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 supportive collaborators, this talented group drives our mission and strategic plan towards greater educational equity.

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

Extended Day Program Director

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Avalon Baldwin

Avalon is a Bay Area local currently living in Sonoma County. She returned to the Bay Area after completing her Master’s in Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation at Claremont Graduate University. With over a decade of experience, Avalon has dedicated her career to advancing access to quality education and future opportunities for historically disenfranchised populations. Her role focuses on program evaluation, examining what strategies work and for whom they work best, in addition to overseeing database administration. At Bridge the Gap, her role includes developing the program’s data infrastructure, implementing practical and responsive evaluation methods, and aligning these efforts with the principles of positive youth development. Avalon proudly holds a BA in Biopsychology from Mills College, a former women’s college in Oakland.

Avalon Baldwin

Evaluation & Data Administrator

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Sage Beale

Sage is originally from the East Coast and grew up in New York and New Jersey. She has lived in Sausalito/Marin City for 38 years. Sage earned her Bachelor of Humanities degree from Dominican University and earned a certification in Montessori Early Childhood Education.

As the Head Tutor for the after-school program at Women Helping All People, Sage worked with students in both the program and their school classrooms, ensuring consistent support across both settings. She also served as the director for the Minority Women Doctoral Directory, a valuable resource for universities seeking to recruit women and minority PhDs into their faculties. In this role, Sage played a pivotal part in connecting institutions with talented, underrepresented doctoral candidates, advancing diversity in higher education.

Sage has dedicated her career to education and community support and for the past four years, has been a teacher in the Extended Day Program at Bridge the Gap. Most recently, she worked as a Success Coach in the Sausalito Marin School District for 10 years.

Sage Beale

Literacy Specialist

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Jackie Brady

Jackie grew up in Jackson Heights, NY and moved to the Bay Area in 1998. With over 20 years of experience working with children and youth in a variety of residential and educational settings, she has seen firsthand how students who have been historically underserved have been denied access to their right to an equitable education, as well as the profound impact that has had on their future goals and aspirations. Her passion for serving young people led to her obtaining a B.A. in Social Work from San Francisco State University. She later attended UC Berkeley’s graduate program in Social Welfare, with a focus on children, families, and student services.

After working with youth in residential care for many years, and witnessing their educational struggles, she decided to work directly with students in individual settings to help them achieve reading proficiency so that they can increase their educational opportunities. Jackie is committed to advocating for, and delivering evidence-based literacy instruction to students with limited access, so that every child has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.

Jackie Brady

Literacy Specialist

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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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Ryan Derham

Ryan, born in San Francisco, raised in Marin, has been working in education for the past 10 years. Most recently as a 5th grade math and science teacher in the East Bay. She has a B.A. in Sociology from Goucher College and a M.A. in Education from UC Berkeley. She loves math and providing students access to the types of problem solving skills they will need to succeed. Ryan works hard to ensure that historically disenfranchised students have a sense of capability and belonging in STEM settings.

Ryan Derham

Literacy & Math Specialist

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Maria Eriksson

Maria, a native of Mill Valley, has devoted her career to education. Prior to joining Bridge the Gap 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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Dayrin Flores

Dayrin was born in Guatemala and immigrated to the U.S. when she was 10. She’s a first generation student with a bachelors in Psychology from Sonoma State University. Dayrin has been an educator for about 10 years and enjoys working with young adults. She wants to be able to make a difference in students’ lives and provide resources for them to be able to find their path. On her free time, she enjoys spending time with her Frenchie and teenage sister.

Dayrin Flores

High School Student 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 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, 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 & Finance

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Adriana Quintana-Lopez

Adriana Quintana-Lopez, originally born in Michoacán, Mexico is a longtime resident of Point Reyes Station and a graduate of Tomales High School. Adriana attended Santa Rosa Junior College and the University of California, Davis where she received a bachelor’s degree in Chicana/o/x Studies with an Education minor. With a passion for creating equitable change within the K-12 education system for historically marginalized low-income students and families of color, she went on to receive a master’s degree in Education from the University of California, Davis with a Doctorate in Education forthcoming.

During her time off, Adriana likes to spend time with her children and husband exploring new playgrounds and restaurants in Marin and Sonoma County.

