• preserving the School's mission and objectives over the long term
• forming policies and plans consistent with the School's mission
• guaranteeing the financial well-being of the School, which includes setting tuition
• selecting and supporting the Head of School

Eric Fastiff, Chair, is a partner in the law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, and specializes in representing plaintiffs in antitrust, intellectual property and other complex litigation. Eric received his B.A. in political science and history from Tufts University, his M.Sc. in Soviet politics from the London School of Economics and his J.D. from Cornell University. Eric previously served on the CDS Bond Task Force and as the CDS Finance Committee chair. He served as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Jewish Home for the Aged. Eric and his wife have a son, Eli (’18), and a daughter, Tessa (’20).

Patricia Buse, Vice Chair, is a co-owner and member of the board of BUSE Gases GmbH & Co. and Gerolsteiner Mineral Water GmbH & Co. She previously worked at Lawrence Berkeley Labs and in education and training at IBM Germany. Patricia received an undergraduate degree in biology from Kenyon College and an M.B.A. from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. At the Monterey Institute, Patricia developed a business plan that focused on a global marketing innovation before working as an international marketing consultant for Fuji-Xerox of Tokyo. She holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in molecular and cell biology, has authored several academic publications and holds a patent for a gene. Patricia has volunteered at CDS since 2002, serving as co-chair of the Building Our Future capital campaign and on the Development Committee. In 2004, Patricia led the successful campaign to fund the creation of the David Minus Science Center, the first science lab classroom at CDS. She is the parent of Colin (’12) and Anya ('14) Ruppert. In her spare time she enjoys shaping objects of art, food and landscape.

Michael Silver, Vice Chair, is a Director and Corporate Counsel at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.  He was recently a Director with BlackRock's Legal & Compliance Department for almost 10 years before which he was Corporate Counsel at Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.  As a Trustee of CDS, Michael served as Co-Chair of the Committee on Inclusion & Diversity for two years, Chair of the Economic Diversity Task Force 2008, member of the Committee on Trustees and member of the Search Committee 2009.  As a parent volunteer, he has served as an officer in the CDS PTTA for two years and as a classroom liaison. Michael helped start the first LGBT affinity group for CDS parents, faculty and administration, and was active in the formation of the CDS Committee on Inclusion and Diversity. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. in international relations from UC Davis. He and his husband, Carlos Vasquez, have one son, Julian Vasquez-Silver (’15). In his free time Michael enjoys spending time with family and friends, entertaining, traveling, drawing, painting and listening to music.

Susan Munn, Treasurer, has served as the Director of Finance and Operations for The Urban School of San Francisco since 1991. Prior to working at Urban, she held positions in several arts organizations. She has served three terms as president of Martin Luther Tower, an affordable housing facility for independent seniors. She also has been on the board of the Independent Schools Business Officers Association and has been a member of Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation committees. She has a B.A. in music from Chatham College and an M.A. in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in San Francisco with her husband Tom and they have two grown daughters. Susan enjoys hiking in the Sierras whenever possible.

Ray Baxter, Secretary and former PTTA President (2006-07), is the founder of 67 Central Software, a software company that develops database tools for community organizations. He was previously the Director of Promotions Engineering and Commerce Engineering at E-centives, Inc. and a Senior Software Engineer at Inktomi. Ray received a B.A. in biology from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University. As a CDS parent volunteer, Ray has served as PTTA President, PTTA Secretary and classroom liaison. He enjoys triathlons, cycling, swimming, backpacking and folk music and dance. Ray is the parent of Martha (’17) and Roland ('13) Baxter.

Suzanne Ahern Abbey is the Head of Lower School at Head Royce School in Oakland. Prior to assuming her current role at Head Royce, Suzanne was the Lower School Head at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Oakland where she also taught second grade and served as the school librarian. She served on the St. Paul's Board of Trustees for four years, serving on the site and educational policies committees. Suzanne received her B.A. in sociology from Washington College, her teaching credential from U.C. Berkeley and her master's degree in school administration from St. Mary's College of California. Suzanne has served on both CAIS and Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation teams. She enjoys traveling to Spanish-speaking countries, hiking and spending time with her husband, Jim, and daughter, Heather, who is a graduate of the University of Oregon.

Susan Alexander has 30 years of experience working in nonprofit organizations, primarily in the environmental field. She is now an independent fundraising and communications consultant after serving over 16 years as the Vice President for Communications at Public Media Center, a nonprofit, public interest communications agency. At Public Media Center, Susi developed communications strategies for clients working on environmental and social issues. Prior to that she served as Vice President for Communications at Green Seal, Eco-Desk Manager for Esprit de Corp., Communications Director for Earth Day 1990 and Alaska Regional Director and other positions for the Wilderness Society. Susi attended Bryn Mawr College and the National Law Center of George Washington University. Susi is serving as co-chair of the "Building Our Future" capital campaign and has been an active member of the CDS Development Committee for the past 8 years. She is the parent of Cassi Alexander (’11).

