Meet Our Team

As individuals and as supportive collaborators, this talented group brings so much to our mission and programs.

Meet Our Team

As individuals and as supportive collaborators, this talented group brings so much to our mission and programs.

Our Team

Amy Adkins

Amy comes from a family of educators and started her work with youth as a teenager. Growing up in West Virginia, she saw firsthand the disparities in the educational system particularly when it came to accessing post secondary opportunities. She has committed her career to collaborating with communities to develop and implement strategies that promote systemic change. With over 30 years of experience, Amy has worked in community based organizations and school districts throughout the Bay Area. She believes that collaborative relationships where youth have voice and opportunities to participate in the learning process is fundamental to building successful programs.

Amy holds a Master in Education from the University of South Carolina. She is an avid sports fan and finds joy being active outdoors with her two dogs Oliver and Howie.

Amy Adkins

K-8 Afterschool Director

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Ayanna Berg

Ayanna Berg is the High School Program Assistant and Sophomore Advisor at Bridge the Gap. Ayanna was raised in the Los Angeles County foster care system, and later on became a part of the 3% of foster youth who achieve a post-secondary education. Ms. Berg received her B.A. in Political Science with a triple minor in Community Action and Social Change, General Psychology, and Spanish from Dominican University of California. Graduating with Latin and double departmental honors, and as a first-generation college student. Ayanna has been working with varying non-profit, educational, and community partner organizations in Los Angeles, Marin and Sonoma Counties for nearly 9 years. Ayanna is passionate about social justice, and equity in performing arts and education. She has over a decade of professional dance and visual arts experience. Before working at BTG, Ayanna had a leadership role in three key mental health initiatives focused on youth and young adults – introduction of the Crisis Text Line (text MARIN to 741741), Caring Cards and the first Mental Health Annual Art and Film showcase, all in collaboration with the County’s Health and Human Services Department. Leading bilingual outreach efforts to the community, to ensure the opportunity was accessible and equitable for all student participants. In her spare time, Ayanna enjoys collecting snow globes, gardening, painting and rockhounding! She is grateful to be a part of an organization that embraces creative learning, and is excited to encourage and motivate students to reach their goals and tap into their creative side!

Ayanna Berg

High School Program Assistant & 10th Grade Advisor

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Ruth Castillo

Ruth grew up in a small town outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. She was raised by two immigrant parents from Mexico who instilled their rich language and culture at home. It was the duality of home life and school life where Ruth began to discover her passion for equitable education. As an educator, Ruth takes particular interest in children’s social-emotional development, and says she especially values family involvement in the process. She is committed to the growth and wellbeing of the whole family. She holds a B.A. in Bilingual Education from Texas A&M and a M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. She has taught and worked in schools in the U.S. and abroad, including time spent as a teacher-trainer in Haiti. Ruth is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of San Francisco in International and Multicultural Education.

Ruth Castillo

Director of Intervention

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Rosita Cifuentes

Rosita was raised by two immigrant parents from Guatemala, who emphasized the importance of education. Being a first-generation student, she couldn’t rely on her family to teach her about university life. She learned to be proactive and intentional about obtaining information that continuing-generation students arrive knowing or can easily access. Her experiences in higher education are why she was drawn to BTGCP and what it has to offer to marginalized students. She recently graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Business Administration. In this next step of her journey with BTGCP, she feels fortunate to be a part of an organization that is creating an environment that encourages a love for learning. She is excited to continue creating a safe space for students and pushing the boundaries of what a community looks like and what it can achieve.

Rosita Cifuentes

Events & Communications Manager

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Maria Eriksson

Maria, a native of Mill Valley, has devoted her career to education. Prior to joining Bridge the Gap College Prep in 2011, she worked at Women Helping All People in Marin City, teaching the 6 – 8th grade after school program and substitute teaching for all grades. Prior to that, she was a support teacher for 1st – 5th grades at Bayside MLK Jr. Academy, while also teaching after school for 5th – 12th grade at a Marin City program called ACE-Step 2. She also did a one year stint as a support teacher and after school teacher at Marin Country Day School. She holds a B.A. in Scandinavian Studies from UC Berkeley.

Maria Eriksson

Operations Manager

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Chinna Ford

Chinna is an experienced Program Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. She completed her undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies at Cal State University, East Bay with a minor in Genders and Sexualities in Communities of Color. She has held many positions at 10,000 Degrees including college access fellow, board member, college access advisor and success manager. She is very passionate about social justice and making an impact within her community. She resides in Vallejo, CA with her partner and two children.

