Research Report: Local Education 2012

After graduating from University of California, Santa Cruz Ms. Andaluz co-founded Downtown College Prep in 1999. She currently serves as the organizations Executive Director. DCP prepares underachieving students who will be the first in their families to go to college to thrive at four-year universities. DCP has a singular goal for every student: DCP graduates will enroll in and graduate from a four-year college. DCP was founded by Jennifer Andaluz and Greg Lippman. Before founding DCP they worked as teachers and professional development coordinators implementing reform projects at large, urban high schools in San Jose. DCP is the realization of their vision for a small, community-based charter school that ensures college success for students left behind by traditional public schools.

Olivia’s nine years at Justice Matters brings together her background as a daughter/sister of immigrants, mother, community organizer and policy analyst. She has dedicated herself to changing the conditions she experiences at public schools by combining critical public policy analysis with powerful community organizing for educational justice. She is a first generation college graduate that benefited from open borders, Head Start, and Affirmative Action programs and policies. She is a parent on the look out for racially just public schools that will embrace her children's languages, religious background, and thirst for creative learning.

Dr. JuanCarlos Arauz, Founder and Executive Director of E3: Education, Excellence & Equity, is bilingual and multicultural. He was born in Brazil, to Nicaraguan parents, and immigrated to the United Sates. His experience includes classroom teaching, coaching, and administration in both private and public schools. He received is BA in Education and MA in Social Science Education from the University of Southern Florida. He also received his Ed.D. in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco. His dissertation research focused on the racial identity developed by undocumented Latino youth. Dr. Arauz serves on the board of Marin Academy High School, Saint Marks School, and the Buck Institute for Education. JuanCarlos is a proud member of his family that includes his beautiful wife Kristie, energetic son Joaquim, and adorable daughter Isabella. He has developed a model program for education where 100% of Latino senior high school students enrolled in his program have graduated (vs. the national graduation rate average of 58%). Similarly, 93% of the Latino students who were enrolled in college, and participating in his program completed their first year (vs. the national average of 27%). His fresh and compelling vision brings collaboration between the private and public sectors, providing solutions to overcome individual and community obstacles. Many of his students have become leaders and role models within the community. less

Angel Barrios is the Executive Director of Institute for Human and Social Development, Inc. A non-profit organization, IHSD provides comprehensive child development services for children from birth through five years throughout San Mateo County. Through their child care centers, family child care homes, and home-visiting programs they offer early education and development services that are built upon the needs of the local children, families, and communities. In 2005 she earned an Ed.D. in International and Multicultural Education with an emphasis in Second Language Acquisition from the University of San Francisco. Other graduate degrees include a M.A. in Language and Literacy from San Jose State University.

Dennis M. Bartels, an internationally known science education and policy expert, became Executive Director of the Exploratorium in 2006. He holds a PhD in Education Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University, and his work has received more than $28 million in grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other sources. He is leading a historic capital project and a $300 million capital campaign to relocate the Exploratorium to Piers 15/17 on San Francisco’s famed waterfront.

Dana is the director of Kids in Common, a program of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. Kids in Common advocates for policies, partnerships and investments that improve children's lives in Santa Clara County.

Cheng has worked for United Way Silicon Valley as the Education Program Manager for the past 4 years. She served as a Trustee with the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) Board of Education for 8 years, the 3rd largest school district in the county. Pearl also served as President of the Santa Clara County School Boards Association working advocacy and regional policy issues for all 32 school districts in the county. Her community activities include: Cupertino Rotary - Past Youth Services Director; American Red Cross former Board member; and Juvenile Court Education Task Force member for Foster Youth. Pearl was a former manager with NASA-Ames Research Center and was awarded "Woman of the Year 2004", by Assembly District 22. She is endorsed by a long list of elected state, city officials, school board trustees, Superintendents and community members. United Way Silicon Valley is proud to have Pearl Cheng on our team. She is a shining example of a staff member that embodies our mission.

