Blue Oak School's Board of Trustees sets policy for the School, reviews the implementation of those policies and is responsible for the financial aspects of the School, including fundraising.
M uch of the Board's work is done through committee. Committees are formed with the needs of the School and the qualifications of the trustees in mind. Occasionally members of the School community who are not trustees are asked to serve on a board committee because of their special expertise. Serving on a board committee is by invitation only.
For more information about the board function at independent schools, like Blue Oak School, visit the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) for a review of principles of good practice.
Blue Oak School Board of Trustees 2009-2010
Tim Rodgers, Chair
Tim Rodgers is President of Walsh Vineyards Management Inc. and lives in Napa with his wife Shanna and their two daughters Mardi and Alia, both of whom attend Blue Oak’s Lower School. Tim has been farming in the Napa and Sonoma valleys for 20 years and is a graduate of UC Davis. Tim enjoys taking his daughters to school and is active in the Development, Admission and Diversity Committees at Blue Oak School.
Tracy Schuler, Treasurer
Tracy Schuler worked in the technology industry in marketing and management. Along with her husband Barry M. Schuler and David Goldman, she co-founded Medior, Inc., an interactive company, which eventually was sold to and operated within America Online. Tracy and her husband are co-founding families of Blue Oak School and the parents of two students at the School.
Lisa Cort, Past Chair
Lisa Cort spent more than 13 years as a marketing professional creating, developing, managing and implementing innovative communication programs in business-to-business and consumer markets at several Bay Area high-tech and interactive media companies. Lisa and her husband, David Goldman, are co-founding families of Blue Oak School. They have two children attending the school. Lisa is also on the Board of the Community Foundation of the Napa Valley.
David Green, Trustee
David C. Green has joined the Blue Oak School Board of Trustees. He and his spouse, Renee, have a 1st grader, Jack .David is the principal of David Green & Co. LLC, providing strategic planning, sales and marketing solutions for small to mid-sized family owned wineries.
Jennifer Becker, Trustee
Jennifer Becker brings to her role as trustee a wealth of experience in marketing, beginning with her background in consumer direct marketing for well-known brands such as Quaker Oats, Pepsi, Nike, Wells Fargo and Charles Schwab. As the vice president of Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) at Robert Mondavi, she was responsible for developing award-winning websites, direct marketing campaigns, wine clubs and e-commerce systems. In 2001, Jennifer founded Ensemble Marketing Group to help premium wineries build their consumer direct business. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, she also serves on the advisory boards of WISE Academy, the Cypress Group and SC21. Jennifer has been a Blue Oak School parent since 2006 and an active volunteer at the School, most recently serving as a member, and now as chair, of the Board's Communications Committee.
Mady Deininger, Trustee
Mady Deininger has been in the wine business since 1985 when she co-founded a wine importing and marketing company. Originally from the East Coast, she moved her professional and personal life to Sonoma in 1995. Mady and her husband Joel Peterson are enthusiastic parents of a Blue Oak School student.
Stewart Dorsey, Trustee, Faculty Representative
Stewart comes to Blue Oak School from Stanford University where he completed a BA in Philosophy and a second BA in Spanish. While at Stanford, he was musical director of the Stanford Mendicants and worked as a student advisor for the Spanish department. He student taught in Southern California and Spain before joining the Blue Oak Middle School faculty in 2006. Currently, he teaches Spanish to the Middle School campus, coaches Middle School girls’ basketball, and is an eighth grade advisor. Stewart is also the Athletic Director for both the Lower and Middle Schools.
Caren Hatton, Trustee
Caren graduated from The University of Michigan with a BS in kinesiology. She worked as a research assistant at the University of Michigan Medical Center before moving to retail as a manager for the Dayton Hudson Corporation in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She later returned to the pharmaceutical industry, first in sales for Reed and Carnrick Pharmaceuticals, and then in strategic marketing at corporate headquarters on the East Coast for Reed and Carnrick, Connaught Laboratories and Forrest Laboratories, respectively. In 1998, Caren moved to San Francisco with husband Fritz to launch their wine brand, Arietta. Once launched, Caren returned to pharmaceuticals, this time on the advertising side, working for Kane and Finkel, a small San Francisco agency. Now living in St. Helena, Caren is mom to Hattie, age 3, and Libby, age 8, a Blue Oak Lower School student. Caren is also a professional volunteer and strategic advisor to Arietta and her husband.
Robin Jankiewicz, Trustee
Robin Jankiewicz worked for PaineWebber/UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland) for sixteen years. She was an investment banker in the biotechnology industry specializing in IPO’s and product development financing. Robin was also part of a team that managed public funds of over two billion dollars in assets. She served on advisory boards to private and publicly traded biotechnology companies as well as venture capital firms. Robin volunteers for many charitable and non-profit organizations in the Napa community. She and her husband Michael and their two children have been a part of the Blue Oak School community for six years.
C. Paul Johnson, Trustee
C. Paul Johnson is the owner of Astrale e Terra Winery and the Gymnastics Zone. He is the former chairman and CEO of First Colonial Bancshares, Chicago. Paul graduated from Michigan State University and served as a pilot in the US Air Force. He serves on the boards of Adler Planetarium, The Leakey Foundation, Roosevelt University and Stetson University. He is also a former chairman of Crow Canyon Archaeology Center, an institution for the study of the ancient Anasazi in Colorado.
Wendi Moore, Trustee
Wendi came to Napa in 1996 and has been very involved in supporting education, health and other nonprofit organizations ever since. She has been an active participant and chair of several fundraisers for a variety of nonprofit organizations in Napa Valley. Wendi also served as the board president of the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School, was president of the Vichy Elementary School Parent Club and established Blue Oak School's involvement in the Reach Out and Read Program at Clinic Ole. She received her BA in development students from the University of California Berkeley and completed a Masters in Latin American studies at New York University.
Sally Sheekey, Trustee
Sally has been an active parent volunteer since arriving at Blue Oak School. She has served as an officer of the School’s Parent Association, was a member of the 2008 Beneath the Canopy Steering Committee and served as the chair for the 2009 Beneath the Canopy benefit auction. A supporter and believer in independent school education, she is the proud parent of a Blue Oak School student. Prior to staying home to raise her son, Sally worked in facilities management, real estate and interior design. She holds a BA in Interior Design and a Masters in Business Administration.