Lawrence Gotanco
Founder and Executive Director
Lawrence, or "Wes" as many Filipino family and friends call him, is an attorney licensed to practice law in California. He practiced discrimination law and poverty law in California for three years before discovering his true calling – education.
Lawrence spent seven years as a teacher at Lee Mathson Middle School – the lowest performing middle school in Santa Clara County, California – with the poorest of the poor in the affluent Silicon Valley. The school was situated in the middle of a Latino gang turf war and was overridden with drugs, violence, and poor educational focus. In working with a group of talented and driven educators, he was able to help the school move from worst to first in the district within a three-year-period. He helped restore peace and a sense of purpose to a place that many called “dangerous” and “hopeless.” (see the article from the California Teacher Association's Educator magazine describing the achievements of these educational leaders).
After seven years as a teacher, Lawrence served in San Francisco Unified School District as an Assistant Principal at Cesar Chavez Elementary School and as principal at Bessie Carmichael School/Filipino Education Center. He continued to work with educators in transforming education for the highest-need children, particularly impoverished Latino English language learners and African-Americans. He then went on to serve as principal at Donald Lum Elementary School in the Alameda Unified School District and as Vice Principal at Jefferson Union High School District's Westmoor High School, where his three children attended. He served an Early Learning Principal in the Oakland Unified School District, where he was the director of three preschools in West Oakland and is now the Director of Quality Enhancement and Professional Development for Early Learning with Oakland Unified.
The common thread between Lawrence’s occupations as an attorney and as an educator has been his passion for helping those who do not have a voice and who have been forgotten or written off. In 2009, he worked heavily with Gawad Kalinga not only to build homes and communities for the poorest of the poor in the Philippines, but also to build peace between the warring Christians and Muslims in the Mindanao region.
In creating the ASELIS Learning Foundation, he hopes to share his experience as an attorney, an educational leader, and a GK volunteer to provide all children with a strong educational foundation, all communities with the knowledge and skills to cherish and protect the education of their children, and all people the chance to lead fulfilling lives. He hopes to realize his dream of a world without poverty, a world of peace.
Denise Giacomini
Board President
Denise was classroom teacher in Alum Rock Unified School District in San Jose, California, for over thirty years. She served the poorest children in the middle school years, particularly Latino English learners. She then served as a central office administrator at Alum Rock and then as a vice principal and principal at Lee Mathson Middle School. She continued on her calling to education as the Coordinator for English Learner Support at the San Mateo County Office of Education and as Educational Consultant with the Santa Clara County Office of Education. She has served as ASELIS' Board President since 2009.
Elvie Teodoro
Board Treasurer
Elvie Teodoro is an entrepreneur in San Jose, California. Her portfolio includes real estate investments in California and in the Philippines. She owns and operates several facilitated living homes in California, and she is a strong supporter of performing arts opportunities for children. She founded the Evergreen School of Music and Arts, or ESOMA, in San Jose. She also founded and serves as Executive Director of the NorCal Academy of Performing Arts, or NAPA. In 2019, the Silicon Valley Business Journal honored her with the Women of Influence Award, which recognizes the top 100 most influential women in the Silicon Valley. We are honored and blessed with the wisdom and expertise she has contributed to our board since 2009.
Eduardo Magana
Board Secretary
Eduardo graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, Eduardo joined Teach for America and became a teacher at ACE Charter High School, serving one of the poorest neighborhoods in San Jose, CA. After four years he advanced to the position of Assistant Principal at ACE. Eduardo graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. He is currently an Associate at Latham & Watkins LLP in Silicon Valley.
Eduardo has a deep understanding of Latin-American culture as well as the impoverished conditions affecting students in both the urban United States as well as Latin America. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.