School Fuel is made up of an Executive Director, a Board of Directors and Officers, an Advisory Council, School Ambassadors and an ever-evolving volunteer force.
Executive Director:
- Susan Mathews: Susan is the executive director and a founding member of School Fuel. Susan previously worked as an attorney in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. for several years. She received her law degree from Yale Law School in 1991 and her undergraduate degree from Ohio State University in 1988. Susan has been involved as a volunteer in public schools since she was a college student. Her favorite projects before joining the board of School Fuel have included working as a leader in a world events course for high school students, and serving as a literacy volunteer in an urban elementary school in Washington, D.C. Susan, her husband Christopher, and their three children have lived in Novato since 1999. Her children currently attend Olive Elementary, San Jose Middle School, and Novato High School. She has served in PTA leadership positions at each of her children’s schools. She has also served as a member of the NUSD Superintendent’s Advisory Team. Support for public education has been a family tradition in Susan’s extended family, which includes several public school teachers, administrators, and support staff.
Board of Directors:
- Berta Campos-Anicetti, Secretary: Berta is the Health Education Director at Novato Youth Center. She has a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley, and has over 21 years of experience working with Latino and low-income young people and their families. She was born and raised in El Salvador and is fluent in Spanish. As an active parent volunteer, Berta has served on the Site Leadership Team and PTA Board at San Ramon Elementary, as the Lynwood parent representative on the NUSD Diversity and Gate Advisory Committees and as co-treasurer of the Sinaloa Middle School Music Boosters. Berta has been a member of United for Safe Schools Novato’s (USSN) steering committee since 2003. Berta, her husband John, and their son have lived in Novato for 13 years. Berta has received the Faces of Novato Award from the Novato Multicultural Commission and the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from the Marin County Human Rights Commission in January of 2010.
- Kathryn Hansen, Treasurer: Kathryn has been a board member since 2008. Kathryn previously was the Controller at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael for fourteen years. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a double major in Accounting and English Literature. She also completed the course work for a Master’s Degree in Taxation at Golden Gate University. Kathryn has three nieces and three nephews who went through the Novato School system and two sisters who work for the district. Kathryn has lived in Novato for seventeen years.
- Dale Kline, President: While new to the School Fuel board in 2010, Dale is a veteran advocate for the children of Novato. His past experience includes positions on the boards of Novato Youth Soccer Association, (where he also coached and continues to serve as a referee), Novato High School Site Leadership Team, NHS Sports Boosters and NHS PTSA. He cherishes his most recent involvement in helping to establish the Academic Boosters adjunct of NHS’s PTSA as one of his fondest accomplishments. Dale was also actively involved in the Measure A Parcel Tax campaign and currently serves on the NUSD Parcel Tax Oversight Committee. Currently Dale works as the operations manager for a small family owned insurance company in Petaluma. Dale grew up in San Diego, less than 3 miles from the Mexican border, in a neighborhood known for being home to several of the oldest gangs in the country. He attended college at the University of California, San Diego, where he met his wife Joan. Together they moved their family, including sons Chris and Robert, to Novato in 1998. Their boys attended Lu Sutton, Hill, and Novato High School and are now attending college.
- Mary Jane Lonson:
- Amy O’Connor: Amy has been a board member since 2010. She graduated from California State University, Chico in 2004 with a degree in journalism and a minor in psychology. Amy currently works as an associate editor with Wells Publishing and has previously worked as an assistant editor for a trade publication and as an account coordinator in public relations. She has worked extensively with children over the years, including as a teacher’s aide for a kindergarten class, a pre-school classroom assistant and elementary school camp counselor. Amy has also interned with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay and currently helps out on the marketing committee for the organization. Amy and her husband, Tim, have lived in Novato since 2007 and recently purchased a home in Hamilton. They are expecting their first child in November, and are looking forward to sending her Novato’s public schools eventually.
