Board of Directors 2026-27
President
Alane Kataria-Rennie
Alane joined the MVEF board in 2023 after serving for many years as a volunteer on the gala team. She is now serving as President. She especially loves the fact that MVEF provides high quality Art and Music instruction to every student in MVWSD.
Alane has one student in the district: a 6th grader at Graham. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley and taught first grade in East San Jose with Teach for America. Alane co-leads a Girl Scout junior troop and dances with her Zumba class as often as possible.
​​​
​​
​
​​​​​​​​​
​
School Ambassador at Graham
alane@mvef.org​​
.png)
Vice President
Rebecca (Becca) Swett
Becca joined the MVEF board in March 2025 and is now serving as Vice President.
She currently has one son at Landels Elementary (and one more looking forward to it), where she has been an active PTA member and Project Cornerstone Volunteer.
Becca has worked in product and program management in both big tech and startups since receiving her BS in Mathematical and Computational Science from Stanford University. She brings relationship building, strategy development, and storytelling skills from her tech experience, as well as devotion to the Mountain View community, with her to MVEF.​​​​​​​​
​
School Ambassador at Landels
Treasurer
Khalil Bensassi
Khalil joined the MVEF Board in 2024 and is serving as Treasurer for the second year. He has two children in the Mountain View School District. One of his motivations for serving on the MVEF Board is to help propose and secure funding for new programs.
Khalil, an aerospace engineer and computational scientist, is at the forefront of advancing spacecraft entry and re-entry models to improve predictive capabilities and ensure the safety and reliability of space exploration missions. He holds a M.S. in Aerospace engineering and a Ph.D. in applied science from The von Karman Institute and the Free University of Brussels, Belgium.
​​​
​
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​​
​
School Ambassador at Stevenson
khalil@mvef.org​​​
Secretary
Yuliana (Yulie) Virchenko
Yulie joined the MVEF board in June 2026 and is a proud Mountain View community member and mother.
​
She brings over a decade of program management experience across tech startups and enterprise software companies, with a PMP certification and a strong background in operations, stakeholder engagement, and fundraising strategy. She currently works at Density AI, a Mountain View-based AI startup, where she partners with executive leadership on strategic and operational initiatives.
​
Yulie is passionate about ensuring every child has access to a well-rounded education and is excited to bring her skills in community outreach, corporate partnership development, and operational execution to help MVEF grow its impact.​​​
​
School Ambassador at Mistral
yulie@mvef.org
_heic.png)
Board Member
Sraddha Shukla
Sraddha is a mom of two, a Finance & Strategy consultant, and a passionate catalyst for change. She treasures the diversity & programs offered in our schools and joined the MVEF Board in 2022. She has led post COVID community-building initiatives, and recently navigated MVEF in leadership roles as Vice President (2023-24) and MVEF President (2024-26).
​A familiar face at school events and community gatherings, Sraddha is often found championing MVEF’s mission and bringing people together—whether leading the Gala or sparking conversations that strengthen community connections.
​
Originally from India, lived in Canada before settling in California, Sraddha has a lifelong commitment to community building. She is especially inspired by the diversity of our Mountain View community. As she puts it, “In our corner of the world, we have plenty—and the opportunity to experience the joy of giving and gaining community. Come, let’s build our village together!”
​
School Ambassador at Bubb & Graham
sraddha@mvef.org​​​​
Board Member
Mahalakshmi (Maha) Prabhakaran
Maha joined the MVEF board in March 2025 and served as Secretary until 6/26. She is a mom of two boys at Stevenson Elementary. Maha has been an active parent volunteer in Stevenson and is excited to continue to be involved in enhancing public education. She is inspired by MVEF's mission of ensuring equitable access to art, science and enrichment programs for all kids in the district and hopes to make a positive impact through her work on MVEF board.
Maha has a PhD in Developmental Biology from Baylor College of Medicine and completed her Postdoctoral training in UCSF and Stanford. She continues to be committed to driving innovation in healthcare through her work in Abbvie's Strategy organization. Maha is passionate about reading as many books as she can, exploring new trails and finding all the waterholes, creeks, water parks and beaches in the area for epic summer fun.
​
​​
​
School Ambassador at Stevenson
maha@mvef.org​​
Board Member
Rahul Beri
Rahul is a proud Stevenson and Mountain View High School parent, and a passionate advocate for strong public education.
He joined the MVEF Board in October 2025 and brings years of leadership experience as an entrepreneur, nonprofit board member, and community builder. With a Master’s in Economics, Rahul contributes strategic, financial, and operational expertise to support MVEF’s mission of expanding opportunity and access for every student in the district.
​
Outside of work, Rahul enjoys running, boxing, and exploring the outdoors with his family. He is also actively involved in local civic efforts and believes deeply in the power of community to create lasting change.
School Ambassador at Stevenson
rahul@mvef.org
Board Member
Shruthi Worton-Cross
Shruthi grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA and moved with her husband to the Bay Area in December 2011. She has two young sons; her oldest is a rising first grader at Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School.
Shruthi joined MVEF in spring 2026. Prior to joining MVEF, she was a member of Fit4Mom Silicon Valley, where she served as events manager, collaborating with her team to plan community-based activities that brought members together to support mothers and their families at every stage of their journey.
Before stepping away from her professional career, Shruthi spent over eight years at Stanford University planning development events, managing high-profile projects, raising annual gifts, and acknowledging donors for their generosity and investment.
