About Kapor Foundation

Dr. Allison Scott is the CEO of the Kapor Foundation, which focuses at the intersection of racial justice and technology and works to remove barriers in access and opportunity, such that the promise and potential of technology can be harnessed to create a more equitable future. Under her leadership, the Kapor Foundation publishes research on disparities in the technology pipeline, deploys strategic grants to nonprofit organizations and initiatives, supports policy advocacy, and invests in tech entrepreneurs and venture funds aiming to utilize technology to close equity gaps across sectors.

Dr. Scott brings a research lens to advancing equity in technology, and In her previous role as the Chief Research Officer, Dr. Scott authored foundational research on inequity in CS education, disparities in the tech sector, the landscape of women of color in computing, and effective interventions for increasing participation of marginalized groups in computing disciplines. She has been a Principal Investigator on multiple national grants to expand access to computer science education, implement frameworks for culturally responsive-sustaining computing, and build a field of scholarship on women of color in computing.. Dr. Scott has also been a member of advisory boards and committees, including the FCC Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Mathematics Committee for Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech, the SNAP Catalyze Tech Working Group and on the Boards of the Federation of American Scientists, CSforAll, SMASH and MissionBit.

Previous positions included: Chief Research Officer at the Kapor Center; Program Leader for the National Institutes of Health’s Enhancing the Diversity of the Biomedical Workforce Initiative; Director of Research and Evaluation for the Level Playing Field Institute, and Data Analyst for the Education Trust-West. Dr. Scott holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Hampton University.

Sonia Koshy, PhD is the Chief Research Officer, who oversees the evaluation of programs and initiatives that aim to drive equity in computer science education and the tech workplace. She also helps to disseminate key research related to transforming tech ecosystems into more inclusive spaces. Sonia is a developmental psychologist, researcher, and evaluator, with a Ph.D. in Child Development from Tufts University. Prior to the Kapor Center, Sonia came from Algorhythm, a startup that creates automated, real-time reporting for the social sector. In her role as the Applied Social Science Director, she laid the research foundation for the Youth Development Impact Learning System and provided research and evaluation services to key clients such as Youth INC, The Robert Bowne Foundation, Literacy Inc., and the IKEA Foundation.

Prior to working at Algorhythm, she was the Evaluation Manager at the Thrive Foundation for Youth where she worked on process and outcome evaluations to assess impact on numerous adolescent outcomes. She has collaborated closely with organizations such as Girl Scouts of Northern California, Camp Fire, Y Silicon Valley, and Girls Inc. of Alameda County.

Lili Gangas is the Chief Technology Community Officer working to create new and more inclusive tech innovation ecosystems regionally & nationally. Her work is centered at the intersection of technology, racial justice, and action driven partnerships to tackle pressing social and economic inequities of underrepresented communities. Her areas of focus and interest include tech advocacy themes such as closing the Broadband Access & Adoption, Future of Work(ers), Responsible Technology, and Ecosystem Building as they relate to new models with cross sector partners. Lili believes that it is critical that we help prepare and upskill communities of color for the future and encourage going beyond being consumers to also being creators and owners. She was a New America CA fellow focused on Tech for Good,was recognized as SF Business Times Most Influential Women in Business and SF Business Times 40 Under 40, and is an MBA lecturer at Mills College. Lili was also a featured Salesforce Dreamforce and TEDxOakland speaker. Before coming to the Kapor Center, Lili was an Associate Principal at Accenture Technology Labs Open Innovation team, based out of Silicon Valley, focused on partnerships and programming to connect startups to Fortune 500 clients. She was also a founding member of the Innovation Services team at Booz Allen specializing in crowdsourcing, prize challenges, and open data solutions at the federal level. Before that, Lili could be found in the lab working on software and hardware solutions for the aerospace industry as a Senior Multi-Disciplined Software Engineer at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. She is an advisor to tech focused nonprofits such as AI-4-All.org as well as community investing organizations such as The Unity Council and Pacific Community Ventures. Lili is a proud immigrant from Bolivia and champions Latinx in tech initiatives across the U.S. She is a new board member of LA Collab to increase Latinx representation across tech, entertainment, media, and advocacy sectors. Lili holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Cecilia is our Tech Policy Assistant and is passionate about creating a more equitable technology ecosystem by closing racial and socioeconomic gaps.

