neighborhoods where essential professionals are able to build financial security near the communities they serve. Prior to Landed, Anjali led product marketing for Upwork.
What does "home" mean to you?
For me, home and family are synonymous. My immediate family makes me feel comfortable and safe no matter the location so if they are with me, I'm home.
What's the top reason you decided to join Landed?
We spend so much of our waking hours at work. I sought out a company like Landed because I wanted to feel certain that I was spending all of those hours on something that could impact people and our communities for the better. The lack of housing access and affordability is an ever-present issue in the Bay Area. When I realized that my work at Landed would be not only meaningful but help to tackle this important work, I was hooked.
Annie Vasishta is an educator, community organizer, and most of all, a student of life. Since moving to the United States from Punjab, India at a young age, Annie connects her roots from her motherland to the community of South Hayward, where she grew up. Growing up as a low-income, first-generation woman of color, Annie finds it important to give back to the community that raised her. Vasishta believes the youth are our future and the best way to love her community is to serve the youth, which led her to be an AmeriCorps Member with City Year in Boston, work at Teach For America Bay Area, and work as an Urban Leaders Fellow with the City of Oakland.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love to travel – it allows me to gain a new perspective, learn histories, and listen to people’s life experiences outside of my own comfort zone(s). I also love to spend time with loved ones even when they root for different sports teams. Lastly, always open to new book recommendations!
What’s the top reason you decided to join Landed?
Working in various settings involving educators made it clear that teachers and other essential professionals are not able to afford to live in their communities. As someone who grew up in the Bay Area, this reality has been hurtful and I am here to empower those who uphold us with the resources they need to continue their extraordinary work.
Emily Baker was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She has her BA in Classics and MA in Education from the University of Colorado. After a brief foray in the publishing world, Emily found herself in the classroom teaching 4th grade and then Middle School English. While the everyday joys of teaching were incredibly rewarding, Emily was forced to pursue other careers in light of the financial realities of being an educator. Eventually, she made the difficult decision to leave teaching officially and pursue Real Estate. Emily did the bulk of her Real Estate work with teachers, including working as a Landed Partner agent since their expansion to Denver. It was through this partnership that Emily realized she wanted to work with Landed in a full-time capacity. Today, Emily is so excited to be starting her career with Landed and truly achieve her goal of making a difference in the lives of educators!
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
When I'm not working, I love to spend my time traveling, riding my horse, Cavalino, hiking with my two crazy border collies, Gracie and Penny, reading, and writing.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
While Denver is my home, Italy is my home away from home. Although, I'd have a hard time deciding between living in Rome or Tuscany
Emily Eshman is a former educator who is dedicated to ensuring all children, regardless of their background, have access to a high-quality education – which starts with great teachers. She began her career as an elementary school teacher with KIPP public schools in Washington, D.C. teaching kindergarten, first grade, and special education. Making the move back to the best coast, Emily was a founding first grade teacher at the first KIPP elementary school in the Bay Area. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.
What should people know about your hometown?
The elevation (5,853 ft.) of Ketchum, ID is greater than the population (about 3,000 people).
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love doing anything outside, preferably in the mountains, but the California beaches aren’t too shabby either – biking, hiking, surfing (does laying on a surfboard in the ocean count?).
Ian Magruder is a former startup executive and campaign director who is dedicated to bringing people together to improve communities. Prior to Landed, he led the Business Development team at Organizer, a mobile field management app used by nonprofits, schools, unions, and political campaigns for community organizing. Ian is active in the Bay Area community and spent two years at Co-Director of the San Francisco New Leaders Council, training the next generation of young professionals seeking to create social change. He is also engaged in policy as a Truman National Security Partner and a former Public Policy and International Fellow at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School. Ian graduated magna cum laude in Political Economy from UC Berkeley as a Regents’ and Chancellor's Scholar.
What’s the top reason you decided to join Landed?
Beyond knowing our co-founder, Alex Lofton, and trusting that I’d be working with an incredibly collaborative and well-supported team, I was drawn to our mission of building financial security. My mom and sister are both educators, and I’m dismayed by how little teachers and other essential professionals earn for the extraordinary work they do. Being able to help empower them with new financial tools is incredibly rewarding.
