The San Ramon Valley Education Foundation’s Major Gifts and Endowment Fund invites you to join us for our annual Celebrate Innovation in Education lunch where we come together as a community to learn about the state of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. This gathering highlights the impactful, innovative educational programs made possible through Endowment support and raises crucial funds to ensure their continued success.
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Rhiannon has lived in Danville for 36 years. Her four children were born and raised here and all attended the SRVUSD: Sycamore Elementary, John Baldwin, Charlotte Wood, and SRVHS. They are all attending college presently.
She has always been and continues to be very involved in SRVUSD. She led the FAME (Famous Artist and Musician) program at John Baldwin, and was a Girl Scout Leader. She served on the Choir and Theater boards at SRVHS. She presently serves on the SRVUSD Steering Committee for Equity and has also served on the Social-Well Being Steering Committee.
She has a Psy.D. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from CIIS, an M.A. in Education (Administrative and Supervision) from SJSU, an M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology and a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University. She holds an active teaching and school psychologist credential. For the last 30+ years, she has worked in Private Practice as a Clinical and Educational Psychologist.
In her spare time, she loves to travel and immersing herself into different cultures. She is a docent for the One-Room Schoolhouse, San Ramon Valley Museum First People’s Program, Forest Home Farm, and the Glass House working with third and fourth graders.
Mimi is an educator with over 25 years of experience, serving learners from Transitional Kindergarten through adulthood. She has worked in New Haven Unified, Castro Valley Unified, San Ramon Valley Unified, Cal State East Bay, and currently serves as Coordinator of Assessment, Research and Evaluation at the Contra Costa County Office of Education.
Mimi earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as her teaching and administrative credentials, from California State University, Hayward—now known as Cal State East Bay.
In San Ramon Valley Unified, Mimi served as a teacher and assistant principal at Windemere Ranch Middle School and as principal of Quail Run Elementary School. Her deep ties to the Dougherty Valley community include raising two children who attended local schools from elementary through high school. As a parent, she actively volunteered in Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, School Site Council, PTSA, Music Boosters, and the Education Fund board.
Although her children have graduated, Mimi remains committed to supporting the San Ramon Valley community through continued involvement with the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF). Outside of work, Mimi enjoys spending time with her children and extended family, crafting, and relaxing at the beach.
Kyle joined the SRVEF Board in 2025. He moved to San Ramon with his family in 1999 and is proud to have attended two San Ramon Valley Unified Schools – Pine Valley Middle School and California High School. While attending Cal High, he served on the San Ramon Teen Council and participated in Scouting, earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
Kyle has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California Riverside; a J.D. from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law; and academic certificates in Human Resources Management, Accounting Principles, and Public Law and Policy. He also holds a certification from the
American Society of Administrative Professionals, and graduated in 2024 from the Leadership San Ramon Valley program. Kyle’s career is in administrative project management, having worked since 2019 for the Castro Valley Sanitary District.
In addition to his service to the SRVEF, Kyle serves on the City of San Ramon Parks and Community Services Commission and is Board Secretary of the San Ramon Library Foundation. He is also
the Chair of the SRVUSD Measure D Facilities Oversight and Advisory Committee.
Public service is Kyle’s passion, and he feels fortunate that he has been able to make it his career and contribute to his community. In his free time, he loves spending time with his family and friends,
reading, cooking, and exploring San Ramon’s many parks, trails, and open spaces. Through his work with SRVEF, Kyle is grateful to have the opportunity to help give back to the school district and
community which helped shape the person that he is today.
Janis has dedicated over 40 years to education. She began her career as a Montessori teacher in Hayward before becoming a kindergarten and first-grade teacher, serving in Hayward and later at Montair Elementary in Danville for 13 years. Janis went on to serve as an elementary vice-principal in Pleasanton, followed by 10 years as principal of Wagner Ranch Elementary in Orinda, where her school earned two California Distinguished School Awards during her tenure.
After retiring from school administration, Janis joined the New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit, where she coached school site administrators, teachers, and new mentors. In this role, she provided strategic support to district and school leaders to deepen their knowledge of early learning. She also led professional development for Pre-K, TK, and kindergarten teachers to strengthen their ability to provide developmentally appropriate, play-based learning experiences. Her facilitation work focused on building intentional, inclusive, and equitable early learning environments.
