Our Team

Our Team

  • Chrysta Naron standing in front of children's art wearing a clown nose

    Chrysta Naron (she/her): Founder & President

    Chrysta founded Read the Room with the resolve of improving the educational experience for children, families, and teachers. She has worked for 14 years as an educator, researcher, and curriculum specialist in Early Childhood Education. She holds a M. Ed in Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Education and a BA in Drama. She loves disrupting inequitable education practices, baking, and glitter.

  • Arianna in a gray t-shirt standing in front of books

    Arianna Hampton (she/her): Vice President

    Arianna is an enthusiastic child advocate. She works to support and uplift ALL children, bolster their confidence, and expand their world of possibilities with the help of their families, caregivers, teachers, and community. As a former childcare provider, she is passionate about early childhood and expanding quality early learning experiences to ALL children. She has BA in Biology, loves STEAM Learning, and works to bring more exposure to STEAM in Early Learning Environments.

  • Johnathan Salinas smiling and standing in front of mountains

    Johnathan Salinas (he/him): Secretary

    Johnathan is a Learning & Development Professional, certified EC-6 State Certified Teacher, and former AISD (Austin Independent School District) Teacher. He holds a Master's in Instructional Design & Educational Technology from Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. In his free time, Johnathan enjoys cooking meals from the New York Times Cooking subscription and is an avid flag football player with ATXGFL.

  • Carly Gratton (she/her): Treasurer

    Carly spent 11 years as a Spanish & ESOL classroom teacher and has been staying home to raise her kids for the last few years. She holds a Master's Degree in Spanish & Second Language Acquisition and a BS in Secondary Education from Kansas State University. In her free time she enjoys cooking, hiking, running, and spending time with her family.

  • Lizeth smiling

    Lizeth Lizarraga (she/her): Events

    Lizeth is a Ph.D. student in the Education Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests focus on educational equity and opportunity issues for culturally and linguistically diverse students in K-12. She likes to volunteer in community programs like Academia Cuauhtli in Austin, Texas, and First Lego League robotics after-school programs when she visits Reno, Nevada, throughout the year.

  • Oliver Treadwell (he/him): Webmaster

    Oli Treadwell, an innovative Software Engineer and Educator, combines deep tech knowledge with a passion for accessible education. With expertise in full-stack development, Oli is devoted to enhancing learning through technology. Holding a Business Administration degree, they mentor with enthusiasm, aiming to make tech approachable for educators and learners alike.

Read the Room in the Media

Podcast about what it means to be a "good school"
Interview with VoyageAustin about education, literacy, and curriculum in Austin.

Our Equity Policy

Read the Room is committed to racial and cultural equity in two ways. Firstly, through our work environment from volunteers to board members. Secondly, we are committed through our programming in schools and communities.

Definition of Racial & Cultural Equity

  • Racial and cultural equity are embodied in the values, policies, and practices that ensure all people are represented in the development of Read the Room’s policies; the support of schools; the nurturing of students and their families; and the fair distribution of resources. This applies especially, but not exclusively, to those who have been historically and systemically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, identity/expression, socioeconomic status, citizenship status, and religion.

Acknowledgements and Accountability

  • Equity is critical to public education. 

  • Everyone deserves equal access to free, quality education. 

  • In the United States, systems of powers unequally grant privilege, thus resulting in iniquity and injustice. These inequalities must be addressed and changed.

  • Accountability is crucial to Read the Room. By acknowledging and challenging our biases and inequities in our organization, we can improve ourselves and create necessary change. 

Actions Taken

  • Read the Room provides training for employees, volunteers, and board members with the help of diversity and inclusion experts.

  • We offer transparent policies. 

  • We are committed to acknowledging and dismantling any inequities within our policies, programs, services and work environment.

  • Read the Room strives to dedicate time and resources to create inclusive and diverse leadership within our board, staff, and advisory bodies. We bring together staff, board members, and volunteers with differing backgrounds, which we believe helps in our ability to succeed.