What life experience would you say defines you best?
The year that I spent traveling the country campaigning for Barack Obama in 2008 – organizing events, building teams, and knocking on thousands of doors in many states across America. You really get to see the true diversity, beauty, and struggle of America up close when you do community organizing.
Jaimelynne Cruz is a former elementary school educator and real estate investor. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with degrees in economics and sociology. She has a graduate degree in education and an MBA from the University of Hawaiʻi, Manoa. Previously, Jaime spent some time in Chicago as a Teach for America Corps Member. As a teacher, she taught at Chicago Public Schools, Kamaile Academy, and Kamehameha Schools. She was also an instructor for Johns Hopkins University School of Education for several years. In her free time, she loves to travel, hike, and swim in the ocean.
What is your favorite thing about living in Hawaiʻi?
The aloha vibe – I really enjoy the lifestyle here.
What's an interesting fact about you?
I am allergic to mangoes.
Jen is a Dreamer/Do-er for innovative, community-enriching, and vital reimagining of access to and creation of public space and housing in Los Angeles. Prior to working at Landed, as the Director of Real Estate & Placemaking at River LA she helped to define and build a new vision of the LA River working with leading national and LA philanthropists as well as both local and world-renowned design icons such as Frank Gehry to dream a new dream for her beloved LA. Jen has successfully managed $150M+ in real estate throughout various stages of the project development cycle. She has worked on both private and public transactions, ranging from ground-up affordable housing rentals to mixed-use, transit-oriented, for-sale communities to public-private-partnership open space, infrastructure, and facilities. Jen has an enthusiastic love for technology and data, especially consumer-facing software and services because they have the power to make life easier and spark joy. She is a LEED accredited professional and holds both a Masters of Business Administration and Real Estate Development which she obtained from USC as a full-tuition fellow of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management.
What should people know about your hometown?
Cerritos, CA ingrained a deep and abiding love of public space in me which I neither realized nor appreciated until I was an adult and had come to call several other cities home. I love the Highline in New York, adore the Parc de la Villette in Paris, and am delighted by Tongva Park in Santa Monica, but nothing will ever compare to Heritage Park in the suburban city formerly named Dairy Valley because of the many dairy farms that used to call Cerritos home.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Starting new hobbies. I could open a general merchandise store with the amount of equipment and gear I've accumulated throughout the years, from surfing to snowboarding, fencing to ninjitsu, capoeira to rock climbing, long-board skateboarding to disco roller-skating, and so many more things in between. Now, I'm excited to share the curiosity that drives those endeavors with my young daughter, as I have done and look forward to continuing to do so for many years with my wife.
Jess Zhao loves her day job: helping educators buy homes. She believes that our communities will be happier and healthier when all humans have access to transformative opportunities like education and homeownership. Prior to joining Landed, Jess started her career in management consulting at Monitor Group, where she focused on helping nonprofits and foundations explore new models to increase access to financial and educational opportunities. Her experience spans stints at
Jesse Vaughan believes in the power of building wealth to help people free themselves from fear. Money may not buy happiness, but confidence that one can feed and house their family is vital to feeling secure. Prior to returning to his home state of California, Jesse was based in Yangon, Myanmar where he helped to arrange $300M of social impact investments. Jesse holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from New York University, and in 2018, he was listed in Forbes 30 Under 30.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Pretty much anything that involves moving fast in nature: bicycling, open-water swimming, motorcycling, skiing, surfing, etc. I also try to slow down intentionally and have meditated daily for about two years.
What life experience would you say defines you best?
I grew up with dyslexia and couldn’t read a book until I was 12 years old. This taught me to take things step-by-step and not look to others for comparison. The experience also built immense gratitude for my parents and teachers who taught me to chart my own course to success.
Jessica Liu is a data nerd and community advocate who hails from the Bay Area. Jessica first heard about Landed from fellow ed tech colleagues and was immediately intrigued by its premise. Housing inequities seem inherent to the Bay, but Landed sounded like a real, viable way to escape that destiny. Jessica is thrilled to be a part of the team and support its mission to uphold those who uphold us. Before Landed, Jessica lived a few different lives as a software engineer, a start-up product manager, a middle school coding instructor, a non-profit program manager, and a marketing consultant. She's not 100% sure what she wants to be when she grows up but absolutely loves where she is today.
