At GASP, our staff members are deeply passionate about supporting the community and making a positive impact in the lives of our students and parents. We believe in building strong relationships with our students and parents by creating a nurturing, inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and heard. Our dedicated staff members are not only committed to the academic success and personal growth of Grattan students, but also to effective communication with school day staff. Collaboration and partnership with teachers and administrators enable us to address the specific needs of each student and ensure a seamless transition between school day and after-school activities. By fostering growth and skill-building opportunities, we empower our students to reach their full potential, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to succeed in their academic, social, and emotional development.
Meet Our Dedicated Staff Members!
Administrators
Emmett Phelan
Executive Director
Emmett joined GASP in November of 2019. He has over 25 years of experience in the child care and education field. Emmett oversees all aspects of the program as executive director of GASP.
Contact: emmett@gasp-grattan.org
Andrew Whitlatch
Site Director
Andrew began working at GASP as a Program Teacher in 2015. Over the years he became the Sr. Team Lead, Assistant Site Director, and now is one of the Program Site Directors. Andrew manages and oversees the daily operations of GASP.
Contact: andrew@gasp-grattan.org
Nicole Ellis
Site Director
Once lived in New Zealand. A former certified EMT, and a proud former coach for the SF Challenger league baseball team. Enjoys working at GASP because she love being able to collaborate with others and build strong community. She also loves playing with the kids and watching them grow.
Contact: nicole@gasp-grattan.org
Josephine Lau
Program Administrator
She has been working at the Grattan After School Program for over 13 years since she was in college for her Bachelor's Degree in Child and Adolescent Development. She was born and raised in San Francisco is a huge SF Giants fan. Her interests include reading, hiking, meditation, and painting.
Alli Dzul
Program Administrator/Check-Out Specialist
She studied the Maya language from the Yucatan peninsula. The strangest food she’s eaten is tarantula over rice. She’s worked with children in a school setting for over 10 years. She keeps coming back to working in education because it feels so rewarding to see children grow and become their own person. She finds Grattan and GASP to be a place where kids can feel safe to be their authentic self and is happy to be part of this family.
Kinder Team
Daniel Zuniga
He was born and raised in Southern California, an arts and crafts enthusiast, and a proud father of four beautiful cats. He works at GASP for the opportunity to build positive and meaningful connections with the students.
Tei Gundolfi
Her daughter, Haven, graduated from Grattan last year. They saved GASP money to travel to Greece and Italy this summer and are hoping for time in Portugal next year.
Iris Gonzalez
She was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She has a passion for all things to do with creativity and loves to do all kinds of arts and crafts with the kids. She works at GASP because she loves learning about the students, learning things from them and about their families and where they come from.
Trisha Dube
She has been riding and teaching horseback riding for over 15 years and also speaks Hindi fluently. She works as GASP because She loves being able to teach students art, seeing their unique interpretations of art projects, and helping them find their creative voice.
Abril De La Rosa Reyes
She’s into sports cars, speaks 3 languages, and does photography. She likes to work at GASP because besides it feels fulfilling and wholesome to work with kids; she likes to believe that she’s changing the world in some way by molding the future generations in a loving, kind, empathetic and respectful environment.
Tara
She grew up in San Francisco and loves working with kids and helping mold the future. Her favorite animals are cows and pigs. She has two pet parrots, but neither of them can talk.
1st Grade Team
Emily Cronan
She grew up in San Francisco, and played on the Grattan Stars soccer team because her school didn’t have a soccer team. She loves to write plays and poetry. She works at GASP because she loves working with students on unique and creative projects.
Sonia Quinn
She went to Grattan and GASP as a child and has a pet cat named Socks. She works at GASP because she wants to give kids at GASP the same positive and memorable experience she had as an elementary school student.
Benji Lenett
He’s been working with kids since he was 12 years old. He likes to cook, and his favorite food to cook is a traditional Taiwanese food called lu rou fan. He also led a summer camp site for two years.
Henry Roa
He works at GASP because he is interested in creating an environment in after-school where students can be engaged in fun activities they can enjoy and share with their families. In his spare time, he enjoys writing short stories while listening to music and creating short narrative films.
2nd Grade Team
Elena Meraz-Baca
She was born and raised in SF, and has been working at GASP for several years. She loves leading activities and connecting with the kids.
Jack Sampior
He is a Grattan Alumnus. He can also wiggle his ears, which only 17% of the world’s population can do. He loves working at GASP because he loves the connection with the community, and that is what also inspired him to pursue career in education.
Olivia Gonzales
She is a 6th generation San Franciscan. Both she and her older sister attended Grattan as children. She works at GASP because she loves engaging with the youth in her community and helping them learn more about each other, as well as the world around them.
Sarah Low
They’ve been working with elementary schoolers since middle school and really enjoyed the experience, and so wanted to continue onwards.
3rd Grade Team
Christian Aponte
He is originally from NYC. He has three cats, two of which are back in New York. He works at GASP because he believes that the ability to develop relationships is one of the most important things both a student and an educator can have.
Logan Nova
He loves baseball, works on music, and is here at GASP because he loves the people who work here and to help students be their best selves.
Sara Moss
She has lived outside the US. She is missing 11 teeth. She enjoys working at GASP because she wants to make a difference in childrens’ lives.
Sarang Yoon
She has four siblings and was born in St. Louis, MO. She works at GASP because she loves kids and seeing them get creative.
4th/5th Grade Team
Jocelyn Tolama
She loves tattoos and absolutely loves anime. She enjoys being part of the GASP family because she enjoys playing with the kids and doing fun activities with them, such as water balloon fights, class parties, and cooking activities.
Nate Brown
He’s really into anime and loves cats. He works with kids because he wants to help them find their true potential, and to help them forget about the stresses they go through by providing a fun and free environment for them to express themself in a safe and respectful manner.
Jesse Holwitz
Enjoys playing Magic: The Gathering and has traveled the country to play in national tournaments. Is an author of two books – you might catch him sitting and writing on the Sunnyside Playground bench. He is a San Francisco native and a Lowell High School alum. He has been working with kids since 2018 and can see himself doing it as a long term career. He works at GASP to teach kids that there is no one “correct” path in life, and to instill the importance of creativity in everyday life.
Sydney Sy
She loves roller-skating and traveling the world… sometimes both at the same time. She loves working at GASP because she has the freedom to create and inspire kids to do the same.
NJ Quiroz
They have 3 cats and are a big comic book reader. They love GASP because they get to share their love of arts and education with the student and the community.
Isabel Partida
She loves going on hikes. She listens to Sunday oldies every Sunday. She’s working at GASP to be a part of the growth, change, and fun that all of these kids will experience.
Art Specialists
Brigid Casey-Oneil
She has worked at GASP for almost 10 years, helping kids learn how to express their creativity through different types of art. Her favorite animal is a horse, and her favorite place to visit is Hawaii.
Ronnie Hartowicz
She works at GASP because she loves getting creative with kids. She has lived in 5 different places of the world, but now she is happy to be a part of the Cole Valley community with her pup Raja. She loves being in nature; it is her favorite place to play.
Check-Out Specialist
Victoria Ponce
Bright lights, the people, and the food are best in New York, which is her favorite place to travel to. She loves to bake, and her favorite thing to bake is chocolate chip cookies. She’s always loved working with kids; they are not judgmental and have so much innocence.
Alli Dzul
(Check out Specialist/Program Administrator)
Academic Liaison
Katherine Orr