Naveen Kanithi ​

Director of Operations
Naveen is passionate about education, youth development and community service work.  In the past 20+ years, Naveen has worked with nonprofits and government entities across three continents towards creating and cultivating schools and education systems that address individual, community and workforce needs.  ​
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For the better part of the last decade, he helped to develop and expand an osteopathic medical school network focused on community-based training in rural underserved areas in the Pacific Northwest.  Alongside, he worked to help develop primary care medical residency programs based in community health settings across the USA, as well as community-based allied health professional training programs in fields including medical assisting, nursing, physician assisting, clinical psychology, community health worker, naturopathy and others within a team-based care model of comprehensive health care delivery. Previously, Naveen was a founding member of Kingsbridge International High School, a NYC public school formed in conjunction with the Gates Foundation, focused on serving a student body with limited to no English language skills.   Prior to this, he worked for The World Bank in India and UNICEF in New York.  He received his Masters of Social Sciences in Social Planning and Administration from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and his B.A. in Economics and Social Work from New York University.  He believes strongly in the infinite potential of the spirit of a child, and his role simply as a facilitator to help shape the environments conducive to sustainable growth and freedom of expression for this and future generations. ​

Rayna Dineen

Executive Director
Rayna has worked in education for 40 years. She received two master’s degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University, in addition to doctoral work at Colorado State University. Rayna has taught students from preschool to grade 12 and is passionate about literacy and the science of reading, joyful project based learning, inclusive practices, positive classroom management and service learning.
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She co-directed the Cariño Community Children’s program for Santa Fe Public Schools and taught children with special needs at New Vistas. In 2000, she founded an EL Education prek-8 school in Santa Fe, NM (Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences) where she served as teacher and principal for 13 years.
​Rayna has also worked as an EL Education School Consultant serving Santa Fe Public Schools and schools in Australia, India, New Mexico, Arizona, West Virginia, Utah, Idaho and Colorado. She facilitates national education institutes and works with experiential education organizations both here and overseas. She also consulted for Discover Learning, a Gates Foundation collaboration between Save the Children and UC Berkeley which supports a project based learning program for children ages 10-11 in Tanzania. She has consulted for Harlem Village Academies and two schools in India, Polymath School and Heritage Xperiential Learning School.  She founded Hooked on Books and Reading is Magic in 2012 and began Reading Quest in 2015.  She believes in the power of young people to change our world and loves supporting children as they discover the joy of reading.​

Avery Armstrong

Reading Quest Coordinator
Avery Armstrong has been an RQ Reading Specialist since 2018 and is the Reading Quest Coordinator for Nina Otero Community School. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Film Studies from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. She has a long-held passion for education and literature. 
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Her passion began with her work with the Tarrant County Foster Care Association and has continued with her ongoing pursuit of literary publication. Avery loves working with students of all ages, including teaching creative writing and drama to Middle School students at Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences. Avery’s core value is the belief in equity for marginalized students.
"Working with Reading Quest means working with an organization that leads with its heart. In a world of increasing cynicism and division, we fight to create a positive educational environment, not only for our students but for ourselves. We are forever learning and improving, just like we ask of our students because education is a lifelong endeavor."

Hugo Casteneda Serrano

​Reading Quest Coordinator
Hugo Casteneda Serrano is a Reading Specialist and bilingual coordinator for Sweeney Elementary School. Hugo was born in Mexico and was brought to the United States by his family at the age of four. He was raised in Phoenix, Arizona where he graduated high school, and soon after found his way to New Mexico. 
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It was here that Hugo explored various interests and jobs, and finally discovered his love for educating young minds. He enrolled in the Santa Fe Community College as a Dreamer and earned his Associate's Degree in Teacher Education while working in the Santa Fe Public Schools as a paraprofessional for four years. Hugo officially joined the Reading Quest team in 2020 and is now a bilingual staff coordinator at Sweeney Elementary. He seeks to further contribute to the Reading Quest mission through his knowledge, unique experiences, and interests. Hugo is a skilled artist who loves to share his passion for art with his students to inspire and expand their awareness of their potential and possibilities.
“Reading Quest is a place where I can be myself and do what I love, which is help children. What’s unique compared to other places, is that Reading Quest does this in such a personalized and effective way. Its impact goes beyond reading. It’s amazing the amount of students I’ve seen grow academically as well as in their personal lives. They will carry the confidence they build with them forever. All of which is possible because they are being provided with time and instruction, but also the space to shine and be themselves.” 

Joanne Lewis

Reading Quest Coordinator
​Joanne Lewis is the Reading Quest bilingual coordinator for Amy Biehl Community School and Native American Student Services. She is a member of the United Confederation of Taino People from the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico). Joanne earned her undergraduate degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts and her Master’s in Cultural Sustainability from Goucher College. 
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Her studies focused on Indigenous Education and Storytelling. Joanne is the Creative Producer for Fox Clan Productions, a documentary and marketing company she co-owns with her husband, Mark Lewis. She has produced several films, including the award-winning documentary, Legacy, and a short film about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Voices Unheard. As a facilitator, she has over a decade of experience empowering Native Students through education, outreach programs and leadership training. Joanne enjoys creating and writing in her spare time, and she is a proud Taino mother to her little one, Adalyn.
“Reading is an essential skill for student success. As an Indigenous and Hispanic woman, I struggled to learn how to read. Once I learned how, it changed my life. It gives me great pride to be able to tutor students who would otherwise continue to struggle in reading. I am also passionate about using reading as a way to expand a student's perspective of the world around them.” 

