our team
Yaeir Heber | co-founder
Oakland native and former student of Paul and Andy at Head-Royce, Yaeir graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in World-Views and Sustainability—a degree he designed to examine the underpinnings of our society's unsustainable tendencies and how education can be employed to strategically address them. His research led him around the world, studying education systems in eco-villages throughout Europe, community structure, permaculture design, and earth-building in the Middle East, rain-forest conservation and agroforestry in Ecuador, and community farming in the US. After graduating, he worked as an educator both in and outside of the formal classroom, like in Chester, PA for example, where he was responsible for the Public Housing Authority's urban agriculture program—developing and managing an urban farm and its youth education program. Whether through his work with community agriculture or teaching in classrooms in Manhattan and Oakland, Yaeir has a demonstrated commitment to helping students cultivate personal bonds with the natural world and one another through meaningful, experiential, outdoor education. Yaeir is an avid rock-climber and musician who loves to forage, cook, build, and spend time in the great outdoors.
Paul Scott | co-founder
Paul has been a dedicated educator for the past 30 years. He started working in New York City, first volunteering at the pioneering Children's Storefront School in East Harlem while getting his undergraduate degree at Columbia University, then teaching elementary students at the Little Red School House in Greenwich Village. Paul moved to Berkeley in the early 90s to get his Masters and Candidate in Philosophy Degrees in History at UC Berkeley, where he also taught several undergraduate seminars. For the past 22 years, Paul has taught Environmental Philosophy, Western Civilization, and Islam to juniors and seniors at the Head-Royce School in Oakland. Paul has also served in a couple of administrative roles, spending 8 years as the junior class dean and a three-year stint as the chair of the History Department. When not burning the midnight oil grading papers and developing curriculum, Paul likes to travel, cook, garden, and surf in Bolinas with his wife Erin and kids Otis and Lune. Having circled the globe three times, Paul brings a diverse and broad-minded perspective to his classroom and educational philosophy.
Andy Spear | co-founder
Andy has been teaching for over 20 years; during that time he’s taught students from 1st grade to undergraduates, and has taught courses in English, drama, journalism, and history. For the last ten years, he has also combined teaching with administrative duties—as a class dean, and Chair of the Head-Royce English Department. In the late 90s, Andy also spent his summers running residential educational programs, including the Actor’s Workshop, a summer intensive drama program which he created. Along with teaching, Andy holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from Louisiana State University, and has published short stories, poetry, and had several of his plays produced. He’s also worked as a theater director and actor, and even radio show host. Most of his career has revolved around questions of storytelling, and working with students to tell the stories that matter to them. In the off-hours, if not reading or writing, Andy’s usually with his family, and ideally outdoors.
Millie Chu Baird
Millie Chu Baird is the Associate Vice President for the Office of Chief Scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), one of the world’s leading environmental organizations. Millie leads innovative projects that bring actionable data to help solve environmental problems. She directed the Methane Mapping project, Environmental Defense Fund’s partnership with Google Earth Outreach that maps natural gas leaks from local distribution systems, and is part of the leadership team for EDF’s efforts to use data and analysis from air sensors to spur public action to improve air pollution. As part of OCS’s leadership team, she is responsible for helping to set and implement the strategic vision for office. Millie was recently EDF’s interim lead for environmental justice and equity, and has partnered with frontline community groups fighting air pollution. Millie has degrees in Earth Systems from Stanford University.
Sylvia Brownrigg
Sylvia Brownrigg is the author of seven acclaimed books of fiction: five novels, including the Pages for You series and The Delivery Room, two volumes of short stories and a story for middle-grade readers, Kepler’s Dream, which was turned into a feature film starring Holland Taylor and Kelly Lynch. Sylvia’s works have been included in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times lists of notable fictions and have been translated into several languages, and she has won a Lambda award. In addition to writing fiction, Sylvia Brownrigg has also taught creative writing and been widely published as a reviewer and critic. She served on the board of Narrative Magazine, has been involved with the Bay Area Book Festival, and has been on Oxfam America’s Leadership Council since 2008. Sylvia has a son and daughter, as well as a stepson, and lives with her family in Berkeley. Both her children in college are actively involved with issues of environmental and social justice and the ways they intersect, so the plans for the Field Semester are part of a continuing family conversation.
Peter COlby
Peter leads land conservation in the state of California for Western Rivers Conservancy. Previously, he acquired and managed conservation lands for Save-the-Redwoods League and Contra Costa Water District. Peter practiced law for many years in the areas of environmental, real estate, and litigation. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Susan and is happy to have his two grown daughters in the Bay Area. When not working, Peter loves skiing, hiking, traveling, and cooking. Peter also writes for magazines on various social and political topics. Peter graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in Economics and obtained his law degree from Berkeley Law, University of California.
Kyle Cornforth
Kyle has over two decades of nonprofit executive experience at the intersection of education, organizational development, social justice, and advocacy. She was the Executive Director of Maker Ed, an organization committed to transforming education with project-based, culturally competent pedagogy. As Managing Director of the Edible School Project for over a decade, Kyle oversaw major partnerships, curriculum development, and strategic growth. She led policy reform for BUSD lunch program, advised on USDA policy for school food, and led professional development for teachers globally on how non-traditional education experiences are essential to truly prepare students for their lives on this planet, with the belief that teachers, administrators, and schools have the opportunity to adapt their practices to the shifting world. Kyle is a trained anti-racism facilitator and speaker and is committed to anti-racist practices in all aspects of her work. Kyle currently consults on strategy, organizational development, operations, and communications for multiple nonprofits.