Currently, Janis supervises preservice teachers through St. Mary’s College during their student teaching placements, often in SRVUSD classrooms. She also works as an independent contractor, delivering professional development for preschool educators, coaches, and administrators. In addition, Janis volunteers at the Thrift Station, which supports the Discovery Center’s mental health outreach programs, benefiting local schools and the broader community.
A 38-year resident of Danville, Janis lives with her husband, Newell Arnerich. Their two children attended Greenbrook Elementary, Charlotte Wood Middle School, and San Ramon Valley High School. Janis earned her teaching credential, an M.A. in Early Childhood Education, and an M.A. in Educational Administration from St. Mary’s College.
Throughout her career, Janis has remained committed to equity, professional learning, and fostering strong learning communities that prepare all children for meaningful, productive lives. She is excited to contribute to the work of the Education Foundation.
Carolyn grew up in Danville and attended John Baldwin, Charlotte Wood, and San Ramon Valley High School. She earned her BS in Human Development at UC Davis, and multiple subject teaching credential at St. Mary’s College. She taught for 33 years in SRVUSD (Kindergarten, First Grade, and Transitional Kindergarten). She retired in 2022 and continues to substitute teach in the district.
Carolyn has 2 sons who attended school K-12 in SRVUSD. Her son Kyle is now a teacher at Pine Valley Middle School, and Dylan is a Firefighter Paramedic with the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.
Carolyn enjoys running, hiking, paddle boarding, and traveling.
Janet has been an educator for more than 35 years teaching special education in a small district in the San Diego area, Oakland Public Schools and the last 25 plus years as a special education teacher and administrator in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Janet taught at Rancho Romero, Country Club Elementary Schools and Monte Vista and California High Schools and served as president of the San Ramon Valley Education Association. Janet became an administrator and served as Assistant Principal at California High and Principal at Venture Independent School and Monte Vista High School. Janet believes in providing all students with the skills and emotional support needed to become successful career and college ready young adults. Janet continues her involvement in education providing support to future and present administrators through several UC Berkeley Leadership Programs in Education. Through her work Janet is able to interact with schools throughout the Bay Area.
Janet has lived in the San Ramon Valley for more than 30 years. Both of her children were fortunate to be able to attend SRVUSD schools, Baldwin, Charlotte Wood and San Ramon Valley. For fun, Janet enjoys her hiking group, pickle ball and most importantly spending time with family and friends. She is looking forward to giving back to the community through her work with the SRVEF.
A Danville resident since 1988, Sherry has experienced first-hand the changing dynamics of the SRVUSD, as a parent of two children who attended John Baldwin, Charlotte Wood and San Ramon Valley High School, a PTA Leader and school volunteer, a Para Professional and an Elementary School Teacher. She has seen how the curriculum and expectations of students have evolved to meet the ever-changing requirements that lead to a successful future. She brings a unique perspective on how the SRVEF can make a significant contribution to the learning environment.
To pursue her passion for education, Sherry received her teaching credential after her youngest child began middle school, and taught first, third and fourth grades at Tassajara Hills Elementary School, retiring after 17 years. She served on the Tassajara Hills School Foundation for seven years as a teacher representative and experienced the targeted impact Foundations can make on local school needs. She also pursued her love of art, by offering after school art enrichment programs for Tassajara Hills students.
Sherry is married to her husband, Bill, and has two children and 4 grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering to support local organizations. She is an accomplished mosaic artist and has traveled throughout the world. Some of her best memories are visiting schools in the Kruger area of South Africa, the Peruvian highlands, and on the Amazon River. She found that children and their educational needs are the same the world over.
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Alec grew up in Berkeley and earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Davis. Alec has 37 years of heavy industrial experience, primarily in the Pulp and Paper sector. Over his career he has held many positions in the industry; process engineer, sales, technical manager, superintendent, customer service manager, and plant manager. Alec is now semi-retired and consults. The Hurds bought their home in San Ramon in 1997 and all three of their children went K-12 in SRVUSD… Country Club, Pine Valley, and California High. Even though his children are grown Alec continues as a Scoutmaster; he enjoys mentoring our youth and watching them grow into capable and ethical adults.