What should people know about your hometown?
It aspires to be the next big thing in wine tourism and regularly hosts classic car meetups.
How do you like to spend time outside of work?
I'm trying to be better about creating space and identity outside of work. These days it's mostly about my kids and trying to make this time feel special.
Joe Akanesuvan is a recent graduate with a passion for programming and data science. Before Landed, he was a backend engineer intern at an LA-based startup that helps connect people from local communities. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Statistics from the University of California Davis and is originally from Bangkok, Thailand.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I enjoy playing pick-up basketball and soccer, and I am always trying to find that next great brewery.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Japan. From the crazy metropolitan area to the beautiful countryside, Japan pretty much ticked all the boxes for me. Anywhere with a beach is not too bad either. Surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, you can’t say no to that, can you?
Jonathan Asmis is a former strategy consultant and engineer who expects more from finance. His experience includes stints at Accenture – where he worked on projects across health, nonprofit, and retail industries – as well as Tesla Motors and Sanofi Pasteur. Jonathan holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Engineering from the University of Toronto as well as an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
What should people know about your hometown?
Toronto is one of the most diverse places in the world – over half the city was born outside of Canada.
What life experience would you say defines you best?
Attending public schools from age 4 - 23. Through public school, I met and connected with some of the most incredible people from all socioeconomic worlds. It forced me to face how lucky I was (and still am) to have the opportunities that I do.
Julia Samaniego began her career in real estate at the age of 17, which happened to be the same year the housing crisis hit. Despite that, she ended up staying in the profession for 13 years. Julia ventured into other fields for a short period but real estate has always been a passion of hers.
Giving back and being an advocate for others is a big part of what drew her to Landed. The idea of staying in her field while helping people build financial security at a company that upholds many of the same values was a no brainer. Youth issues and the protection of children has always been an important issue to Julia. In the past she has volunteered as a child advocate in Los Angeles, and hopes to continue to fight the fight for the little ones who can't. She has a Bachelors in Management from Pepperdine University and an MBA from Cal State Los Angeles, although she very much would have rather gone to Hogwarts.
Why Landed?
When I was doing my research on Landed I was instantly drawn to what the purpose of their work was. I have been in real estate for many years now and never have I experienced it in this way. Everyone at Landed is passionate about what they do, and it's that passion that makes me look forward to waking up each day and seeing how we can make a difference in someone's life.
What should people know about your hometown?
In Los Angeles, there is so much diversity and culture. Los Angeles is large but what's so great about it is that any experience you have in one part of the city can be completely different in another part of the city. Whether it's walking down Venice beach boardwalk, taking an hour's drive to see snow in the winter, visiting Olvera St. downtown for great Mexican food, or simply catching a Dodgers or Lakers game, you never run out of things to do or see.
Through the work and nurturing of his mother, Justin developed a fierce love for humans and commitment to sociopolitical change. Growing up in Boulder County, Colorado, he learned early in life both the power and struggles that come with existing along the intersections of race and class. His experienced pushed him toward studying Ethnic Studies, at the University of Colorado Boulder where he received his BA. He later received his MA in Higher Education from the University of Denver, where he began taking educational and social change theories and putting them into practice to aid in youth development and the college-going journeys of students of color. Prior to joining Landed, Justin worked at the national nonprofit, College Track, and the "I Have A Dream" Foundation of Boulder County. In his roles, he began working more intimately with school staff and faculty, and realized the importance of holistic student support; this includes teacher stability outside of the classroom, especially with regard to housing.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I prioritize spending time with my family and friends outside of work. Whether it be going to the movies, playing games, or hosting/cooking/eating, I love being around my people. I especially enjoy kicking it with my son and going on journeys via his imagination.
If you had to listen to one artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?
That's hard. I love R&B & rap and can't choose between Luther Vandross and J. Cole.
