Jamestown Welcomes New Executive Director Nelly Sapinski

Dear  Jamestown Familia,

In these difficult times, we are excited to announce the Jamestown Board of Directors has selected Manuela “Nelly” Sapinski as the organization’s next Executive Director. Nelly succeeds Myrna Melgar who will step down on May 29, 2020. 

We are deeply grateful for Myrna and the incredible growth and stability she has brought to the organization. We believe Nelly is uniquely equipped to lead Jamestown and continue the powerful legacy of our organization.

Nelly’s selection comes after an extensive search process in which more than 15 candidates were vetted by a hiring committee of the Board and finalists were evaluated by panels of Jamestown staff and youth. 

Nelly joined Jamestown in 2014 and currently serves as both the Deputy Director of Programs and Interim Executive Director. With six years of experience in high level leadership, Nelly begins the position with a deep understanding of Jamestown’s mission and community. She also brings extensive experience with youth development and education, which are the foundations of how our organization serves the community.

In her time at Jamestown, Nelly has been instrumental in developing and expanding programming, while also implementing data collection and evaluation systems, so important in measuring quality. Prior to joining Jamestown, Nelly served as the After School Program Director at Reading Partners, the national literacy non-profit, and managed curriculum, instruction and evaluation for Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.

Nelly holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University and a Masters of Education from Harvard University.

While Nelly is stepping into the executive director role during turbulent times, the Board of Directors is more than confident that Nelly has the right community relationships and professional and educational background to help Jamestown continue to thrive. I hope you will join me in welcoming Nelly to her new role.

Warmly,
Betty Pazmiño
Chairperson
Jamestown Board of Directors