Board of Directors » Board of Directors

Board of Directors

About our Board

 

The Board of Directors is the school’s governing body and consists of parents elected by the school community, a teacher representative, and appointed members from outside the school community. The Board is legally required by our school’s non-profit status and is responsible for setting policy, overseeing school governance, and ensuring the school's financial stability.

 

In the past two years, we have focused on creating a strategic plan, exploring building expansion possibilities, negotiating labor contracts, and changing our enrollment policy to support diversity.

 

Meet our Board members

 

Jason Miller, Co-President | [email protected]

My name is Jason Miller, and I am excited to introduce myself to the board as a parent of two Creative Arts Charter School students. I currently have a third grader and a kindergartener. I am eager to be more engaged with CACS and contribute towards enhancing the educational and social environment of our CACS community. I have a professional background in Information Technology, where I have led teams and initiatives that rely on effective communication, empathy, and results-oriented leadership to advance and grow. I believe there is always room to learn, and with this background, I am dedicated to helping the Teacher/Support & Governance committees. When I’m not with my family, I enjoy following sports, reading, and gardening. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself, and I look forward to working with all of you.


Eric Talbert, Co-President | [email protected]

Eric Talbert has over 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, with a focus on global health. He teaches at San Francisco State University in the Nonprofit Management Program. His daughter enjoys attending CACS, where she appreciates being in the community.

 

Maz Ameli | [email protected]

Hey, there! My name is Maziar Ameli, but everyone calls me Maz (it rhymes with “pause”). My wife, Courtney, and I have three kids at CACS, who will be in 5th, 3rd, and 1st grade this Fall. Born and raised in the Bay Area, I’ve always held a deep love for the city of San Francisco, where our family has lived since 2012. I grew up performing improv and theater as well as traditional Persian folk dancing; and drawing and painting a lot — so it was easy to fall in love with CACS’s approach to learning. With a degree in computer science and graphic design, I’ve worked in the field of software design for 20 years, currently as the head of product design at a data visualization and analytics startup. Beyond the arts, I have a passion for academic rigor, helping kids love math, cultural exchange, and for establishing healthy relationships and boundaries with technology. I’ve also had the pleasure over the last three years of being one of the coaches for the class of 2031’s baseball team.

I have a big heart for the students and families of our community, aspiring to seek the wellbeing and thriving of each student as if they were my own. As a biracial son of an Iranian immigrant, I hope to help foster a community that celebrates and embraces our distinctive backgrounds, cultures, and differences. While serving on the school board, I intend to help make CACS become even more so a place where each student feels at peace, safe, supported, and seen.        

 

Justin Amirault, Treasurer | [email protected]

Justin has over 15 years of corporate finance and capital-raising experience. Currently, Justin finances renewable energy projects throughout the United States and is passionate about securing our nation’s renewable energy future. Justin, his wife Becca, his 4th-grade daughter, and his 1st-grade daughter treasure the love, values, and community of CACS. He has a BA in Economics from Colby College and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

 

Tomer Doron | [email protected]

Tomer (Tom) Doron is the father of four CACS students, an immigrant, and a technologist. After moving to San Francisco in 2006, Tomer started two companies in the education technology space, combining technology, science education, and visual arts. More recently, Tomer joined Apple, where he leads software engineering teams and open source communities. In his free time, Tomer enjoys woodworking, jogging, gardening, and pretending to play the guitar.

 

Megan Dunchak | [email protected]

Megan has an MSW from UC Berkeley and is a licensed clinical social worker; she has spent her career at the intersection of civil service, social justice, and healthcare in San Francisco and currently manages a team of social workers. She is excited for the opportunity to join the board’s work in supporting the school and shaping the future of CACS. Megan and her husband are parents to an CACS elementary schooler and a preschooler. In her spare time, Megan enjoys riding the family cargo bike, playing rhythm guitar, and singing harmonies (ideally around a campfire).

 

Erin Keefe | [email protected]

Erin Keefe has practiced as an attorney for two decades in both public defense and in private business litigation. She has volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for youth in foster care, and for six years, volunteered at a youth homeless shelter in San Francisco. She is committed to challenging institutional biases and transforming the legal landscape to be more equitable. As a CACS board member, Erin aspires to be an advocate for every child and community member at CACS, using her legal background and skills to assist the school. Erin, her husband Nat, and their two sons, Bodie (2nd) and Grady (4th), love the joy and creativity that flows from the arts-integrated educational approach offered at CACS and being a part of the wonderful CACS community.

 

Matt Lee | [email protected]

Bio coming soon.

 

Kristyn Medeiros | [email protected]

Kristyn is the parent of a joyful and curious first grader and has been an active part of the CACS community for the past two years. She’s served as a class representative, coached first-grade soccer, and currently co-manages the school’s lost and found—proudly helping misplaced jackets and water bottles find their way home.
 
Professionally, Kristyn has led teams in the tech sector, supporting cross-functional projects in IT, sales, and customer experience. She enjoys building systems that bring people together and work better for everyone. She also hosts a podcast that explores alternative paths to success and fulfillment.
 
In her free time, Kristyn enjoys indoor gardening and playing board games with her husband and two kids. She’s excited to bring her leadership skills, systems thinking, and deep belief in inclusive education to the CACS board.

 

Max Morales, Teacher Representative | [email protected]

Max hails from Bakersfield, California, born into a family of educators with roots in the farm labor movement. This upbringing greatly emphasized the value of education from a young age, with a rich social justice background. Max earned his BA from Humboldt State University with a focus on Elementary Ed. After traveling and teaching English to adult learners in Peru and Guatemala, Max continued his higher education journey, earning his Master's in Education + Multi-Subject teaching credential from UC Santa Cruz. He has worked as a classroom teacher in San Francisco since 2018 and has been at CACS since 2020. Max finds joy/calm immersing himself in the natural beauty ever present in this vibrant city. He loves exploring the world by bicycle, relaxing with his dog, Xena, catching live music, and building community with others.  

 

Brooke Nagel, Teacher Representative | [email protected]

Brooke Nagel has been teaching for 21 years, 16 of which have been at Creative Arts. She has served the community as a teacher and as part of the administration for four years.  She has a BA in Elementary Education, a BS in Elementary Education from Boston University, and an MA in Studio Art and Art Education from Columbia University Teachers College.  Brooke loves CACS because students and teachers are valued for who they are and are encouraged to be unique and creative thinkers and problem solvers.  Brooke loves to create art, dance, knit, hike, read, cook, and travel with her family when she's not at school.

 

Peter Schnupp, Secretary | [email protected]

My name is Peter Schnupp. My family has been part of the creative arts community since 2020, when my daughter started as a kindergartener. Seraphina is now in Christina’s 3rd-grade class. My professional background is in marketing and advertising, having most recently worked at Meta. My true passion is music. I play drums, my wife is a singer, and we share our love for the arts with Seraphina. As a board member, I look forward to supporting teachers and staff, promoting diversity initiatives, listening to CACS families, and applying my knowledge to strengthen our community and board.

 

 


 

 

Essential Question

What will it take for us – individually and collectively - to remain urgently, relentlessly committed to interrupt adult-centered and Eurocentric (or white supremacy cultural) practices in our school and hold ourselves and each other accountable for anti-racist, art-centered classrooms rooted in love that insist on the success and sense of belonging of our black students and our students with IEPs?


This Essential Question is revisited yearly to stay relevant and impactful.