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Christine spent 40 years in education serving her last 15 years as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Service in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. During her tenure in the district she was an active participant and supporter of SRVEF and the Endowment Committee. She retired from the district in December 2013 and joined the SRVEF Board in fall 2016. Being on the board of SRVEF gives her the opportunity to give back to the school community that she worked in for so many years. Working closely with SRVUSD’s dedicated principals and staff, she helped introduce and support many innovative district programs such as the Reading Writing Project, 1:1 Computer Initiative, AVID, Science Initiative, School Loop, and BTSA. She is proud that during her leadership, student achievement results rose every year and nearly all schools were recognized as State Distinguished Schools and/or National Blue Ribbon Schools. Christine is a native of California and a graduate of Cupertino High School. She earned her BS in Elementary Education from University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Masters in Educational Administration from Colorado State University, Ft Collins. She continues to maintain her California teaching and administrative credentials. Christine and her husband Mike reside in Walnut Creek. They have two married daughters and four grandchildren. One of her grandsons attends an SRVUSD school.
Michel has enjoyed a fulfilling career in education and social work for 35+ years and continues this journey today. Over the years as a professional, she has worked with schools, communities, nonprofits and donor groups, including at the Dublin Unified School District, HTA Consulting, and United Way of Greater Los Angeles. These experiences have enriched her perspectives about people, organizations, and what is possible through genuine collaboration. Michel has earned her teaching credential at St. Mary’s College of California, Master’s Degree in Social Work Administration at UCLA, and Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Social Work at CSU Long Beach.
Currently as an educator at Murray Elementary School, Michel spends her day in a combo classroom of inspired 3rd graders. She also serves in leadership roles on-site and within the district. In these capacities, Michel actively engages with improving excellence and equity in education for all students.
Michel has lived with her beautiful family in San Ramon for 25 years. Both of her daughters are graduates of San Ramon schools and continue their lifelong learning journeys in the world of finance and at LMU studying marketing, respectively. Michel reads, gardens, and travels to places near and far for fun.
Jenny is a California native; she and her husband Dave moved to San Ramon in 1999 from San Francisco. Her two daughters graduated from California High School. One graduated from Loyola Marymount University and the other is attending the Royal Veterinary College in London. Jenny graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Finance/Marketing and currently works in Danville at Regalia & Associates, CPAs. She works on audits and taxes for non-profit organizations. Jenny has been involved in SRVUSD schools since her girls started at Country Club Elementary School. She has served on PTA Boards as the Treasurer or Auditor for 12 years at all school levels, for the San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs and the 32nd District PTA, which oversees all of the PTAs in the County. In addition to serving on the PTA, Jenny worked as a substitute teacher for several years in the school district. For fun, Jenny enjoys traveling, biking, hiking and spending time with her family.
Denise grew up in Danville and is a proud alumnus of San Ramon Valley Unified Schools, having attended K-12 within the district. Denise moved back to the valley with her husband, Chad, in 2002, and they currently live in San Ramon. Her oldest son attends the University of Oregon, and her youngest is a junior at California High School.
Denise and her husband have been actively involved in the community and SRVUSD since their sons’ started at Walt Disney Elementary School, having volunteered in classrooms, on the PTA, for the school education funds, on the sports fields, and for the Boy Scouts of America.
Professionally, Denise has more than 20 years of experience working for media, data, and technology companies. She has excelled in, everything from early-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies where she has held a variety of sales and management roles. Denise graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. In her free time, Denise enjoys hiking, traveling, playing the ukulele, karaoke, and spending time with her family.
Lisa volunteered with the San Ramon Valley School District for over twenty years. She was very involved with PTA serving as President at Greenbrook Elementary and San Ramon Valley High School. She also was the founder and President of the Eagle Fund at Greenbrook, The Charger Fund at Charlotte Wood, and the Wolf Fund at San Ramon High School.
Lisa has a passion for education and served as a mentor for ten years for an organization called “College is Real” which helps underserved youth at Richmond High School get into college. For eight years, Lisa served on the Town of Danville’s Parks and Leisure Services Commission and the Town Council serving as liaison to Street Smarts and the San Ramon Valley Unified School District among other committees.
