Board of Directors

Carolyn Zalewski, President

With a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and a law degree from Albany Law School, Carolyn brings a wealth of knowledge and public service to Futures Explored.  Carolyn practiced law in a variety of capacities for approximately 14 years as Assistant General Counsel at Capital One Financial Corp and as Senior Corporate Counsel at Circuit City Stores in Richmond, VA. When Carolyn’s son was diagnosed with autism, she left law to focus on his needs and has contributed as a board member for several non-profits over the years, including P.A.R. (Providing Autism Research) For Kids’ Sake, Sunflower Hill and Amador Friends of Music. In addition to her service as a board member, she is active in NorCal Special Olympics, served on the Pleasanton Unified School District Special Needs Committee, and has worked as the Parent Volunteer Coordinator for the Futures Explored Joey Travolta Short Film Camp for the past 3 years. 

Marie Stapleton, VICE PRESIDENT

Marie joins the Board with a wealth of fundraising experience. She runs her own business specializing in Project Management and Event Planning for small businesses. She is well-connected with the school district in Pleasanton and was a Senior Marketing Manager and Senior Software Manager at Cisco in previous years.

Roy Cook, Secretary

Roy is currently a Senior Program Manager  at Robert Half for field HR operations in North America, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He is a lifelong volunteer, having worked with the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce and was a founding Board Member of the Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation that has provided funds to over 1,500 cancer patients to pay for complementary healing therapies. We are grateful to have someone with grant committee experience on our Board. 

We welcome board members: Ann DeRose, Mark Weckwerth, Denyse Curtwright, Debbie Rieza AND Nikki Little.

Ray Fortney

Ray is a senior executive with over 40 years in general management, executive leadership, and executive search, with an extensive background in the technology, sustainability/cleantech, energy, and engineering/construction sectors. He has worked for Fortune 100 global companies and small venture-backed startups. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the USS Hornet Museum and Foundation.

Dawn Deason

An accomplished public relations professional, writer, and video producer with an expertise in creative and effective messaging for specific audiences, Dawn owns a full-service custom film/video production company sensitive to the needs of our diverse communities and dedicated to sincere and ethical business practices. Her company employs a number of FE’s Film & Media students. Dawn has received numerous honors and awards for her production of internal and external communications. She brings her communication and media relations management skills to the Board.

David Schlesinger

As a Production and Office Assistant for Access Sacramento and an Audio/Visual Assistant for the California Youth Leadership Forum, David has extensive education and work experience in all aspects of film and TV production. He graduated from Cosumnes River College in 2018 with an A.A. Degree in Film/Digital Cinema Production and an A.A. Degree in Liberal Arts – Arts & Humanities. He also received a certificate for completing a COVID-19 safety training course for the Film and TV production industry. As a person with autism, he hopes to use his video production experience in his advocacy efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities. He also loves to create his own video projects and share real-life stories with the community.