Education Team
Our team is dedicated to inform parents, to raise strong children and build healthy communities with local churches, schools, and community based organizations.We are passionate about equipping students to make healthy lifestyle choices and empowering them with effective relationship and risk avoidance skills.
Valerie Navarrete
RealOptions’ Director of Education
As a former Patient Services Manager, Valerie Navarrete serves as RealOptions’ Director of Education. Valerie comes to the position after starting her career as a clinic volunteer and is excited to lead the Education Team. She has a background in Psychology with a focus on Behavioral and Addiction studies. Her education and experience have uniquely equipped her to work with patients and students. She is happily married with five children in varying stages of life, ranging from toddler to young adulthood. When not at RealOptions, Valerie loves traveling with her family, watching her kids play sports, and spending time with her grandson.
Charmaine Williams
RealOptions' Education Manager
She joined RealOptions' staff in October 2020. Charmaine has a lifelong passion for helping families. She was the Director of Development for a San Francisco nonprofit helping place underprivileged youth in tech internships and also held senior development positions at Support Circle, Marquette University, Western Seminary and Santa Clara University. Charmaine also founded and co-teaches a premarital and marriage ministry called Marriage Fundamentals which has helped couples for over 28 years. She is a native of the Bay Area, a wife and mother to four daughters. Charmaine has always had a passion for issues dealing with pregnancy and parenting. Coming from a family with a long history in the healthcare industry, she has a particular interest in helping Bay Area women within the medical arena. She and her family reside in Santa Clara.
Jenn Gonzales
Educator
Jenn Gonzalez is a Campus Outreach Manager, Optimal Health Educator, and facilitates Rachel’s Vineyard healing retreats for anyone who has been impacted by pregnancy loss at RealOptions. She is Mexican American and a Bay Area native bilingual in English and Spanish. She is a first-generation college graduate from Saint Mary’s College of CA with a BA in Women’s Studies. She is also a certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant and Relationship Education instructor. She is passionate about empowering women and students from underrepresented groups to access vital resources and embrace their unique gifts to thrive in all aspects of their lives.
Susannah Smith
Educator
Susannah is a ReaOptions Educator with a background in Homecare and Real Estate. She is a “hometown girl” completing her education at De Anza College with a diploma in Quality Assurance Engineering and Statistics. She graduated from Sierra Pacific Bible College as well. She established the first “Teen Challenge” women's home where she taught Biblical principles to women enabling them to have healthy relationships. Then, she developed a missionary retreat house in Oregon through Bill Bright Campus Crusaders for Christ.
Asaya Azah
Educator
Asaya Azah is a certified instructor in RealEssentials Curriculum. She has a Masters in Public Health with a concentration on Global Maternal and Child Health from Tulane University School of Public Health. She enjoys helping students achieve their life’s purposes and the importance of having healthy relationships with themselves and others.
Gina Hood
Educator
Stefanie Ramos
Educator
Stefanie joins us after stepping out of her role as Assistant Patient Services Manager, in our Union City clinic. She is excited to join the RealOptions Education team and has a passion for the next generation. She loves spending time with the youth and young adults, speaking to them about healthy relationships, self care, and goals for their futures. Stefanie was a youth leader for her previous church.
Annie Chang
Educator
Annie Chang serves as an educator for RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics in San Jose. The education team delivers RealTalk, a sexual risk avoidance program, for youth, young adults and parents in the Bay Area. She enjoys engaging with youth and young adults and encouraging them to make healthy lifestyle choices about sex and dating. Annie also serves in community groups as a co leader for a leadership class called Protégé, is a premarital mentor, and a leader on the Relationship Care Team. She has two sons and lives in San Jose with her husband CJ.
Brianna Balint
Educator
Brianna is a certified instructor in RealEssentials Curriculum, and has a background in both education and microbiology, especially STDs, and has extensive experience in lab research on chlamydia. She loves speaking to students and parents about any and all health topics, from how to make healthy choices and relationships to understanding the biology of disease causing organisms. As a former high school teacher, she believes that students are best empowered to make healthy choices and keep themselves safe when they fully understand the risks and benefits available to them and when their parents and guardians engage in and support their learning.
Becca Cha
Educator
Becca is a graduate from the University of California Davis with a BA in Psychology, as well as from Western Seminary with a MA in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is certified as an instructor in RealEssentials Curriculum and Ascend, and has a background in counseling. She loves spending time with students talking about anything related to building healthy relationships, thriving communication, and future goals. She truly believes that each student is unique and has a purpose for their life, which she desires to see them live out. Conversing with parents is also a highlight for her, as she believes they are vital in each student's life and can have a major impact.
Stefanie Ramos
Educator
Stefanie joins us after stepping out of her role as Assistant Patient Services Manager, in our Union City clinic. She is excited to join the RealOptions Education team and has a passion for the next generation. She loves spending time with the youth and young adults, speaking to them about healthy relationships, self care, and goals for their futures. Stefanie was a youth leader for her previous church.
Crownovers
Educators
Alan and Maureen Crownover have been married for 36 years and are currently enjoying grandparenthood. They have a passion to share effective tools with parents to help equip their children to navigate their way to healthy relationships and sexuality. This passion is fueled by the love they have for youth and desire to see them flourish and their personal experience of being parents of pre-teens and teens and feeling ill-equipped to help their children face the challenges of managing their relationships and sexuality in today’s culture. Alan and Maureen are Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist certified and have been supporters and volunteers at Real Options over the last 15 years.