CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

Jane Tarica founded the WithinReach foundation in 2015. After graduating with a BA from Lehigh University and then an MFA from the New School for Drama, Jane decided to volunteer teaching underserved adult learners mathematics.  Jane started at the Women in Need Shelter in East New York. She has been teaching Adult Education Mathematics as either a teacher, teacher leader, or curriculum developer since 2009 at BMCC’s Department of Continuing Education. She has decided to return to school herself and will be studying Mathematics at Hunter University. She is also on the board of a women’s dance company named Ariel Rivka Dance. Jane loves board games, bad tv, and spending time with her loving husband and two daughters.

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD

Carole Amarakoon joined the board of directors at its inception in 2015. An experienced administrative professional & program coordinator, Carole has a background in non-profits, startups, and the life sciences. In her most recent role, Carole coordinated a fellowship program at a top-tier medical school while providing administrative support to a team of attending physicians at a world-renowned teaching hospital. She currently stays at home with her two children.Carole obtained her associate degree in Arts & Humanities from Cayuga Community College in Auburn NY before transferring to State University of New York College at Oswego (SUNY) where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in English Writing Arts.Inspired by the mission of the WithinReach Foundation, Carole is proud to play a role in helping to alleviate the financial burden of college tuition for our deserving award recipients.

When she is not working with the foundation, Carole enjoys theater, music, and spending time with her husband and children.

SECRETARY

Julie Ann Arbiter is a Learning Management System Admin with a background in non-profit and production management. She joins the WithinReach board after spending several years at Dress for Success Houston, building programming for adult professional development, including managing a scholarship program. As a life-long learner herself, it is an honor to uplift and witness the transformation in students as they achieve their goals.

TREASURER

Michael Lewin lives in New York City and serves as a Director in the Commercial Real Estate Debt group at TPG Angelo Gordon.  He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics.  He has always believed that education is critical to opening doors and is excited to help others achieve their goals with the help of WithinReach.  When he is not working with the foundation, Michael enjoys playing soccer and chess, hiking Upstate, and spending time with his wife, daughter, and two Ragdoll cats.  

VICE PRESIDENT OF RECIPIENTS

Solange Farina is a lead teacher and literacy zone coordinator in the Adult Basic Education Program at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY. She has worked in the adult education field for over thirty years. Solange has presented at numerous conferences and has co-authored pieces published in Focus on Basics, ALM, and COABE. She is currently on the Literacy Committee of Symphony Space’s All Write! Program and a member of CAMI, the Community of Adult Math Instructors. She believes passionately in social justice and is proud to be on the board of WRF and help students access higher education and opportunities to improve their lives and communities.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Daria Walcott was a first-generation college student back in the year 2000, and knows intimately the struggles of achieving an education when the odds and finances are near-impossible. The cause of WithinReach is near and dear to her heart. Professionally, Daria works as a Producer/Production Manager for theater and events. Personally, she lives in Central Harlem with her dog Bentley, and she loves roller skating, weightlifting, crafting and watching documentaries. 

HEAD OF FUNDRAISING

Sarah Fliegel is a Health and Wellness Coach. Sarah sits on the board of The Waverly as well as The WithinReach Foundation.  She is also Vice President of the Parents Association for The Montessori School at Flatiron.  Previously she worked as the Senior Director of Brand Management for the Frye Company where she oversaw brand operations and strategic planning in the areas of Merchandising, Sourcing, Sales, and Purchasing Sarah believes that the opportunity of education is something every person deserves and that when individuals have the ability to learn, our communities benefit and grow as well, both locally and globally.  The mission of WithinReach to give opportunity, support, and confidence to the members of our community who have the potential to make positive change for themselves and for others is a worthy one.

BOARD MEMBER

Angela Woo is a Footwear designer and artist.  After graduating from RISD, she has been working in footwear Industry for over 20 years. Most recently, she worked as a senior design director for Frye for 12 years.  Angela’s recent personal health challenges have made her truly appreciate what is the most important things in life: family, friends, being kind to one another, and treating people in the way we all want to be treated. With her unique background and experiences, Angela hopes to help and encourage people to pursue higher education. Angela continues to work as footwear design consultant and is happily busy being a new mom!

BOARD MEMBER

Maria De Victoria is a filmmaker and performance artist.  She co-founded Artists & Mothers in 2024. As an Immigrant and GED graduate, she looks forward to helping better serve a community of students in need of support . Over the course of her career, she has worked in a variety of aspects of video productions as a videographer, editor, or producer, but for the past several years, she has been more purposeful about aligning her work within the arts and the support of marginalized groups. She was born in 1980 in Lima, Peru, and immigrated to Miami in the early ’90s. Her work, which critiques politics and comments on the marginalized, primarily revolves around her own experiences of immigration, migration, and cultural differences. Through this personal lens and using conceptual projects and performances that often directly involve the audience, she addresses larger themes of migration, labor, and the conditions of contemporary art. She currently lives and works in New York City.  As part of the team at the Within Reach Foundation, I bring a strong commitment to collaboration and camaraderie.

BOARD MEMBER

C. Nikki Mills is committed to supporting others and values service over self. Ongoing education was a cornerstone of her upbringing with the majority of her family members working in academia. In 2015, Nikki joined those ranks when she took on a teaching and staff role at the David Geffen School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theatre in Connecticut. Theatre production is a career but also passion; she has freelanced in project, stage, and props management at theaters across the country. Nikki is very interested in crafting and sustainability initiatives. Nikki was honored to join this board in 2021 and increase her participation as an executive member in 2023. Nikki is grateful to be able to apply her training and professional work to support NY learners and all of those in pursuit of a higher education.

Cofounder and Board Member Emeritus Drina Scheiber – Cofounder

Board Member Emeritus – Jacob Campbell