Speakers

Community Service Project

Anita joined LEAD Edu in 2023 and serves as the Executive Director, where she leads the organization's strategic direction, development, and global growth. She brings expertise in international education and program development and is passionate about providing children with meaningful opportunities to learn, play, and lead. Anita began her career in education as a primary school and English teacher in Morocco, as well as the Resident Director for the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). She later transitioned to Training Resources Group, where she worked as an Adult Learning Specialist, designing learning solutions and training for USAID, the World Bank, and the US Forest Service. Anita holds a Bachelor's Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and Master's Degree in International Education from George Washington University. She speaks Moroccan Arabic, or Darija, and Persian. 

Karyn Sinunu-Towery is a 30-year veteran prosecutor in Santa Clara County who has volunteered with the Innocence Center. She will tell the story of how she helped gained the freedom for Jeremy Puckett through the Center. Karyn Sinunu-Towery is the past president of the San Jose Rotary Club. 

The Innocence Center is an independent non-profit law firm dedicated to freeing the innocent from prison, educating the public on the causes of wrongful conviction, and assisting freed clients as they reenter society. 

The Innocence Center launched in 2023.  The Board and Staff have decades of innocence work under their belt, all having worked at the California Innocence Project as a staff or faculty member.  Collectively, the group has freed more than 40 people who have served 560+ years in prison for crimes they did not commit.  The team has been responsible for getting a dozen laws changed to prevent future injustices and make it easier to free the innocent.  The Innocence Center is a member of the Innocence Network.

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