Summit Leadership
Summit Public Schools Leadership Bios
Alisa Gonzales
Executive Director of Summit Prep
Alisa Gonzales is the proud Executive Director of Summit Prep. Born and raised in San Mateo, Alisa is a proud daughter of immigrants and deeply rooted in her Bay Area community. She began her career in education through Teach For America in 2018, serving as a mentor and education specialist at Summit Prep.
Alisa is guided by the values of joy, community, and family. Her leadership is shaped by her upbringing—her mother, an alum of California’s public school system, and her father, who immigrated to the U.S. to work at SFO, instilled in her a strong work ethic and sense of purpose. Her grandfather, a former internee and later a gardener, taught her the power of resilience and quiet leadership.
Alisa believes in the transformative power of education and is committed to ensuring that Summit Prep remains a place where students are collectively cared for and equipped with the habits, skills, and knowledge to lead financially independent and choice-filled lives.
Andrea Klein
Executive Director of Summit Sierra
Andrea is happy to lead Summit Sierra into its next era. Before joining Summit, Andrea held teaching, curriculum development, and leadership positions at New York City’s highest performing charter network for 9 years. As a 2006 Teach for America Corps member, she taught in Newark, New Jersey. Born and raised in Montana, and the mother of Michael, 10, and Mathers 8, Andrea is passionate about providing all young people with quality, innovative, and personalized education that provides opportunities and access to every young person’s concrete next step. Andrea received her undergraduate degree from Whitman College and teaching credential through Seton Hall University. When she is not thinking about, talking about, or working on education, Andrea can be found spending time with her family and friends hiking, camping, exploring National Parks, reading, and following her children around to their multiple activities.
Anita Ravi
Executive Director of Summit Shasta
“Anita believes that her responsibility as a citizen is to create pathways for youth to live lives and careers of active engagement in shaping the future of our country and our planet. She has spent her career ensuring that all students have access to a high quality, relevant, academically rigorous education. As a teacher in New York City in the late 1990s, Anita was part of the small-schools movement that paved the way for personalized, relevant and innovative education in New York, and across the country. As a fellow at the Institute for Learning, University of Pittsburgh, she empowered district leaders with the knowledge and tools to organize urban systems around effort-based education and principles of learning rooted in research on how people learn. As the Social Studies Supervisor for Pittsburgh Public Schools and as the CAO at Alliance College Ready Public Schools in LA, she spent hundreds of hours inside of classrooms working with teachers and principals to move the needle on student engagement, equity, and achievement. As the founder and Principal of We the People High School in Long Beach, CA, Anita collaborated with staff and community to build a whole-school model focused on equipping students with the knowledge, tools and strategies to radically change the world for the better. Above all, she has spent these past decades empowering effective teachers across the country to see students as change-makers, and grow into their best selves as professionals. Anita is honored and excited to join Summit Shasta as Executive Director. Anita earned a B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in History from New York University, and an Ed.M in curriculum design from Teachers College at Columbia University.
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Antonio Saunders
Senior Advisor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Summit Public Schools
Antonio never asked for permission to change inequitable systems. As a teenager, he became financially independent and the patriarch of his family, navigating through racial systems in the deep south. He ultimately received his Bachelor’s in Communication from the University of Alabama and spent the subsequent years transforming organizational models to center on the experiences of the global majority. He works with chief executives and leadership teams in education, tech, and healthcare to apply a DEI lens on a range of issues that include strategy, innovation, and change management. Antonio spent 13 years working with Teach for America, advising them and leading complex systems during uncertain or pivotal moments in the future of education. He is now a key advisor to Summit leadership, providing invaluable insight and direction as Summit Schools continue to evolve their work to ensure success for all students.
Bryce Fleming
Chief Finance Officer for Summit Public Schools
Bryce Fleming is a seasoned education finance executive with nearly two decades of experience in charter school finance. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Client Management and School Finance at EdTec. In this role, he led EdTec’s Northern California CFO team, managing finances for over 40 charter school clients. Earlier in his career, Bryce helped launch the first charter schools in Washington state, developed a working capital loan fund for schools, and created a statewide benchmarking study of charter school revenues and expenditures. He is also a frequent speaker at state and national conferences and collaborates with charter support organizations to deliver professional development for school finance leaders statewide. Bryce’s passion for education is deeply rooted in his family—both of his parents were public school teachers, and his wife currently teaches in Oakland. This personal connection to the classroom fuels his commitment to supporting schools in making the most of every dollar to serve students.