Veronica is responsible for daily operations relating to Pivot Learning Partners’ diverse portfolio of funding partners. Veronica supports the resourcing of Pivot’s work by managing all stages of the organization’s relationship with funders - from research and identification, to cultivation, and through grant stewardship and reporting. She also oversees the sponsorship program for Pivot’s Executive Leadership Center seminar series for superintendents, offered fee-free to more than 300 California superintendents. <p. Prior to joining Pivot Learning Partners in 2008, Veronica worked and studied for her M.S. in the field of International Development at Tulane University. In 2006, she helped found a San Francisco based non-profit that partners with a local Kenyan agency to develop and resource community-based development projects with rural Kenyan communities. Veronica also holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of San Diego.

Mr. Gallati currently serves as the President and CEO of the Central Bay Area. Prior to that, he was the President and CEO of the Berkeley-Albany YMCA for 7 years.

Alicia facilitates the work of the Consortium where she brings together charter leaders who are focused on closing the achievement gap and ensuring that every student in San Jose has a seat at an excellent school. She supports the development of high-performing charters and works to engage community leaders in the charter movement in order to increase college success in low income San Jose communities.

Linda Galliher, J.D. is Vice President Public Policy for the Bay Area Council. Galliher is the organizational lead on cybersecurity policy issues such as federal legislative advocacy, threat data sharing and analysis, and cybersecurity education and workforce development. Galliher’s policy work draws from a strong background as in-house counsel at a classified software design technology company in the defense industry. <p> Galliher also leads on education policy focusing on statewide systems improvements plus a regional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) alliance collaborating on scaling up effective STEM programming. Her first career was as a School Psychologist where she assessed student educational needs, designed education programs, consulted with administrators and teachers, and counseled families. <p> Galliher serves on the Advisory Boards of the San Francisco Alliance and the City College of San Francisco School of Business and sits on the Executive Committee of the Gateways Partnership. Galliher has both a Juris Doctorate and a Masters in Labor and Employment Relations from the University of Illinois and a Masters in School Psychology from Illinois State University.

Originally from southern California, Adriane has called the Bay home since 2000. She holds an MBA with an emphasis in nonprofit management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, as well as an MA in social psychology and a B.A. in comparative studies in race and ethnicity from Stanford University. Adriane’s experience spans the nonprofit sector, ranging from public health and environmental justice to education and youth aging out of foster care, having most recently worked in community development with Local Initiatives Support Corporation in New York City. Common threads in her work have been the pursuit of social justice and serving underserved communities. Adriane joined Juma in the spring of 2011.

As the Center’s executive director, Hanley brings extensive leadership experience in evaluation, strategic planning, budgeting, and project management. <p> In 2007 he organized and directed the California Charter School Association’s Oakland Charter School Collaborative. Working to improve operating conditions for the 33 charter schools serving Oakland’s neediest students, he helped develop a more transparent approval and evaluation system, gain a share of future parcel tax money for charter schools, founded the first charter high school athletic league, and obtained a federal grant to improve emergency preparedness. In addition, he has monitored school quality closely, working with struggling schools to improve or close. <p> Hanley’s long held interest in education (five years teaching high school economics as a Junior Achievement business volunteer) culminated in his election in 2001 to the Board of the San Mateo Union High School District, where he has twice been board president. He successfully championed a more rigorous curriculum, an accountable professional development program, and advanced placement classes open to any student. Combined these broke years of academic stagnation, significantly raising all schools’ scores. <p> His county school board colleagues elected him president of the San Mateo County School Boards Association as well as to four terms in the California School Boards Association’s (CSBA) policy making body, the Delegate Assembly. CSBA appointed him to its High School Reform Task Force and its Policy Platform Committee. He was also executive director for California Parents for Educational Choice, an organization dedicated to exploding myths about the current education system and promoting increased choice for families.

Carlos became a full time member of the ALearn team in September 2010. He has been involved in education ever since he graduated from college. He was a Spanish and Social Studies teacher at Sacred Heart Nativity School in San Jose, a middle school for inner-city, low-income youth. While at Sacred Heart, he also served as the Graduate Support Director, a position that required him to help graduates and their families navigate through the hurdles of high school and provide any necessary support to ensure that the students reached graduation. As a first generation student that moved to the United States when he was 16, Carlos is passionate about supporting underrepresented minority students in their path towards a college education. He holds a BS in Political Science and a Social Studies Single Subject Teacher Credential from Santa Clara University.

