Board of Trustees

List of 10 members.

• 

  Gabrielle Battle 

  2015

  Bio

  Gabrielle Battle hails from Oakland, California, and graduated with distinction from Duke University. At Duke, her senior thesis focused on improving service provision for Black female victims of domestic minor sex trafficking in California. Gabrielle is passionate about utilizing law as an instrument to advance the rights of marginalized communities both domestically and abroad, with a focus on serving girls of color. Recently, Gabrielle spoke at the Permanent Forum for People of African Descent at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, where she highlighted ways in which the United Nations can strengthen its commitment to Black girls and women. 

   

  She has also explored her passion for equity through her work with The Gathering for Justice, Abrams for Governor Campaign, Nueva Vista Group, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice, and Dream.org. Gabrielle most recently served as an International Advocacy and Litigation Fellow at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

   

  She was admitted to Harvard Law School through the Junior Deferral Program.
• 

  Tess Curet 

  2003

  Bio

  Tess Curet (alum from the second graduating class of 2003) is in-house counsel at Levi Strauss & Co. where she supports all aspects of the business across the brands of Levi’s, Dockers, and Beyond Yoga. In addition to negotiating commercial contracts, Tess advises on licensing, wholesale, and consumer-facing initiatives. Prior to joining LS&Co., Tess was an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP in San Francisco counseling clients on antitrust issues related to mergers and acquisitions as well as general commercial litigation and white collar investigations.  Tess graduated with BAs in Political Science and Media Studies from UC Berkeley and a JD from UCLA.
• 

  Yvonne Faisal 

  Bio

  Yvonne Faisal is an experienced educator, systems thinker, and leader. She is currently the Interim Principal at ICA Cristo Rey, a Dominican All-Girls' High School in San Francisco. Previously she was the Assistant Head of School for the San Francisco Girls’ School, a start-up school focused on using STEM to address the challenges facing humanity.  

  
  Over her educational career, Yvonne has been a Mathematics and Engineering teacher, a Department Chair, the Senior Class Dean, the Director of Systems and Innovation, and the Director of Academics. In her various roles, she built an academic program from scratch, led task forces to facilitate full-school change initiatives, coordinated multi-divisional projects, and conducted professional development workshops on innovative teaching practices, building change capacity, and exploring balance within the educational paradigm.  She was awarded the St. Stephan medal by her peers at Woodside Priory for teaching excellence and her work for incorporating hands-on learning and real-life applications into the classroom, as well as her commitment to teaching independent strategic thinking and self-advocacy.

  
  Yvonne’s commitment to mentoring and building capacity in others is a hallmark of her work. Before her career in the educational field, Yvonne was an electrical engineer and she holds a BA in Mathematics and Physics from Drury University, a BS in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and a MA in Ed. & H.D. for Organization Leadership and Learning from The George Washington University.
• 

  Stephanie Mendelsohn 

  Bio

  Stephanie Mendelsohn is a proud parent of JMSG ‘14 and ‘17 alums. She is Associate General Counsel and Senior Director of Records and eDiscovery at Genentech in South San Francisco where she focuses on law and technology. Her teams are responsible for Genentech's information management program and for Roche’s global eDiscovery program. Within Genentech’s Legal Department, Stephanie is a member of the Corporate Law Leadership team. Prior to joining Genentech, Stephanie was a litigation partner at a global law firm where she focused on the defense of product liability actions involving pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.  She graduated with a BA with honors from the University of Michigan and a JD from The George Washington University Law School.
• 

