Governance

Golden Bridges School is independently incorporated and self-administered. The school is governed as a legal and fiscal entity by the Board of Trustees. The Steering Committee carries the responsibility for all aspects of student life including the hiring and evaluation of teachers, admissions, academic standards, and pedagogical and curriculum development. The Faculty carries the heart of the school, especially the cultural ethos, along with programming and curriculum mindful of selective collaboration with current educational trends. The faculty strives to make the spirit of Waldorf education relevant for modern times and our present cultural situation.. The Administration is responsible for finance, development, business matters, and communication. The Parent Body is responsible for attending all-school and class meetings and participation in committee and volunteer work.

The Board of Trustees carries the legal and fiduciary responsibility of the school. Equally, the mission of the board is to support the Steering Committee and Faculty in offering service, protection, and holding the spiritual intentionality of the school mission. The Board meets regularly to discuss long-term planning, practical matters, budget review, and overall operation in relationship to the mission of the school. The Board is composed of current parents, teachers, and friends of the school who have demonstrated an understanding of and commitment to the aims of our educational philosophy and the founding mission of Golden Bridges School.

2019-2020 Board of Trustees

Abbie Coburn

Founding teacher of Golden Bridges School and Faculty Chair

Jessie Elliot

Founding teacher of Golden Bridges School and Administrative Director

Adam Marquart

Adam is Director of Operations at GBS. Leveraging years of experience developing and growing teams at the forefront of the business and technology sectors, Adam is energized to bring the latest knowledge and strategies to bear on the challenges ahead of us, as we grow our school. He enjoys learning from the amazing voices in our GBS community, while helping to develop systems that support the experience, enrichment and engagement of all stakeholders. He has severed on the Board since 2018.

Vanessa Ginzton

Coming soon!

Mark Herrera

Mark is responsible for the relationship management of investors in RSF’s $100 million Social Investment Fund, while also assisting with business development and philanthropic services. Previously he worked in finance in the public relations and legal sectors, and started his business career in book publishing. Mark has an MA in English and Writing from Hollins University. He has served on the GBS Board for since 2015.

Ethan Wimert

Ethan provides Legal Council to GBS. He is a Personal Injury attorney in the East Bay and partner at Heinrich Law, P.C.
His two children attend Golden Bridges School. He has served on the Board since 2015.

Peter Rojas

Peter Rojas is a founding partner at Betaworks Ventures, a seed stage venture capital fund based in New York and San Francisco investing in the future of how we connect, create, and communicate. He is also the co-founder of several startups, including Weblogs Inc. (acquired by AOL in 2005), where he created and was editor-in-chief of both Engadget and Joystiq; Gizmodo (formerly Gawker Media, now G/O Media); music discovery service RCRD LBL; and gdgt, a social commerce platform (acquired by AOL in 2013). Prior to Betaworks Ventures he worked at AOL as VP of Strategy and Co-Director of Alpha, the company's experimental products group. He currently has two children enrolled at Golden Bridges and one future GBS student.

Geoff Bennett

Geoff Bennett is the father of four Waldorf educated children, and the husband of a Waldorf inspired pre-school/ kindergarten teacher. He is the Founder and CIO of GSB Capital, LLC, which is a Japan focused investment firm. Geoff has a BA in English Literature from Kenyon College, and a MA in International Finance from the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management. Geoff joined the GBS Board in 2018.

Maria Chambers

Maria came to Waldorf Education as a student in Susan Howard's kindergarten class at the Lexington Waldorf School nearly 40 years ago. Recognizing the positive impact of that experience, she became a teacher herself and has taught in a number of small independent schools. Maria holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Evergreen State College and a MS in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England. With a rural upbringing and her background in Outdoor Education & school gardens, Maria is particularly excited about the GBS farm. A professional potter who has worked and taught in studios from Vermont to Colorado, Maria now has a studio in her San Francisco home where she lives with her husband and young daughter.