Chinna Ford

College Success Program Manager & 12th Grade Advisor

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Rondell Gibson

Rondell Gibson, a Marin City native, has served his community through his professional career and with his volunteering efforts. Rondell believes that everyone deserves housing, food and a quality education. Previous to working with Bridge the Gap, Rondell spent more than 13 years working in the area of college applications and college financial aid. Rondell’s passion for supporting Marin City students has led him to Bridge the Gap. Here at Bridge the Gap, Rondell wants to create a culture of positive self-worth, self-advocacy skills, belonging and support students as they achieve academic growth.

Rondell Gibson

Director of High School & College Success

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Kimberly Ingram

Kimberly is a native of Chicago and has returned to northern California after previously living here for 8 years in the early 2000’s. During high school, Kimberly participated in Inroads, an organization with a very similar vision as Bridge the Gap College Prep, which established her life-long advocacy in education. More recently, Kimberly consulted with a non-profit organization on their mission to solve the education to employment gap in higher education for people of color. Kimberly’s professional career has spanned multiple industries. She worked as a Director of Finance and Operations for a Montessori school in Chicago and was also the president and owner of an accounting and bookkeeping company that supported small business and non-profit communities. Kimberly earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Finance from Loyola University of Chicago and will complete her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Communication by 2022. In her spare time, Kimberly enjoys gardening, travel, doing volunteer work for two non-profit organizations, and spending time with family that includes her spouse and 5 adult children.

Kimberly Ingram

VP of Operations

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Travis Kelly

Travis has taught in a variety of schools and settings, from Boston to Austin to France and most recently in Oakland. Travis’ experiences growing up hearing-impaired and as a deaf student have influenced his drive to teach and work with students who face challenges in obtaining the best education possible. Travis has been teaching in elementary and secondary schools for more than 15 years and is excited to continue his work with young learners as a reading specialist, helping diagnose areas of need and supporting them in developing foundational reading skills. He holds a BA in English from Centre College in Kentucky, where he grew up on a family-run horse farm, and a Masters in the Art of Teaching from Tufts University. Mr. Kelly is thrilled to be working with Bridge the Gap at Dr. MLK Academy.

Travis Kelly

Literacy Specialist

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Lea Mixon

Lea Mixon born and raised in Marin City, has been very active in her community since a very young age. From being a junior counselor at Women Helping All Peoples summer program to now being the After School Site Coordinator at MLK. Lea Graduated with her BA in Communications and Africana studies. She loves her community and has always felt the need to give back to the younger generations. She believes it’s takes not only the parents to raise a child but the whole community.

Lea Mixon

Middle School Site Coordinator

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Keanna Patague-Ward

Keanna was born and raised in Hawai’i and attended a K-12 school for Native Hawaiian students. Her personal commitment to education is continuously inspired by all of the supportive K-12 teachers, mentors and faculty who enthusiastically worked support indigenous students. Because of the unwavering support from her family and community, she was able graduate from The University of San Francisco with a BA in Sociology as a first-generation college student. She is excited to embark on this new journey with Bridge the Gap as it her hope to help promote a positive and supportive learning environment with an emphasis on the importance of community.

Keanna Patague-Ward

K-8 Program Assistant

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Lisa Raffel

Lisa has more than 30 years of experience in a wide variety of educational settings. Most recently, she was Head of Lower School at Black Pine Circle in Berkeley, where she led a student body of 130 kindergarten through fifth graders and a faculty of 25 teachers, specialists, and other staff. Previously she was a division director for education at Catholic Charities of the East Bay focusing on college entry and success for first-generation students and building multi-service collaboratives in Contra Costa County.

Lisa has also been involved with WestEd, a San Francisco-based nonprofit working to promote educational excellence as a trainer in the areas of early numeracy and family-school partnerships. Ms. Raffel recently finished her five-year term as a Koshland Fellow with the San Francisco Foundation. She has a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies, a California teaching credential, and an M.A. in education from UC Berkeley, and administrative credential from St. Mary’s College.

Lisa Raffel

Executive Director

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Cat Tong

Elementary School Site Coordinator

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Board of Directors

Alyene Schneidewind

Alyene Schneidewind is a Transformation Executive and Strategist, with more than 20 years in the technology industry. Currently, Alyene is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances leading Salesforce’s most innovative partnerships. She has also held leadership roles in Strategy, Consulting, Professional Services and Human Resources.

A Michigan native, Alyene earned a degree in Social Relations from Michigan State University. She currently lives in Tiburon, California with her husband and two daughters. Alyene and her family love the outdoors, Bay Area sports and are passionate advocates of the Paley Institute, a nonprofit that provides medical care for rare pediatric orthopedic conditions. In her local community, she has served as a board member of the Belvedere Tiburon Child Care Center, and a coach for Tiburon Girls Softball. She also serves as an advocate for Genesys Works students, a non-profit and social enterprise, changing the trajectory of life for disadvantaged high school students through meaningful work experiences.