School Ambassador at Vargas
shruthi@mvef.org
Staff
​
Executive Director
Valerie Duncker
Valerie joined MVEF as Lead Executive Director in April 2024 and became the sole Executive Director in April 2025. A mother of three, she has deep ties to local public education, with children who have attended schools in the LASD and MVLA districts.
​
She currently serves as VP of Membership on the Mountain View High School PTSA Executive Board after having served as auditor for two years and previously served on the PTA Board at Blach Junior High as Financial Secretary. Valerie has volunteered at multiple local schools and Foothill Community College, led fundraising efforts at Loyola Elementary,
served on the board of a local education nonprofit, and is Co-Lead of the Philanthropy Fair for NCL, a national mother-daughter service organization.
Valerie holds an MBA and brings around 20 years of corporate and startup experience in program management, marketing, communications, and operations. She is passionate about enriching education and supporting the community.​
​
Data & Operations Manager
Jyoti Jacob
Jyoti joined the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF) in September 2025, bringing with her a deep commitment to educational equity and a passion for supporting student development. As a parent of 2, she is an active school volunteer, supporting programs such as Project Cornerstone, Art and STEAM initiatives, and Speech and Debate clubs in her kid’s schools and also volunteers actively in her community.
​
With over 15 years of experience in the software industry—as both engineer and program manager — Jyoti has worked across corporate and non-profit sectors. She is excited to support MVEF’s mission in her role, where she applies her skills in data analysis, operations, and relationship management to strengthen donor engagement and organizational impact. She holds a Master’s degree in Computer science and Engineering, and is excited to leverage her technical and organizational expertise to help MVEF support every student in reaching their full potential.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
jyoti@mvef.org
MVEF Ambassadors at School 2026-27
-Photoroom.png)
Dhwani Shah
Imai & Graham
Dhwani, originally from India, has called the Bay Area home since 2005. Passionate about building strong communities, they're actively involved at Amy Imai Elementary where their child attends, and at Graham Middle School where their other child is a student.
Dhwani and their family have directly benefited from MVEF programs, including reduced class sizes and enriched music and art opportunities. They are eager to raise awareness for MVEF's impact at Amy Imai. Beyond their involvement with the PTA and MVEF, Dhwani is a dedicated volunteer with Pack 33, serving as a committee chair.​​​
​
Dhwani has a master’s in electrical engineering from USC.
​
​​​​​​​​​​
​
​
​dhwani.shah@gmail.com​​​​​​​
Lara Gill
Vargas
Lara Gill has been a Foundation rep for Vargas since 2020. As an English teacher and Teacher Induction Coach for the Sequoia Union School District for over 20 years, she knows how crucial educational Foundations are in supporting teachers and ensuring that art and music survive in our schools. She is the membership chair for the PTA and loves volunteering at school events.
Her youngest son attends Vargas and her oldest son is a sophomore at Mountain View High School, and both children love to draw thanks in part to the amazing CSMA arts education provided by the Foundation. She moved to California from Bellevue, WA to attend Santa Clara University where she played varsity Water Polo and majored in English. After working as a college admissions counselor and homeless youth advocate she earned a Master's Degree from Stanford University and is a National Board Certified Teacher. ​​​​​​​​​​
​
​gill@seq.org​
_e.jpg)
Jon Stewart is an educator and Instructional Coach with the Sequoia Union High School District, where he has dedicated his career to teaching math and supporting newcomer immigrant students in their transition to a new school environment. Jon holds an MA in Education from USC and an Ed.D. in Organizational Learning from Vanderbilt. As an MVEF site representative,
Jon is passionate about strengthening student experiences through the resources MVEF provides. With a second grader in the district and another future MVWSD student, Jon is committed to fostering the partnership between MVWSD and MVEF, helping to build impactful programs for all students in Mountain View.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
stew5992@gmail.com​​​​​
_edited_edited_edited_edited.jpg)
Landels
Rajaram is a dedicated community member and the proud father of a fifth-grader at Landels Elementary. Originally from Goa, India, he relocated to the U.S. in 2015 to pursue new opportunities. With a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering,
Rajaram currently works in the tech industry in the Bay Area. A resident of Mountain View, he’s a proud Costco member who enjoys giving back to his community.
When he’s not busy, Rajaram spends quality time with his family, engages in running, delves into the world of math and programming, and finds solace in reading poetry.​​​​​​​​​​​​
​
​
Graham
​​​
​​​​​Mona has been a proud Imai and MVWSD parent for the past 11 years. During that time she has served on Imai's PTA Board for 8 years including the roles of President, VP, Financial Secretary, Secretary and VP Volunteers, in addition to founding and chairing the Walkathon for 4 years as well leading the school wide carnival. She is a strong supporter of community engagement both at Imai and within the broader community, and has worked diligently within Imai to foster community connections, including raising awareness of MVEF.
​
Her youngest son is currently in 6th grade at Graham and her twin sons are in 11th grade at MVHS. As an active Scout family, she has also taken on various leaderships roles within Pack 80 and Troop 75.
Mona spent nearly 25 years as a senior leader at a market insights consultancy (within the Healthcare sector) and enjoys gardening, wine and food pairing, hosting parties and travelling. She graduated with degrees in Physiology from UCLA and a Masters of Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University.
​
She is very excited to give back to MVEF and to continue to drive momentum of MVEF within Imai.​​​​​​​
​