Board of Trustees

The board of trustees is responsible for the legal and fiduciary oversight of the school and for strategic and long range
planning. Board member elections are held annually, and a nominating committee prepares the list of candidates for consideration. The board is always striving to strike a balance between representation of all our classes, continuity, and the financial and human resources required to develop the school. Board membership includes the school director and two to three members of the faculty. The board meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month.

Board Member Biographies , 2011 - 2012

Brian Chadbourne, Board Chair

Parent of Lizzie, a 2010 Greenwood graduate now attending Marin Academy. Brian is a business consultant with The Cambridge Group, a Chicago-based firm specializing in growth strategy and business development. He has survived over 30 years in international business, working as CEO for companies like ACNielsen, International Flavors & Fragrances, and Keebler. He has marketing experience as well as board level experience at VNU Inc. ACNielsen, IFF Inc. (the world’s largest fragrance house), and United Biscuits. Brian brings tremendous expertise to his role on the board. He has an assertive style and a capacity to clarify priorities in a way that saves everyone a lot of time. He hails from England and earned his BS in physics from Bristol University. He has three children.

Thom Cooper

Parent of Bianca and Gabriella in 3rd grade, and husband of Lisa Travaglini. (He also has three grown children and two grandchildren.) He practices real estate and commercial law in Mill Valley and is also Vice President and General Counsel of JB International Funds, an investment firm. Thom previously worked as psychotherapist and bodyworker, and he brings extensive non-profit volunteer experience as a Board member with Alameda County Association for Retarded Citizens and Clausen House (Oakland-based developmentally disabled center). He earned his BA degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and law degree from U.C. Boalt Hall.

Jolene Jackson, Trustee

Jolene joined the Greenwood School faculty in 2009 with 13 years of experience as a Waldorf class teacher. Jolene earned her masters in Waldorf education from Antioch College and her BS in music education from New York University. She is also a certified music and elementary school teacher. Over her years as a teacher, she has not only provided a solid academic curriculum in the areas of math, language arts, history, and the sciences, but has also developed a flair for drawing, choral and instrumental music, speech, and drama. Her involvement in the life of the school has included educational support for diverse learners, mentoring young teachers, developing curriculum standards, and participation on the school’s finance committee and board of trustees.

Merel Kennedy, Board Vice-Chair

Parent of Emmett Lurssen in 6th grade and Eliza Lurssen in 3rd grade, Merel has worked for the past 12 years in graphic design, currently as a freelancer and previously with two firms. After completing her BA in art history with a minor in biology from Bowdoin College and conducting foreign and domestic policy research as an intern in the Office of the Counselor to the President (think White House), she came west and completed a BFA in graphic design at the California College of Arts and Crafts. Merel recently completed a three-year term on the board of her childrens' preschool, working in the areas of tuition assistance, personnel and compensation, and several fundraising and community-building events.

Debra Lambrecht, Director

Debra brings a compelling mix of experience in education, youth development and organizational consulting. In 1981 she founded a training and development company and later a non-profit organization, Caring About Kids, a hybrid student assistance program and community building mentor program which was replicated nationally. In 2003, Debra shifted the focus of her consulting to business development, primarily for entrepreneurs and business start-ups. After twenty years of work in youth development, community building and business development, Debra was inspired to combine her passion for education with her consulting experience by providing development work with several schools, to be the Administrator of the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education, the national association of schools inspired by Waldorf education, and now serve as Greenwood School Director. recently moved to Petaluma upon her daughter's graduation to college.

Danica Remy

Having been at Greenwood School since 2000 she is the parent of alumni Dylan Remy Gamley (class of 2004) currently at UC Santa Cruz and parent of Drew Remy Soltis, a 2010 Greenwood graduate now attending Tamalpais High School . Danica previously served as board chair and board secretary. She is currently managing director in addition to an officer at Tides, a $200M nonprofit that is committed to partnering with philanthropists, foundations, activists, and organizations to promote economic justice, robust democratic processes, and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected. Previously, she was vice president of operations at Organic, an Internet services company; vice president for Knowledge Universe, an education holding company and Vice President for The Well, the pioneering online service and where she took the Internet to Woodstock in ‘94. She helped cofound Global Business Network, a futures research and scenario planning firm. She attended San Francisco State and studied computer science and theater arts. In addition to serving on the board, she serves on numerous boards including Network for Good and Point Foundation, publisher of the Whole Earth Catalog and founder of The WELL. She follows in her mother’s footsteps of public service and helping start schools.