Melissa Johns has dedicated her professional career to creating educational opportunities for underserved youth. After earning a Bachelor’s of Science from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Melissa joined the development team at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto. Her time at Eastside cemented her belief that all kids deserve access to a quality college preparatory education, regardless of their background or family’s socioeconomic level. After leaving Eastside, she held the position of Director of Development at The Girls’ Middle School in Palo Alto, where she led a successful fundraising program, including the school’s ambitious commitment to offering full scholarships to low-income students. A native of California’s central valley, Melissa grew up in the rural community of Le Grand, California. She now resides in San Jose with her husband and daughter.

Erika Katske has been an organizer at SFOP since May of 2004. She accepted the role as Associate Director in 2007 and later served as the interim co-director until her appointment as Executive Director in April 2008. She has been the lead organizer on our violence prevention work, in our expansion initiative with Jewish congregations and most recently on our education work. Prior to coming to SFOP, Erika organized in New York City, building a citywide leadership team by organizing in public schools and surrounding communities. She has experience in nonprofit management including fundraising, volunteer/parent/leader recruitment, increasing dues-paying memberships and assisting with grants and events. Erika graduated Magna Cum Laude from Smith College with a BA in Sociology.

Mattthew Kelemen, Ph.D. serves as the Executive Director of State Services for New Leaders. He is also a Board Member at Partners in School Innovation, the Education Policy and Strategy Consultant at his own consulting firm, Board President at Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco, and a Lecturer at Stanford University. Prior to these positions he was a Consultant at Hewlett Foundation, the Senior Program Officer at The James Irvine Foundation, and the Executive Director and Special Assistant at the San Francisco Unified School District.

For more than a decade, Suzanne’s enthusiasm and perseverance has been a reminder of hope and support for not only the teens she serves, but also the staff she so loyally appreciates. Suzanne created BUILD as an effort to help disadvantaged and disengaged high school students overcome obstacles, realize their own potential, rise to unlimited expectations, and succeed in education and their careers. Her time at BUILD is spent working with the Board on strategy, creating partnership and advocating for greater resources within communities. Suzanne has been honored and recognized by prominent organizations, corporations, universities and government entities but what really fuels her passion and success is her vision for the impact BUILD makes on those young people forgotten by the system and proving the potential of those that others leave behind. When not teaching at Stanford and Harvard Law Schools, doing Board service, riding her bike, spending time with her family or cheering on her beloved San Francisco Giants, you will find her brainstorming limitless dreams for BUILD that will one day enable all children to make their own dreams reality.

Arts and education have dominated Prudy Kohler’s career in the nonprofit sector. For more than 20 years she taught arts and humanities and held administrative positions at the high school and the college level. She then spent another seven years working in philanthropy as a Program Officer at The James Irvine Foundation. Most recently Prudy served as interim executive director of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and as interim director of the Cultural Equity Program at the San Francisco Arts Commission. She is the owner/founder of ART FOR LUNCH, a program that provides hands-on art making workshops for team building in businesses. Her educational background includes a B.A. in art history from Pomona College and an M.A. also in art history from San Francisco State University. A practicing artist (photo-transfer techniques), Prudy lives in San Francisco.

Lyslynn Lacoste, is a New York Bar licensed attorney from Boston, Massachusetts. For more than ten years, she has diligently served youth through literacy and leadership development, mentoring, juvenile CORI reform, youth peer mediation, civic engagement, and recreational programming. Lyslynn began her career in youth development while working closely with local community centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families. Four years as a Youth Program Coordinator within one of Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods inspired her to attend Suffolk University Law School and focus on juvenile justice. Lyslynn honed her skills through meaningful internships at the Juvenile Justice Clinic (Suffolk University) and New York’s Legal Aid Society (Criminal Defense Practice and Juvenile Rights Practice). Prior to her recent move to San Francisco, she worked as a Program Coordinator for the Boston-based Brian J. Honan Fellowship, which focuses on promoting public service among high school youth. As the new Director of BMAGIC, Lyslynn brings her experience and excitement to continue strengthening the community collaborative and support the 45 community-based organizations within Bayview Hunters Point. She holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Latin American Studies from Boston University.