Brooke Bianco, PTTA President, is the mother of three boys, Leo ('18), Luke ('20) and Lincoln ('22). Previously, she worked as an Industrial Engineer for both Matson Navigation Company (1998-2003), a steamship line specializing in shipping to the Hawaiian Islands, and Menlo Worldwide Logistics (1996-1998), a global supply chain management company. She holds a B.S. in industrial systems engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Currently, Brooke serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Youth Baseball League. She and her husband, Bob, own and manage Cyrus Creek Vineyards in Napa Valley.

Dr. Robert Curley (Emeritus), Chair of the Board 1998-2002, is an Associate Professor of Education on leave from the University of San Francisco. He received his Ph.D. in education with an emphasis in psychology from Stanford University. He has served as Chair of the Teacher Education Department and Director of Teacher Education at the University of San Francisco and Director of the TEAMS/AmeriCorps project (Teacher Education for the Advancement of a Multicultural Society).

Laura DelaFuente is a senior consultant with Pacific BioFacilities, a company that specializes in planning, design, construction and management of bio-science facilities. Laura earned her B.S. in architecture from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico and her M.S. in interior design and facilities planning from Cornell University. She has served on the CDS Board of Trustees’ Facilities Development Committee since 2008. She is the parent of Cosette (’17) and Mishan (’18) Gagnon.

Marianne Evans, former PTTA President (2004-06), is the Assistant Director of Development at The Urban School of San Francisco. Previously, she was a transaction manager in the San Francisco office of Babcock & Brown, an Australia-based global investment and advisory firm, where she has worked for 14 years. Prior to working for Babcock & Brown, she taught English in Tainan, Taiwan. Marianne has a B.A. in English from Santa Clara University. When not at their day jobs or at CDS, Marianne and her husband Bill Veiga enjoy spending as much time as they can preparing and sharing meals with their friends and large extended families. Their daughters Tess ('13) and Gracie ('17) Veiga attend CDS.

John Hendrickson is a Managing Partner of SFRi LLC, an independent investment and advisory firm specializing in the insurance and related sectors. Prior to founding SFRi in 2004, John was with Swiss Re, a global insurance company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and before that he was with Smith Barney for ten years in the investment banking division. John serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Opera where he is co-chair of the Investment Committee and a member of the Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Overseers of St. John's University School of Risk Management and is a trustee of the Stanford Water Polo Foundation. John received a B.A. in history and an M.S. in industrial engineering from Stanford University. He resides in San Francisco with his wife, Sara, and their five children. John swims whenever time allows.

Andrew Henry is an equity derivatives Portfolio Manager at CALT Trading LLC, a proprietary options trading firm based in San Francisco, which he co-founded in 2011. Prior to working at CALT, he was a Strategic Business Unit head at PEAK6 Capital Management, the founder of Henry Capital Management, and an options market maker for Group 1 Trading. He has been in the derivatives trading business for 18 years and has been a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange and the Pacific Coast Options Exchange. Andrew has a B.S. in finance from Indiana University and studied Japanese at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. He is the parent of Miles (CDS ’18) and George (CDS ’19) and has been active with many CDS committees.

Molly Huffman joined CDS as Head of School in 2010 with more than 20 years of distinguished experience in preschool, elementary and middle school education, including particular expertise in curriculum and teacher development. Prior to joining CDS, Molly was Head of School at The Children’s School in La Jolla, California for nine years. While Head at The Children’s School, Molly secured the school’s first long-term lease of its site and completed its first significant upgrade of school facilities. Molly previously served as Head of School at the Touchstone School in Lake Oswego, Oregon and Assistant Head and Division Head at the French American International School in Portland, Oregon, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Drew School. A graduate of Scripps College with a B.A. in History and International Relations, Molly also holds a M.P.A. in Public and Educational Administration from Lewis & Clark College and has teaching and administrative credentials from the State of Oregon. Molly comes from a family of educators: her great-grandfather was superintendent of the Portland public schools and her mother was Vice Provost of Oregon Health Sciences University. She has two adult children, Michael, who owns a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, and Brooke, who is a lawyer in Austin, Texas.

Richard Hylton is Deputy Publisher of the Berkeley Daily Planet, a local community newspaper, and co-owner of H&O Properties, a real estate development company. Previously, he was an advisor to New York Stock Exchange CEO Dick Grasso, Associate Editor of Fortune Magazine, staff writer at the New York Times and editor of Black Enterprise Magazine. Richard received a B.A. in English from Columbia University, studied at Boston University and spent a year at the Sorbonne in Paris. He is the parent of Nora Hylton (’17). Along with his wife Sara O’Malley, Richard serves on and was active in the formation of the CDS Committee on Inclusion.

