Meet Our Team
Lawrence Amaturo
Lawrence Amaturo is a Sonoma County Media, Real Estate and Automotive business owner.
Through Amaturo Sonoma Media Group LLC, Lawrence leads nine Radio Stations including News/Talk KSRO, KZST 100.1fm, Froggy 92.9fm, 97.7fm the River, The Wolf 102.7fm, HOT 101.7fm and hosts "Country Summer", a three-day festival that has become the largest music event in the county. In addition, Lawrence is the owner and publisher of Northbay biz Magazine; a monthly B2B periodical focusing on Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties and Waterdrop Digital which provides digital advertising and marketing solutions.
Santa Rosa Avenue Partners LLC develops and constructs automotive dealerships and related businesses. These include The Jim Bone Auto Group, rental car agencies and express car wash locations in Northern California.
Lawrence remains grateful to have been mentored by the team that successfully navigated the TYLENOL poisoning crises of the 1980's. As a National Brand Manager for Johnson & Johnson, he later guided the product development, manufacturing, marketing, and sales of TYLENOL Cold, Lactaid, and Sesame Street Vitamins.
Lawrence is a proud supporter of The Salvation Army, The United Way, Catholic Charities, and The Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. He is a board member of Sonoma County Children's Charities, The Schulz Celebrity Golf event and a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
Lawrence’s advocacy for Literacy was inspired by his parents’ own work in his home state of Florida. Joseph and Winifred Amaturo have been funding the Accelerated Reader program in Broward County Catholic Schools for the past twenty years. Through their efforts, more than 7,000 students have benefited from their generosity and wish that every student becomes an accomplished reader.
His interests include golfing, skiing, and traveling with his wife and their college-aged daughters. Lawrence earned his B.A. at The University of the South and his M.B.A. at Columbia University.
Guy Fieri
Chef, restaurateur, New York Times Best Selling author and Emmy Award winning TV host, Guy Fieri, is one of the world’s most recognizable and influential culinary stars. In 2019, Guy received a star on the celebrated Hollywood Walk Fame, a rare feat for a chef.
Guy began his love affair with food at the age of ten, selling soft pretzels from a three-wheeled bicycle cart he built with his father called “The Awesome Pretzel.” After selling pretzels and washing dishes for six years, Guy earned enough money to pursue his dream of studying abroad in Chantilly, France, where he gained a profound appreciation for international cuisines and further strengthened his passion for food. He returned to the US and graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a degree in Hospitality Management. Upon his graduation, Guy jumped headfirst into the restaurant business, ultimately opening his own casual dining concepts in Northern California.
In 2006, Guy won Food Network’s popular television competition show, “Next Food Network Star” and was awarded his own series, the Emmy nominated “Guy’s Big Bite.” Since that time, Guy has taken food television by storm as host of top-rated TV shows including the iconic, Emmy nominated “Diners, Drive Ins & Dives,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Tournament of Champions" and “Guy’s Ranch Kitchen.”
Additionally, Guy and his team at Knuckle Sandwich, LLC, have created a thriving food and beverage empire. He recently launched Flavortown Kitchen, a 175-location virtual brand to complement his eighty plus scratch kitchen restaurant concepts worldwide. In addition, he’s partnered with legendary rocker and spirits pioneer, Sammy Hagar in Santo Tequila. On land and at sea, from the Las Vegas Strip to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, from South Africa to Colombia and from Costa Rica to Dubai, Guy’s culinary and spirits creations are enjoyed globally, every day.
Brian Daly
As Executive Director of the Guy Fieri Foundation, Brian brings his passion for helping others and inspiring our youth to better our communities.
Responsible for overseeing all facets of the organization, Brian drives the mission, fundraising, operations, and engagement with our donors, volunteers, and community partners. He has worked to expand the awareness and reach of the Foundation to communities around the country.
As a son of a police officer and a nurse, his connection to supporting our community heroes has become his true passion. First Responders and our Veterans and Active Military are some of the most important aspects of our Mission and honoring them not only in a time of need and disasters, but feels it is something we should be doing every day. He believes that the children in our community today will help shape the communities of tomorrow by giving them an opportunity to learn through Literacy Programs, Culinary Programs, and providing funding and scholarships is the best way to help prepare our youth for the future.
Brian is a strong leader who continues to make an impact by sharing the Mission and Vision of the Guy Fieri Foundation with everyone he comes in contact with. He believes that partnering up with other nonprofits is the key to expanding our awareness and supporting other organizations. When we work with other organizations, we are “Better Together.”
