Jessica grew up in New Jersey and attended Georgetown University, where she received her BA and Masters in Public Policy. Jessica worked for the District of Columbia Office of Early Childhood Development, then moved to focus on health care, which included designing, building, and evaluating state Medicaid programs. She now works as a consultant, assisting clients with expanding access and improving quality of care for underserved populations. Jessica and her husband, Alan, moved to Mill Valley in 2014 and have two daughters at Old Mill School. Jessica was the President of the Old Mill School PTA, served on the Mill Valley PTA Council, and chaired the Campaign for Measure G in 2022.

Morgan grew up in Connecticut and attended Ithaca College in New York. After college, Morgan worked for Hyatt Hotels in both Chicago and San Francisco in event planning and sales. Morgan, her husband and two boys moved to Mill Valley in 2021. Morgan’s family loves being part of the Mill Valley community. She has enjoyed volunteering and being Room Parent at her boys’ preschool. She is very excited to support Kiddo! and its mission. Morgan’s parents both worked in elementary schools and gave her a deep understanding of how important enrichment programs are in childhood.

Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, Courtney has lived in Mill Valley for several years with her husband and two boys. She received degrees in Elementary Education and Communication Studies from Marquette University where she played Division I soccer, and earned a Masters degree in Child Development from the Erikson Institute in Chicago. Courtney is a Certified Child Life Specialist, and worked in Pediatric Hospitals in San Francisco helping kids and their families cope with challenging medical experiences. 

Courtney has previously served as Kiddo’s Art Committee Chair, and she provides graphic design support for the Edna Maguire PTA. Courtney enjoys any type of art project, hiking, playing pickleball, and family movie nights.

Anne-Elise has lived in Mill Valley with her husband and three kids since 2018. Her younger boys attend Park School and her daughter is at MVMS. She received her BA in Economics and French from Vanderbilt University, and her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Anne-Elise has worked in management consulting and e-commerce. 

Anne-Elise actively supports her children's schools, currently serving as the Park School PTA President and the MVMS PTA Secretary. She loves this amazing Mill Valley community and is passionate about supporting educational enrichment programs such as those funded by Kiddo! When she is not PTA-ing, she likes to spend her time hiking, knitting, and reading books of questionable literary value.

Justin Torkelson is one of the few San Francisco natives who attended Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. Upon graduating with a BA in Anthropology, he immediately returned to California and has lived in Mill Valley since 2013 with his wife and two daughters. Justin is dedicated to serving the Mill Valley community and excited for the opportunity to join Kiddo. Additionally he is starting his 7th year on the Edna Maguire Elementary PTA, returning to the Treasurer role after serving as Secretary and EVP. 

Liz grew up in Philadelphia and when she headed to Duke for college, her family moved to Mill Valley. After college, Liz worked in the Manhattan DA’s office for a year, then got a law degree at American, and spent several years as a litigator at global law firms. Liz and her husband, John, (and now three boys) have moved a lot in the last decade -- from Los Angeles to Mill Valley to Westport CT and back to Mill Valley in 2018. They are hoping to stay put now! Liz has served on preschool and PTA boards here as well as in Connecticut. In Connecticut, she also joined the board of a political organization and was elected to the Westport town council. Liz continues to be involved in local and national politics. Most recently, she worked as a co-coordinator on a successful campaign for county supervisor.

Meghan grew up in the Bay Area and has lived in Mill Valley with her husband and three kids since 2018. She received her BA in English and Art History from the University of Virginia.

Meghan began her career in Public Relations before pursuing her passion to work in the culinary industry. She attended the French Culinary Institute and has worked in restaurants, as a small events catering specialist, and as a cooking class instructor. She looks forward to bringing her experience in catering, event planning, and community building to the Kiddo! Board as co-chair of Events.

Lauren and her family moved to Mill Valley in August 2022 and have loved the sense of community they have felt. She and her husband have four children including one daughter at MVMS, two sons at Park and a toddler son at home.

Most recently, Lauren and her family lived in Hong Kong where she co-founded PIVOT, a recruiting firm focused on flexible work for women professionals.