Kathy Denning's career has been in Mobility and Real Estate - industries she was attracted to due to her personal experience moving internationally as a child. Her career has focused on business development including securing new accounts, developing existing accounts, implementing innovative ways to leverage technology to drive business, and creating sales enhancement and development programs for employees and independent contractors. She was attracted to Landed's core values of acting with humility and finding what's fair. Her greatest joy at work is helping people around her grow and succeed. She received her Bachelor's in English Literature at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, and her MBA from Saint Mary's Collge in Moraga, CA. She has lived in Canada, America, Scotland, Singapore, Malaysia, and Sweden. She loves kayaking, collecting fishing lures, and fiber arts.
What does "home" mean to you?
Home is a place where I can surround myself with art and beautiful objects that make me happy. I can fill my home with delicious smells like coffee, turkey, and spinach pie. I can have hand-made quilts in every room and paint the walls colors that are soothing. It's a place where I can be entirely myself, where I can act silly, where I can laugh loudly, where I can cry and where I'm always accepted and loved. Home is the best place in the world to be.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up to be a cowboy. Not a cowgirl because they did boring events like the barrel race. Cowboys had all the excitement and danger.
Kathryn Rees is a lifelong learner and educator who is passionate about building healthy, inclusive communities. Before joining Landed, she taught middle school math in Baltimore through Teach for America. She has also worked in policy and communications—first, as an intern with the Obama White House Domestic Policy Council and, later, as a consultant at RALLY, a social impact strategy, and communications firm. Kathryn holds a B.A. in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
How do you like to spend time outside of work?
I love hiking, cooking, and teaching yoga. Most weekends, you can find me in the dance studio or at spin class.
Why did you decide to join Landed?
As a classroom teacher, I was energized and uplifted by my teacher friends and mentors, who continue to bring kindness, intentionality, and humor to their craft. I am excited to join Landed in connecting those who uphold our communities to homebuying resources so that they can focus on what they do best: educating our young doers and changemakers.
Louis Odette, CFA is an investment professional that believes in harnessing the power of financial innovation to improve lives. He first became aware of the potential of home equity sharing when his parents entered into an agreement on his childhood home outside Boston. This led him to develop a valuation framework for these contracts as the culmination of his graduate studies, for which he was awarded the Gifford Fong Applied Finance Project Award. Following graduation, he worked with his advisor to implement shared equity as a solution to the foreclosure crisis.
Prior to joining Landed, Louis spent nine years at Citigroup, most recently as Head of Exchange Traded Fund Research for the EMEA region. He also spent time at Moody’s Analytics focused on residential mortgage-backed securities, and conducted due diligence on mergers & acquisitions. He holds a Master’s in Financial Engineering from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and an A.B. from Dartmouth College with an Economics major and Mathematics minor.
What’s the top reason you decided to join Landed?
I’m passionate about financial innovation and have been interested in shared equity for over a decade now. I was excited to see the resurgence of activity in the space while researching career opportunities. My wife is a high school Special Education teacher, so when I learned of the company’s mission I knew Landed was the place for me.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Skiing is a huge passion of mine. I’ve been to mountains throughout North America, covering the East and West of Canada and the United States, and was fortunate enough to spend a season living and working in Steamboat, CO. I had a chance to experience European ski culture in the Alps over the past few years, and one day hope to ski on at least five continents.
Maria Maxfield has been a real estate agent in the Bay Area for over 15 years and has assisted many first-time homebuyers in navigating the homebuying process. Her experience in real estate includes working as a real estate appraiser and loan officer. Prior to becoming a realtor, she worked as a graphics/production manager for an investment company that was a leading manager of emerging businesses (women/minority-owned and small firms) where she developed a wealth of knowledge in customer service and marketing. Maria graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in business. She grew up in the Philippines and has called the Bay Area home for over 36 years.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love spending time with my big family on weekends where we eat, talk, and watch our local Bay Area sports teams all day long. I also love to bike, take spinning classes, and dance with my daughter, Ella, while we listen to our favorite playlist.
What does home mean to you?
Home is the Bay Area, where it is diverse in culture, ethnicities, lifestyles, and cuisines. A place where you can truly be whatever you want to be and individuality is celebrated.
