Leadership

Head of School

Jina Kim, Head of School , earned her B.A. in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.A. at the University of Chicago in Social Service Administration. She went on to earn a J.D. at Northwestern University. Jina was Associate Head of School and Admissions Director at the Schoolhouse from 2018 through 2023. Jina has worked with elementary-aged children in multiple capacities, including developing and teaching a Bridge Kindergarten, creating and leading an educational program for Vietnamese immigrant children, teaching science classes at the Lawrence Hall of Science, supervising children in an after school program, and interning as a social worker at a children’s hospital. She also spent several years at Morrison Foerster LLP as an attorney, leading teams of 20 or more individuals on complex litigation cases. Jina has twin girls attending Schoolhouse this year, and a son who graduated from Schoolhouse. She has also been a Board member since 2016.

Leadership Team

Betsy Fowler, Director of K-5 and Director of K-8 Continuity of Curriculum comes from a family of visionary educators and, for the past 18 years, has committed their life to building inclusive K-8 progressive education as both teacher and administrator. They hold a Master of Arts in Teaching in elementary education from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in rhetoric, professional writing, and community engagement from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Currently, they are pursuing a graduate degree in K-12 progressive leadership from Bank Street College of Education and expect to graduate in May 2024. Betsy started their career teaching middle school English in Seoul, South Korea, and in 2012, they shifted to elementary education. They have been teaching at San Francisco Schoolhouse since 2015 and feel honored to help “grow” a school that aligns so closely with their educational philosophy. Betsy’s greatest passions are design thinking, arts integration, educator communities, and progressive education theory and research.

Patrick Ardinger, Director of Middle School and 6-8 English Language Arts teacher, joined the Schoolhouse faculty in 2018. Originally from Kansas City, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Stanford, and a Masters Degree in Teaching English from Teachers College, Columbia University. Over the years, Patrick has taught grades 4-12 in a variety of disciplines, including literature, writing, history, public speaking, drama, and chorus. He is excited to grow Schoolhouse’s vibrant and engaging middle school program.

Board of Trustees

As an independent school, the San Francisco Schoolhouse is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board’s primary responsibilities are to ensure the school’s financial health, to work with the Head of School in developing a long-term strategic plan for the school, and to support and evaluate the Head of School’s development and performance. The Board approves the annual operating budget, takes a leadership role in fundraising, and participates in planning and maintaining the school’s physical plant.

Erin Cooney earned her B.S. at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and spent 19 years working in accounting, finance and sales operations for public accounting, start-ups and software companies in the Bay Area. With the birth of her third child she gave up the corporate world. At the same time her oldest child embarked on kindergarten. After looking at all the school options, she became passionate not only about a true progressive education but about a school where parents are an integral part of the journey along with their children. With that in mind, she teamed up with Rebecca Dake, another founding parent, to start the San Francisco Schoolhouse. Her youngest child attends the Schoolhouse.

Jennifer Gaddini, Secretary, is a San Francisco native who grew up in the Richmond District. She believes that there is no one way to learn something new and everyone reaches the same goal in different ways. This belief was learned throughout her 20 years in Human Resources by helping people focus on the end goal, however they got there. Similarly and as a parent, her hope is that children learn to appreciate and value diversity in their relationships with others. Jennifer is a graduate from San Francisco State University and Golden Gate University. She and her husband have two children, one of whom attends the Schoolhouse.

Robert Innes, co-Chair and President, is a long-time lawyer for San Francisco financial services firm Charles Schwab. The father of four children and husband of a former SFUSD teacher, he believes that innovation in education is the key to keeping San Francisco a strong, vibrant and energetic place. He is grateful for the difference that Schoolhouse has made for his family and a firm believer in the power of Schoolhouse to do the same thing for many other families. Robert is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Chicago and has two children at the Schoolhouse.

Michelle Magat's entrepreneurial spirit has shaped a 25-year career as a curious learner. She co-founded Current, a now global communications firm; ran her own consulting business, co-founded a school communications software startup; and now supports other entrepreneurs at La Cocina, a nonprofit that cultivates low-income, BIPOC and immigrant women entrepreneurs in formalizing and creating sustainable food businesses. Community service with a focus on education has always been woven throughout her life. She has toured students around SFMOMA as a museum guide, taught kindergarteners how to code as a computer instructor at SFUSD, and advises A Balanced Glass in supporting professionals in navigating careers in the alcohol industry while maintaining their wellness. After years, Michelle and her husband found in San Francisco Schoolhouse a place that would honor her daughter as an individual learner while infusing fun and championing social justice. Her daughter attends the Schoolhouse.