Cady Ching
Chief Executive Officer for Summit Public Schools
Cady was born and raised on the island of Oahu in a multicultural home. Her commitment to working with educational programs in diverse communities across the country has spanned a decade. Cady previously worked as a teacher-coach, biology and AP Environmental Science teacher and a mentor for five years. She has also served as the Director of HR for Summit, and the Assistant Director for Summit Prep before becoming Executive Director in 2020. In addition to her experience in public education, she has worked with a literacy project in Hawaii; an academic and cultural summer program on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation in Idaho; and a residential program teaching science to Native American high school students in South Dakota. Cady attended Stanford University and attained a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology with an Area of concentration in the Intersection of Ethnicity, Education and Health and a minor in Native American studies. She continued her education at Stanford Graduate School of Education, where she earned her Master’s in Education.
Caitlyn Herman
Chief Academic Officer for Summit Public Schools
Caitlyn has been the leader of Summit Public Schools rich academic and professional development program for the past three years, however, Caitlyn began her time at Summit Public Schools as a science teacher at the Summit network’s second charter school: Everest Public High School in 2011. She was later the founding Executive Director at Summit Shasta and more recently, the Senior Director of Schools providing leadership coaching to school directors across the network. Caitlyn began her career in New York City public schools as a science teacher at Essex Street Academy. At Essex Street she served as the department coordinator building out the school’s project-based curriculum for all grades. She also spearheaded the effort to focus the school’s advisory curriculum around wellness, habits of success and college readiness. While teaching, she also worked as an adjunct professor at NYU’S graduate School of Education teaching science curriculum to aspiring teachers. Caitlyn holds a bachelor’s in Biology from Lafayette College, amaster’s from New York University in Secondary Science Education and a master’s in education from New England College in School Leadership as part of the Principal’s Residency Network program with the New York City Public Schools’ system.
Christian Cabrera
Executive Director of Summit K2 Middle School
Christian Cabrera has been the Dean of Culture & Instruction of Summit K2 Middle for the past 6 years before accepting the role as it’s Executive Director for the incoming school year. Christian’s career in education began at 21 as a Teaching Assistant in Buffalo Public Schools, Buffalo, NY, as an undergrad studying Community Mental Health, double minoring in Latin & African American studies. Christian has a strong sense of service to others, and knew that upon graduating he would jump in and give back to his community and city. Returning to his home of the Bronx, he dove into nonprofit work. Coordinating hundreds of undergraduate volunteers, a series of college prep courses, partnering with Kaplan SAT prep and serving youth from all over NYC from Monday through Friday and on weekends supporting ESOL programs for adult learners in his neighborhood of Kingsbridge. Early on in his career, he participated in implementing a 5 year strategic plan where he volunteered to found an independent public charter high school that focused on a community school model. Christian officially joined its staff in 2013 as he continued his education. His focus was public administration as he saw the intersection between strong classroom instruction along with running sustainable public schools. Christian has now served the Richmond community since arriving in California in 2018. He loves his school community almost as much as his wife and three children. Christian acquired his BA: Community Mental Health from State University of New York at Buffalo, and his Master of Public Administration from the City University of New York’s Baruch College via the Executive program. He has served as an educator and leader for the past 18 years.
Claudia Sanchez
Senior Director of People Operations
As a first-generation Mexican American who attended inner-city public schools her whole life, Claudia learned first hand the importance of building strong ecosystems of support for all students. She was born and raised in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, where she was surrounded by a vibrant and diverse community who taught her the importance of grit and instilled many of the core values she centers in her personal and professional life today. After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2012, Claudia explored teaching as a potential career but quickly learned that an in-classroom role was not for her. That said, a career built around helping others was so she has spent the last 12 years building an expertise in People Operations and leveraging that expertise to support organizations provide quality support and experiences to their employee communities. She worked at a number of educational nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area, including the YMCA Urban Services, 826 Valencia, and now Summit Public Schools where she leads the people space as Senior Director of People Operations. In her free time you can catch her exploring the Bay Area food scene, taking long nature-filled hikes with her pup-shadow Lennon, or slowly losing a portion of her security deposit via another creative DIY project in her Pinterest inspired apartment. years.