Adriana Quintana-Lopez

Tomales High Site Coordinator

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Beth Mitchell

As the Development Operations & Events Manager at Bridge the Gap, Beth Mitchell is dedicated to advancing educational equity through strategic fundraising, operational excellence, and meaningful community engagement.

She brings more than six years of experience leading development operations, donor relations, and large-scale events that strengthen mission-driven organizations. Previously, as Director of Operations at SPARK, Beth helped increase donor participation, expand business partnerships, and build sustainable funding to support local public schools.

At Bridge the Gap, she is proud to help grow impact by connecting people, resources, and opportunities that empower students and strengthen the community.

Beth Mitchell

Development Operations & Events Manager

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Robert Montes

Robert was born and raised in the Sacramento Area. He attended CSU Sacramento where he received both his BA and MA. Robert has taught at various college preparatory high schools in Northern California. He has also worked in student services helping adults receive their high school diploma. The world of education has shaped him into someone who believes that education is the key to success and is the gateway for students to succeed in life and school. Robert’s hobbies include traveling, video games and taking his French Bulldog on adventures.

Robert Montes

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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. Mrs. 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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Sara Ryba

Sara joins Bridge the Gap with more than 30 years of leadership experience spanning industries from software development to environmental litigation management in the insurance industry. Most recently she spent 10 years as the first Executive Director for SPARK where she dedicated her efforts to growing family participation rates and increasing the financial commitment to the Larkspur Corte Madera School District.

Throughout her career Sara has stayed active volunteering for numerous organizations that focus on early childhood growth and development, with programs ranging from preschool readiness and reading buddies to classroom support for intervention services. It was during her time at SPARK that she was able to blend her interest in supporting children in the classroom with her passion for providing access to high quality educational opportunities for all students.

Sara was born and raised in Marin County where she lived until leaving to attend the University of Colorado, Boulder where she earned her BA in Business Communications and subsequently began her professional career. She returned to California 10 years later for a job opportunity in the burgeoning technology industry and developed a new appreciation for all that the Bay Area has to offer. In her free time, Sara enjoys hiking with her energetic Weimaraner, cooking, reading, spending time with her husband and trying to keep up with her two busy teenagers.

Sara Ryba

Director of Development

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Elizabeth Sea

Liz has been working professionally with youth for over a decade, from teaching K-5 after school and tutoring refugee students, to teaching English in Chile and working as a forest preschool teacher in San Francisco. Originally from North Carolina, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Environmental Studies from UNC Asheville, and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration in Social Justice Education and Sustainability at San Francisco State University. Liz is very passionate about working with youth, community care, the natural environment, and working toward a more equitable world for the future. In her free time she enjoys spending time with animals, being in nature, and creating art in various forms!

Elizabeth Sea

Extended Day Program Site Coordinator

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Chinna Williams

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 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 Williams

Director of College Success

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Chinna Williams

Board of Directors

Nina Frank

Nina Frank has been involved in the Marin City community for over a decade, offering support to youth and families in various ways. Over the past eight years, she has served as steering committee chair as well as fundraising and communications co-chairs for Horizon Community School, a public/private early education program for Marin City two- to five-year-old children. She is also a Bridge the Gap College Prep elementary school tutor. Nina has served multiple terms as a trustee at Marin Horizon School in Mill Valley. She received a BA in English Literature from Bowdoin College. She lives in Mill Valley, where she raised her three grown children.

Nina Frank

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

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

Treasurer

Bonnie Kirkpatrick

Bonnie hails from Connecticut, lived in New York City for 9 years and came to the Bay Area in 1997. She worked in corporate sales for data analytics companies in both New York and the Bay Area for 15 years. She pivoted to nonprofit fundraising, first as a volunteer with her children’s schools and most recently with Bridge the Gap, where she was Director of Development for 5 years and Director of Communications for 2 years. She volunteered with Bridge the Gap as a tutor/mentor and has been a Community Council member for 9 years. She is also a Lead mentor with SHE-CAN, an organization that builds global female leadership by educating and empowering young women from post-conflict countries. In her spare time, Bonnie loves to ski, hike and sing with her band, The Overcommitments, and with her choral group, Singers Marin. She graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Communications and French. She lives in San Rafael, CA where she and her husband raised their two adult children.