- Sarah Sangster, Vice President: Sarah has been a board member since 2007 and was an advisory board member prior to joining the board. Sarah previously worked as an attorney in San Francisco. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1982 with a double major in political science and anthropology. She received her law degree from the University of San Francisco in 1985. Sarah has been an active parent volunteer in the NUSD schools for over 18 years, including chairing the San Ramon Site Leadership Team, the NUSD District Advisory Committee and the NUSD Public Relations Committee. She was a co-founder of the Emergency Education Fund, Volunteer Coordinator for the Measure E Parcel Tax Campaign in 2004, and Co-Chair of the Measure A Parcel Tax Campaign in both 2005 and 2009. Sarah and her husband, Edward, have lived in Novato since 1988 and raised three children who all went through Novato schools. Two are currently in college and one has graduated and has a job in the technology industry.
- Elizabeth Sleath: Elizabeth has just completed four years as the president of School Fuel. Born and raised in England, she graduated from universities in the UK before moving to Novato in 1977 with her husband, Martin. Elizabeth has been in the education field her whole career. After arriving in Marin, she taught at the Branson School, where she held the position of Dean of Students and coached numerous teams, continuing her passion for sports. She has also served on the boards of local organizations including the Novato Planning Commission, the Novato Youth Soccer Association (where she also coached), and the St. Francis Pre-School. She was PTA president at San Ramon Elementary, Hill Middle, and Novato High School. She was president of the North Marin Council of PTAs for two years. She has been a regular judge for the Golden Bell Awards, and has received several awards including two State PTA Golden Oak Awards and the Novato Unified School District Volunteer of the Year Award. She was an organizer and board member of the Emergency Education Fund in 2003 and Co-Chair of the Measure E and A Parcel Tax Campaigns in 2004 and 2005. Elizabeth and Martin have two daughters who went through Novato’s schools then on to undergraduate and graduate colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. One presently resides and works in Los Angeles, the other in London. In January 2010, Elizabeth was named Novato’s Citizen of the Year.
- Jennifer Treppa, Vice President: Jennifer joined the School Fuel board in August 2011. She and her husband, Jim have two children attending school in Novato. Drew attends Novato High School and Maya attends San Jose Middle School. Jennifer has been active in her school community since her son started kindergarten in 2002. She has been on the site leadership teams at Lu Sutton Elementary and Hill Middle School. Jennifer is an active PTA member and served for four years on the Novato Unified School District Board of Trustees. Jennifer has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis and received her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law. Before becoming a mother and moving to Novato, Jennifer practiced law in San Francisco, advocating for clients on a range of issues including employment disputes, construction defects and civil rights violations.
Honorary Board of Directors:
- Debbie Butler, Member, NUSD Board of Trustees
Student Representatives:
School Fuel is fortunate to have student representatives from both high schools participating actively on the Board. These students serve for 12 month terms. They provide valuable insight and help recruit student volunteers for School Fuel events.
Advisory Council:
The Advisory Council’s function is to support and enhance the work of School Fuel’s Board of Directors by providing advice and counsel to the Board in areas such as fundraising, finance, investments, volunteerism, marketing/advertising and communications with the community at large. Advisory Council members act as a liaison between the Board and the Novato community. Advisory Council members also provide the Board with connections to local organizations, business leaders, etc. for the purpose of fundraising, volunteerism, and recruitment of new Board members.
- Judy Arnold, Marin County Supervisor
- Jeff Belingheri, Managing Partner, Bregante & Co., CPA
- Chuck Bennett, local business leader
- Connie Benz, Director of Information Technology, NUSD and Former NUSD Trustee
- Marie Borders, local business leader
- Mary Jane Burke, Superintendent Marin County Office of Education
- Victoria Crawley, community leader
- David Gershik, Take2 Interactive, former School Fuel board member
- Kerry Mazzoni, Public Policy Advisor, former State Superintendent of Schools
- Edward Sangster, Partner, K&L/Gates, LLP
