Maxine Alex
Maxine Alex
GEAR UP Director
Hometown: Winslow, Arizona
Bio: Ya’a’tah or greetings in Diné. I currently reside on my husband’s family homestead on the Walker River Indian Reservation in Schurz, Nevada where we planted and are experimenting with several varieties of grapes. It is quite a change from my home in Olympia, Washington! I recently completed a Master’s in Education from the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) in Secondary History and Social Sciences. My undergraduate degree, also from Stanford, is in Sociology-Social Psychology with a Minor in Education. Prior to graduate school, I worked for Federal Way Public Schools, south of Seattle, as a grant manager, Equity Office team member and provided direct services to students and families in the Indian Education Program. As a First-Generation Low-Income student, I believe in the power of education to transform lives and communities. I am passionate about College Readiness and GEAR UP is a perfect fit. Aside from work, I design clothing and upcycling thrift store clothing finds. I regularly work out and periodically train for sprint triathlons primarily to stay in shape for competitive Powwow dancing across the United State and Canada. I am the official ATM and chauffer to my 17-year-old son who plays lacrosse for a Bay Area Club and Iroquois Nationals U-17 International teams. I also enjoy cooking and baking. Fear the Tree & Go Seahawks!!
Favorite Quote: “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.”-Mark Twain
Lori Botelho
Lori Botelho
GEAR UP Assistant Director
Hometown: Minden, NV
Bio: Lori Botelho is the Assistant Director for Nevada GEAR UP. She comes to the program from Bishop, California, where she was Program Manager for Cerro Coso Community College and the Kern Community College District for fifteen years. She was part of a team that created and implemented the online educational program for Cerro Coso Community College. Lori began her work with Nevada GEAR UP as a Grants Analyst in November of 2011 and has held her current position as Assistant Director since 2013. She lives in Minden, Nevada, with her husband and has three grown children. Lori enjoys traveling, camping, and exploring Nevada.
Favorite Quote: “Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in and it will come naturally.” – David Camus
Megan Zich
Megan Zich
GEAR UP State Program Officer
Hometown: Carson City, NV
Bio: Megan, as a first-gen. college graduate and Army veteran, understands the importance of a college education and career exploration. Planning for your future is key. Benjamin Franklin once said, “By Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
She began her work with Nevada GEAR UP team in October of 2018. She spends many of her days researching, developing, and recommending long term plans to enhance and maximize GEAR UP services provided to students. In addition, Ms. Zich leads the collaboration with Student Success Agency, a statewide mentoring program that is offered to all Nevada GEAR UP students. Megan has become an asset to the GEAR UP team, at the Department of Education, as they work vigorously to plan and implement the GEAR UP Grant.
Favorite Quote: “There is a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day.” – Walt Disney
Karen Pugh
Karen Pugh
GEAR UP Internal Evaluator
Hometown: Redding, CA
Bio: Karen has a passion for learning that began at an early age; she was 4 when her mother taught her to read. Her first degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, was from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in Film and Television which was quickly followed by a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. Both of those degrees served her well as the director of contracts for an international film production and distribution company in Southern California. After the devasting events of 9/11, she knew that she had to focus her attention on something that provided greater meaning and substance for her, so she turned her passion for learning into a career as an educator. After obtaining her Master’s in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she moved to rural Arizona where she taught high school English in a very small district just 12 miles from the Mexican border. During that time, she completed her fourth degree, an Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership from George Washington University. Moving back to Nevada, in July 2011, Karen taught in both Churchill and Lyon Counties before returning to the University of Nevada, Reno to work on her Ph.D. in Information Technology in Education.
As a student, and an educator, Karen is aware of the opportunities and challenges students in our K-12 system experience. She knows that engaging students in the process of learning is itself the key to achieving success in academics and in life.
Before coming to GEAR UP in 2018, Karen worked as a graduate assistant in the Honors Program at UNR and then moved over to UNR Med to work as a learning specialist for the first- and second-year medical students. While there she was able to channel her love for rural Nevada into a year-long collaboration with the UNR Med faculty and students which resulted in the creation of the Rural Outreach Clinic, which held its first clinic on October 13, 2018.
Outside of her role as NDE Internal Evaluator, Karen is pursuing her Ph.D. at UNR, engaged in helping UNR Med bring quality healthcare to Nevada’s rural counties, and spending what free time she has with her family at her home in Silver Springs.
Favorite Quote: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ― William Butler Yeats
Clare Cerda
Clare Cerda
GEAR UP Research Administrator
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California
Bio: Clare joined the Nevada GEAR UP program after working 2 ½ years with the Nevada Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Prior to her state service she worked in the construction industry as a project administrator. Clare was born and raised in Nevada and spent all her younger years in the Nevada school systems. She comes to GEAR UP with a wide variety of administrative experience. In her free time, she runs a business as a wedding photographer and enjoys being in the outdoors with her 6-year-old Pitbull named Dutchess.
Favorite Quote: “If you don’t ask the answer is always no.”
Ruth Gomez-Martinez
GEAR UP Communications Specialist
Email: rgomez-martinez@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Ruth Gomez-Martinez
Ruth Gomez-Martinez
GEAR UP Communications Specialist
rgomez-martinez@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Bio: As a first-generation, low-income student, Ruth has always known that she wanted to obtain a college education. She graduated from the Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology (AACT) high school in 2018, with a Career Technical Education endorsement in culinary arts and hospitality. AACT sparked her interest in baking, which prompted her to attend Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC). In her time at TMCC, both as a student and student worker, she realized that she enjoys helping others with facilitating their college experience. Ruth graduated from TMCC in May 2021 with an associate degree in business, and a certificate in baking and pastry arts. Currently, Ruth is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno in business management. In her free time, she enjoys baking, shopping, and spending time with family.