Ella Rappaport

Reading Quest Coordinator
Ella Rappaport is a Reading Specialist for Reading Quest, as well as the coordinator for El Camino Real Academy. Although she officially joined the team in 2020, she first met Reading Quest founder Rayna Dineen when she was just 13 years old after winning a contest put on by Reading Quest’s original student-led literacy campaign at SFSAS, called Hooked On Books. 
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After this, Ella began working at the Reading is Magic camps every summer during her high school years and fell in love with the students, the environment, and the mission of the program. Upon graduating from UNM with a double Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Chemistry, she reconnected with Reading Quest and rediscovered her passion for working with kids. Ella feels privileged to be able to create a safe, supportive, and playful space for struggling readers, and loves the relationships she forms with them along the way. She also works with children as a volunteer facilitator at Gerard's House, an organization that provides grief support services to children and families in need. In her free time, Ella loves to hike with her dog, Dragon, and sew clothes without using a pattern. ​
"What I  love about working at Reading Quest is the incredibly holistic way we show up for our students. Yes, we help them with reading, but we have the skills and the desire to help them with so much more than that. We help them believe they are capable of whatever they set out to do with the power of growth mindset; we help them learn how to navigate their personal lives with social emotional learning; we inspire them to dream as big as they can for their futures. It's a privilege for me to provide that unconditional support to my students, and it fills my days with meaning."

Faridah Ndiaye

Reading Quest Coordinator
Faridah Ndiaye is a Reading Specialist and Online Coordinator for Reading Quest. She is a writer, storyteller and lover of photography. She was raised in Northern New Mexico and has been happily involved with Reading Quest since its initial 'Hooked on Books' campaign in 2012 at SFSAS. 
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Faridah became a spokesperson for Hooked on Books in 2013, appearing on TV and the Reading is Magic TED talk and the National EL Education conference. Faridah was awarded the "Book Worm" award in the 5th grade and continues to find comfort and a sense of belonging in works of science fiction, poetry and personal narratives. Faridah received her Bachelor’s Degree in Peace Studies with a minor in Religious Studies from Naropa University and she is interested in pursuing her Master’s in Education and continuing to teach and work with young people- especially Black students and students of color. She is dedicated to racial justice in the classroom and developing curriculums that empower our most marginalized students. She is currently part of a creative writing project based in Berlin, Germany 'Shut Up and Sign Speak' a collaboration between deaf and hearing performers. ​

Elizabeth Kahn Ratzlaff

Reading Quest Coordinator
Elizabeth Kahn Ratzlaff is a Reading Specialist and Reading Quest Coordinator for the West Las Vegas School District.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Master of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition. She moved to Las Vegas in 1999 with her husband and three sons.
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She coordinated the San Miguel County Maternal and Child Health Council and was involved in her childrens’ schools as a parent volunteer.  She later worked for New Mexico Highlands University, first as the Dual Credit Coordinator and then helped establish the Achieving in Research, Mathematics and Science (ARMAS) Center where she continued working for nine years, leaving as the Director. Elizabeth is a member of the Literacy Council of Northeastern New Mexico, the coordinator of the Imagination Library of San Miguel County and the treasurer for the Las Vegas New Mexico Community Foundation. She was introduced to Reading Quest through working with an afterschool partnership between the West Las Vegas School District and the United World College.  She is committed to the belief that to improve health outcomes for families, you start by improving access to high-quality education and enriching educational experiences for all and is thrilled to be part of bringing RQ to Las Vegas.
"I love working with Reading Quest because we are able to focus on the strengths and potential of each individual student and are completely committed to the idea that all children can be successful in school if they have access to high-quality support. "

Our Tutoring Team
Our dedicated tutoring team includes 23 Literacy Specialists, 8 Teen Tutors, and our Executive Director, Rayna Dineen. 
Our Reading Specialist team includes;
Top row from the left: Ilana Blankman, Rayna Dineen,  Curtis Mueller, Aram Brown and Libby Lenzer
2nd row from the top: Sharon Eklund, Naveen Kanithi, Jill Miyagawa, Bear Meyers, Katherine Rowe
​3rd row from the top: Ella Rappaport, Joanne Lewis, Aleda Winget, Avery Armstrong and Tonya Bennett
Bottom Row: Hugo Serrano Casteneda, Cindy Boles, Faridah Ndiaye and Eli Feliciano
Not pictured: Elizabeth Ratzlaff, Lyndsey Slavick, Tiana Paras.
Staff Teen Tutors: from left: Isa Clark, Maya Glass, Uma Chang, Lilia Holladay 
​High School Tutors in Training: Emmanuel Lopez., Katie Marquez, Crystal Rivera and Ash Chavez. 
Teen Volunteer Tutors ((not pictured): Larson Crow, Sonya Mendez, Zoe Kountoupes-Wilson and Jimmy Rodriguez 
Our Volunteers 
Reading Quest also includes teen and adult volunteers who help support Reading Quest in a variety of ways.  We are lucky to partner with middle school students at Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences and other community volunteers who assist with book sorting, photography, giveaway events and book deliveries for our students.   We are also grateful for the United World College students and  wonderful local middle and high school volunteers who assist with our Afghan Children's Program on Saturdays.  We appreciate our dedicated volunteers who bring their highly trained therapy dogs to our tutoring and summer camp sessions. We are also grateful for the volunteers from the Santa Fe Symphony and Little Horse Listeners who donate their time to provide special programs for our summer camp students.