An accomplished educator, Alec Lee co-founded Aim High in 1986 and serves as full-time Executive Director. Alec has a Masters in Education from Harvard University, and received a Klingenstein Fellowship from Columbia Teachers College. He taught history at Lick-Wilmerding High School, a college preparatory high school in San Francisco, for 17 years. As the Executive Director, Alec works closely with the Aim High staff, principals, teachers, and organizational partners.

Robert Lenz is chief executive officer and cofounder of Envision Education. Envision Education has created an innovative educational model through its four urban high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and brings this model to the larger educational community through the Center for College and Career Success. Mr. Lenz is recognized nationally as a leader in high school redesign, project-based learning, twenty-first-century-skills education, and performance assessment. Previously, Mr. Lenz founded Academy X, an award-winning leadership and humanities program at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California. In 1999, Drake High was named one of thirteen ―New American High Schools by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley. In 2000, the school was featured on the cover of U.S. News & World Report as an example of successful high school reform. Mr. Lenz was the first in his family to receive a college degree, obtaining a BA degree from St. Mary’s College and an MA degree in education from San Francisco State University.

Alan Lessik is the Executive Director for Civicorps Schools. Alan holds a Masters of Management and Administration from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Masters of Social Change and Development from Johns Hopkins University in Washington D.C. Alan was the founding Director of the St. Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1985-86. Since then, he has served as the Treasurer of the Takoma Foundation in Takoma Park, Maryland (1989-92), was a Grant Program Manager for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Uganda and Honduras in Washington D.C. (1988-91), and Deputy Director for Finance and Administration at the AIDS Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (1991-2001). He was the Executive Director of San Francisco School Volunteers from 2003-2005. Alan currently serves as the Assistant General Secretary for Goal Leadership on the American Friends Service Committee. Alan has experience in fundraising, strategic planning, program development, finance, and external relations. He is fluent in Spanish.

Grainger is the Executive Director for CFY-San Francisco Bay Area. He has over 20 years of combined experience in education, management consulting, philanthropy, and non-profit management. Grainger most recently served for six years as the Executive Director of Peninsula Bridge, a non-profit that serves motivated low-income middle school students. Highlights of his past experience include a two-year teaching assignment in Micronesia as a Peace Corps Volunteer, managing a comprehensive neighborhood improvement initiative in east San Jose with the former Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and successfully turning around a local nonprofit. Grainger has a B.A. from Hampshire College and an Ed.M. from Harvard University.

Born and raised in Chicago, Derek attended Pomona College in Claremont, CA and later earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, Derek worked at the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST), helping to pioneer school and district information management systems and data-driven technologies. Derek then served as the Director of Technology and Student Achievement for the Oakland Unified School District where he addressed equity-related challenges in assessment, technology and achievement. Subsequently, he joined the Stupski Foundation and managed efforts to support district-wide reform across the country, including in districts such as Jackson Public Schools in Mississippi and the Baltimore City Public Schools System in Maryland. Before joining Partners in June of 2009, Derek served as Executive Director of the Opportunity Zone in Prince George’s County in Maryland, where he led critical efforts to instill innovative school options as a core component of district-wide reform. When not working towards educational equity, Derek enjoys science fiction, fantasy novels, martial arts and movies.

Ellen Moir is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders. She is recognized as a passionate advocate for our nation’s newest teachers. Ellen founded New Teacher Center in 1998 to make sure every underprivileged student in America has a great teacher and that there is intensive induction for new teachers everywhere in America, and especially in underserved areas. This national nonprofit organization strengthens school communities through proven mentoring and professional development programs, online learning environments, policy advocacy and research. Today this organization has a staff of over 150 who work closely with educators and policymakers across the country. New Teacher Center’s staff seeks to ensure that the nation’s low-income, minority, and English language learners, those students most often taught by inexperienced teachers, have the opportunity to receive an excellent education. Ellen is widely recognized for her work in beginning teacher development and school reform. She has extensive experience in public education, having previously served as Director of Teacher Education at the University of California at Santa Cruz and worked as a bilingual teacher. Ellen is a recipient of the 2011 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Other major awards include the 2010 Civic Ventures Purpose Prize Fellow, 2008 National Staff Development Council Contribution to the Field award; the 2008 Full Circle Fund Impact Award; the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. 2005 Prize in Education; and the 2003 California Council on Teacher Education Distinguished Teacher Educator Award.