Favorite Quote: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” —Albert Einstein
Renée Davis
NSHE Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs/Director of Student Affairs
Email: rdavis@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Minden, NV
Renee Davis
Renée Davis
NSHE Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs/Director of Student Affairs
Hometown: Minden, NV
Bio: Renée Davis is the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Student Affairs for the Nevada System of Higher Education, where her duties include serving in a variety of leadership roles pertaining to both academic and student affairs, including administration of state-funded financial aid programs and liaising with the financial aid directors and registrars at the seven NSHE campuses. Renée started with NSHE in the financial aid office in 1999 at Truckee Meadows Community College, where she served in a variety of roles. Renée earned both a bachelors degree (majoring in English and history with a minor in historic preservation) and a master’s degree (Educational Leadership) from the University of Nevada, Reno. Renee loves hiking in the Sierra Nevada, cycling indoors and outdoors, quilting, playing cards and word games, cuddling with her cats and reading.
Favorite Quote: “We can’t float through life. We can’t be incidental or accidental. We must fix our gaze on a guiding star as soon as one comes upon the horizon, and once we have attached ourselves to that star we must keep our eyes on it and our hands upon the plow. It is the consistency of the pursuit of the highest possible vision that you can find in front of you that gives you the constancy, that gives you the encouragement, that gives you the way to understand where you are and why it’s important for you to do what you can do.” -Ossie Davis
Janet Stake
NSHE GEAR UP Director of Programming and Outreach
Email: jstake@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Towaco, NJ
Janet Stake
Janet Stake
NSHE GEAR UP Director of Programming and Outreach
Hometown: Towaco, NJ
Bio: Janet has thirteen years’ experience in higher education. She started at UNR as the Curriculum Coordinator and then moved to NSHE as the Academic and Student Affairs Officer. One of her responsibilities in that role was as the NSHE PI/Project Director for Nevada State GEAR UP Grant from 2015 – 2018. Janet is excited to be back with Nevada GEAR UP as the Director, NSHE GEAR UP Programming and Outreach. Janet has a master’s degree in counseling and educational psychology/instructional design. She and her husband live in Sparks, NV. She has two grown children that now live in Minneapolis, MN. In her spare time, she likes painting, photography and traveling to Minnesota.
Janet is looking forward to working with the GEAR UP team and helping Nevada’s GEAR UP students to Dream ~ Believe ~ Achieve.
Favorite Quote: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” -Eleanor Roosevelt
Jana Burd
Jana Burd
GEAR UP College Coordinator
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Bio: With strong family roots in Louisiana, Jana grew up in the west, having lived in Alaska, Nevada, California, and Arizona. Jana graduated with her Bachelors of Arts from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and her Masters of Education from Northern Arizona University (NAU), where much of her studies focused around language, culture, and inclusion. Jana’s engagement with equity and access began while in high school as a University of Nevada, Las Vegas Upward Bound Math Science (UBMS) Program participant, and continued as she worked with the UBMS programs at UNR and NAU. In her free time, Jana enjoys watching movies & TV shows, catching up with friends & family, and being active in her favorite service organization.
Favorite Quote: “When you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.” ― Michelle Obama
Amanda Annan
GEAR UP Research Administrator
Email: aannan@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California
Amanda Annan
Amanda Annan
GEAR UP Research Administrator
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California
Bio: Amanda joined NSHE in August 2020 as the Research Administrator for the GEAR UP program. Prior to this NSHE role, she was a full-time student in the Executive Master of Health Care Administration program at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and worked as a Research Graduate Assistant/Program Evaluator for UNLV School of Medicine, Department of Surgery. She has held positions such as Director of Program Administration, Evaluation and Outcomes for the Mountain West Clinical Translational Research – Infrastructure Network at UNLV, Program Manager of the Urban Health Institute and Senior Evaluation Specialist at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) in California, as well as Administrative Specialist at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in California.
Amanda has extensive experience working in administration for academic health systems and higher education. This includes managing NIH grants totaling $20 million. Additionally, she has almost 10 years of experience evaluating grant funded programs.
Amanda holds an advanced certificate in Health Care Management and Leadership from UCLA and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Loma Linda University in California. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
Jennifer Arlet Rocha
GEAR UP Communications Specialist
Email: jrocha@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Guanajuato, MX
Jennifer Arlet Rocha
Jennifer Rocha
GEAR UP Communications Specialist
Hometown: Guanajuato, Mexico
Bio: Jennifer is a first-generation college student. She was raised in Reno, Nevada with four siblings. She graduated from Procter R Hug High School in 2021 and then joined Nevada GEAR UP right after as a Communications Specialist. Currently, she is majoring in neuroscience and minoring in substance abuse, at the University of Nevada, Reno. Jennifer hopes to attend medical school and become a psychiatrist for teenagers. In her free time, she likes to go on runs with her dogs Raider and Oliver, and enjoys weightlifting at the gym.
Favorite Quote: “When you were the child of immigrants, you weren’t just you; your success was also your parents’ your cousins’, your relatives’ still struggling for life in Haiti or India, wishing they were you. It was your job, your preordained celestial existence or whatever, to make the most of it.” – Ben Philippe