Dan Effland
Senior Director of Innovation for Summit Public Schools & Marshall Street Initiatives
Dan Effland is the Senior Director of Innovation for Summit Public Schools & Marshall Street Initiatives. He previously served as the Executive Director of Summit Atlas HS and as the Dean of Culture & Instruction at Summit Sierra.
Originally from West Virginia, Dan is an alumnus of West Virginia University. After college, he spent over a decade as a professional musician in Chicago, during which he was inspired by his experiences working with students in Chicago Public Schools to transition into education. Through Teach for America, Dan earned a Master’s in Special Education from Dominican University and taught Special Education for grades 6-12 in both Chicago and Seattle. He also holds a Master’s in Public School Building Administration from Columbia University, Teachers College.
Dan serves on the Board of Directors for the League of Education Voters Foundation and the Washington State Charter Schools Association as well as serving as a Trustee for Three Tree Montessori School in his local community. His work and service represent his personal mission and vision: To transform PK-12 education, one school at a time if necessary, to build a world where all people are academically literate, think critically, and actively contribute to the welfare and happiness of others.
Dina Le
Director of Postsecondary Pathways
Dina was born and raised in San Jose, CA, and received her B.A. in English Literature and Ethnic Studies at USC. After graduating, she left Los Angeles with a mission to increase tolerance in the world and serve young people, returning to San Jose to first serve her community. As a child of immigrants, an English language learner, and a first-generation college student, she is passionate about providing equitable and trauma-informed practices to students and families. She has spent the last eight years at Summit as a tutor, teacher, and school leader. She is currently the Director of Postsecondary Pathways, supporting schools in preparing their young people for success in a chosen concrete next step.
Ebony Harvey
Executive Director of Summit Atlas
Ebony is joining Summit with nearly two decades of experience as a passionate and equity-driven educator. Her journey began in the United States Air Force, where she embraced the core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All She Does—principles that continue to shape her servant leadership in education today. Over the years, she has served as a teacher, behavior interventionist, assistant principal, and principal—including leading Nebraska’s first turnaround school. Most recently, she served as Director of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, supporting inclusive practices and student-centered learning across a large, diverse school system.
Ebony holds a Superintendent Certification from Seattle Pacific University, a Master of Science in School Leadership from Baker University, an ESOL Endorsement from Kansas State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Newman University. She is deeply aligned with Summit’s mission to prepare every student for a life filled with purpose, opportunity, and joy, and brings with her a steadfast commitment to educational equity. Ebony is especially passionate about fostering a strong sense of belonging where students can show up as their most authentic selves—knowing that this foundation is essential for educational and personal success. A proud mother of two sons, she also enjoys traveling and making meaningful connections through shared experiences.
Eric Dillie
Executive Director of Summit Tamalpais Middle School
Eric is a 20-year veteran in education. Before joining Summit as the Executive Director of Tamalpais Middle School, Eric served as Superintendent of Schools at Key Educational Group, an educational nonprofit service provider for public charter schools. Eric’s prior educational leadership experience includes three years as Principal of a national award-winning public charter high school, two years as Director of International programs at a large private school group, and a combined four years as Director of Instruction and Campus Principal at a public charter high school group in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area. Prior to his leadership roles, Eric spent seven years as a teacher in traditional district schools. Eric is an active member of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley and serves on the Board of Directors at Partners for Change Tri-Valley, a Bay Area nonprofit focused on ending the cycle of poverty. Eric earned a bachelor’s in Social Science from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master’s of Education in Educational Administration from the University of North Texas. Eric holds a California Administrative Services Credential and a California Single Subject Teaching Credential.