Bonnie Kirkpatrick

Secretary

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

Co-Founder

Rebecca Bunyasaranand

Houman Chitsaz

Houman Chitsaz immigrated to Mill Valley in 1981 and has been deeply rooted in the community ever since. A graduate of Tamalpais High School, he is now a partner at Nardell Chitsaz & Associates in San Rafael, specializing in real estate, corporate, and employment litigation. Houman has served on the board of the Marin Bar Association and is passionate about giving back through community service, alongside his wife, Jennifer, an elementary school teacher in Tiburon. With strong ties to Mill Valley—where his daughters also attended Tam High—Houman is honored to serve on the Board of Directors of Bridge the Gap to help expand educational opportunities for underserved students.

Houman Chitsaz

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. His service in Vietnam with Marines of all colors inspired a commitment to helping those with disadvantages. He is the Principal and Founder of Marin Wealth Advisors, Registered Investment Advisory. He has a Bachelor of Science Business Administration degree from Dominican University.

Robert Hunter

Co-Founder, Emeritus

Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson is a vice president and portfolio manager at Dodge & Cox, the investment management firm he joined in 1989. Dodge & Cox had $383.8 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2024.

Mr. Johnson is a portfolio manager, working with the firm’s institutional clients. For over 20 years he was also a Securities Analyst with primary responsibility for the Oil & Gas Sector along with analyst experience in the Banking, Consumer Finance, Auto and Chemicals Industries. Mr. Johnson is a shareholder of Dodge & Cox, and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Mr. Johnson is a member of Dodge & Cox charitable giving committee and serves on the board of the United Way of the Bay Area, and on the Board of Advisors of the Barowsky School of Business at Dominican University. He is a past board member at the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, San Francisco Zoo and Bread and Roses.

He and his wife, Karen Jenkins-Johnson, live in San Rafael, CA and have two children, Rin and Kamille.

Kevin Johnson

Larry Rosenberger

Larry Rosenberger continues his career at Fair Isaac (FICO) that began in 1974. Currently, he is a Research Fellow and a mentor/sounding board for a full range of employees. From 1991 to 1999, he served as President and CEO, during which Fair Isaac experienced consecutive years of record growth, with annual revenues increasing from $31 MM to over $276 MM.

Larry holds a B.S. in physics from MIT and an M.S. in physics and a M.S. and an M.Eng. in Operations Research from UC, Berkeley.

In the for-profit world, he currently serves on a handful of boards and serves as an advisor for another handful of early-stage technology companies – all of which he is an investor.

In the non-profit world, he has previously served numerous governing boards, including 10,000 Degrees, PBL Works, Marin Community Foundation, and the Buck Institute for Research in Aging, and he currently serves on the boards of Marin Promise Partnership and Bridge the Gap College Prep. Today, he also works with a handful of education non-profits in the San Francisco Bay Area, advising on strategy, human capital, and/or data & advanced analytics.

As a venture philanthropist, his passion is using data, domain expertise and advanced analytics to help unprivileged students to become more successful. Recently, also he is pursuing designing better donor management systems.

Larry is a father of two sons and has two daughters-in-law and is a grandfather of 4 grandchildren, spanning ages 15-22.

Larry Rosenberger

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

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 Bridge the Gap 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 supportive collaborators, this talented group drives our mission and strategic plan towards greater educational equity.

Our Team

Amy Adkins

Extended Day Program Director

Avalon Baldwin

Evaluation & Data Administrator

Sage Beale

Literacy Specialist

Jackie Brady

Literacy Specialist

Ruth Castillo

Director of Intervention

Ryan Derham

Literacy & Math Specialist

Maria Eriksson

Operations Manager

Dayrin Flores

High School Student Advisor

Rondell Gibson

Director of High School Success

Kimberly Ingram

VP of Operations & Finance

Adriana Quintana-Lopez

Tomales High Site Coordinator

Beth Mitchell

Development Operations & Events Manager

Robert Montes

Lisa Raffel

Executive Director

Sara Ryba

Director of Development

Elizabeth Sea

Extended Day Program Site Coordinator

Chinna Williams

Director of College Success

Board of Directors

Nina Frank

Chair

Luis A. Ottley, Ed.D.

Vice Chair

Michael Bowman

Treasurer

Bonnie Kirkpatrick

Secretary

Denni Brusseau

Co-Founder

Rebecca Bunyasaranand

Houman Chitsaz

Robert Hunter

Co-Founder, Emeritus

Kevin Johnson

Larry Rosenberger

Alyene Schneidewind

Florence Williams

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