Lauren comes to Kiddo! with more than 10 years of experience in partner marketing, public relations and marketing management, including tenure at Wynn & Encore Resorts in Las Vegas and mobile games company PlayStudios. She has a BS in Marketing and International Business certificate from Arizona State University. Lauren has always been passionate about community involvement and has held positions in organizations including Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong, Joy Prom Las Vegas and Shade Tree.

Nicole has three children at Old Mill School. After growing up in Southern California Nicole journeyed north to the Bay Area in 2002 to attend UC Berkeley and she’s been here ever since. Nicole and her family moved to Mill Valley in 2018 and she is so grateful to call this wonderful town her home. 

Her work experience is diverse - ad sales at Google, founder of a women’s apparel brand, stay-at-home-mom and now a realtor at Compass. In addition to her role at Kiddo!, Nicole loves volunteering at her kids’ school, and she has worked closely with Safe Routes to School and the city of Mill Valley to encourage safe walking and biking to and from school.

Laura grew up in Denver and earned her B.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2007, Laura’s sister lured her out to San Francisco where she thought she would only live for a year or two. Fifteen years later, Laura not only stayed in San Francisco, but met her husband and is now proud to call Mill Valley home with her three young girls (one currently at Tam Valley Elementary and two future Tam Valley Tiger twins!) Laura works in brand advertising, most recently for Wells Fargo, and has always loved being part of an industry that places such a high value on the arts and creativity. Laura recognizes the tremendous impact Kiddo! has on each and every student and is excited to help champion its cause.

Julie grew up in the Bay Area and has lived in Mill Valley since 2019 with her husband, Aaron, and their three young daughters. Julie’s two older daughters attend Park School, and she is looking forward to having all three daughters at Park next school year. Julie attended Middlebury College in Vermont where she received a BA in Psychology and Sociology. She has worked in Education, Banking and now Real Estate. Julie is active in supporting her children's schools and activities, enjoys serving as the class room parent, and frequently volunteers for PTA roles as well as for recreational activities. Julie loves the amazing Mill Valley community and is passionate about supporting educational enrichment programs such as those funded by Kiddo!.

Mike is an investor at Snyder Capital, a San Francisco based investment management firm. He and his wife Meghan have lived in Mill Valley since 2018 and have 2 children in the Mill Valley School District. Mike is a Boston, MA native and attended Middlebury College in Vermont and Columbia Business School in New York. In addition to supporting Kiddo!, Mike is a Mill Valley Little League coach.

Mindy grew up outside of Baltimore and attended Virginia Tech. She is currently a Managing Director at Alex. Brown where she advises individuals and families on investment, estate planning, and tax matters. She began her career at Alex. Brown in the late 90s and has moved between Baltimore, New York, and San Francisco covering a global client base. Mindy met her husband, Matt, a Mill Valley local, in 2010 and has been living in beautiful Mill Valley ever since. Mindy and Matt have two children. In her free time, she enjoys adventures with her family, reading, running, and coaching her son’s little league team.

Catherine is an artist and mother of three living in Mill Valley. She and her family relocated here from New York City (with a quick stop in Singapore) and have been putting down roots since 2020. She most recently served as Board President for the O'Hanlon Center for the Arts and spends time volunteering in the art classroom at Edna Maguire. She is an artist herself with a love for process art and remembers how important her very first art show was in high school. She is excited to join the Kiddo! Board and even more excited to support our kids in the special experience of seeing their work in an art show for the very first time

Originally from Lithuania, Aiste moved to California at age 17 and grew up in a creative family with a father who was both a jeweler and painter and a mother who worked as a Special Education teacher. These early influences fostered her lifelong love for the arts and passion for supporting children and families with diverse needs.

Aiste earned an Associate of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Santa Monica College before completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University. She is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist who has worked in both school districts and private practice settings throughout San Francisco and Los Angeles.

After recently moving to Mill Valley with her husband, two children, dog, and in-laws, Aiste is currently taking time away from clinical work to focus on family, community building, enjoying the outdoors, and rediscovering her artistic side.

Annie grew up in the Bay Area, graduated from USC, and moved to Mill Valley with her husband, Brian, in 2022. They are proud Park School parents and feel lucky to be part of a community that values creativity, connection, and strong public schools.