Tracy Kirkham, (Chair Emeritus), Chair of the Board 2002-2008, is a lawyer specializing in business litigation, with an emphasis on complex multiparty cases and class actions. She and her husband Josef Cooper are partners in the San Francisco firm Cooper & Kirkham, P.C. Her eldest daughter Gillian ('07) started preschool at CDS in 1994 at the age of two. Daughters Sydney ('12) and Greer ('12) Cooper joined their sister at CDS in 2000. Along with her husband, Tracy was instrumental in converting CDS from a privately-owned preschool to a non-profit elementary school. In 2001, she negotiated and documented the purchase of the school site from the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. In her free time, Tracy enjoys photography, skiing and scuba diving.

Robin McClarren is a Marketing Project Management Director for Wells Fargo Bank. Previous to that she was a Private Client Services Studio Manager and Production Team Leader at Wells Fargo, and also worked as a marketing consultant and graphic designer. Robin, mother of Ruby Noto ('13), has been a dedicated PTTA volunteer – serving as the 2008-09 PTTA Faculty Appreciation Coordinator and co-chairing the CDS fundraising auction, Fiesta, for several years. Robin received her B.A. in art history from Temple University and, when she is not busy at CDS, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Elizabeth McClellan has been teaching at CDS since 1991 and joined the Board in January 2007. She has been a guest artist at the Museum of Crafts and Folk Art at Fort Mason, as well as a guest artist in ceramics for the children’s workshop at the Anderson Art Ranch. She received her B.F.A. from the University of California at Davis and is trained in the Responsive Classroom approach. She is the illustrator of Stop This Birthday, a children’s book published by Chronicle Books in 2005. She is also an accomplished Etch-A-Sketch artist with artwork in several private collections, including the Ohio Art offices in New York.

Jack Munson is a principal in the architectural firm of Fee Munson Ebert, which he co-founded with Stephen Fee in 1980. Prior to starting his own practice, Jack was employed for seven years in the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Jack grew up in Los Angeles and was educated at the University of California, Berkeley over an 11-year period that resulted in two degrees and was interrupted by a Peace Corps tour in Kenya, East Africa. Jack is the father of two and grandfather of one.

Laura Pliska is the Administrative Director for Graduate Medical Education and Assistant Director of the Residency Training Program in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. She previously served as the Manager of Instructional Planning for the Dean of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and as the Vice Chair of Chancellor Berdahl’s Advisory Committee. In addition to her work at UCSF, Laura runs her own business, "babyworks," consulting with women and their partners on issues of reproductive healthcare and education. She is the parent of Iliana Pliska-Bloch (’15) and served for two years as the PTTA President (2007-2009) and Vice President for Community Building (2005-2007). Laura was instrumental in starting affinity groups and film and book discussion groups at CDS. She received her B.A. from Vassar College in philosophy and recently learned how to ride a bike.

Jim Reynolds, father of Taylor (’15) and Ava (’18), has served as an annual fund class captain at CDS for several years. Jim is a Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Client Services at CoreLogic/LoanPerformance, a technology company that assists financial institutions with risk analysis. Previously, Jim was managing director of the European office of BancWare, vice president of business development at HSBC Global Markets and senior bank analyst at MetLife Investments. He holds a B.S. in economics and political science from Union College.

Darya Soto is an immigrant from Santiago, Chile and is fluent in Spanish. Darya is a physician who obtained her B.S. and medical degree from UC San Diego, and her specialty training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UCSF, where she was a professor of medicine until 2007. Darya began her own pulmonary practice in Marin on January, 2009. She has served on the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion at CDS since 2007. She has a son, Liam (CDS ’14), who has been at CDS since preschool. Other important aspects to her life are family, athletics, environmental protection and socio-economic equality.

Carol Swainson rejoins the CDS Board after having served as a trustee from 2007-2009. She is the Head of Middle School at Head-Royce School in Oakland, and previously worked at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., as well as in bilingual schools in Los Angeles as part of the Teach for America program. At Sidwell, Carol served for five years as the All-School Diversity Coordinator and as an ex-officio member of the board of trustees, and taught classes in French, Spanish and American History. Carol received her M.Ed. in social foundations in education and her B.A. in Spanish and French languages from the University of Virginia. She has been a speaker, workshop leader and consultant on diversity for numerous schools and organizations.

Rachel Yeaman has served on the CDS development committee since 2008 and is currently the chair of the CAIS self-study committee on the community of the school. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Breast Cancer Fund and has more than a decade of experience mounting public education initiatives and campaigns. Rachel worked as Communications Director for the ACLU of Northern Californa from 2001 to 2004. She and her husband, Kevin, have two sons, Callum ('18) and Oliver ('20), who attend CDS.