Scott is an educator, attorney, and social entrepreneur with a strong background in creating quality educational opportunities for students. Scott began his career teaching social studies and leadership at St. Jude High School in Montgomery, Alabama. Scott later served as the legal counsel for Aspire Public Schools, where he worked with the management team and school leaders to start and operate a network of small charter schools throughout California. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in government from the University of Notre Dame, received his Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland, and earned his law degree from Stanford Law School.

Dana has dedicated her professional life to educating and engaging youth in community and world affairs, to close the Global Competency gap in American education. Her deep belief in the transformative power of global education to contribute to peace, justice and equity on a global scale led her to co-found World Savvy in 2002. She has since led the organization through extensive growth and expansion –reaching more than 250,000 students and 2,000 educators from three offices nationwide since founding. Dana is a recognized expert in the field of global education, and serves as Advisor and Board member to a range of nonprofits focused on international education and youth development. She is a frequent speaker on the subject of global citizenship and social entrepreneurship. She is a 2011 Ashoka Fellow and was named one of The New Leaders Council’s 40 Under 40 Progressive American Leaders in 2010. Dana holds a B.A. in International Relations from Connecticut College and a Masters in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

After a long career in senior legal roles for Bay Area telecommunications and technology companies, Mike transitioned to the nonprofit sector as Executive Director of Super Stars Literacy in October 2007. Mike’s background with both large corporations and small startups going through a rapid growth process is serving Super Stars Literacy well as it moves into its expansion phase. Mike brings over ten years of community non-profit experience to this role. He currently serves on the Youth & Education Committee of the Oakland Rotary and, until recently, was a member of the Board of Directors of Destiny Arts Center, an Oakland nonprofit, teaching violence prevention to Oakland’s at-risk youth through dance and martial arts training. Mike and his wife, Patty, direct a donor-advised fund at the East Bay Community Foundation in memory of their daughter, Danielle, supporting youth and education programs. Mike has also been a member and project lead for two engaged philanthropy organizations: Full Circle Fund and Social Venture Partners. Mike received his law degree from University of Toledo and earned his B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University.

Emily Nahat expands the nationwide impact of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies (CCFS) by training and supporting professionals in early childhood care and learning. As CCFS's Director of Resource Development, Nahat works with federal, state, and local public agencies and private partners to create new opportunities for CCFS to help child care and development centers, family child care homes, and home visitors provide the best possible care for young children and services for families, especially disadvantaged families. Prior to joining WestEd, Nahat established and managed the California Department of Mental Health's Prevention and Early Intervention office, created to implement the Prevention and Early Intervention component (annual funding approximately $200 million) of the Mental Health Services Act of 2004 (Proposition 63). The office received the State of California Superior Accomplishment award for producing California's first Strategic Plan on Suicide Prevention. Nahat served for seven years as the Deputy Director for Program Management at First 5 California (funded by the California Children and Families Act of 1998, Proposition 10). She established the Program Management branch and managed a multidisciplinary staff responsible for developing and leading over 20 programs valued at $500 million (plus over $500 million in local match funds in areas of family functioning, child development, and child health). She provided oversight to the proceedings of the School Readiness Working Group of the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education and development of its formal recommendations to the Joint Legislative Committee in 2002. She served in numerous capacities during her 18-year tenure with the California Department of Education. She performed supervisory or lead roles in implementing Healthy Start, After School Education and Safety Program, School Health Connections (funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the Superintendent's Universal Preschool Task Force, and the State Board of Education's curriculum framework and instructional resources adoption process. In the course of her work with three California state agencies, Nahat was a frequent presenter to local educational agencies, the State Board of Education and its committees, First 5 Children and Families state and local commissions, county mental health departments, and diverse partner organizations on education, health, and mental health topics. She planned and presented at dozens of statewide conferences and invitational summits, such as Healthy Schools, Healthy People conferences, the California Curriculum Commission's Invitation to Submit conferences for publishers, and the Workshop on Depression and Parenting sponsored by the National Research Council's Institute of Medicine. Nahat received a BS in family and consumer resources from Wayne State University and is a Registered Dietitian.