Michelle Leisen: Executive Director, Read On Sonoma
Michelle Leisen is a Sonoma County native who grew up locally and attended Santa Rosa High School. She is deeply connected to the community she now serves and is committed to expanding opportunity for the region’s children through literacy.
Michelle brings more than 15 years of experience in public education and nonprofit leadership. She began her career as an elementary teacher in Roseland School District and went on to serve as District Accelerated Schools Coach, Assistant Principal, and Principal of both Roseland University Prep and Roseland Elementary. As a school principal, she led her community through both the Tubbs Fire and the COVID-19 pandemic, guiding recovery, continuity of learning, and student support during times of profound disruption. She later served as Director of Learning Support for Oak Grove School District, leading districtwide academic improvement efforts that increased student achievement, reduced chronic absenteeism, and strengthened Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.
At Read On, Sonoma, Michelle has helped lead significant program growth and measurable literacy gains across the region. Students in the program now read three to seven times the national average, collectively reading hundreds of millions of words each year while dramatically increasing engagement and goal attainment. Through strong school partnerships, data-driven progress monitoring, and meaningful student motivation, the program is helping thousands of children build reading stamina, improve comprehension, and develop confidence as learners.
Today, Read On, Sonoma serves more than 3,300 students across the county, with participants making significant gains in literacy growth. For Michelle, the work is about lasting impact — more students reading at grade level, more confident learners, and brighter futures for Sonoma County’s children.
Terry (Mary Therese) Maus: Owner of ETC Education & Technology Consultants
Masters in Educational Leadership
Education and Technology Consultants (ETC) is a company started by Terry Maus in 1997 to deliver support and professional development to individuals as well as private and public schools in the South Florida area. ETC has contracted to work with the Amaturo Foundation, Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS), Broward Public Schools, Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Schools, Junior Achievement, Schools in Southeast Wisconsin and most recently with six Santa Rosa schools in California. As an experienced educator and administrator, Mrs. Maus approaches a range of challenges with both passion and professionalism. Performing multidimensional tasks from information technology implementation to educator skills and workshops. She has a proven ability to manage projects, negotiate agreements, to coach, motivate, and build an effective staff. Mrs. Maus has delivered presentations at regional, state and national conferences.
Projects include overseeing grant writing and implementation, creating & presenting ongoing professional development for educators, participated as a member of SACS, Florida Catholic & Wisconsin Accreditation Teams, performed as an evaluator/facilitator of varied curriculum projects in Catholic, charter, private and traditional public schools. Served as a board member for foundations, parish schools, charter schools, writing and defending applications for grants and other funding sources, Chairman of Professional Development Committee, Chairman of Gold Seal Award evaluation process and served as an applicant reviewer for the State of Florida. School administrator (principal) for seven schools from 1997 to 2021 and classroom teacher 1983-1997.
The Amaturo Foundation has hired ETC in 2006 to oversee the implementation of the Renaissance Enterprise Program in Broward County, 17 Catholic schools. The program was expanded with the support of a Dade Foundation and recently hired to work with Guy Fieri Foundation and Amaturo Family Foundation in California. Positions require consultations and supervision of regular onsite visits to monitor program success for Accelerated Reader and STAR diagnostic assessments. As lead for this project, ETC is responsible for delivering professional development, coordinating with administration on budget planning and ongoing development of program implementation, as well as report data to educators and directly to Foundation Boards.
Ron Calloway
My passion and drive is to provide every child with the best educational experience.
During my three decades in education, I have served as a classroom teacher in Rincon Valley, a principal at several schools in Santa Rosa, as well as Assistant Superintendent of Human Services in Santa Rosa City Schools. I took the role of superintendent of the Mark West Union School District in 2011 and have since retired.
Last year when Lawrence approached me about taking on the role of Accelerated Reader Lead, I was thrilled to accept his invitation. As a lifelong educator, I know how critical it is to establish literacy early in each child's life.
Meet the Team
Brian Daly - Executive Director, Guy Fieri Foundation
Brian Daly - Executive Director, Guy Fieri Foundation
Brian Daly - Executive Director, Guy Fieri Foundation
Michelle Leisen - Executive Director, Read On Sonoma
Brian Daly - Executive Director, Guy Fieri Foundation
Brian Daly - Executive Director, Guy Fieri Foundation