Mel Defe

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Mel has a Bachelor’s Degree from San Jose State University in Public Relations. While she never technically used it in her career, the insight & skill gained regarding business writing and dealing with crisis in business, has been invaluable.

An entrepreneur at heart, Mel has worked in many small start-up companies as well as the public sector and for profit education. Her expertise lies in the area of operations and she has spent much of her career helping companies increase their profits as well as building strong customer loyalty. She is the co-founder of South Bay Farmers’ Markets operating farmers’ markets in the South Bay.

She is the single mother of a 32 year old son who is a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service Hotshot team.

Betsy Saldinger

Betsy Saldinger is a single mother of three children. She grew up in a Spanish speaking home. Her parents and nine siblings moved from Mexico to the United States shortly before she began school and she entered first grade as a non-English speaker. Betsy has a Bachelor degree in Spanish Literature and Masters in Urban Teacher Leadership. She has taught in diverse educational programs and is a passionate advocate of education reform and equity. She is presently teaching in Pleasanton Unified School District's dual immersion program.

Brenda Bush

Brenda Bush, is the mother of an eleven year old son and twenty one year old step daughter. Born and raised in Montana, she and her husband John have been residents of California since 2006. Brenda is actively involved in the community and sits on the Board of Directors of both the Pleasanton Foothill Little League and VAST Foundation. She also serves as President of her Homeowners Association and has donated many volunteer hours at Vintage Hills Elementary School, Pleasanton Junior Football League, CCOP CYO, Pleasanton Youth Basketball and the Special Olympics.

Dr. Craig Adams

Craig Adams is a doctor of psychology with a private practice in Hayward California. He was educated at U.C. Santa Cruz where he received a bachelor degree in psychology and the University of Notre Dame where his pursuits helped him to achieve a Masters degree and Ph.D. in Counseling and Psychology. Dr. Adams is a spirit filled happily married proud father of five and grandfather of eight. His experience includes academia, where he worked with the UC. Davis Counseling Center, as well as the public health department in Alameda County. Since 1992, Dr. Adams has had a private practice where much of his knowledge of kids living with single parents has been tested. He is excited to see an organization supporting this segment of the population and looks forward to helping out as much as he can.

Chris De Stasi

Chris is married with two grown daughters. She lives in Pleasanton and has worked for the PUSD for 15 years and 10 years in the Castro Valley Schools. She has served on the Pleasanton School Site Council for Donlon Elementary school and Pleasanton Middle School. In addition, she has served as a PFA president and held other board positions. Both her daughters have attended Pleasanton Schools and kept her active in all their school activities, room mom, chaperone and volunteer. She currently works at Pleasanton Middle School in the office and every school year she says she looks forward to meeting new students and their families. “Middle school students are so fun to work with and I never tire of their curiosity and perspective on life”, says Chris. In her free time she enjoys reading, walking, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Rhonda L. Gibbs

Dr. Rhonda L. Gibbs has been traveling and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ since 1982. Dr. Rhonda graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Rhetoric Communication with a minor in Psychology and Religion from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition, she received her Masters of Divinity and her Doctorate of Ministry degrees from Oral Roberts University. Presently, she lives in Pleasanton, California where she is the first woman to be appointed to The National Youth Ministry Team of the Church of God. She is a youth leader at the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Palo Alto and a traveling youth minister; as well as, an author, publisher, and a recording saxophonist/musician. She was a college professor at Oral Roberts University, Silicon Valley, and Western Career College. She is currently a Tennis Professional at Club Sport Valley Vista in Walnut Creek, and a Home School Physical Education (HSPE) instructor. Dr. Rhonda’s heartbeat is to preach an uncompromising message of love, salvation, and deliverance to all who have an ear to hear.

Jackie Yancy

Jackie Yancy has lived in Castro Valley, California for 15 years. Her husband of 21 years is a Senior Pastor of Triumph Ministries. They currently have no biological children, however, they have raised two girls who are now 29 and 31 years old. Their home has always been a safe haven for single mothers and young men who needed a mother to guide them.

Professionally, her experiences range from banking, academia and human services. She is currently, a Senior Advisor at the University of Phoenix and the Program Manager of their program T.I.G.H.T. (Teens invested in giving hope to teens). This program has successfully educated approximately 10,000 youth about the dangers of smoking, alcohol, and drugs. Jackie is currently in her doctoral program for Higher Education Administration while interning as MFT.

Melisa Mazotti

Melisa Mazotti lived a very blessed and loving childhood. Being raised in Castro Valley and attending catholic school for 12 years by parents who are still married today! She then continued on to play softball in college and attend Fresno State. She married young and was blessed, after battling 2 bouts of cancer to have 2 beautiful children. Like many women today, she found herself a single Mom after she and her husband divorced after 15 years together and 9 years of marriage. Despite those tough times, she was forced to find strength she didn't know she had, when it was up to her to pay the bills, juggle work, school activities for her kids and the demands from raising a son, with a father who wasn't always in the picture. She forged a new "friendship" with their father and now has full custody of her Son and Daughter and has worked out a schedule that works for all involved, giving her the children 70% of the time! She has been in the Real Estate field for over 11 years and loves the flexibility that the job allows her to work full time, while still volunteering at her kids schools, sports and other activities. She was promoted to VP after being one of the Top agents in the Bay Area for 5 years straight, and the “Top Producer” in her company for over 7 years! Her clients often comment on receiving e-mails from her at the wee-hours of the morning, but as with all single Mom's, in order to juggle both her children's needs and love and her career to keep her family together, she sometimes has to sacrifice her own "needs" and wouldn't have it any other way!

Robin Bryant

Robin is a mother of 2. Her daughter, now 18, attends an all-women’s college on the East coast. In addition, Robin has a 12-year-old son who attends Middle School in Pleasanton and has dreams of playing USC football in the future. She began her journey as a mother when she was 15 years old and was determined from the day her daughter was born to be the exception. She went on to graduate from high school with honors and go on to a 4 year university all with her eyes firmly focused on being the very best mother she could be and making sure that her daughter did not follow in her footsteps and become a single-teenage mother. Now that her daughter is off to college, Robin is determined to push her son to shine as bright as he can and prove that single mothers might just raise more thoughtful, caring, and driven individuals in spite of being a single Mother.

Robin has spent more than 10 years in the telecommunications industry while working to balance her ideals at home. She firmly believes that the biggest gift parents can give their kids is a good education and is excited to share that value with other members of SMAS.

Steven Kiefel

Steven Kiefel is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors for two very separate and different companies. One of them, Tuf Guys is a construction/remodeling company based in Pleasanton, CA. RHC Software is a software technology firm based in San Francisco, CA. In 2009, the company that Steven was CEO of for over seven years, Red Pill Media, Inc., merged with RHC Software. Prior to joining Red Pill Media in 2001, Steven spent nearly eighteen years with the NASA Ames Research Center located near Mountain View, CA. Beginning at NASA as an intern working within the discipline of experimental psychology, Steven took his work and ongoing studies with human factors into his management career at NASA and later with private enterprise. Steven thrives on teaching success to other individuals and organizations based on the very human factors studied and practiced within the space program of NASA. When Steven is not dealing with the "human factors" of running organizations, he enjoys his time dancing with his beautiful wife and engaging with his two sons. In addition, he is learning to play guitar, and learning concurrently to speak in Spanish, French, Maori, and Mandarin Chinese.

Advisory Committee

Joe Ronan - Attorney at Law

Sponsorship Committee

Sonja Marks - Membership Committee

Anita Williams - Co-Membership

Doug Hollie - Athletic Director

Adrienne Whitmore - Dress for Success Coach