PHS Friday Letter

RALPH LANE is the father of Sophie (Class of 2008) and Levon (Class of 2015). Ralph was born and raised in San Francisco. After attending law school on the East Coast, he was admitted to the California state bar in 1989 and worked as a criminal defense lawyer. When his eldest child was born he stopped practicing law in order to become a stay-at-home dad. While raising his children, Ralph has worked in and served on the board of community non-profits like Other Avenues Community Food Store, Sunset Co-op Nursery School, Sunset Youth Services' Food Pantry, Youth Yoga Dharma, and the Income Rights Project. A judge in the Sunset neighbor-hood Community Court, he is always relieved when the defendant appearing before him turns out not to be one of his own children

BOB POWELL is the father of Todd, a PHS Class of 2004 graduate now attending the Urban School of San Francisco. Bob joined the board as a community member in 2004 and serves on the Development Committee. Bob is a former member of the Board of Directors of Pacific Primary School and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Urban School, on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Girls Chorus, on the Board of Directors of the City Lacrosse Club in San Francisco, and on the Vestry of St. Francis Episcopal Church. He received a BS from the George Washington University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Bob became a fee-based financial planner and investment advisor after retiring as a senior executive from Visa in 2000.

ANNE REGENSTEIN is the mother of Talia (Class of 2011) and Jacob (Class of 2009). She has co-chaired the Development Committee and has also been a room parent. Anne served on the Board of Directors of Pacific Primary for three years, chairing the Committees on Communications and Alumni Relations. For three years she coordinated the production of that school's annual newsletter and their Book Fair. Anne is a perinatologist (high risk obstetrician) at Kaiser Permanente. She received her degrees from Brown University and the Yale School of Medicine.

HELLE RYTKØNEN is the mother of Mika (Class of 2116) and Teresa (Class of 2010). Helle is a native Dane and came to the US as an exchange student at UC Berkeley 15 years ago. After two years at Berkeley, Helle went to Stanford University and earned a Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature in 2002. She has taught Cultural Anthropology and Rhetoric at Stanford for several years. For (what at the time seemed like way too) many years, Helle worked and served as committee chair of various committees at the Telegraph Hill Cooperative Nursery School where Mika and Teresa went to pre-school. She has also served on numerous committees at PHS, including as the co-chair of the diversity committee and the May Fest.

MANOLO SANTANA is the father of Alejandro (Class of 2010) and Daniel (Class of 2016). Born in Cuba, Manolo is a producer and attorney who has garnered a respected reputation for his work in the music industry since 1990. From his ground-breaking work in Havana with some of Cuba's most important artists, to multiple Grammy-award-winning artist Carlos Santana and other internationally renowned performers, Manolo has been at the helm of some of the most exciting and innovative productions to date. During the mid-1990s, he also acted as co-creator and chief developer of Star Media Broadband, the first streaming media company to reach the Latin American market. A dedicated father and husband, devoted PHS community member and avid sports and computer enthusiast, Manolo is an independent consultant specializing in streaming media, multimedia production and entertainment law. Manolo and his family have been active at PHS since coming to the school in kindergarten.  Manolo has volunteered on admissions tours, and has regularly assisted in drop-off. His wife, Rebecca Mauleon, a professional musician, has also been active at the school, teaching after-school drumming classes, performing at benefits, and working as a musician in classrooms.

 
JONINNA SIMPSON is the mother of Alyssa ‘02, Danielle ‘04, and Maddy ’06. During her tenure at PHS, she has served as Board President, Vice-President and Treasurer, has been on the Finance, Compensation, Director Search, and Diversity Committees, and has chaired a variety of annual school events. Currently, she serves on the Development Committee. Outside of Presidio Hill, she provides business and financial management services to nonprofits and small businesses, in addition to volunteering at Congregation Beth Sholom and Lick-Wilmerding High School. 