At CSDC, Ms. Nelson is an Accountability Services Manager working with charter schools and their granting agencies on issues of accountability, particularly in the areas of educational programs, governance and operations. She has worked on a number of School Quality Reviews as part of CSDC teams. Prior to joining CSDC, Nelson had extensive experience with charter schools, improving educational programs for low-performing schools, and programs serving English language learners. Nelson has also engaged in direct policy work—she spent nearly 10 years at the US Department of Education-most of it with a program focused on teacher training. In addition, as part of a research firm, she worked with teams to design educational policy alternatives for several states including California and Hawaii. She has conducted policy research and evaluations at both the state and national levels of programs and services for limited English proficiency students, including a groundbreaking study of California programs and services for English language learners. Nelson was the manager of a six-year US Department of Education contract-funded National Study of Charter Schools. Nelson has engaged both in research and school support in two states (California and Oregon) around systemic improvement of schools through creating high performance learning communities in schools serving large percentages of poor and minority students also supported by the US Department of Education. In California, she worked with a group of low-performing middle schools to help them better use data to focus on the challenges of improving their achievement levels. Finally, she worked with a group of 30 charter schools to better use data to drive improvements in their teaching and learning processes. Nelson earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy from U.C. Berkeley.

Eric Premack is the founder and Executive Director of the Charter Schools Development Center. For over 15 years, Premack has played a leading role in the development and spread of the chartered schools concept since its inception in his native Minnesota in the 1980s. Eric has helped to draft and implement chartered schools legislation in over 25 states and at the federal level. <p> He led the development of many groundbreaking charter school policy, planning, implementation, and oversight practices that have been emulated throughout the US and internationally. Premack was a co-founder of the Charter Friends National Network, a founding board member of the California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC), served on the California State Superintendent's Charter School Advisory Committee, serves on the board of Civicorps Schools, and previously served on the board of St. HOPE Public Schools. Eric has published extensively on a variety of charter school-related topics and issues including "how-to" books for charter school developers, articles for periodicals, and in-depth charter school policy analyses. His diverse client list includes hundreds of charter schools, charter management organizations, large and small school districts and charter-granting agencies, state departments of education, foreign government agencies, think tanks, and philanthropic organizations. He has lectured for education reform classes at leading universities and has served as expert witness/consultant in major charter school litigation. Eric has twice received the Hart Vision Award for outstanding service to California's chartered schools. <p> Prior to founding CSDC, Premack provided consulting services to hundreds of California school districts at School Services of California, Inc., and was a non-partisan education policy and finance analyst for the California Legislature. He is a graduate of both the College and the Graduate School of Public Policy of the University of Chicago.

Mr. Ragosta serves as th Academic Success Project Manager for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Mateo County. CASA Court Appointed Special Advocates of San Mateo County partners caring adults with children who have come under the court’s protection because their parents can’t or won’t take care of them. Prior to working at CASA, Mr. Ragosta was a Research Analyst at SPHERE Institute, an Associate at City of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board, and a Advocate Supervisor at Child Advocates of San Mateo County.

As a Program Director at the Alum Rock Counseling Center (ARCC), Rene Ramirez has been a key staff member to the organization. ARCC has addressed the damage of family conflict, school failure and delinquency among high-risk youth, producing responsible community members and a healthier, more vibrant East San Jose. ARCC offers practical, proven solutions to families when and where they need them most. Prior to joining ARCC, Rene Ramirez was the Vice President of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation for over 11 years. She is a graduate of San Jose State University.

Terrence Riley is a 1996 graduate of Aim High @ Urban and returned as a Teaching Assistant throughout high school. Terrence is currently responsible for overseeing program admissions, managing year-round programs, coordinating student and family services and the Central Office's business operations. Terrence holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California and an M.A. in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of the Pacific.

Jacqueline Rushing founded the Young Scholars Program in 1999. The college preparatory program believes students from underserved and underepresented communities who have a strong belief in their academic abilities and are committed to work hard can successfully navigate the waters of college preparation and be eligible for admission to college. <p> Students in the program are taught skills to learn how to overcome barriers and their perceived weaknesses. The ability to do both of these enables the students to face dilemmas, not to become overwhelmed, and to stay focused on achieving their goals. By promoting a student's belief in their academic abilities and the importance of education, study skills training and mentoring, Young Scholars Program improves the odds for high school graduation and ensures steps toward post-secondary education – while increasing the likelihood for a life of increased personal choices and a productive career.

