2011-12 Board of Trustees

RDS Parent
Education: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, San Francisco State University; M.B.A., The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Employment: CEO of Centrro Inc. and Advisor to The African Network (TAN). Former consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, and CEO of various high-tech startups.
Other RDS Involvement: Member, Strategic Planning Committee; Member, Finance Committee
Statement: The first time we visited RDS, we recognized it as a special place. It is within this environment that we felt our daughter would be successful and thrive. I joined the Board to contribute where possible and to assist in realizing the vision of a high school, where we can continue to engage, prepare, and inspire children.

RDS Parent and Alumni Parent
Education: A.B, Psychology, Stanford University; M.B.A., University of Southern California
Employment: Retired in October 2005 from Deloitte after 24 years as: a CPA (4 years), Recruiter (10+), HR Manager and Director (12+), and Tax Administrative Director (3+) in the San Francisco/Northern California practice and spent the 5 years prior to retirement as Senior HR manager working for the national tax practice from the San Francisco office
Other RDS Involvement: RDSPA President 2006-07, Vice President 2005-06, Treasurer 2003-05. Former Library Committee Chairperson and room parent. Admissions tour guide. Crab Feed chair. Member of Trustees and Diversity committees of the Board of Trustees.
Statement: RDS has been an important part of my family's life for over nine years, as my three sons have learned, grown, and thrived on its campus. Needless to say, RDS has changed and grown tremendously during this time. As past PA President, I had the wonderful opportunity as an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees to gain more perspective about RDS and to glimpse its future. It's a special place with special people and an exciting future. I am very fortunate to be a part of the RDS community.

RDS Parent
Education: B.A., University of Missouri
Employment: President/CEO of Horizon Beverage Company
Other RDS Involvement: Chair, Strategic Planning Committee; High School Site Committee
Statement: I believe that my charge, in service to the Board, is to be a constant reminder for the Board, staff, and RDS in general to stay vigilant to the “diversity” reference in our Mission Statement.

RDS Parent
Education: B.S., Computer Science, Loyola Marymount University
Employment: Director and Treasurer for WineInStyle. Private Investor. Former Managing Director at Barclays Global Investors (BGI) and Chief Investment Officer for the U.S. Global Index and Markets Group.
Other RDS Involvement: Finance Committee; Chair, Audit Sub-Committee
Statement:  We have been part of the Redwood Day School community for over ten years, and it has been wonderful watching our children thrive and develop within this special environment that RDS creates. I am excited and honored to be of service to the School as a member of the Board of Trustees at this critical juncture in the history of the School.

RDS Alumna and Parent
Education: B.S., Business Administration, University of California at Berkeley
Employment: Director of Neighborhood Development & Communications, Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Former Assistant Director for East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation with primary oversight for Real Estate Development and Asset Management, and Managing Director for Chinatown Community Development Center

Statement: "I have been an active volunteer at all levels of RDS over the past eight years, from classroom to PA (now PGA) President and now the Board of Trustees. As PA President, I had an opportunity to participate in the higher-level discussions and feel that RDS is at a strategic and exciting juncture as we are examine our mission and Diversity and Strategic Plans that I would like to continue to contribute to. I hope I can add value with my experience as a parent/ volunteer, an Oakland native, and someone who has an understanding of community building and diversity."

RDS Parent
Education: B.A., History, University of Virginia; M.B.A., Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
Employment: Chief Marketing Officer, Lithium Technologies Social Networking Solutions; Former Executive Vice President of Marketing for ServiceSource and Vice President of E-commerce at Intraware. Previous work in corporate finance at Bank of America, in a technology group focused on funding emerging companies.
Other RDS Involvement: Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
Statement: I am motivated to grow things that I believe in. And RDS is something that I strongly believe in. It’s the right school for my kids and it’s the right school for my family, but more importantly, it has an inspiring vision for how to take a step forward in education. Because of these things, I want to help in strategically growing RDS—its vision, its influence, its reach, its physical footprint, and its overall success.

Education: B.S.E., Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University; M.S., Engineering - Economic Systems, Stanford University.
Employment: Vice President of Finance and Product Strategy, SunRun Inc., the leading provider of residential solar financing in the US. Previously co-founder and CFO of Mile Rock Partners, an alternative investment firm focused on equity and structured finance. Also held senior management positions in finance, product management, marketing and business strategy at Nuance Communications, OnLive! Technologies, HJ Heinz, Oracle, Apple, and Bain.
RDS Involvement: Classroom activities, Capital Campaign Committee
Statement: My family has been part of the RDS community for more than three years, and it has become the focus of much of our family’s life over that short time. The positive strength of our experience flows from the amazing, warm, challenging and nurturing environment provided by our wonderful teachers. The school has both the vision of where it is going and what it wants to be, and the quality execution to make it happen. My interest in participating in the board is essentially to support RDS over the long term through my efforts and expertise. I am incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to do so.

RDS Parent
Education: BA, Anthropology, Harvard University
Employment: Executive Director (East Bay) of Playworks (formerly Sports4Kids); previously, Alison was an independent marketing consultant and an investment and strategic partner in a travel industry start-up. She has over fifteen years of experience launching new brands, revitalizing flagship brands, and developing strategic brand plans at companies such as Master Card, L’Oreal, and Chevron.
Statement: "I am inspired by what I have witnessed to date at the school and within the extended RDS community. I am eager to observe, listen, learn and help the community define and achieve its goals. I am concerned about the future of public education in America. I hope that my involvement at RDS will help me learn more about education in general, not just in our community.“

John Loeser begins his first year as Head of Redwood Day School this year. Prior to Redwood Day, John was the Assistant Head of School at The Carey School (PK-5) in San Mateo, CA for seven years. He began his teaching career as a 5th grade homeroom teacher in Belmont, Massachusetts and spent eight consecutive summers as an advanced mathematics instructor and Academic Dean at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, working primarily with students in grades 5-8. John has written extensively for teachers in training and enjoys every opportunity to help new and veteran teachers hone their craft. He has led many initiatives in schools including those related to differentiated instruction, curriculum development, faculty professional growth, diversity, social-emotional development, service learning and long-term sustainability. John holds a B.A. in Education and Psychology from Swarthmore College and a M.Ed. in School Leadership from Harvard University.