Leadership
Board of Directors
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Dr. Irene S. Landaw MD
Dr. Landaw studied Visual Arts at the High School of Music and Art in NYC. She received a BA in Biology at the State University of NY, and her MD at Columbia University, where she worked on set and program designs for musical theater productions. After Residency and Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she practiced Pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente in Fremont for 28 years. In retirement she serves on the Physician Well-Being Committee for the County Medical Society, trains Health Professionals in communication about HPV Vaccines for the American Cancer Society, gardens, & does beadwork.
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Kerry Chin
Kerry Chin is a technology consultant and investor. She is a founding member of Booz Allen Ventures, a corporate venture capital fund focusing on early-stage investments. Kerry spearheads the Artificial Intelligence vertical, investing in hardware and software startups. She holds a Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and worked as an engineer for over 6 years. Outside of work, she loves to dance salsa and bachata and garden.
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Dr. Talila Golan PhD
Scientist, naturalist educator. Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and postdoctoral research in Plant Science at UC Berkeley. Since 2014 owns and operates a business as a naturalist, hiking and California nature-experience camping trips for children and adults.
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Shalini Thammaiah
Before arriving at Young STEAMers, Shalini had a diverse career spanning over 20 years in project management and software engineering. She co-founded an online tutoring platform for K-12 students. Shalini holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Manipal University in India. She strongly believes that giving children a strong foundation will instill in them a love of learning will help them grow in the classroom and beyond.
Advisory Council
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Mikayla Alexander
Mikayla is an accomplished professional in project management. She began her career at Unilever in supply chain management and now works as a Project Manager at Meta, supporting GenAI projects within the Product Data Operations organization.
Mikayla holds an MBA in Supply Chain Management and Sustainability from Northeastern University and a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering. She is passionate about community engagement and STEM education, actively promoting these areas through various initiatives.
As a dedicated member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Mikayla exemplifies the values of service and leadership, striving to make a positive impact in her community.
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Suzanne Young
Suzy Young received her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology at Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley, focusing on maternal and child health. She worked as a data analyst and research associate for The California Department of Public Health and UC Berkeley on public health-related research projects. She has been involved in all aspects of epidemiological research including planning, questionnaire design, implementation, data analysis, and results reporting. In addition, Suzy has volunteered for over 15 years as a music teacher for elementary school students in the Fremont Unified School District as well as being a substitute teacher for the last 3 years.
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Dr. Calvin Wheeler MD
Dr. Wheeler is the Director of Learner Committees at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J Tyson School of Medicine. He recently retired as the KP Northern California Regional Medical Director of Undergraduate and Graduate medical education, having served in that role for seven years Prior to that he was the physician-in-chief of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fremont and the Greater Southern Alameda Area for 18 years. During those 18 years, he was a member of the Board of Directors and the Operations Management Group for The Permanente Medical Group, Inc.
Dr. Wheeler joined Kaiser Permanente in 1984 as a staff pediatrician and neurologist in Hayward. He then moved on to various posts in both the Hayward and Fremont medical centers, including sub-chief, Pediatric Neurology, Hayward and Fremont as well as regional chief and assistant physician-in-chief, Fremont.
Dr. Wheeler attended Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR to study Pre-Med and Pre-Pharmacy. He then matriculated at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. After graduation, he obtained his California Pharmacy License and attended the University of California - Irvine College of Medicine. He then did residency training in Pediatrics at Boston City Hospital and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. His residency was followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Neurology at Boston City Hospital and the Boston University Combined Neurology Program. He then completed a fellowship in Seizures / EEG and the Houston Merritt Fellowship in Cerebral Palsy at the Children's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School.
A founding member of the Kaiser Permanente African American Professionals Association (KPAAPA) in Northern California, Dr. Wheeler served as president of the association in 1990 & 1993. He completed the KP Advanced Leadership Program at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 1997. He completed the California Healthcare Foundation Leadership Fellowship between 2003 and 2005. He served on the Northern California Regional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council and the National Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council representing The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG). He serves on the Board of Trustees of the California College of the Arts, the BOD of the National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF), the BOD of Health Career Connection (HCC) and the UC Irvine Alumni Association BOD. Calvin enjoys reading, walking, running, tennis, skiing, traveling and spending time with his wife, Sarajane, with whom he owns an art gallery and design studio.