Lizette Ortega Dolan
Dr. Lizette Ortega Dolan is the Founder and Senior Consultant at JUST Dragonfly, supporting schools, child-serving organizations, non-profits, and senior leaders in the corporate sector to examine, develop, build capacity for implementing and evaluating programs for systemic and sustainable Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. Dr. Dolan has served independent schools nationally since 1997. She has taught children from Kindergarten through 12th grade in boarding and day, Catholic and secular, public and for profit and has developed and executed countless out-of-the-box, cross-curricular programming. A native of San Francisco, daughter of Central American immigrants, and a graduate of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, Dr. Dolan earned her Bachelor's in History and Dance from U.C. Berkeley, her Master's in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her Ed. D. in Educational Leadership from St. Mary's College of California. Dr. Dolan regularly presents internationally, nationally, and locally on issues of teacher excellence, fostering systemic change, innovative teaching and learning methods, the recruitment and retention of historically marginalized people within white spaces, and cultivating inclusive learning environments.
Christian DOnovan
Christian Donovan is the head of school at Friends School of Baltimore. Previously, he served as the assistant head of school and director of strategic research at Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA, following seven years as the school’s Director of Enrollment Management. Christian played a critical role in leading Head-Royce’s COVID-19 response team and is nationally acclaimed for his enrollment management work. Before joining Head-Royce, he served as director of admissions and enrollment management at his alma mater George School, a Quaker school in Newton, PA, and in college counseling and admissions roles at the Athenian School in California.
Olivia Lynch
Dr. Olivia Ifill Lynch, educational consultant, was born in Panama City, Panama and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was ten years old. She is 100% bi-lingual, English/Spanish – speak, read, write. Her parents and extended family always emphasized the importance and transformative impact of learning. Dr. Lynch’s experience as an educator in New York and California, is multi-faceted, having served as teacher, principal, director, superintendent, leader of educational organizations, professor of education and educational consultant. Dr. Lynch, deeply knows and believes that education is key in promoting positive life outcomes for human beings. Dr. Olivia Lynch received her B.A. from New York University, her M.A. from Adelphi University, her principal and district leadership certificates from City College of New York and her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Mills College. She was also the recipient of a Revson Fellowship from Columbia University. Her research, presentations, workshops and writing, focus on school reform and innovation, educational leadership, school and educational institution governance, curriculum and teaching, English Language Learners and urban education. Her published doctoral dissertation is, Generative Leadership: A Case Study of Distributed Leadership and Leadership Sustainability. Dr. Lynch co-authored an article for Educational Leadership with Dr. Linda Darling- Hammond, of Stanford University entitled, If They’d Only Do Their Work!, which continues to be referenced in educational writings.
SHREE JENNIFER RAM
Shree is a Bay Area native and graduate of Swarthmore College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She worked in Arts Education outside of Philadelphia, as well as in the field of Adult Literacy in Chicago. Since schoolyear 2007/8, Shree has worked at Leadership Public Schools, a college-prep high-school network serving historically under-served students in Richmond, Oakland, and Hayward. She feels privileged to have worked at LPS Richmond for 11 years in multiple leadership roles, most significantly as the Head of Student Services for nine years. She is proud to have been on the leadership team that facilitated LPS Richmond's transformation and has earned the school Gold Status by U.S. News Best Public High Schools rankings since schoolyear 2013/14. Shree is currently the Network's Lead Student Support Coordinator and is committed to providing all students the individualized academic and socio-emotional support they deserve to experience school success. Shree prefers the printed page, in-person or hand-written communication, and re-adjusting her focus on the outdoors.
Shahana Sarkar
Shahana is Bay Area native and a lifelong independent school attendee. She has been at the Head-Royce school in Oakland, Ca for over 20 years, serving as scheduler, Math Department Chair, and currently, a member of the Math Faculty and K12 Dean of Academics and Community. She is the mother of two kids, one in college, the other a freshman, so the end is in sight. As the Academic Dean, she works on curriculum development and alignment, U.C. conformity, and best practices in teaching and learning for a global, pandemic-influenced, and climate-challenged student audience. She serves on the People of Color in Independent Schools of Northern California (POCIS Nor Cal) as the treasurer, and is also a member of the board of the Field Semester, here in the Bay Area. She is a passionate and curious lifelong learner. Besides teaching and learning, she is an avid hiker-with-friends, lover of Bullet Journaling, Visual Note-taking, and fancy pens.
JOSHUA WEINTRAUB
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Josh has over 25 years of working/learning as an educator, mostly in public charter schools. Since helping found Lighthouse Community Charter High School in 2005, Josh has spent the last 18 years at Lighthouse Community Public Schools, which now operates Lighthouse and Lodestar, both K-12 schools in East Oakland. The focus of Josh's work is on college/career success and closing the opportunity gap for traditionally underserved students and communities. Josh earned his BA from Brown University, his teaching credential form CSU East Bay, and MEd and Administrative Credential from UC Berkeley. He lives in Berkeley with his wife and two boys and enjoys hiking, trail running, cooking and good company.