BRIAN THOMAS is the Director at Presidio Hill School. He graduated from Yale in 1984 and received his Master’s Degree in Education from Portland State University in 2003. Brian began his career in education as a studio teacher on the set of The Cosby Show, working with Cosby kids Malcolm Jamal Warner and Tempestt Bledsoe. Before (and during) his early days in education Brian worked as an actor in regional theaters and off-Broadway and then in Hollywood. Brian has worked mainly in the Independent School world over his 17-year career, including at the Family School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at the Marlborough School, Oak Hill School, the North Hills Preparatory School in the Los Angeles Basin, as well as at Marin Academy in San Rafael. He was most recently the high school developer and principal at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. Brian has written frequently about educational and parenting issues, as well as about his time growing up in Chicago as the son of the son of the folks who made the great Migration North. Brian is married to Jaime Thomas, and they have two children, Eian (5th Grade) and Olivia (3rd Grade).

MANUEL TORRES is the father of Kyo (Class of 2016). Manuel was born in Nicaragua, raised in California, and has lived in Hong Kong, Tokyo (where he meet his wife, Misako), Beijing, Malaysia, and Costa Rica.  Manuel currently commutes between San Francisco and Costa Rica, where he develops luxury real estate harmonious with the pristine local environment. Prior to that, Manuel worked for many years as a marketing and business development director at Intel Corporation, where he led various marketing and business development activities in more than 25 countries. Manuel and his family are enthusiastic new parents to PHS, and he hopes to further the school's efforts in marketing and business planning. 

TINEKE TRIGGS is the mother of Ryan (Class of 2015), and Jaden, age 5. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara as a Mathematical Sciences major, Tineke worked as an analyst for Robertson Stephens Investment Banking for two years before moving into sales. She then moved to the Midwest to start a sales position with Linotype Corp. She was the first female rep. to become number one in the nation. After four years she went to work for high-tech firm Silicon Graphics, Cisco Systems and finally at Inktomi Corp. At Inktomi Corp. Tineke was extremely successful, becoming the top salesperson for each of the six years she worked there. 

After the financial success of her years at Inktomi, and with the birth of her second child, Tineke decided to shift careers and follow her dreams of becoming a designer. In September of 2003 she started the residential design firm, Artistic Designs for Living. The company currently has two employees, in addition to Tineke, and specializes in kitchen and bath remodeling projects in San Francisco, the Peninsula and southern Marin. Tineke’s work has been published in many national magazine including California Homes and Designs, Better Homes and Gardens, as well as Western Interiors. Tineke's passions are her two boys, interpretive dance (S-Factor, Nia), horses, tennis, and art. 

CHRISTOPHER WARNER is PHS’ 5th grade teacher. He serves on the Finance Committee and admissions committees. His interests include travel, outdoor activities, running & exercise, writing, and filmmaking.

AUDREY YEE is the mom of Sam Steiner (Class of 2015) and serves as secretary of the board’s executive committee as well as chair of the development committee, in addition to being a room parent. A fifth generation Californian on both sides of her family, Audrey graduated from U.C. Berkeley and Boston College Law School and practiced estate planning, tax law and charitable gift planning for several years, during which time she met her husband Mike. After stints with the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and Save-the-Redwoods League, Audrey now works for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in Fort Mason, where she, among other things, manages the planned giving program for the organization. Audrey has served on several nonprofit boards and executive committees. Audrey, Mike and Sam enjoy travel, hiking, reading, games, sports and visiting with grandparents and cousins. 

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October 26, 2007

From the Board 10-26-2007

Dear PHS Community,

In an effort to keep the community informed about its work this year, the Board of Trustees will be including periodic reports in the Friday letter.  This is the first of those.