Annie is excited to support Kiddo!’s mission and help more families understand the programs Kiddo! makes possible. She believes these experiences are not “extras,” but a meaningful part of how kids build confidence, curiosity, self-expression, and a lifelong love of learning.

Annie has spent the last 17 years at Salesforce, including the last decade in product marketing. She is excited to bring that experience to Kiddo! and help tell the story of why these programs matter for every student.

Kate is excited to join the Kiddo! Board as a K–5 Teacher Representative! Kate has been part of the Mill Valley School District community for many years and is especially excited to bring her perspective as an educator and former district administrator to Kiddo!

After earning her master’s degree in teaching from Northwestern University, Kate began her career teaching 5th grade outside of Chicago. After moving to Marin County, she taught 4th grade at Edna Maguire for several years before becoming the district’s Instructional Technology Coach. She later moved into administration, serving as MVMS Assistant Principal, Director of Educational Technology and Accountability, and, most recently, Director of Education Services.

While Kate has enjoyed her years working at the district level, she is thrilled to be returning to the classroom this year as a 3rd grade teacher at Old Mill. Her favorite subject to teach (and learn!) is math—especially math puzzles.

Kate lives in San Rafael with her husband, their two boys, and their dog. Outside of school, you’ll find her cheering from the stands at a baseball field or swimming pool, or catching up on children’s literature so she’s ready to talk books with her students.

Stacey Gibson is currently a Learning Specialist at Strawberry Point School in the Mill Valley School District. Stacey began her teaching career in Marin in 2008 with the Marin County Office of Education, where she worked as a Special Education teacher serving K–2 students for six years. In the fall of 2013, she joined the Mill Valley School District to develop and lead the Early Intervention program for children ages 3–5 at Park School. The program remained at Park School for 11 years before moving to Strawberry Point. Altogether, Stacey has dedicated 18 years to education. 

Stacey has a deep passion for early childhood education and child development, especially the importance of learning through play, connection, and collaboration. She strongly believes that young children learn best in engaging, supportive environments where curiosity, creativity, communication, and social-emotional growth are nurtured alongside academics. Stacey especially values collaborating with Transitional Kindergarten teachers and staff to help create meaningful early learning experiences that support the whole child and build strong foundations for lifelong learning. 

Stacey is also a product of a Mill Valley elementary education, attending Park School until Edna Maguire reopened in 1990. Her family later relocated to Pasadena, California. She attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina, where she built strong ties to the Lowcountry, a place that remains especially meaningful to her as much of her extended family still resides there. 

Outside of school, Stacey enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking and exploring California, snowboarding during the winter months, and river rafting in the summer. She especially loves spending time in South Carolina during her summers. Stacey is also the proud mom of a son who attends Mill Valley Middle School and is an enthusiastic Panther supporter.

Gardner is a multi-instrumentalist who has been touring internationally for a couple decades. He is a founding member of Culann's Hounds and Beso Negro, he is a long-time violinist with La Mandanga, and has appeared on countless albums as a hired gun in such genres as country, rap, blues, rock, and more.

Gardner received his degree in Viola Performance at SFSU and also studied at the Aaron Copeland School of Music. Gardner has also taught fiddle, viola, guitar and music theory at his private studio for over a decade.

Jessica, a choral instructor at MVMS, is also an MVMS Teacher Rep for Kiddo!. After receiving a Bachelor of Music from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music, Jessica began her career teaching elementary classroom and choral music in the East Bay. She began teaching in Mill Valley in 2000. Jessica has built the choirs from the ground up and into a large, award-winning program serving hundreds of students. In addition to teaching choral music in the schools, Jessica has been a vocal coach, producer, and assistant director for dozens of MVMS musical theater productions. Jessica also founded and directed the 142 Throckmorton teen vocal ensemble, “Throckappella” from 2009-2013. Jessica lives in Richmond with her husband, Jonathan, who is also an active musician in the Bay Area, and their two children.

Elizabeth Borges (Lizzie) grew up in both the Bay Area and Washington, D.C. She moved to Mill Valley in 2020 and lives with her wife, Natalie, and children Parker (at Strawberry Point) and Charlie (not yet in the district). She has her BA in Psychology from Princeton.