Originally from Montana, Brian earned his undergraduate degree from Marquette University and a California teaching credential from San Francisco State University. He spent the past ten years working with youth in the San Francisco Unified School District, where he taught algebra, biology, and chemistry at James Lick Middle School, as well as San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA). Married with two sons, Brian lives in San Francisco. Brian joined Juma in August of 2009.

Tanya Stevenson is the Senior Director of Grants Management for Girls Inc. of Alameda County. She is also the President of the UCLA Bay Area Bruins. Prior to these positions she was the a Trustee for the Board of Directors at Breathe California, a Public Health Specialist at Independent Consultant, the Co-Director at NY/NJ AIDS Education & Training Center at Columbia University, Project Manager at National Evaluation AIDS Education and Training Center, Manhattan Community Needs Assessment Coordinator at American Cancer Society, a consultant at the New York City Department of Health, Office of AIDS Research, Evaluation Unit, and a Research Assistant at New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

Page Tompkins is a Lecturer at University of California, Berkeley at the Graduate School of Education. Page Tompkins also serves as the Executive Director at Reach Institute for School Leadership. Prior to these positions, he served as the Program Director for the School Improvement Project at On The Move and is a former Principal & Teacher at Bay Area School of Enterprise. Page received a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of California, Berkeley in 2011.

Bouapha is the CFO os ISEEED,a nonprofit that harnesses the expertise and imagination of local residents, schools and universities, community-based organizations, and businesses in order to generate practical solutions for people and the planet. Through deep investments in people, place, systems and structures ISEEED believes they can fundamentally change and transform the built environment and provide opportunities for children and families to reach their full potential. Bouapha also works as a Workforce Development Coordinator for the City of Oakland

Dr. Louise Bay Waters is the Superintendent and CEO of Leadership Public Schools, a network of four urban charter high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the past 35 years she has served her community as a teacher, principal, district leader, professor and researcher in urban education.

James Willcox assumed leadership of Aspire Public Schools in 2009, taking over for founder Don Shalvey upon his transition to Chairman of the Board. Mr. Willcox joined the Aspire team as Chief Operating Officer in 2007. During his tenure at Aspire, this leading charter management organization has doubled in size from 17 to 34 schools and grown to serve over 12,000 students across California. <p> Prior to joining the management team of Aspire, Mr. Willcox was the founding Chief Operating Officer of Education for Change, an organization focused on restructuring underperforming schools as independent charter schools in partnership with the Oakland Unified School District. <p> Before his direct involvement in school system management, Mr. Willcox served as a Principal at New Schools Venture Fund, a philanthropic organization founded to improve the educational opportunities for underserved students across the country. Mr. Willcox has also spent time as a nonprofit consultant with The Bridgespan Group, and served as a U.S. Army officer and helicopter pilot for over seven years. He holds a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an M.Ed. and M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Alexander Zwissler is the Executive Director/ CEO of the Chabot Space and Science Center, a position he has held since April, 2007. Prior to joining Chabot, Zwissler was the Executive Director of the Fort Mason Foundation in San Francisco, California from 1999 to 2006. Zwissler was born in Stuttgart Germany then moved to California with his family. He was raised in Oakland and visited Chabot on a field trip as a grade school student. Zwissler attended public schools before going on to receive a B.A. in Political Science, with Honors, at the University of California at Berkeley. After graduating from Berkeley, Zwissler went on to become a Postgraduate Research Fellow at the Centre for Mass Communication Research at the University of Leicester, England, conducting research on the development of international satellite broadcasting. Zwissler serves in the leadership of both local and national non-profits, currently on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Market Street Railway, Tau Kappa Epsilon at UC Berkeley, and the Non Profit Centers Network. Zwissler has also served on the Boards of the Oxfordshire Foundation, the Conejo Future Foundation, the San Francisco Business Arts Council, the National Park Service Friends Alliance and the American Southwest Theatre Company. In 2008, he was named an inaugural Fellow of the Noyce Leadership Institute.