It is an oft-quoted adage that the work of a Board should occur at 30,000 feet, where one has the appropriate perspective to make decisions with a vision for the future.  Our Board is carefully planning our trip to this altitude by laying out our goals for this year.  Getting to this altitude is not a simple task; it takes preparation. We must utilize, but not exhaust, the talent and time of our members. We also must do the “ground” work that takes place every year such as preparing the budget, fundraising, and recruiting new Board members.  As you read the Board goals for this year, please do keep in mind that they reflect work on many different levels - both the nuts and bolts work and the vision or high altitude work.

2007–2008 Board Goals:

1.    Clarify governance and decision making roles in an effort to follow best practices of schools;
2.    Improve communication among all the constituents at the school;
3.    Improve feedback, support and assessment of Head;
4.    Continue with responsible short and long term financial planning;
5.    Support the school’s efforts for its 90th anniversary planning;
6.    Nurture an inclusive and diverse community;
7.    Plan for strategic plan work in 2008-2009 during the March retreat;
8.    Work on Board development (ongoing education of our Board members).

In the coming months, the board hopes to develop a format through which members of the community can learn more about our work, and discuss with us their interests and concerns.  In the meantime, if you have questions about our work, you are welcome to contact any one of us.  A list of Trustees can be found in this Friday Letter and can always be accessed from the Friday Letter page by clicking on the heading ‘from the board’ in the sidebar.  Watch for bios of all the current board members in an upcoming Friday Letter.

Respectfully,
Anne Regenstein on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees

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2007-2008 PHS Board Members

2007–2008 PHS Board Members

SUSAN ANDREWS (Community member)
JILL CHASE (Parent)
KEVIN COLOSIMO  (Parent)
DARLENE FONG (Parent)
JENNIFER FRANKLIN (Teacher)
CATHERINE M. GORMLEY (Community member)
LISA HONIG (Parent; Board Treasurer)
NOEL KAUFMAN (Parent; Board Vice President)
RALPH LANE (Parent)
BOB POWELL (Community member)
ANNE REGENSTEIN (Parent; Board President)
HELLE RYTKØNEN (Parent)
MANOLO SANTANA (Parent)
JONINNA SIMPSON (Community member)
BRIAN THOMAS (Parent; Director)
MANUEL TORRES (Parent)
TINEKE TRIGGS (Parent)
CHRISTOPHER WARNER (Teacher)
AUDREY YEE (Parent; Board Secretary)

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September 22, 2006

From the board 09-22-06

Board Bios and Photos

PRESIDIO HILL SCHOOL
BOARD OF TRUSTEES  

2006 - 2007

SUSAN ANDREWS was the Director of Presidio Hill School from 1980 to 1996, and has a masters degree in Education. She joined the PHS board as a community member in 2000. During her tenure the Middle School was re-established, the school grew to its current size, and accreditation was gained from the California Association of Independent Schools. Prior to joining the PHS community, Susan was the founding director of The Playgroup,
a preschool in Inverness, and a head teacher and supervisor at Cross Cultural Family Center in San Francisco. Her son Matthew attended PHS from 5th to 8th grade. He is now married and the father of future PHS student (hopefully) Marco Mondini. Since graduating from PHS, Susan has survived non-Hodgkins lymphoma, served as interim director of the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, and helped found the Oak Hill School in Marin. She serves on the boards of the Eva Gunther Foundation and the Chez Panisse Foundation, and is vice president of the family business, Buddy Rhodes Concrete Products

 
LOUISE BONHAM is the mother of Christopher in 7th grade.  This is her fifth year on the board and currently serves as co-chair of the trustees committee.  She originated Soup Day, a staff appreciation weekly soup menu, during the winter in 2001 and continued to coordinate it for five years.  This year she is excited to bring the PHS Cookbook, (What San Francisco Families Eat!) to fruition  with publication in 2006-07.  Her first two years at the school were spent on the Building Committee.  She has served on the Development Committee and the Diversity Committee.  She has a varied background: she is an actor, food reviewer, and professional cook.