  Jermaine Pierre 

  Bio

  Jermaine Pierre is a proud parent of a JMSG ’23 alum. He is a Director and member of the North America Core Portfolio Management (Core PM) team at BlackRock in San Francisco where he focuses on Global Fixed Income. His teams have managed over 100 Billion in AUM in US and Canada and are responsible for various iShares, Index, and Active funds. Outside of BlackRock, he is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Bond Investors Association (CBIA). Prior to joining BlackRock, he was an investment officer managing and trading interest rates and mortgage backed securities (MBS) portfolios at Mellon Capital and California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPers). Previously, he worked in the Alternative Investment Group at Merrill Lynch, responsible for marketing and structuring cash collateralized default obligation (CDO) and structured products. He began his career at Citigroup on the emerging markets and equity derivatives desk. Mr. Pierre earned a BBA degree in Finance from Howard University and an MBA degree in Finance from Columbia University.
• 

  Dr. Katherine Rothschild 

  Bio

  Katherine Rothschild, MFA, PhD, is a Lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University and researcher in equitable linguistics in education, transfer pedagogy, and feminist online spaces. She has been published by Purdue University Press, College Composition and Communication, Journal of Response to Writing, Praxis, Feminist Media Studies, and her first-person essays have been published on KQED/NPR, in The San Francisco Chronicle, and in other publications. Her novel Wider Than the Sky is out from Soho Teen/Penguin Random House. Find her on TikTok and Instagram at @Kath_Rothschild.
• 

  Colleen Schilly 

  Bio

  Colleen Schilly is the Associate Head of School at Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, California. She has more than 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, coach, and leader. In addition to her work in education, Colleen is a trained graphic recorder and facilitator who leverages the power of visual images to capture the thinking of a group and move complex processes forward. Colleen has a BS in Environmental Science from Duke University and an M.S. in General & Special Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education. She lives in San Jose with her husband, Morgan, and two young children Beckett and Ryder. 
• 

  Rebecca Silbert 

  Bio

  Rebecca Silbert is a Senior Fellow at the Opportunity Institute in Berkeley and the Director of Corrections to College, an independent statewide initiative to increase high-quality higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Californians. Corrections to College is co-directed by the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. Previously, Rebecca was the Executive Director of the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at UC Berkeley School of Law. Prior to her five years at the Warren Institute, Rebecca tried cases for nine years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Northern District of California. She earlier worked as an associate at the law firm of Keker, VanNest, & Peters LLP in San Francisco as well as with the Harvard Project on Schooling and Children. Rebecca has a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from UC Berkeley. Rebecca's daughter Eliana graduated in JMSG Class of 2017 and Sarah graduated in the Class of 2021.
• 

  Amy Urban 

  Bio

  Amy Urban is mom to daughters Abbie, JMSG Class of 2018, and Violet, Class of 2021. She grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in International Relations and Political Science.  After moving to the Bay Area, Amy earned her California Teaching Credential at JFK University in Orinda. She briefly taught in public schools in Alameda and Berkeley before teaching second grade at Camelot School in Castro Valley, where she also acted as Interim Head of School. She was President of the Montessori Family School Parents’ Association in El Cerrito from April 2008-June 2011 and enjoyed volunteering in the classrooms while her daughters were students there.  Amy served as a trustee on the Board of Directors at Montessori Family School from January 2010-June 2015, and as Board Chair from July 2015-June 2018. Amy lives in Berkeley with her husband, Ian, daughters, Abbie and Violet, and her dog, Suki. 
• 

  Alissa Vannet 

  2003

  Bio

  Alissa Vannet, PsyD is a clinical psychologist with a profound commitment to supporting teens, young adults, adults, couples, and families through complex emotional and psychological challenges. Her approach is grounded in creating a compassionate, safe, and healing environment where every individual is seen, heard, and understood. She earned her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She has significant experience practicing in community mental health settings, school based programs, hospitals, and private practice, treating a spectrum of mental health issues, including trauma and depression, identity development, anxiety, and relationship and familial conflict.

  Alissa graduated from the second graduating class at Julia Morgan School for Girls in 2003, back when the campus was on Holy Names University, and classrooms were renovated dorm rooms. She credits Julia Morgan School for instilling the importance of self-advocacy, confidence, and compassion that she has carried with her all these years. Alissa is excited to join the Board of Trustees and to continue moving the mission and vision of Julia Morgan School forward.