Lisa has an Economics Degree from the University of Notre Dame and completed graduate studies at the University of Colorado-Denver. Lisa and her husband Brad raised their three daughters in Danville and they all attended San Ramon Valley schools.
Today, they have three grandchildren who live in Danville and are beginning their journey through San Ramon Valley schools as well. Their middle daughter, Katie Cummings, is a kindergarten teacher at Greenbrook Elementary School and two of their grandchildren are in T-K at Greenbrook as well. In her leisure time, Lisa loves to travel with her husband in their new Sprinter van, hike, walk around town with their two dogs, and play with their grandchildren!
Vanessa has called San Ramon home since 1992 when she moved to the USA from her native Peru. She is a longtime local volunteer and education advocate. Vanessa has served as president of the San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs (Parent Teacher Association) — the largest PTA in Northern California. When her two-year presidency ended in 2015, she took a position on the council’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Her work in the community includes supporting the City of San Ramon by hosting a Multicultural Festival during the 15th annual Art in the Park, and most recently as chair of the city-wide Culture in the Community Celebration for the City of San Ramon 150th anniversary. She is a graduate of the Leadership San Ramon Valley program, class of 2016. Vanessa has more than two decades of managerial experience in the private sector and has held fundraising positions at all school levels. As an immigrant, she has a special affinity for outreach and inclusion of families from diverse cultures and backgrounds in the San Ramon Valley community. She and her husband have a daughter who attends the University of Redlands and a son who is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara. Vanessa graduated from the Instituto San Ignacio de Loyola in San Isidro, Peru with a degree in Computer Analysis and Programming. She joined the SRVEF board in August of 2017.
Leslie is a product of the San Ramon Valley USD and grew up in the Alamo area. She has been a teacher, a principal, and district office administrator serving five districts in the bay area throughout her 40 years in education. Twenty (20) of those years were spent in the San Ramon Valley USD as principal and Senior Director of Educational Services. She retired from Castro Valley USD as Assistant Superintendent in 2014. She joined the SRVEF board in August 2017and is dedicated to supporting the education of students, the staff that provides that education and the parents who are partners in the educational process. In her tenure in San Ramon she helped lead the initiatives in curriculum, assessment and the redesign of special education communication and protocols. Leslie graduated from UC Santa Barbara in English and Social Sciences , received her teaching credential from St. Mary’s College and her Masters (B.S.) in School Leadership from Cal State University Hayward (Cal State East Bay). She currently is an Education Consultant who does statewide Professional Development for School Leadership Coaches and she is a Senior Associate with Lead Learner Associates. Leslie resides with her husband, who also attended San Ramon schools, in Alamo.
Gary joined the SRVEF Board in 2016 and is currently President of the Board of Directors.
Gary and his wife, Cindy, moved to San Ramon in 1986 from Southern California. They have two children who attended Bollinger Canyon Elementary, Iron Horse Middle, and California High School. Both then attended UC Davis. His daughter is currently a teacher in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and his son works for Deloitte Consulting. While his children were at California High School, Gary served as Vice President for one year and President for five years of Cal High’s Academic Boosters prior to Cal High becoming an affiliate of the SRVEF.
Gary has been a long-time supporter, participant, and volunteer for the Run for Education and is currently chairing the registration committee. In addition to his service to the SRVEF, he serves on the San Ramon Planning Commission and is Vice-President of the San Ramon Arts Foundation. He previously chaired San Ramon’s Economic Development Advisory Committee and co-chaired San Ramon’s 150th Anniversary Celebration in 2017.
Gary has a BA in Economics from the University of California San Diego, an MBA from Cal State Fullerton, an MS in Telecommunications Management from Golden Gate University and is a certified Project Manager. Gary is a 2015 graduate of Leadership San Ramon Valley. Gary worked for AT&T for 35 years, holding various management positions in Information Technology, Call Center Operations, Network and Customer Care.
Gary and Cindy both consider San Diego home, but now consider themselves Northern California transplants and have no desire to leave San Ramon. In their spare time, they enjoy spending time with family, including their grandson, Auggie.
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