NELL BRANCO is an alumna of S.F. University High School, went on to Harvard University and received her graduate degrees from the School of Public Health and the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. She has worked to address health issues of Native Americans and teens both in New Mexico and in the Bay Area.  Five years ago, she began teaching Teen Health Issues and Peer Education classes to high school students at University High School and is now teaching at the Branson School in Marin. She has three children including a 6 year old attending 1st grade in the Ross Valley School District.

JILL CHASE has been a parent at Presidio Hill School since 1995.  She has an older son, Keil, who graduated from PHS last year, and her younger son, Trey, started kindergarten in the fall of 2005.  She has worked on the Development Committee for six years (co-chairing for 2 years), and has worked on the Annual Fund campaign for 4 years (co-chairing for 2 years). and has co-chaired that committee for a two year term.  Additionally, she has been a room parent for many years and enjoys being a part of the Parent Association.  Away from PHS, she is a small animal veterinarian.  She has been in practice for 20 years—self-employed for the past fourteen years-- working full-time, and she is honored to care for many PHS families’ and staffs’ wonderful pets.

KEVIN COLOSIMO is the father of Sofia in the 4th grade.  He has worked on the Development Committee and co-chaired the Annual Fund campaign for the last three years.  Kevin has also coached the girls' basketball team in his daughter's class for the last 2 years, during which time his appreciation for the way PHS staff work with our children has grown even stronger.  Outside of PHS, Kevin works for Oracle as a Senior Director in product marketing and management in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications group.  In past lives, Kevin worked in product marketing for an electronic information publishing company and was co-founder of a new media company. Prior to that, he was a management and technology consultant with Accenture.  Kevin holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of California at Davis.   

DARLENE FONG is the mother of Reese, 4th grade and Deanna (Pinky) 1st.  She has been an active member of the Development Committee, working on many events, and particularly AFKS, Walkathon, Parent Association and morning curbside.  She has been a room parent and uses her training and expertise in graphic design and project planning for many PHS events.  Her first project upon entering PHS was helping design the Opening Events ceremony welcoming back the community into the newly rebuilt building and set design for the Auctions, AFKS, and Lunar New Year for the past 4 years. 

ELLEN FRIEDMAN is the parent of Lucy (eighth  grade) and Jacob Blumberg (class of 2004).  Ellen has been involved in the PHS community since Jacob began kindergarten in 1996. She has worked on development efforts at the school, serving on the Development Committee, and co-chairing that committee from 1998-99.  She has participated on the Capital Campaign Coordinating Committee since its inception, and co-chaired the Strategic Planning Committee from 2003 to 2004.  Last year, Ellen co-led the Director Search Committee with Catherine Gormley. She has served on numerous Boards of nonprofit organizations and currently serves on the board of the Family Violence Prevention Fund and as a member of the New Field Foundation Board of Directors, an organization dedicated to the strengthening the leadership of women in Africa. She is vice president of the Tides Foundation and Tides Center and holds an MBA from UCLA.

CATHERINE M. GORMLEY is the parent of Maggie and Allison Silver, graduates of PHS in 2004 and 1999. Catherine’s family has been part of the PHS community for the last 16 years.  Catherine served a prior term on the board from 1995-1998 and during that term helped to revise the school’s bylaws and develop the first board self-evaluation process.  Since that time, she has provided legal consultation to the school, helped finalize the school’s temporary site lease with the Presidio Trust, participated in completing the construction contract for the building project, and acted as legal counsel to the school in obtaining bond financing for the building project.  In 2004, Catherine received the PHS Volunteer of the Year Award.  She has been a community board member since the 2004-2005 year.  Last year Catherine served along with Ellen Friedman as co-chair of the Search Committee.  This year she will participate as a member of the Director Review Committee.   Initially trained as a medievalist, Catherine received her law degree in 1983.  She has been practicing general business and employment law for the last twenty years, and has experience in the formation and maintenance of nonprofit organizations and corporate governance. 

