Inspiring tomorrow's journalists
The People Behind Mosaic
Meet our Mosaic team—a dedicated group of experienced journalists, photographers, and mentors committed to storytelling and building meaningful connections.
Sharon Noguchi
Executive Director
Sharon worked as a Mercury News editor and reporter, and as a story editor at Chalkbeat. She also worked as a writer and editor at newspapers in Japan, reported from Cambodia after the ouster of the Khmer Rouge, and spent a year in Japan on a Fulbright fellowship writing about Latin American and Southeast Asian migrant laborers.
Joe Rodriguez
Mosaic Co-Founder
After a 40-year career in journalism, Joe has retired to a mountain house just outside his native Los Angeles. Joe worked for The Mercury News for 25 years where wrote a human-interest column about ordinary people who had never been in the news but whose lives and work illuminated trends and issues stirring under the surface of Silicon Valley. He previously wrote opinion columns, editorials and news articles on Latino affairs, immigration, health and welfare reform and urban redevelopment. He was one of the co-founders of Mosaic in 1993 and is still actively involved.
Sal Pizarro
Board Vice-President and Workshop Co-Director
Sal is an experienced columnist with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. He has been with The Mercury News since 1993. Sal is the co-director of Mosaic and has been an instructor with the program since 2016.
Kathy Miedema
Workshop Co-Director
Kathy worked as a reporter and copy editor at various newspapers for nearly 20 years before moving on to careers in tech, higher education, and now as a teacher in lower elementary education. During her years as a journalist, she started or was part of the first issues of four different teen sections. This is her second stint with the MOsaic Journalism program, where she helps with the production of the newspaper as well as providing mentorship.
Maya Suryaraman
Curriculum Director
Maya is a retired English and journalism teacher at Santa Clara High School. She was an education reporter for The Mercury News for 15 years before moving into education. Maya provides support for journalism teachers and is one of the Mosaic summer workshop instructors. She has been an instructor with the program since 2017.
Berenice Manzano
Board Member
Berenice is a Mexican-American filmmaker and Film Production Mentor for the Latino Film Institute. She is a 2018 Mosaic Alumni, and has proudly served as a Photo Editorial Assistant and is now a Board Member. She has excitedly produced independent film projects throughout the Bay Area, most recently receiving the Cine Se Puede grant from the Watsonville Film Festival for her directorial debut project, El Regreso Del Miedo.