Courtney Masterson, co-Chair and President, is a faculty member at University of San Francisco's School of Management. Her research and teaching focus on improving employees' well-being. As a teacher, lifelong learner, and parent, she believes in the power of experiential learning for students of all ages. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, DePaul University, and University of Illinois at Chicago. Courtney, her partner, and son moved to San Francisco from Chicago, a city they hold close to their hearts. They enjoy exploring San Francisco, supporting local businesses, and watching or playing baseball. Her son attends the Schoolhouse.

Randy Preston is the chief business officer of Centese, a medical device company building products for the recovery of patients undergoing open-heart surgery. He has worked in the healthcare industry for 15 years, across multiple sectors and roles, fostering organizational growth. Randy is a California native, having grown up in the East Bay and attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering. While at Cal Poly, he found the “Learn by Doing” approach to be a refreshing and inspiring change from his prior educational experiences. This led him to evaluate the type of educational approach he wanted for his children in order to instill a lifelong love of learning. He found the idea of progressive education inspiring and the Schoolhouses approach authentic. Randy and his wife have three children, all attending the Schoolhouse.

Larry Roadcap, Treasurer, is Chief Finance and Operations Officer at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School of Greater Washington, a pluralistic day school serving approximately 860 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 in Rockville, Maryland. Larry brings to his work more than 25 years of experience in finance and treasury, risk and technology management in roles that span banking, consulting and software industries in the US, Asia and Australia. Larry's whole family is actively involved in education with his partner teaching middle school Spanish and their twin daughters, Louise and Olivia, studying at a local independent K-8 school. He is an advocate of micro-schools as a way to make independent education more accessible while using local facilities and public assets for experiential and project based learning. Larry is a graduate of Georgetown University (1994) and earned dual masters degrees in Finance and Technology Management from the University of California, Berkeley (2003) and Columbia Business School (2004).

John Jordan can usually be spotted on his cargo bike riding his two children to and from school.
His older son is a student at Schoolhouse. John and his wife were initially attracted to the Schoolhouse community because it emphasizes social and emotional intelligence as much as academic learning. He is a believer in the value of cultivating a child’s sense of agency, curiosity, and passion through experiential learning. One of his greatest joys as a parent is being present in “a-ha!” moments as his children discover a new detail of their environment and make connections between things that he takes for granted. John is a principal at Ridge Capital Investors, and his career as a real estate investor has spanned three decades. He holds a BA in Economics from Tufts University and an MBA from Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley.

Myrtle Rego has over 15 years of global experience consulting with both start-up and mature companies on business and organization transformations. Born and raised in Bangalore, India, Myrtle studied Engineering in India, and pursued a Masters in HR at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Business Management at the Foster School of Business, UW. She deeply values education and its power to empower individuals, challenge norms, and create social and economic change. She has worked with non-profits in India, focusing on equity in education for children and supporting parents and home environments. Myrtle’s family was drawn to the intentional small community at Schoolhouse where parents are an integral part of the child’s journey. She finds it an honor to serve on the board and help nurture the experience of our children as they grow to be global citizens and leaders who are prepared for the future.

Ray Reduque has been advising local San Francisco schools for nearly a decade. He has served on the governing school site council of George Peabody Elementary since 2019, and he previously served on the board of directors of St. James Preschool for five years, spending two of those years as board chair. He has deep experience collaborating with school leaders on an array of important operational and policy issues, including student-achievement plans, budget oversight, tuition-assistance guidelines, facility improvements, and fundraising. Ray also brings to the Schoolhouse board a background in corporate law, having practiced as an attorney for a number of years at the global law firms of Skadden Arps and Hogan Lovells in New York City, Washington, DC, and San Francisco. Originally from the Midwest, he is a graduate of New York University and the University of Virginia School of Law. His eldest son is a middle schooler at the Schoolhouse.

Beatriz De La Rosa, Faculty Trustee for 2022-2024