SUSAN GREEN - Treasurer.  Sue is in her seventh year on the board. She serves on the Executive and Finance Committees, and previously co-chaired the Development Committee and Capital Campaign Sub-committee. Sue has two children at PHS, Sarah Thompson in 8th grade and Andy Thompson in 6th grade. She is Director of Finance at Working Assets, a socially responsible consumer products company that supports progressive social and political causes. Prior to that she was a consultant to socially responsible businesses. She has an MBA from UC Berkeley.

LYNN HENLEY is a CPA with Hood & Strong, LLP.  She works primarily with tax-exempt organizations providing consulting and compliance services.  Lynn is actively involved with the American Red Cross Bay Area, serving as Chair of the ARCBA Planned Giving Advisory Board and Chair of the San Mateo Disaster Assistance Team.  She is a member of the California Society of CPA's and serves on their membership committee.  Lynn received a B.A. from UC Berkeley in English Literature and an M.S. in Taxation from SFSU.

LISA HONIG has a daughter, Isabel, who is in the fourth grade.  She is currently a weaver.  She was an employment lawyer for 15 years, representing employees in race, sex, sexual orientation and disability discrimination cases.  She has served on numerous Boards of Directors, including multiple terms on the Board of the ACLU of Northern California, where she was the treasurer and is currently a member of the Finance Committee and Executive Committee.  She also has an extensive background in development and other work with non-profit organizations.

JOSEFINA JACQUIN is both a parent and teacher at Presidio Hill. Her son, Felipe, graduated from PHS in 2005, and her younger son, Sebastian is in the 6th grade. This is will be her 8th year teaching at PHS both Spanish and Art. She joined the board in 2006 and will be working on the Strategic Plan. Josefina received a B.A. from SFSU in Fine Arts and an M.F.A. in Printmaking at San Francisco Art Institute.

NOEL KAUFMAN and Nicole Grindle are parents of Gabriel in 6th grade and Stella in 3rd grade. Noel is a partner at Straight Line Editorial Development, a developer of educational content for K-12 classrooms, including textbooks and electronic- and web-based materials, with a primary focus on reading, language arts, and social studies. He has more than 15 years experience as a writer and editor of educational materials. His volunteer efforts at PHS have included work on the board’s strategic planning, director search, and trustees committees, as well as work related to the development of the parents association, for which he is ad hoc liaison to the board. 

CARL KLOMPUS is the father of two PHS graduates, Hannah (2000) and Maisie (2004). This is his second year as a community board member.  As a parent board member for 6 years, he served on the Development Committee and Capital Campaign Sub-committee, as well as the Executive Committee. He is Director of Vendor Management for the University of California’s Human Resources and Benefits department.

NANCY KOCH has a daughter, Kailin Koch, who is in the eighth  grade.  This is her  sixth  year on the PHS Board. Professionally, Nancy is a Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc.  Nancy has served on several boards including the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Bay Area Non-Partisan Alliance.  She has been involved in long range planning projects and in fund raising activities for these volunteer organizations.   Nancy co-chaired the PHS Strategic Planning Committee during 2003/2004.

RALPH LANE is the father of Sophie, 7 and Levon, K.  Ralph was born and raised in San Francisco.  After attending law school on the East Coast, he was admitted to the California state bar in 1989 and worked as a criminal defense lawyer.  When his eldest child was born he stopped practicing law in order to become a stay-at-home dad.  While raising his children, Ralph has worked in and served on the board of community non-profits like Other Avenues Community Food Store, Sunset Co-op Nursery School, Sunset Youth Services' Food Pantry, Youth Yoga Dharma, and the Income Rights Project.  A judge in the Sunset neighbor-hood Community Court, he is always relieved when the defendant appearing before him turns out not to be one of his own children

MAX PERR currently serves on the Board and the Executive Committee of Congregation Beth Sholom and the Operating Committee and Board of the Lighthouse for the Blind. He has served on the boards of the Presidio Heights Association of Neighbors, the Jewish Vocational Services, and the Wharton Alumni Club.  Most recently Max was an executive at Charles Schwab, holding positions in marketing and strategic planning.  He retired in 2001 due to his degenerating vision. He has a BS from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He looks forward to his daughter Eliana progressing from third grade to her PhD (Presidio Hill Degree).

