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-inspired 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.  
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2021-2022 Board of Trustees

Miel Alegre

​Miel is an avid crafter, chef, and proud collector of folk tales from her homeland, the Philippines. She has a background in educational non-profits and has a graduate degree in Cultural Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz. She is a parent to three children, one of whom is off to college in Iowa.  Miel comes from Rocky Mountain Co-op, and joined the Board of Trustees in 2021.

Kit Colbert (Chair)

Kit is a founding parent at Golden Bridges School where his two children now attend.  While Kit's background and day job is in the tech industry, he's a strong believer in the Waldorf education philosophy of building the whole person and is excited to work with the board to continue helping the school grow and evolve its charter.

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. 

Vanessa Ozuna Ginzton

Vanessa is a multi-skilled member of the community helping with everything from development on the Board, to co-hosting fundraiser auctions, to sewing crayon cases.  She has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA and worked in the tech industry for over a decade. She is a strong believer in Waldorf education and the Golden Bridges School mission to teach the whole child, and believes that the discovery and love of art, science and even technology can result in a beautiful and ultimately fulfilling life. She has two children attending Golden Bridges. 

Vanessa also manages her family philanthropy fund that has a mission to improve the opportunities for children with the goal of self-empowerment and social justice. Currently she is finding joy in learning guitar, reigniting her first love (dance), and learning about anthroposophy.

Arjun Kulothungun

Coming soon!

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 has three children enrolled at Golden Bridges.

Kate Schox

Kate Schox is a founding partner at Trucks Venture Capital. Trucks.vc is a seed-stage venture capital fund for entrepreneurs changing the future of transportation. Our investments make transportation safer, cleaner and more accessible. She is also the co-founder of Schox Philanthropy. Schox.org is a philanthropic fund inviting select startup founders to commit 1% equity and make donations to curated nonprofits.

Kate also plays an active role in her community as a volunteer yoga teacher and board member to several Bay Area non-profits. She holds an M.A.A. (Master of Applied Anthropology) from the University of Maryland, College Park, as well as a B.Ed from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Kate lives in San Francisco with her husband Jeff, their third grade son, and 16 year old dog.​

Jessie Elliot (Founder's Seat)

Founding teacher of Golden Bridges School​ and Administrative Director.

Jessie was born in Philadelphia, grew up in the Bay Area and attended New York University.  After starting a family, Jessie attended and graduated from Rudolf Steiner College in 2011 and co-founded Golden Bridges in 2013 with Abbie Coburn and Justine Costerouse. Her daughter attends Golden Bridges and her son attends San Francisco Waldorf High School.

Adam Marquart (Ex-Officio)

Director of Operations at Golden Bridges School. He has served on the Board of Trustees since 2018.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, and later moving to the Bay Area, Adam ended up spending much of his life in Seattle, Washington, before returning to his chosen home city, San Francisco, over a decade ago. 

Leveraging years of experience developing and growing teams at the forefront of the business and technology sectors, Adam is energized to be a part of the Golden Bridges, as we grow our school.
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​Adam's daughter attends Golden Bridges.