Alyene Schneidewind

Board Chair

Luis A. Ottley

Luis is Head of School at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Atlanta, GA. Previously, he was Head of School at Marin Horizon School in Mill Valley for six years. He was the Principal of Middle School at Fieldston School in New York City for four years, responsible for the leadership and operation of close to 400 middle school students and approximately 60 faculty and staff members. He was the Middle School Director at University Preparatory Academy in Seattle for two years and spent four years as Assistant Head of the Lower School (315 students) at The Shipley School near Philadelphia. Luis began his career with ten years in Maryland schools, the first three at West Nottingham Academy, and the next seven years at The Bullis School in Potomac, MD as a teacher, Director of the Summer Institute, Foreign Studies Program, and Assistant Admissions Director. He received his B.A. degree from Allegheny College, his MBA from Johns Hopkins Univeristy and his Ed.D from the University of Pennsylvania.

Luis A. Ottley, Ed.D.

Vice Chair

Denni Brusseau

Denni Brusseau is Co-Founder of Bridge the Gap College Prep. Her desire to help children reach their full potential was tapped when she and Bob Hunter joined forces with Pastor Fred Small to start Bridge the Gap in Pastor Small’s church in 1995. In the middle of a 30+ year career at Macy’s, Denni served as Program Director through 2009 and then led the organization’s growth and expansion from 2010 to 2015 as Executive Director. Born and raised in Marin County, California, she graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a BA in Liberal Arts and Social Welfare.

Denni Brusseau

Treasurer & Co-Founder

Elaine Wilkinson

Elaine is originally from the UK where she graduated from Coventry University with a BA in French & Spanish. After starting her career in sales and marketing in the magazine publishing world, she switched paths and gained qualifications to teach English as a Second Language. She worked as an English teacher for the French Lycée in Lausanne, Switzerland, and then as an English Professor at the world-famous Swiss Hospitality Management School – Ecole Hôtelièr de Lausanne whilst also working as an examiner for the International Baccalaureate. A move to Canada then saw Elaine continuing her teaching work with new immigrants in Ontario at Sheridan College as well as volunteering to tutor elementary school children. Arriving in the US in 2013, Elaine started volunteering with local foundations and school PTSAs as she got acclimated to her new surroundings. In 2016, Elaine was appointed as the first Executive Director of the Tam High Foundation, a job that combines her love of education and fundraising all in one go! Elaine lives in Mill Valley with her husband and three children.

Elaine Wilkinson

Secretary

Michael Bowman

Michael A. Bowman is the manager of the public funds sector and a senior business development manager at Capital Group. He has 30 years of investment industry experience and has been with Capital Group for 12 years. Prior to joining Capital, he was a senior director at Invesco responsible for client service and marketing of institutional strategies. Before that, he was a managing director for Advent Capital Management. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas, Austin. Michael lives in San Rafael with his wife Kate.

Michael Bowman

Bonnie Brown

Bonnie has served on Bridge the Gap College Prep’s Advisory Council since its inception in 2010 and is currently the Advisory Council President. She chaired Bridge the Gap College Prep’s 2016 Vines & Vision gala. In addition, she served on the Discovery Museum Council, helped found the Book Fair at Marin Horizon School, served on the Parent Council at Little Red School House, and helped initiate the Chadwick School Diversity Council. She was a member of the Mel Wong Dance Company, taught dance at the 92nd Street Y, Walden School, Hunter College, and gave master classes at various U.S. universities. Bonnie owned a greeting card company, Cards With Character, illustrating and writing copy. She was a dance major at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Bonnie Brown

Catherine Reese Kennedy

Cathy is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with over thirty years of experience working in community psychiatry. A Nebraska native, she earned her BA at Stanford University, completed medical school at the University of Nebraska, residency at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center and fellowship at Tufts/New England Medical Center. She has worked as a consultant and staff psychiatrist at juvenile detention facilities, inpatient Pediatric and psychiatric units, group homes and residential facilities, child sexual trauma and adolescent pregnancy clinics. She was Medical Director of Marin County Community Mental Health Services from 1992-2000. She currently works part-time for a Side by Side Agency young adult drop-in center, and served on the Board for Side by Side for ten years. She currently serves as Bridge the Gap College Prep’s Advisory Council Vice President.

Cathy and her husband live in Tiburon, where they raised six children in a blended family.

Catherine Reese Kennedy, M.D.

Robert Hunter

Bob is a Co-Founder of Bridge the Gap. He has a special interest in at-risk youth and brings personal insight to the challenges they face. He is a Registered Investment Advisor based in Marin, with clients throughout the Bay Area. Prior to that, he worked as a stockbroker for some of Wall Street’s largest firms. He brings more than twenty years of investment experience to his wealth management work. He has a Bachelor of Science Business Administration degree from Dominican University and he completed the Certified Portfolio Management Program at the Investment Institute.