BOB POWELL is the father of Todd, a PHS Class of 2004 graduate now attending the Urban School of San Francisco.  Bob joined the board as a community member in 2004 and serves on the Development Committee.  Bob is a former member of the Board of Directors of Pacific Primary School and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Urban School, on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Girls Chorus, on the Board of Directors of the City Lacrosse Club in San Francisco, and on the Vestry of St. Francis Episcopal Church.  He received a BS from the George Washington University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  Bob became a fee-based financial planner and investment advisor after retiring as a senior executive from Visa in 2000.

ANNE REGENSTEIN is the mother of Talia in fourth grade and Jacob in sixth grade. She is currently co-chair of the Development Committee and has been active on that committee for the past five years. She has also been a room parent.  Anne served on the Board of Directors of Pacific Primary for three years, chairing the Committees on Communications and Alumni Relations.  For three years she coordinated the production of the that school's  annual newsletter and their  Book Fair. Anne is a perinatologist (high risk obstetrician) at Kaiser Permanente.  She received her degrees from Brown University and the Yale School of Medicine.

LIZ SCHAFFER is a trainer and consultant, working with nonprofit organizations to enhance their decision-making ability by improving the quality of their financial data and analysis. Her daughter Allison is in eighth grade at PHS.  For the past six years, she has served on the PHS Finance Committee, the Committee for Equity and Multiculturalism, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Alternative Tuition Subcommittee. This year, Liz will chair the board. She also serves on the board of Equal Rights Advocates.

BOB SCOTT -   Bob is one of sixth-grader Kell’s two fathers.  He is a psychiatrist in private practice, and an organizational consultant and educator on matters of psychiatric disability.  He has been a task force, committee, and board member within local and national medical societies, including a regional association of gay and lesbian physicians.  Bob is on the Trustee Committee this year, and in past has served on the Executive Committee and the Director Search Committee.  He has been an officer of the board, serving as Vice President and Secretary.

JONINNA SIMPSON  - Joninna is the mother of Alyssa ‘02, Danielle ‘04, and Maddy ’06 and can’t believe she is not a PHS current parent anymore.  She is on the Executive Committee and the Development Committee.  During her tenure at PHS, she has served as Board President, Vice-President and Treasurer, has been on the Finance, Compensation, Director Search, and Diversity Committees, and has chaired a variety of annual school events. Outside of Presidio Hill, she provides business and financial management services to nonprofits and small businesses, in addition to volunteering at Congregation Beth Sholom and Lick-Wilmerding High School. 

SUMATI SHARAN STEWART has been a Presidio Hill School parent for five years. She is the mother of Nichil in fifth grade and Brij in second grade.  Sumati was a co-founder of Images in Light, a web design and development company. She is presently working as E-commerce Business Development Manager for USinternetworking. In the past five years, Sumati has been a member of the Development Committee and solicited corporate donations for the Auction. Sumati has assisted admissions by participating in Open Houses at school and outside events and talking to prospective parents. She has also been soccer team parent and room parent for her sons’ classes.

BRIAN THOMAS  is the new Director at Presidio Hill School. He graduated from Yale in 1984 and received his Master’s Degree in Education from Portland State University in 2003. Brian began his career in education as a studio teacher on the set of The Cosby Show, working with Cosby kids Malcom Jamal Warner and Tempestt Bledsoe. Before (and during) his early days in education Brian worked as an actor in regional theaters and off-Broadway and then in Hollywood. Brian has worked mainly in the Independent School world over his 17 year career, including at the Family School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at the Marlborough School, Oak Hill School, the North Hills Preparatory School in the Los Angeles Basin, as well as at Marin Academy in San Rafael. He was most recently the high school developer and principal at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. Brian has written frequently about educational and parenting issues, as well as about his time growing up in Chicago as the son of the son of the folks who made the great Migration North. Brian is married to Jaime Thomas, and they have two children, Eian (5th Grade) and Olivia (3rd Grade).