Felix Li
Chief Operations Officer for Summit Public Schools
Felix brings to Summit over a decade of K-12 school and systems leadership experience in public education with expertise in school operations, systems design, cross-functional project management, budgeting & finance, crisis communication and management, strategy and people development. Felix brings a deep commitment to building a more anti-biased and anti-racist world to his work in his leadership of efficient and effective school systems that drive strong outcomes for all students. Prior to Summit, he started his career in public education serving as a middle school math teacher and Teach for America corps member in the NYC Department of Education for five years. He later spent nine years as an Associate Chief Operating Officer and school leader of an all-boys K-8 school with Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn, New York. Felix is a graduate of Duke University with a dual degree in Public Policy and Sociology, and holds a master’s in Teaching from Pace University.
Greg Ponikvar
Executive Director of the Marshall Street Initatives
Greg is the founding Executive Director of the Marshall Leadership Institute at Marshall Street, and the moderator of the Leadership Fellows Program. Greg is a committed, mission-driven leader and educator with 13 years of experience at Summit Public Schools. He was a founding History Teacher at Everest Public High School, where he earned his National Board Certification. Greg then founded the Summit Expeditions Program, where he led a team of teachers offering elective, enrichment and passion-exploration courses across the Summit Public Schools network of schools in California. He then moved to Tacoma, Washington to be the founding Executive Director of Summit Olympus High School, which was among the first public charter schools in the state to graduate a diverse group of students with a 100% college acceptance rate. Now, Greg dedicates his time to building scalable solutions to problems facing the training and retention of a set of high-quality and diverse school leaders through the Marshall Leadership Institute. Greg holds a bachelor’s in Sociology and History from the University of California, Santa Barbara and received his Master of Arts in Education and teaching credential from Stanford University.
Jonathan Stewart
Executive Director of Summit Tahoma
Jonathan has been a proud Executive Director at Summit Tahoma since 2015. He has over two decades of work in education. Previously he worked for PUC Schools in Los Angeles as the Director of Teacher Development, leading a partnership grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He was a teacher and trainer in the Peace Corps in Namibia and has been an instructional coach in Oakland Unified and LAUSD. As a teacher, he received an award for his exemplary work in the education of highly able students from Johns Hopkins University. Jonathan holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies with a concentration in Education Policy and a Master’s in Education Leadership from the University of California, Berkeley.
Kacy Robinson
Senior Director of Learning Experience
As a 15-year education veteran, Kacy has deep experience as a school leader and former teacher. She joined Summit after spending four years with Berkeley Unified focusing on equity, recruitment and retention efforts. Complementing her education experience, Kacy is also a dedicated volunteer holding positions ranging from a local school site council to serving as an active member of the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Commision. Kacy is passionate about ensuring all children reach their potential and has a particular passion for middle school. She earned her Master’s degree in Education in School Leadership from Harvard University Graduate School of Education and her bachelor’s from the University of California, Berkeley.
Laura Zado
Director of Development for Summit Public Schools
Laura joined Summit Public Schools in 2012 as an English teacher at Summit Shasta. Prior to serving Summit Denali as a Dean of Culture and Instruction four years ago, Laura supported schools across the country in implementing Summit Learning. Laura is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in English and has a Master’s degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education.
Linh Hoang
Senior Director of Analytics for Summit Public Schools
Linh Hoang is the Senior Director of Analytics for Summit Public Schools. She joined Summit in 2016. As part of the Information Team, she collaborates
with network and school leadership to develop tools and insights to inform strategic decisions to improve the student experience. She is passionate about using data to ensure equitable access and experience for a diverse student population. She lives in Seattle with her spouse and golden retriever. In her free time, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, hiking and camping in the beautiful PNW, and learning to ski.
Nnanna Ogbu
Chief Legal Officer for Summit Public Schools
Nnanna brings extensive legal and policy experience to Summit Public Schools. Prior to joining Summit as an Associate Counsel in 2017, he worked in various law firms in the Bay Area, where he counseled school districts, counties, community college districts and nonprofit organizations. Prior to that, he worked at the State Bar of California, California Court of Appeal-2nd District and the City of Oakland: Office of the City Attorney. Nnanna is a Thomas M. Menino/AmeriCorps Promise Fellow, where he co-authored resource guides on youth engagement in local government and authored several newspaper articles on education, technology and community service. Nnanna received his bachelor’s in Urban Studies from Stanford University and his Juris Doctorate from University of Southern California Law School.