Nam-Chi Van is a software engineer, born and raised in California, with a passion for photography and skateboarding. Before joining Landed, she worked at Eventbrite as an early employee where she helped build the product to be one of the top in the events space. Her passion for skateboarding has pushed her to become one of the first well-known female photographers in the industry. As the photography market becomes more saturated, Nam-Chi continues to stay on top with her documentary style and post-processing techniques. She holds a BS for Web Design and Interactive Media from The Art Institute of San Diego.
What should people know about your hometown?
I grew up in Palmdale, CA where there is nothing but dirt and Joshua trees.
What life experience would you say defines you best?
When I was younger (8 years old), my mom would pick me up after school and take me to her office on the east side of Palmdale. A few doors down was a skate shop called Pharmacy, where I would also go to hang out at after I finished my homework. The Pharmacy crew took me under their wing and taught me everything I needed to know about skateboarding. I would say that experience 100% shaped who I am today!
Nick Alvarado is a son, brother, uncle, and a partner. He thrives off of connectivity and believes every interaction is an opportunity to learn something new. As a hairdresser turner geographer, Nick is passionate about helping others. Before joining Landed, Nick was on the founding team of the women's empowerment space, The Assembly, where he served as the Community and Growth Manager and gained a deeper passion for social impact work. Nick is a graduate of UC Berkeley. Go Bears!
What's the top reason you decided to join Landed?
I grew up in a very small town in the California mountains. Many of my neighbors and family members were crucial to my own upbringing, so when given the opportunity to join Landed, an organization that helps people stay in the communities they serve, I jumped at the opportunity.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I believe deeply in the importance of self-care and mindfulness, so when I'm not working on new partnerships, you can find me in a group fitness class, outside with a book, or at a local cafe.
Norma Hilary Gibson is a former educator who believes that teaching and learning don’t stop inside the classroom. She began her career as a high school Special Educator with Denver Public Schools through Teach for America and later transitioned to teaching middle school English with Denver School of Science and Technology. Since leaving the classroom, she has continued to work with social impact organizations including the Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation, Yale University’s Office of Strategic Analysis, and Simplifi (now Summer). Norma holds a B.A. from Wheaton College (IL), an M.Ed. from University of Colorado, and an MBA from Yale School of Management.
What should people know about your hometown?
Denver has 300 days of sunshine per year and all four seasons – it is truly the best of all worlds.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love to read (fiction recommendations only please), hike (especially
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
Granola! My sophomore year of college, one of my suitemates’ mom sent us granola every so often. I’d never tasted better granola, so I eventually asked for her recipe. Now, it’s the best dish I cook. It’s easy, delicious, and baking it makes the whole house smell like cinnamon rolls.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I really like walking. Whether it’s hiking in the mountains of Colorado, walking my yellow lab, Goose, or just strolling through neighborhoods listening to podcasts, I’m a strong believer that walking is one of the best ways to experience a place.
Ryan Delaney is a lawyer with a passion for innovation and democratizing access to financial products.
Prior to joining Landed, Ryan was general counsel at a fintech startup, and before that he was an associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Palo Alto, CA, where he focused on startups and capital markets. Before going to law school, he was an early member of another startup, Main Street Hub. Ryan holds a JD and LLM from Cornell Law School and a BA from Stanford.
What’s the top reason you decided to join Landed?
Landed really ticked every box for me – the challenge of innovating in such a complex area is very engaging, working with an amazing team is great, and trying to enable educators to be more secure, local, and free to focus on what they’re passionate about is really meaningful (especially as someone who’s had their fair share of schooling and benefited immensely from fantastic educators at all levels).
Sekou Mapp is a DC area resident. After studying engineering at Penn State, he began his career as a human factors engineer at The Mitre Corporation. Afterward, he transitioned to housing finance and later housing development. As a developer Sekou, entitled over 250,000 sq. ft of multifamily housing. His projects have been featured in the Washington Post and Celebrity House Hunters. He presented before neighborhood committees, historic preservation review boards, & business owners. He's passionate about home ownership as a means to build family security and neighborhood stability.
Smartest words you ever read?
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
What should people know about your hometown?
My hometown is Georgetown, Guyana, South America. I'm from the only English-speaking country in South America.