CHRISTOPHER WARNER -  Christopher is PHS’ 5th grade teacher. He serves on the Finance Committee, the Advancement Team, the Technology Committee, admissions committees, and as the co-coordinator of lower school assemblies. His interests include travel, outdoor activities, running & exercise, writing, and filmmaking

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September 19, 2006

From the board 09-19-06

Please join us for the Fall Corporation Meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 from 6:30–8:30 PM.

6:30–7:30 PM   Business Meeting

7:30–8:30 PM   Classroom Visits

Please click here for a printable pdf of the executive summary of the bylaws. 

Please click here for a printable pdf of the revised bylaws (these will be voted on at the meeting). 

Please click here for a printable pdf of the board biographies. 

We look forward to seeing you Wednesday, September 27, 2006 for the Fall Corporation Meeting. 

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June 16, 2006

From the board 06-16-06

June 16, 2006

Dear PHS Parents and Friends,

With the summer fog layer taking up residence over 3839 Washington Street, the 2005-06 school year has come to a close. The board wants to take this opportunity to share with the community our reflections on the major themes, events, and accomplishments of the year as well as to our vision of the board agenda in the year to come.

Carey Davis
This year has been one of much emotion within the community with the tragic loss of our beloved director Carey Davis in the winter. Our mourning and healing process continues as we share our fond memories of Carey as well as her many contributions to our community. This past month the board put the finishing touches on policies regarding the Carey Davis Fund for Professional Development, a fund started in her honor devoted to providing faculty and staff with resources and opportunities to deepen their professional knowledge and experiences. In this inaugural year, the fund collected $90,000 for this purpose.

Ann Meissner and the Staff
We wish to offer our heartfelt thanks to the staff for the tremendous job they have done this year. We send a special thanks to Ann Meissner for her tireless efforts on behalf of the school. This has been a year of many challenges, and Ann has handled them with skill and grace. In particular, we would like to recognize her for the thoughtful way in which she has guided the staff, nurturing the growth of the program while remaining ever faithful to the core values that make Presidio Hill a unique institution. As Board President Joninna Simpson recently put it, “Ann has served as the steady and trusted leader that (this community) has needed.”

Brian Thomas
In many ways the most important job of the board is to hire and support the director. This year we engaged in a very successful process that has resulted in the hiring of Brian Thomas, most recently the director and high school principal of Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas. Though Brian’s official start date is July 1, he has already been very much on the job since he was offered the position. Brian has visited the school several times to get to know the community better and has been hard at work in conjunction with the board’s transition/director review committee to assess the school’s needs and craft a long-term vision as well as a strategy for his first year. The board is working closely with Brian to ensure his efficient and effective transition into the community.

As part of this transitional process, the board joins Brian in recommending that everyone in the community read Respect: An Exploration, by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, with the intention of engaging in discussions about its contents in the fall. Brian’s hope, shared by the board, is that this conversation will ground our community in a shared way of being and working together. A few copies of the book will be available for borrowing in the school lobby.

Strategic Planning
Enclosed with this mailing is a copy of the 2004-2008 Strategic Plan. The plan has been a part of the board’s agenda since it was approved at the end of the last school year. Board committees and school staff have worked diligently on many of the implementation steps outlined in the plan. With the changes in school leadership over the past few years, one major cornerstone of the plan—developing a fundraising campaign to support teacher excellence—has been in transition as well. The board will be working with Brian to figure out the best ways to incorporate this goal within the context of our shared vision for the school’s future.