KK Sample is a Mill Valley native (with a short and memorable stint in Muir Beach — still proudly MVSD!). She attended Park, MVMS, and Tam High before heading to UCLA to follow her older brother to Los Angeles. She later attended FIDM, where she earned her Master’s in Product Development and launched a career in textile science.

KK is the founder of sustainable swimwear brand Dawne Florine and hospitality brand Open Haus, blending creativity, wellness, and community into everything she builds. Most importantly, she’s a mom to three energetic kids — two proudly following their cousin to Edna Maguire and one attending the same preschool she once attended herself.

When she’s not designing, organizing school events, or dreaming up wellness projects, you can usually find her somewhere on the mountain, on a body of water, or cheering from the sidelines of a kids’ sports game. KK loves bringing people together and creating experiences that feel warm, fun, and deeply connected. She looks forward to joining the Kiddo! Board as an opportunity to give back to the schools and community that helped shape her, while supporting programs that allow all children to thrive creatively.

Amelia and her husband, Mike, have lived in Mill Valley since 2017 and have three children who attend Edna Maguire and Mill Valley Middle School. Amelia was raised in Colorado and received a BS in Journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder.  After a stint as a ski bum, she moved to San Diego and began her career in fundraising with a focus on children's health. She most recently finished 10 years at UCSF, developing programs and securing major gifts for children's cancer and child life.

Amelia's mom was an elementary school art teacher and she grew up with an understanding of limited district budgets. She feels incredibly grateful to raise her children in a district with Kiddo!, and to serve as Co-Chair of School Representatives.

Michele is a dedicated classroom teacher and parent educator with a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Western Washington University and an MSEd in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College. In addition, she is a certified kids yoga instructor, integrating movement and mindfulness into her work with children. With professional credentials in family systems and conflict resolution from Cornell and Temple University, Michele brings a compassionate, evidence-based approach to supporting families during their critical early developmental years.

In 2018, she moved to Mill Valley with her husband and two children and enjoys paddle boarding, skiing, yoga, and hiking—activities that reflect her belief in balance, wellness, and lifelong learning. Deeply committed to her community, Michele volunteers for her childrens' schools and serves as a board member and coach for Mill Valley Softball, where she emphasizes teamwork, confidence, and leadership.

Samantha grew up in Oregon and earned her BA in Spanish from Oregon State University. After graduating, she moved to San Francisco and built a career in public relations, first handling communications for established tech companies and then helping to launch startups. 

Craving a more hands-on creative outlet, Samantha left tech and made the leap to floral design. Her deep appreciation for art and the creative process drew her to Kiddo! She knows firsthand how transformative it is to find your creative voice and believes every child deserves the chance to discover theirs. 

Samantha has lived in Mill Valley for a decade with her husband James and their two children, who both attend MVSD schools.

Raised in Piedmont, Lisa is a proud graduate of the California Public School system. After graduating from Piedmont High, Lisa moved to the east coast, where she earned a B.A. in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania, and moved to New York to start her career. In 2014, she moved back to the Bay Area.

Professionally, Lisa is the COO and Head of Strategy for the Technology Partnership Development team within Global Technology at Bank of America. Lisa has been at Bank of America for over 15 years in both New York and San Francisco.

Lisa and her husband, Sterling, are proud to be raising their two daughters in Mill Valley. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys the nature in and around Mill Valley with hiking, visits to the beach, playing tennis, and is involved with SFMoMA’s SECA emerging collectors group.  She is also a certified Pilates instructor.

The Pratz family has been in Mill Valley for many generations, and Lisa is glad to be able to contribute back to the wonderful community.

Willa is an arts educator and editorial illustrator with two children attending Strawberry Point. Before settling in Marin, she lived all over the country, growing up in Seattle and later living in New Orleans, Austin, Boston, Oakland, and Brooklyn. Willa attended undergrad at Loyola University New Orleans, where she studied sociology and art, and Harvard University, where she studied education, with a specialization in arts learning. She taught in under-resourced schools for 10 years and went on to design creative learning curricula for schools and community projects. Most recently, Willa applied this experience as creative director and co-lead of a family-oriented climate organization in New York. Willa loves creative projects, hiking, painting, singing, and listening to classical music with her family.