Members
Wendi Moore, Board Chair, Head Search Committee Co-Chair
Wendi Moore 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.
Peggy Burgess-Wilkinson is a real estate broker with Sotheby's International Realty specializing in estate, vineyard and winery properties. An attorney with 15+ years in both corporate and private practice, Peggy's focus is on real estate and environmental compliance. After working as senior counsel at The Clorox Company, Peggy began a private practice in Napa Valley. Peggy holds several NASD securities licenses and has started several businesses, including the Wilkinson Family Vineyards label. An active volunteer, Peggy served as the President of the Board for Friends of Sunrise Montessori School and currently sits on the Board at Cope Family Center. Peggy's oldest child started at Blue Oak in 2002 and her two others are currently enrolled.
Jennifer brings 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.
Irene is the Executive Director of San Franscisco's oldest preschool, the Phoebe A. Hearst Preschool, founded in 1879. Irene holds a Masters in Education, has worked in education for over twenty years and is an author of several books, including, her most recent Preschools by the Bay. During her tenure at the Phoebe Hearst Preschool, Irene has worked with various independent schools in San Francisco to help find the "right fit" for children graduating from her program. Irene and her husband Tim Scully have two children enrolled at Blue Oak School.
Paul Cooke has been Blue Oak's 7th and 8th grade science teacher and comments: "It is refreshing to work in a school where faculty and students are focused on the joy of learning without the stress of standardized testing. Blue Oak's small classes and block scheduling allow me to conduct student-centered, hands-on learning experiences in science."
Education:
BA, Geography, environmental conservation emphasis, University of Colorado Boulder
MA, Experiential Education, University of Colorado Boulder
Prior Experience:
Outward Bound Program, University of Colorado
Alpine Mountaineering Course Instructor, Colorado Outward Bound School
Athletic Director, North Jakarta International School, Indonesia
Upper School Environmental Science, Elgin Academy, Elgin, IL
Seventh & Eighth Grade Science, Town School for Boys, San Francisco, CA
Sixth, Eighth, Ninth & Tenth Grade Sciences, Warren Walker School, Las Vegas, NV
Eighth Grade Science, National Cathedral School, Washington, D.C.
Lisa 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 has served on several boards in Napa Valley including the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School and the Napa Valley Community Foundation.
Andy is an alumnus and former parent at the noted progressive school, Francis W. Parker in Chicago. To realize their dream of moving to Napa Valley and continue their commitment to progressive education, Andy and his family relocated to Napa in 2008 and enrolled their children at Blue Oak. Andy has been a restaurant developer and operator with Levy Restaurants & Compass Group and now runs his own company, Oliver Jade Restaurant Management.
David C. Green, a member of the Blue Oak School Board of Trustees, Chairs the Finance Committee. A veteran wine industry executive, David has brought his financial, sales and marketing managment expertise to Chalone Wine Group, Turnbull Winery, Lancaster Estate, Joel Gott Wines, and Brassfield Estates. David's two children have attended Blue Oak School.
Renee Hernandez is the Director of the Educational Talent Search Program at Napa Valley College which assists low-income and first-generation (the first in their family to attend college) students to succeed in school and transition into college. Student participants are in grades six through twelve and attend Napa Valley Unified School District designated schools. Hernandez holds two Masters in Counseling and is also part of the counseling faculty at Napa Valley College. Locally, Hernandez is a Member of the Napa Valley Hispanic Network and Board Member of CyberMill Club House, and Puertas Abiertas (Open Doors).
Blue Oak's first grade teacher since the school's founding, Meredith Wilson states: "I love teaching at Blue Oak School because of the sense of community. Every teacher feels responsible for every child."
Education:
BS, UC Davis
Credential, Dominican College
Prior Experience:
Petaluma Public Schools