Shannon McQueen is an educator and advocate. She has a Masters degree in education and has been an administrator and teacher in public, refugee magnate, private, and international schools. Shannon was most recently the Regional Coordinator at Denver Public Schools. Originally from Colorado, Shannon attended Emerson College in Boston where she majored in Political Communications. She interned at the British Parliament and worked on several campaigns including the Obama campaign, where she met her husband at a Caucus training.
Shannon feels honored to have worked with individuals from across the globe. She is inspired by teachers who dare to stand up for themselves and make changes in their own lives, even when change is challenging. Shannon wants to improve the lives of teachers in ways that are culturally responsible, fair, and empowering.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I do a podcast with my best friend, blog and do portrait photography. I love exploring new places with my husband and two-year-old son, watching Netflix, scrolling through houses on Zillow and cozying up in bed and reading books. Also, I could watch HGTV House Hunters and House Hunters Renovation all day!
What is one basic thing that everyone should remember?
Stay hydrated! I run on coffee more than I would like and when I remember to drink water I feel like a new person. So PSA- drink water and feel better.
Siobhán Cronin is a software engineer with a passion for data engineering, mathematics, and evolutionary computing. She began her career studying how humans learn at Harvard University & Harvard Medical School, and now explores the frontiers for how computers and humans can learn together. Before joining Landed she worked as a software engineer for two San Francisco-based startups, Avisell and Uncountable, and was a 2018 Insight Data Engineering Fellow. She is also a guest researcher at Slow Research Lab and a youth engineering mentor at dev/Mission.
What was your first job?
My family had a family construction business, so starting at 8 my job was to organize the equipment and hold the flashlight on tricky plumbing projects (which is, incidentally, harder than it sounds).
It's the weekend. What you are doing for fun?
I cook with friends, garden, read lots of science articles and poetry. Oh, and sleep. I love dreaming!
Tiffany Testa is a former senior litigation defense paralegal and the happy spouse of an educator. She spent a decade working in fast-paced large national law firms, where she honed her keen eye for detail and organization on key federal and state actions such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Freedom Industries MCHM chemical spill disaster, and various Federal Black Lung litigation matters. Seeking greater personal fulfillment from her career, she left the litigation world in 2017 to pursue an opportunity with Landed that allows her to combine her passion for supporting those employed in education with the sense of excitement and personal pride that only a startup can bring. A fiercely proud native West Virginian, she holds a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with concentrations in History, Communication Studies, and Professional Writing & Editing from West Virginia University.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love world travel, learning new languages, yoga, experimenting with new recipes, hiking with my German Shepherd, and experiencing the world through new eyes with my precious son.
What should people know about your hometown?
Located about an hour outside of our nation’s capital, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia is considered America’s first spa town. The healing waters of the
Born in Venezuela and raised in Miami, FL, Verónica completed her undergraduate degree in Bilingual Education at Boston University. Her work within various schools in the Boston area fostered her passion and dedication to high quality education for English language learners. Upon graduating, Vero moved to New York City where she served as a teacher and college advisor, partnering with families, colleges, and outside organizations, supporting many students to become the first members of their families to attend college. After earning a MST in ESOL K-12 at Fordham University, Vero moved to México, where she taught English language and literature at an International Baccalaureate school. In addition to classroom teaching, she served as an instructional coach and curriculum developer in DC Public Schools, and was the Academic Director for College Track-Aurora, a college access and success non-profit. Before joining Landed, Vero worked at MSU Denver as the ESL and Student Support Specialist within the Immigrant Services Program.
What should people know about your hometown?
My Miami doesn’t quite feel like the rest of Florida...think island paradise - Latin American metropolis hybrid. Gotta love fusion!!
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I love to cook...and eat :-) I practice yoga and enjoy spending time outdoors.
Winston Lofton is the son of a teacher and grew up in Bellevue Public Schools (in Washington state). Winston came to Landed after organizing in New York and New Jersey, where he worked with hundreds of teachers, school staff, and others on issues related to affordable housing and education. He seeks to work alongside other people to make meaningful improvements in their lives and communities. Winston has a background in leadership development with a B.A in Sociology from Stanford University.
What is your favorite time of year?
I love gathering with my family for a barbeque and enjoying beautiful Pacific NW weather on the 4th of July.
What was your first paying job?
I coached 4 through 8 year-olds in basketball, soccer, and baseball.