Patricia Rudd

Parent of Olivia in the 8th grade and Cosmo in 3rd grade, Patricia was among the first kindergarten families at Greenwood School. Patricia has been a tireless and generous volunteer for Greenwood, serving as a class parent, working on development and open house committees, establishing the craft circle, and organizing community lunches. She recently initiated an effort to provide food for weekly faculty meetings. Since 1992 Patricia has assisted her husband, Mike, in the Rudd Equipment Company by organizing a wide variety of special events and developing a charitable giving program for employees. She has also worked and volunteered with local theater companies in Mill Valley and Louisville. Patricia has a BA in theater arts from Eastern Kentucky University . . . and she was the only candidate with experience as crew chief for a professional hot air balloon team!

Mary Schattenberg, Board Secretary

Parent of Spencer Johnston, in 4th grade and Hilary, in 1st Grade, Mary has been at Greenwood School for 4 years after 4 months of trying public school. In addition to her for profit board experience, she recently completed a five year term as secretary of the Mountain School board. Mary has focused her career in health care management, working since 1995 for Kaiser Permanente and its affiliates in developing and managing physician practices, expanding into new markets, contracting, and new ventures. She holds a Master’s in Hospital and Healthcare Administration and attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program.

Christina Schunemann

Parent of Allegra, 4th Grade and Aurora, 6th Grade,Christina comes from a family that has been very involved with Waldorf education for over 37 years, in the US and abroad. She herself was educated in Waldorf schools, from pre-K to 12th grade, attending schools in Hawaii, New Hampshire, England and Germany. After obtaining a degree in International Relations from SF State, Christina went on to London School of Economics to continue her International politics education. Her career took a different path and Christina's professional experience has been on the international stage, centering on business expansion, new market development and organizational change, primarily in the retail and consumer goods industries, with companies such as Gap International, Alfred Dunhill and Smythson of Bond Street. She has done extensive work for Charity, working as an ambassador for Charities Trust in the UK and doing fundraising for various smaller organizations. From her earliest music training, Christina has carried that experience on first playing in the New Hampshire Philharmonic as a high school senior and is now a member of the Mill Valley Philharmonic.

Marcy Summers, Faculty Trustee

Marcy was born in Oakland, California and grew up in La Jolla, California. She received her BA in comparative literature from the United States International University and spent part of her college years in England. Five years later, she returned to England, where she studied Waldorf education at Emerson College and completed her training at Rudolf Steiner College, and received her masters’ degree in early childhood.

Cynthia Ulman

Parent of Ethan Daniel, Class of 2011, and Julia, both at Tam High. Cynthia’s career has been dedicated to management and organizational growth in the non-profit sector, and we’ve been the lucky recipient of her skillful efforts to help facilitate and guide us through the process of reinventing this board. She’s held senior management positions at the National Women’s Education Fund in Washington, DC, and at Merritt Peralta Medical Center in Oakland, and since 1990 has been an independent consultant on strategy, planning, and operations for non-profit organizations in education, community services, and health care. She is currently serving as interim executive director of the Rosie The Riveter Trust in Richmond, California. Her experience on past boards includes the Coalition for Elders Independence, Community Adult Day Health Service, California Network of Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers, Kumara School parent board, and Congregation Kol Shofar. She has an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Wesleyan University.

Andy Zink

Parent of Oliver in 4th grade and his older brother Finn. Andy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University where he conducts research on insect behavior. He teaches courses such as Introductory Biology, Animal Behavior, and Behavioral Ecology, recently receiving a departmental award for his dedication to teaching. Andy completed a B.A. in Biology and Philosophy from Bowdoin College and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Cornell University. He was awarded a U.S.D.A. Postdoctoral Fellowship in Entomology at U.C. Davis before moving to his current position at S.F.S.U. Here at the Greenwood School, Andy has organized parent study groups and helped to launch the Parent Circle in 2009. He has volunteered as an ecologist in the NEST program and continues to donate his popular “bug walks” to the Greenwood School Auction. Andy served as a parent representative on the Nominating Committee for new board members and he is honored to serve as a member of the board since June 2010. He has also served for several years as a board member for the Homestead Valley Land Trust.

Roland Baril, Dean of Education

Roland earned his bachelor's degree in American History, magna cum laude, from Sonoma State University, went on to complete a two-year master's program in Waldorf Education at Sunbridge College in NY, and is a graduate of a five-year training in Spacial Dynamics. Roland is the parent of two sons who completed preschool through 12th grade. His interests include cooking, hiking, various sports, guitar and singing.