Originally from Skaneateles, New York, Cecilia has always been committed to social justice, founding Skaneateles for Social Justice in 2020. She graduated from Brown University in May 2024 with a degree in International and Public Affairs and a Certificate in Data Fluency. She has previously interned at The White House and the National Geographic Society and most recently, she interned with the Digital and Cyberspace Program at the Council on Foreign Relations and is a part of the All Tech is Human mentorship program.

Outside of work, Cecilia is the Deputy Communications Director for Encode Justice, the world’s first and largest youth movement dedicated to promoting safe and equitable AI. In her free time, Cecilia loves painting and discovering new music and is excited to explore the Bay Area’s live music and food scene as a new resident.

Frieda McAlear is the Director of Seeding Innovation, where she brings her skills as a social science researcher and her passion for working with and for marginalized and underrepresented communities at the Kapor Center. She has nearly a decade of experience managing projects, developing evaluation and research methodology, and building nonprofit technology capacity with socially progressive organizations in the Bay Area, Europe, and Southern Africa. In 2013, she worked as an evaluator for an HIV/AIDS clinic serving villages in Lesotho and as a Program Coordinator for ZeroDivide in San Francisco in 2014.

She holds a Master of Research in Geography from Queen Mary University of London and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Vesalius College in Brussels. She has nearly a decade of experience managing projects, developing evaluation and research methodology, and building nonprofit technology capacity with socially progressive organizations in the Bay Area, Europe, and Southern Africa.

Kalisha Davis is the CS Equity Curriculum Project Director, who guides and develops all aspects of the Equitable Computer Science Curriculum Initiative, a multi-year endeavor led by Kapor Center. Before this role, Kalisha served as the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement and Detroit Revitalization Fellow at the Detroit Historical Society. While there, she was the architect of more than 200 community-focused partnerships endeavors and played a critical role in creating the now internationally lauded and nationally award-winning Detroit 67 Project: Looking Back to Move Forward. This multi- faceted community engagement initiative honors and elevates the history and stories behind Detroit’s July 1967 Uprising. After contributing her time and talents to such organizations as Search Institute, the Forum for Youth Investment, the National League of Cities: Institute for Youth Education and Families, and the Thrive Foundation for Youth, she returned to her native Detroit in 2015. She remains a committed servant leader. Kalisha is the co-founder of the city-wide community engagement network, ConnecteD, and mentors numerous young people and young professionals, often through the programs and learning opportunities she develops. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Baruch College of Public Affairs (a degree earned as a National Urban Fellow in 2011) and a Bachelor’s degree in Print Journalism from Central Michigan University. Kalisha enjoys travel, yoga, and outdoor activities with family and friends.

Kathia Ramos is the Senior Program Associate for Tech Workplace Initiatives. In this capacity, they lead membership onboarding and success for Diversity Advocates and Our Collective. Diversity Advocates is a professional learning community advancing diversity and inclusion throughout the tech industry. Our Collective is a network of talented professionals focused on building a more diverse and inclusive workforce for Black and LatinX communities through Employee Resource Groups. Kathia also leads stakeholder communications for Tech Workplace Initiatives. Prior to the Kapor Center, they worked as a Program Associate for Enroll Oakland, a non-profit organization committed to helping Oakland families choose the best Oakland public schools for their children. Kathia feels fortunate and motivated to be able to work with a mission that aligns and helps develop opportunities for underrepresented groups. When not working they enjoy learning about LGBT history, photography, and spending time with friends and family.

