Foundation President and Chair of the Board

Devon Crews is the Chief Marketing Officer for Nectar and a strategist for world-changing education, health and clean technologies. She has launched and scaled several innovative companies that are now global corporations, and led initiatives for Disney, IBM, Whole Foods, UBS, Audubon, the electric Roadster, Marvel Entertainment and others. For the past 11 years, Devon has been on the investment team with the world’s top enterprise accelerator Alchemist, fostering more than 650 early-stage companies with $4+Billion in venture funding. Devon holds an MBA with a focus on Global Management, a graduate degree in Social and Environmental Sustainability, a joint Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Technology and Design, and studied Innovation and Communications at Stanford. Devon is also a writer and serves on multiple boards that protect water quality and marine life along California's Coast –where she loves to hike and trail run.





Vice Chair of the Board

Alisa Barnes has more than a decade of education and healthcare-related experience. She has served as a Nutritionist for underserved populations and as an Intervention Specialist for at-risk pregnant women, infants, and children. Alisa has been a dedicated parent of two biological children and one child adopted through foster care. She and her spouse have provided foster care to nine children. Alisa is passionately devoted to valuing diversity in our schools and enabling every child to maximize their talents and skills, including those with learning differences. Alisa holds a Masters degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the Medical University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences with a focus in Human Development from Cornell University.

Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

Diego Reyes is the President and Investment Adviser for Stillwater Capital Management. Diego became a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch in Carmel, after serving as an intern and realizing his passion for financial services. Diego is fluent in Spanish and worked in the hospitality industry while pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from California State University Northridge. He also holds a Business and Managerial Economics Associate's Degree from Monterey Peninsula College where he was a Collegiate Men's Soccer Athlete. Diego serves as a Board Member and Vice Chair of Development for The Carmel Foundation. He is also a Board Member and Treasurer for Carmel Youth Center, which provides services and leadership to meet the emerging needs of young people and their families in our local community, where he and his spouse were born and raised.

Chair, Academic Innovation

Rosaleen Ryan Trambley is a Dean at Monterey Peninsula College. She has more than two decades of experience in education leadership and conducted Institutional Research and Analysis at MPC and Fordham University. Dr. Ryan Trambley holds a PhD in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelors degree in Psychology also from UCLA. She has served as President, Board member, and in other leadership roles for more than fourteen years with FOCUS. She has served as a Board Member for The Research and Planning Group of California Community Colleges; for The Triathlon Club of Monterey; Institutional Review Board of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP); the Carmel River School PTA; and Campaign Co-Chair at United Way Monterey County.

Kate Daniels has been elected to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Kate was previously Chief of Staff for Monterey County Supervisor Mary Adams, and has served as Senator Laird’s Policy Advisor for the Monterey District. Kate is a resourceful and results-driven professional with hands-on experience in organizational management, project and team leadership, and stakeholder communications. She received an MA from Columbia University and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. She also serves on the Monterey County Planning Commission, the Boards of Trustees for Gathering for Women, the Monterey College of Law, the Democratic Women of Monterey County, and on the Leadership Council of the Community Foundation for Monterey County's Women’s Fund. Kate was an Instructor at Monterey Peninsula College and teacher at the prestigious Harvard-Westlake School. Kate is a graduate of Carmel High School.

Chair, Strategic Philanthropy

Sarah Digness is Head of Institutional Giving at the Big Sur Land Trust. Sarah is an educator, curriculum developer, and foundation project management specialist, with more than 15 years' experience in nonprofit management. She has worked with a variety of education, health, recreation, environmental conservation, and natural resource organizations. Sarah was Teacher of the Year at Paradise High School, where she led a district-wide senior project program, and also served as an advisor for first-generation, college-bound students. She is a credentialed secondary education teacher and received her bachelor's degree in English language and literature from CSU, Chico, with a minor in environmental studies. She has significant expertise in strategic philanthropy, grant processes, and collaboration with private foundations, government agencies, and corporations.

Yesenia Mercado is a Student Funding and Admissions expert, who currently serves as Manager of these programs at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. She has nearly two decades experience guiding students in funding their higher education journeys.

Ms. Mercado brings deep expertise to the Focus Foundation in scholarship funding and providing professional guidance and assistance to students and families regarding financial aid eligibility, processes, and deadlines; admissions for UC and California State colleges; private and public aid coordination; Spanish bi-lingual workshops and family financial coaching.

Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Ms. Mercado worked as the Financial Aid Program and Scholarship Coordinator at the College of San Mateo, where she led initiatives to expand access to financial aid and scholarship opportunities across the Bay Area and California’s coastal communities. She also spent 16 years serving in a variety of Financial Aid roles at Cañada College, where she began her career –and passion for helping students, in a work-study program at the Financial Aid Office, while pursuing her degree in Sociology and Ethnic Studies. She has overseen financial aid programs, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations related to financial aid, and providing guidance to students and staff.

Outside of her professional role, Ms. Mercado is committed to helping bring about equity for underserved students as a Financial Literacy Coach. She is dedicated to mentoring student-athletes, helping them navigate the path to higher education and prepare for Division I scholarship opportunities. Ms. Mercado earned her B.A. in Criminal Justice from San Francisco State University and is currently completing her Master's Degree in Criminal Justice through John Jay University. She is happiest when spending time on the coast with her spouse and teenage bonus daughter.

Dr. Derrick J. Barnes, M.D. is a Robotic Surgeon and Physician affiliated with multiple hospitals, including Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Previously, Dr. Barnes was Vice Chief of Staff for Sutter Lakeside Hospital and a Physician at Novant Health, Sutter Health, and the Medical University of South Carolina. He was an Adjunct Professor at Wingate University and a Research Assistant at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Barnes is a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a Board-certification physician distinguished by implementing the latest medical guidelines and techniques in women’s health care. He is fluent in Spanish and provides quality care to patients, enabling access to cutting-edge treatments and technologies, including to people from underserved areas. Dr. Barnes graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he served as President of the American Medical Student Association. Dr. Barnes earned a Bachelors Degree in Biology from Brown University, where he served as Public Service Chair. He was raised locally and was on the football team in high school and college.

Chair, Wellbeing and Nutrition

Alyssa Dougherty is a Clinical Nutritionist (MS, CNS, LDN), who was raised in the Carmel area, and is passionate about advancing the critical role that evidence-based, personalized nutrition plays in optimizing health. In addition to her clinical work, which fuses science-backed nutrition therapy with mind-body practices, Alyssa has experience designing and leading corporate wellness programs for multinational companies and executive clients, drawing from her training as a Certified Meditation and Mindfulness Instructor. She holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health from MUIH and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.