Financial Health
Another primary function of the board is to ensure the school's financial health and stability. In this area, the board's finance committee works closely with the business office to develop the annual budget and ensure that we manage within the budget throughout the year. At year's end, the school is in better financial shape than planned, due to higher than budgeted enrollment and revenue from investments, as well as effective cost control. As a result, we’ll end the year with a smaller deficit than budgeted. We’ll also end the year with the healthiest cash reserve in the school’s history.

Another major finance-related achievement this year was raising the enrollment cap. The finance committee worked through the city's planning process to successfully achieve our goal of raising the cap to 200 students. This will free the school to increase enrollment again next year and plan for full enrollment within the next few years. Financial challenges remain, but with healthy cash reserves and talented, new staff leadership, the board is now focused on investing in the growth of our fundraising capabilities to ensure continuing improvements in the school’s financial health and the achievement of our strategic goals.

Board Leadership
Finally, the board has elected a slate of new leaders for the coming year, who will serve as the executive committee charged with setting the board’s agenda. We are pleased to announce that Liz Schaffer has agreed to serve as the new board chair for the upcoming year. Liz is already deeply involved in the process of supporting Brian as well as planning the board’s work. With the arrival of new leadership, we want to offer our deepest thanks to Joninna Simpson and the other members of this year’s executive committee, who have worked with Ann to make the school year so successful. We are happy to report that next year Joninna will continue to provide leadership support and perspective as an ex-officio member of the board.

The coming year is filled with much promise accompanying the arrival of our new leader Brian Thomas. We look forward to working with him and the community to build on the great program already in place as we head towards our 90th anniversary and beyond. We also look forward to seeing you all at the fall gathering on September 10th and the fall corporation meeting on September 27th.

Until then, we hope you and your children have a wonderful summer filled with the right mix of sun and fog.

Sincerely,

The Executive Committee of the Board

2005-06
Joninna Simpson, President
Bob Scott, Vice President
Sue Green, Treasurer
Louise Bonham, Secretary
Catherine Gormley, ad hoc member
Noel Kaufman, ad hoc member   

2006-07
Liz Schaffer, President
Lisa Honig, Vice President
Anne Regenstein, Vice President
Sue Green, Treasurer
Noel Kaufman, Secretary
Joninna Simpson, ad hoc member

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February 03, 2006

From the board 2-03-06

Dear Presidio Hill Families,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce that the board unanimously accepted the recommendation of the search committee to hire Brian Thomas to become the Director of our school. We are still finalizing the contract with Brian, but we expect him to start on July 1, 2006. It was an extensive search process. The search committee reviewed over 60 resumes, interviewed 8 people, and unanimously recommended Brian to the Board of Directors. In all the written feedback from the PHS community of teachers, staff, board, parents, and students, there was across the board endorsement of Brian as our new head.

Brian brings to PHS a strong grounding in progressive education, having been a teacher and administrator at Marin Academy, Catlin Gable School, and the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, where most recently he served as principal of the high school. In addition to his strong background as an educator and an exciting vision of progressive education that is a great fit for Presidio Hill, Brian brings experience in and a commitment to diversity and multiculturalism, development, and fiscal responsibility. He loves children, has a warm and engaging presence, and comes with universally strong support from his peers, mentors, and colleagues.

It has been a challenging period for PHS these past three years, and we are grateful to the staff, board, and other members of our community who have helped us embrace those challenges. We are especially thankful to Ann Meissner who has directed the school over the last two years, who has led us through the initial stages of implementing our strategic plan, has increased our enrollment cap, and throughout has kept us all focused on maintaining a strong and rich educational program for our children.

Brian’s enthusiasm for Presidio Hill is contagious, and we are eagerly looking forward to his leadership, to building on the strengths of our community, to fulfilling the goals of our strategic plan, and to moving into the future with a renewed vision and commitment to our mission.

Sincerely,

Joninna S. Simpson
President, Board of Trustees

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