Staff

Nínive Calegari is the cofounder of 826 Valencia and the CEO of 826 National. She is a veteran public school teacher who has had ten years of classroom experience. Before teaching in her family's hometown in Mexico, Nínive worked at Leadership High School, San Francisco’s first charter school, where she also served on the Board of Directors. She holds an MED in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Ninive was coauthor of Teachers Have it Easy: the Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers. She was also the recipient of Edutopia’s 2007 Daring Dozen award.

Erin Archuleta is the Development and Outreach Director for 826 National. Previously the Educational Programs Director of 826 Valencia, she is a former classroom educator originally from Flint, MI. The Everett Middle School community honored Erin with two César Chávez Peace Awards for her service in the 826 Valencia Writers’ Room. She was part of the publishing team that received a Moonbeam Spirit Childhood Wellness Award for Children’s Literature for Exactly, an 826 Valencia publication with Wallenberg Traditional High School. Her curriculum appears in Don’t Forget to Write: 54 Enthralling and Effective Writing Lessons for Students 6-18. Erin also co-owns ICHI Catering, an award-winning San Francisco business.

Lauren Hall is the Grants Director for 826 National. She has been involved with 826 Valencia and 826 National since the fall of 2005, serving as Programs and Administrative Coordinator and most recently as Development Director. She moved to the Bay Area from Arkansas, where she earned a BA in American Studies from Hendrix College. She was the recipient of the Hendrix-Lily Care Award for her involvement in social justice initiatives. Before coming to 826, Lauren worked in development at The Women's Project, a nonprofit in Little Rock, Arkansas. An essay that emerged from her work with the organization was published in the Journal of Social Policy in the fall of 2007, and is included in the collection Lessons from the Field: Organizing in Rural Communities. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp.

Ryan Lewis is the Operations Manager for 826 National. After studying Political Science at UCLA, he served for two years in AmeriCorps *NCCC and completed projects with multiple organizations including the Charleston and North Charleston public schools, the St. Matthews Community Outreach Center and After-School Program in Charleston, SC, and various groups performing recovery cleanup after Hurricane Katrina. He received his Master of Public Service degree from the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, AR, where he focused his fieldwork in education and completed projects in program evaluation, development, and strategic planning with the Boys, Girls, Adults Community Development Center in Marvell, AR and the South African Education and Environment Project in Cape Town, South Africa.

Mariama Lockington is the Programs and Administrative Coordinator for 826 National. Originally from Michigan, she moved to Oakland after earning a BA in Creative Writing and African American studies from the University of Michigan. Prior to working at 826, Mariama completed a 2-year teaching fellowship with Citizen Schools, where she taught writing to middle school students around the Bay Area. She recently received a Masters in Education from Lesley University and is an aspiring and published poet.

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