Board of Directors
Paul Crawford, Treasurer
Paul has been brought close to the DSCBA through his brother, T.J., who has been a member since 2008. Paul has gained expertise in money management working as a Financial Advisor for the past 7 years and from his degree at Cal Poly in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Economics. He grew up in Walnut Creek and has known Contra Costa County as home for most of his life. In his spare time, Paul enjoys a wide array of hobbies from motocross to golf along with exploring the open spaces of Briones with his Golden Retriever, CannonBall. Paul is grateful to be part of an organization like the DSCBA that shows what love, education and determination can provide for people in need.
Andreas Dereschuk, Non-Voting Member
Andreas has been volunteering at the DSCBA for several years now. He is currently a high school senior at Bentley School. As Andreas says, "I have been blessed to be working with this organization since I was 12 years old. The connection and the children have become a part of me and I feel honored to be both a teacher’s assistant and a member of the board. I enjoy working with Laura Briggs to adjust the classroom activities to fit the needs of the specific children in the class. I could never imagine my life without the DSCBA and the relationships that I now have because of it. As a board member, I hope to continue raising awareness in the community about Down syndrome. I am also excited to help lead the organization in its continued expansion and outreach. I look forward to many more years of continued advocacy and support for the connection."
Mike Zolnier, President
October 1, 2008 was a day that changed our lives forever. Our first child, Mason, was born unexpectedly with Down Syndrome and so our journey began. We met with Martha Hogan, Co-Founder of the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area, days after Mason was born and that meeting was instrumental in getting us where we are today. We've always said the Connection is as much for the parents as it is for the children with Down Syndrome and this was so true in our case. The past couple years the Down Syndrome Connection has given us so much support we wanted to do something, anything to give back. I work about 1000 yards away at VandenBerghe Properties and Karen stays home with Mason in Lafayette juggling his many different therapies and running after the little ball of energy 24/7! We are thrilled to be a part of this amazing board and look forward to many years helping the Connection build and grow for generations to come.
Isaiah Aguilar
My family and I found the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area in April of 2013 and were immediately impressed by the resources provided. We wished we had found them much sooner for our daughter who is now 4 years of age. I joined the board so I could pay it forward and give back to the community who helped our daughter, and to ensure that all parents, and those born with Down Syndrome, be it friends or family, know that there is help and resources available such as; counseling, education, guidance, training, community support and so much more.
Eldeen Shields
I have had a passion for education for as long as I can remember. In high school and college I worked with children with learning differences; I’ve tutored in kids in underprivileged schools and I volunteered in our three sons’ classrooms and on their sports teams for 18 years! I see the emphasis on education in every facet of DSCBA: educating the parents; educating the students; educating the community and educating the educators! I’m grateful to be serving on the DSCBA board and I’m grateful to be broadening my education.
Janet Richman
My journey with the Down Syndrome Connection began at the beginning of the organization. A life long friend of Martha Hogan and having held Blair as an infant, it was an easy decision and more than that, a privilege, to serve on the Board of Directors of this impressive organization. Actually this is my second go round on the Board having served as the first treasurer of the DSCBA. My heart has always been with this organization with its impressive array of valued services and programs and I hope to help ensure that they continue and that new challenges are addressed and services provided as necessary. The families and their children with Down syndrome deserve nothing less! I am married with three grown children and seven grandchildren. I love anything outdoors.
Thomas M. Delaplane
Tom Delaplane has been an executive in the consumer package goods industry for over forty years. For twenty of those years, he was the Executive Vice President of Sales and Distribution for Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream. After a twenty-four year career with Dreyer’s, Tom retired and then co-founded The Boardwalk Management Group, LLC for which he now serves as Chairman. Tom is the proud grandparent (“Poppy”) to his five granddaughters. “My objective as a board member is to give back, support and help make a difference for the DSCBA. This organization has been so instrumental in providing support and helping our family to guide Leah, my seven year old granddaughter who has Down Syndrome, on her journey.”
Kendra Quintella, Secretary
My husband and I moved to the Bay area in 2007 to be closer to our family. I worked for eight years as a paralegal in family law and corporate law before becoming a full time mother of three daughters. Our youngest daughter, Leah, was born with Down syndrome in 2008, and without the support of the Down Syndrome Connection, we would have been lost. I wanted to serve as a board member, because I want to make a contribution to an incredible organization staffed by caring people who believe in my daughter as much as I do.
Martha Hogan
Martha is one of the cofounders of the Down Syndrome Connection. Proud mother of four boys, the youngest one born with Down syndrome. She continues to facilitate the Grandparent Group and loves to still be involved in the DSCBA by serving as a board member. She has a passion for golf and life in general.
Alan Torres
(Biography Coming Soon.)
