KMVT15 Board Members
Rod Sinks
Director
Rod Sinks helped lead two high-tech start-ups from infancy to successful businesses in engineering management roles after earning degrees in engineering from Stanford and physics from Grinnell College.
He currently serves as a trustee of the Fremont Union High School District. Previously, he served as a council member, mayor, founder of Silicon Valley Clean Energy, chair of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Santa Clara County Cities Association, and a board member of other regional agencies. He champions good governance, strong public schools, environmental stewardship, more housing for all income levels and better public transit.
Rod served the community as a Scoutmaster and YMCA Adventure Guides Leader for many years and is a past president of the Cupertino Rotary Club.
TaLeiza Calloway-Appleton
Director
TaLeiza Calloway-Appleton is a media professional with years of experience in journalism and marketing. The Ohio native has written for major daily newspapers (St. Cloud Times in Minnesota), weekly news outlets, magazines, and non-profit organizations. She currently serves as the Digital Marketing Coordinator for the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View. Before joining CSMA, she was a freelance writer for Inspire More and Embarcadero Media with her stories appearing in the Palo Alto Weekly and Mountain View Voice newspapers. She previously served as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the El Camino YMCA in Mountain View. She is very passionate about diversity, storytelling, and media education. She is excited to serve on the KMVT Board.
Jim Connor
Director
Meet Jim Connor: a dynamic leader with a passion, for innovation in education and media. As President and Board Director of the Future of Reading, Jim drives initiatives to enhance the K-3 reading curriculum. He’s also a Board Member at Startup Learning, a public benefit corporation, where he champions podcasts and video shows on innovation.
Jim’s current role as CEO of Startup Learning aligns perfectly with his interests in digital learning systems and media production. With 16 years of experience as an early-stage startup investor with Sand Hill Angels, Jim brings invaluable insight to the table. His podcast, “Game Changers Silicon Valley,” delves into technology innovations, while his show, “GameChangers.TV,” spotlights pioneers shaping tomorrow’s landscape. Jim joined the Mountain View Community Television Board of Directors and has served as Treasurer since 2015.
Outside the boardroom, Jim’s a formidable tennis player, actively engaged with the Sunnyvale Tennis Club, competing in local and national USTA leagues. Catch Jim’s podcasts on major platforms under “Game Changers Silicon Valley” or visit https://gamechangersv.libsyn.com/. For innovative insights, tune in to his shows at https://gamechangers.tv/.
Polly Bove
Director
Polly Bove is a recently retired superintendent from the Fremont Union High School District in Cupertino and Sunnyvale. She was an educator for over 50 years and held positions from teacher of Mathematics and Computer Science, to high school counselor and administrator, to many of the roles at the central office including developing many of the district’s alternative programs and serving 16 years as Superintendent. She is on the Board for the Cupertino/Sunnyvale League of Women Voters as well as several other local non-profit organizations. She is hopeful that her passion and experience in education will be helpful to KMVT.
If you need personal details, she was born in Illinois; attended the University of Illinois, came to California in 1972, and worked to earn several master’s degrees in mathematics, psychology, and school administration, she has one son and two grandchildren, loves architecture and has spent over 40 years remodeling homes and designing landscapes.
Carol Starbuck
Director
Carol Starbuck is a dynamic leader and trusted community connector whose career bridges media, civic engagement, and public service. With a passion for uniting people and ideas, she’s built a track record of leadership, creativity, and meaningful impact.
An entrepreneur since 25, Carol has held diverse leadership roles, including over a decade with the Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade Association, where she served as President and Content Chair. She’s also Co-Executive Director of KMVT Comcast 15 Community Television, where she has produced impactful programming, including Homage to the Holidays (2020) and the first-ever live broadcast of the Festival of Lights Parade (2021–present). She is the Associate Producer of Game Changers Silicon Valley, a show highlighting innovation and social impact. Carol’s media foundation began at The Discovery Channel, contributing to the acclaimed Terrorism: A World in Shadows series.
Often referred to as a “connectivity liaison,” Carol excels at building bridges between people, organizations, and opportunities. She attended the University of Southern California and the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Jeff Sasagawa
Director
Jeff Sasagawa is a highly experienced Silicon Valley executive who has spent more than two decades working in the field of video technology. During his career, he has developed multiple award-winning products in various areas such as video production, live-streaming, connected devices, and social media. Jeff played a pivotal role in creating the industry’s first product DVR at Microsoft for Dish Network, the first portable and wireless video switcher, SlingStudio at Dish Network, the first consumer Telepresence at Cisco, and the first multi-camera live shopping App. Jeff has spent countless hours working on-site with live production crews at KMVT, ESPN, USTA Open, NBC, Golden State Warriors, and many other organizations while leading the SlingStudio and product team at Dish. Jeff is passionate about building high-performing teams, and fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and customer-centricity.
KMVT15 Staff
Alex Doherty
Executive Director
Alex joined KMVT15 as the Director of Education after working as a youth writing Mentor since 2018, and running his own photography and video production business. He got his foot in the door of video and film production at Sony Pictures, and worked as an assistant producer developing video games at LucasFilm. He has a Master’s in Screenwriting, most recently writing for the video game Lords of the Fallen.
Alex is proud to take on the role as KMVT’s Executive Director, and to play his part in developing creative confidence in KMVT’s clients and students. He looks forward to building partnerships in the Silicon Valley community and Bay Area.
Sydney Bucek
Production Manager
Sydney is KMVT’s Production Manager, working with our city partners and schools, scheduling KMVT15’s production timeline across all avenues of our community engagement.
Luke Makinson
Community Manager
Luke is KMVT’s Community Manager, working with our schools, families, city partners, and clients, helping to develop our educational curriculum, and directing KMVT15’s live event productions.
William Gardner
Broadcast Engineer
William is KMVT’s Broadcast Engineer, working with our city partners to ensure they have reliable broadcasts, and managing KMVT15’s technical and infrastructure upgrades.
