Meet the Team
RootedChange
Mark Parmet
Founder & Executive Director
Mark Parmet brings more than 23 years of experience in education, with a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a lifelong commitment to equity, community, and student-centered learning. Over the years, he has worked as a teacher, coach, and school leader in diverse settings, always focused on building learning environments where every student feels seen, supported, and inspired.
Throughout his career, Mark has felt a strong pull to work in communities that are too often overlooked or under-resourced. While much of his work has touched on issues of equity and access, he is now fully stepping into that mission—turning a long-held passion into focused action. Founding RootedChange is Mark’s way of creating the change he has always wanted to be a part of.
He believes that every student and family deserves more than the bare minimum. They deserve opportunities that unlock potential, build pride, and support the dreams they carry. His work is rooted in the belief that real change comes from working with communities, not just in them.
Through RootedChange, Mark is building a new kind of education support system—one that connects schools, families, and communities in meaningful ways and puts power back in the hands of those most impacted. He is proud to be walking this path, not alone, but alongside the people who inspire the work every day.
Muhammad Abdullah
Director of AI and Platform Strategy
Muhammad Abdullah is a Software Engineer, product strategist, and founder of Wanile Technologies, a design-driven software development agency specializing in AI-powered SaaS solutions, Muhammad leads with a rare blend of technical mastery, user-centered design intuition, and entrepreneurial grit.
With extensive experience in the MERN stack, UI/UX design, and system architecture, he has personally led the development of over a dozen web and mobile platforms across industries like fintech, healthtech, legal tech, and education. His agency is known for crafting seamless, scalable MVPs that empower non-technical founders to secure funding, launch successfully, and scale intelligently. He brings deep expertise in building compliance-ready platforms, integrating AI features like document automation and smart assistants, and designing end-to-end microservices infrastructure on AWS.
At RootedChange, Muhammad brings not just his technical expertise but also a deep alignment with the mission of educational equity and community empowerment. He was drawn to RootedChange because of its commitment to reimagining systems through culturally responsive innovation. His strategic mindset, ability to translate vision into scalable systems, and passion for using tech to serve people make him an invaluable part of the team’s long-term growth and impact.
Sarah Rahimi
Youth Governance and AI Ethics Lead
As an Afghan American, I come from a family that has always shown me the meaning of resilience, hard work, and purpose. I had to leave my family at a young age. Growing up apart from many of the people I love most has shaped everything about who I am, my values, myperspective, and my drive to give back. Though distance separated us, the love, strength, and sacrifices of my family have never left me. They are with me in every step I take. With that encouragement and love guiding me, I graduated in 2025 with both my high school diploma and an associate degree through concurrent enrollment. Now, I am pursuing a degree in Computer Science, fueled by a passion to merge technology and justice to create a more equitable and connected world.
Joining Rooted Change was a turning point. It gave me a space where youth are not just included, we’re trusted to lead, make decisions, and shape our future. Through this work, I’ve grown as a leader and deepened my commitment to giving back—not only to my Afghan community, but to other marginalized and underrepresented communities who deserve to be seen, heard, and empowered.
My goal is to use everything I’ve learned—my story, my education, and my platform, to uplift others, create access to opportunities, and help build systems where no one is left behind.
Max Kramer
Director of Food Justice
Max Kramer is a passionate advocate for food education and community empowerment, with a professional background in business operations, finance, and nonprofit leadership. His work is grounded in a deep commitment to educational equity and sustainable change, using his skills to drive programs that support long-term impact.
Max leads innovative community garden projects that bridge classroom learning with real-world skills. His initiatives focus on cultivating green spaces that nourish families, strengthen neighborhoods, and teach students about sustainability, nutrition, and self-reliance. Each project is designed to be a living classroom where young people can explore food systems, environmental stewardship, and community resilience.
At RootedChange, Max brings strategic clarity, operational know-how, and a vision for how education can extend far beyond school walls. He chose to join RootedChange because of its mission to uplift communities through hands-on learning, and he’s excited to help expand programs that connect youth to food justice, self-sufficiency, and entrepreneurship. His leadership strengthens our ability to build systems that are not only educational, but healing and liberating.