Kirsten Lundgren is the Director of Economic and Workforce Initiatives, leading research, partnerships, and programming focused on the future of work, innovative tech workforce development, and resilient tech ecosystems.. In this role, she also oversees Pathways to Tech, a Kapor Center initiative that connects racially underrepresented talent to inclusive upskilling opportunities and high-wage, high demand tech careers.

A proud Oakland native, she previously co-founded TechHire Oakland — part of the Obama White House TechHire initiative that expanded inclusive tech sectors and talent pipelines across 70 US cities. Prior to this domestically-focused work, Kirsten managed program design and new business development for TechnoServe in East Africa, delivering a $30 million portfolio of inclusive market/enterprise development programs that generated jobs and income increases across five countries. She also worked in international microfinance at Women’s World Banking and Trickle Up while completing graduate studies at Columbia University. Outside of work, Kirsten enjoys triathlons and backcountry adventures.

Laura Hinton is the Data Visualization Manager at the Kapor Foundation, where she finds innovative ways to synthesize, manage, and visualize data and insights related to racial equity across the tech ecosystem.

Before the Kapor Foundation, Laura worked as an Educational Policy Analyst with San Francisco Unified School District on the African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative, where she analyzed data and evaluated programs to support the success of Black students in SFUSD. Laura previously worked at both SMASH and the Kapor Center in program operations and data visualization and holds a master’s degree in Education Data Science from Stanford Graduate School of Education.

In her free time, Laura enjoys spending time with her family, watching sports, exercising, and reading.

Lisa Cruz Novohatski is the Senior Data & Insights Analyst working at the organization to support the various data and evaluation efforts underway to assess the impact of our programs, including implementing analyses plans across SMASH programming, collaborating on the Foundation’s national efforts aiming to expand computer science, and supporting data analyses needs for landscape reports. Lisa most recently worked at Gale, A Cengage Company, where she worked with public library customers to help them get the most of their experience with Gale’s analytics products. She walked them through a proprietary dashboard, pointing out insights along the way and talking through implications of the data. Prior to Gale, Lisa worked at the New York Public Library on a team of internal consultants called Strategic Research and Data Analytics. As a team, they supported data work across the institution, so she could assess the attendance data for Out of School Time programs or assess needs around reference.

Outside of work, Lisa loves spending time with her two little girls. She also loves knitting and baking.

Rachel Goins is the Director of Implementation for Foundation Research. In this role, she supports strategic planning and execution of research projects. Rachel brings over 15 years of experience drawing on improvement and implementation science to design, manage, and deliver research-based technical assistance (TA) and capacity-building initiatives. This has included communities of practice, professional development training, program design, and strategic planning – all through a lens of racial equity. Prior to her role at the Kapor Center, she co-led two national centers focused on: 1) personalized learning and ed tech and 2) educator quality and diversity. Rachel also acted as an advisor and subject matter expert on other federal education initiatives focused on college and career readiness and place-based approaches to educational equity.

In her free time, Rachel enjoys documentaries, libraries, and neutralizing empty slogans and soundbites with real-talk, common sense, and evidence.

Shana V. White is the Director of CS Equity Initiatives at the Kapor Center. She will be working on Equitable CS Initiatives, supporting both CSforCA and CSforGA, and working with stakeholders in Georgia to improve teacher professional development and increase participation and success for students of color in K12 CS courses. Prior to joining the Kapor Center, Shana worked for sixteen years in K12 education, serving in both public and private schools as a teacher and instructional technology specialist in metro Atlanta. Shana has a passion for disrupting the status quo, works to connect and create community for educators online, and has a strong commitment to racial justice and equity in K12 schools. She has a B.S. from Wake Forest University, a M.S. from Winthrop University, a Ed.S from Kennesaw State University. Outside of work, Shana enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, watching live sports, volunteering, watching rom coms, and lifting weights.