Robert Hunter

Co-Founder, Emeritus

John Larson

John has been an active member of the mentor/tutor program at BTGCP for many years. He is focused on giving Bridge the Gap students every advantage they deserve. He knows that they are our future. John was raised in Sausalito, and spent his youth playing sports in the various Sausalito/Marin City leagues. After graduating from St. Mary’s College in Moraga in 1986 with a BA in Business Administration and Economics and attending San Francisco Law School, John began his career on Wall St. at Montgomery Securities in 1992. He is still doing what he loves to do, helping people realize their full potential. John has lived in Marin his whole life and currently resides in Larkspur with his wife Sasha and 3 children. He has been involved at various levels with several foundations including The ASPCA, St. Jude’s and Ronald McDonald House. He is currently EVP of The Larson Family Charitable Trust, which focuses on children’s issues, specifically providing sports and education opportunities to underserved youth communities.

John Larson

Dana Linker Steele

Dana Linker Steele was born in San Francisco and raised in Tiburon, attending schools in the Reed Union School District and Redwood High School. She graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science in 1993 and went on to Hastings College of the Law for her J.D. in 1996. She spent 10 years as a litigator at Latham & Watkins in San Francisco, and a year as counsel at Yahoo! before joining Autodesk in 2008 as Senior Corporate Counsel. At Autodesk, she focuses on intellectual property and privacy. Dana has served as a trustee of the Reed Union School District since 2011 and as President of the district’s board for 3 years, and is an active member of the Redwood High School Foundation. In her work with the public schools, she has successfully organized parcel tax campaigns for both RUSD and the Tamalpais Union High School District. As an active member of Bridge the Gap College Prep’s Advisory Council since 2015, she founded and currently runs (along with her daughters, Lauren and Sarah) the Fab Fridays program with William Woods and Paul Austin. Dana has been an active member of Bridge the Gap College Prep’s Advisory Council since 2015, and now serves as the Vice Chair of our Board of Directors.

Dana Linker Steele

Florence Williams

Florence Williams spent many years as a high school teacher in San Francisco Unified School District and taught Vocational Education for adults in the Marin County School District’s ROP Program.

Ms. Williams currently works part time at the Marin City Senior Center as manager of the “Seniors on the Move” Project. She is a founding board member of both the Bridge the Gap College Prep Program and The Hannah Project, plus a longtime board member of the Marin City Community Development Corporation.

Ms. Williams has been an active part of the life of People’s Inter-Cities Fellowship Church for over 30 years. She is a church board member who serves in the Singing and Prayer Ministries and as the chairperson of the Women’s Department. She also mentors young adult women in the church and the community.

Florence has been named “Teacher of the Year” by both the San Francisco School District and the African American Alliance of Teachers. The student’s popularity poll named her “Most Inspiring Teacher.” She received the Community Legacy award at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in 2012 in Marin City, the Community Leadership award in 2009, and was inducted into the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

Ms. Williams’ dream is to see Marin City and all of Marin County continue to be a healthy community that works together in unity for the good of all its residents; where needs are met, people are able to build assets and wealth and collaborate to make sure that all of our children and students are healthy, happy and well educated! “Reach out and touch somebody’s hand, make this world a better place–Yes we can.”

Meet Our Team

As individuals and as supportive collaborators, this talented group brings so much to our ​mission and programs.

Meet Our Team

As individuals and as supportive collaborators, this talented group brings so much to our ​mission and programs.

Our Team

Amy Adkins

K-8 Afterschool Director

Ayanna Berg

High School Program Assistant & 10th Grade Advisor

Ruth Castillo

Director of Intervention

Rosita Cifuentes

Events & Communications Manager

Maria Eriksson

Operations Manager

Chinna Ford

College Success Program Manager & 12th Grade Advisor

Rondell Gibson

Director of High School & College Success

Kimberly Ingram

VP of Operations

Travis Kelly

Literacy Specialist

Lea Mixon

Middle School Site Coordinator

Keanna Patague-Ward

K-8 Program Assistant

Lisa Raffel

Executive Director

Cat Tong

Elementary School Site Coordinator

Board of Directors

Alyene Schneidewind

Board Chair

Luis A. Ottley, Ed.D.

Vice Chair

Denni Brusseau

Treasurer & Co-Founder

Elaine Wilkinson

Secretary

Michael Bowman

Bonnie Brown

Catherine Reese Kennedy, M.D.

Robert Hunter

Co-Founder, Emeritus

John Larson

Dana Linker Steele

Florence Williams

As individuals and as supportive collaborators, this talented group brings so much to our mission and programs.

As individuals and as supportive collaborators, this talented group brings so much to our mission and programs.