Pam Lamcke
Executive Director of Marshall Teacher Residency
Pam has over 15 years of experience in education as a teacher, school leader, and instructional coach. Since 2014, Pam has successfully led the development of Summit programs that serve as pipelines and preparation into teaching. Pam holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, a Master’s in Education and a teaching credential from Stanford University, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership and an administrative credential from the University of California, Berkeley. Pam spends her free time dancing, baking, and playing outside with her two children.
Ruth Mathis-Bissell
Executive Director of Summit K2 High School
Dr. Ruth Mathis is a seasoned educator with over 20 years of experience in independent, public, and charter schools. She has served as a social studies teacher and school administrator at the elementary, middle and high school levels, including roles as dean, assistant principal, and principal.
A native of Richmond, California, Dr. Mathis began her educational journey at Stege Elementary School and graduated from El Cerrito High School. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz and went on to receive both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a specialization in African American archaeology. She is a published researcher on the African Burial Ground in New York and previously worked as a researcher for Howard University.
Inspired by a lifelong passion for education—fostered by her parents, both teachers—Dr. Mathis returned to the classroom to teach high school in Emeryville. She later earned an M.A. in Educational Leadership from UC Berkeley.
Dr. Mathis brings a unique lens to education through her anthropological background, using it to coach teachers and students in project-based learning and to promote inclusive, equitable educational practices. Her leadership has included facilitating workshops and training sessions on diversity, equity, and inclusion, social justice, and the implementation and design of restorative practices in schools at both local and national levels. She has consulted for a range of Bay Area schools and cultural institutions, including the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. In addition to her K–12 work, Dr. Mathis has served as an adjunct professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Patton University, and Holy Names College. She currently serves as a trustee for Prospect Sierra School, and formerly served as an advisory board member for Breakthrough San Francisco, and as a trustee for the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Dr. Mathis enjoys spending time with her two children, who keep her engaged and energized through their involvement in baseball, volleyball, softball, and the joys of teenage life.
Sana Tariq
Senior Director of Specialized Programs
Sana’s driving force is to unlock the limitless potential in every student. With over 19 years empowering positive change in education, this thoughtful leader inspires school communities to redefine what’s possible for all learners. Sana’s passion? Equipping teachers and families with the mindsets and practical tools to cultivate each child’s unique strengths. Sana mission is to tailor learning experiences that celebrate each student’s personality and learning needs so that all students grow into confident self-advocates who are prepared to positively impact the world.
Tiffany Reynolds
Senior Director of Learning Experience
Tiffany Reynolds has spent the last 14 years in education. Currently, Tiffany is the Director of Government Affairs for Summit Public Schools. In her current capacity, she acts as a systems builder with an acumen for community, government, and partnership conditions development. For the past seven years, Tiffany has been with Summit Public Schools as a teacher, a dean, and an executive director. She feels immensely proud to do the work that she does— to strive to build schools that are worthy of our kids, schools that are places of honesty, innovation, creativity, critical thinking, joy, and tireless pursuit of excellence. Before Summit, Tiffany started her career in Colorado serving in various roles, from teacher to leadership and mathematics consultant. During this time, she supported teachers and principals in tackling the CCSS, new teacher evaluations, and data-based initiatives in four diverse school districts, serving over 150,000 students. Internationally, Tiffany supported educational and leadership development for Network Beyond in East Africa, the Middle East, and India.
Wren Maletsky
Executive Director on Special Assignment
Growing up in Durham, NC as the daughter of two teachers, Wren always knew she wanted to be an educator. She truly believes that all students deserve a high- quality education. Wren joined Summit in 2011 as the AP Environmental Science teacher at Summit Prep. In 2014, she became Assistant Director there. In 2016, she moved to Summit Shasta and is thrilled to be Executive Director at Shasta. Prior to Summit, Wren taught biology and AP Biology at a charter school in Harlem, NY; served as a cooperating teacher for the Stanford Teacher Education Program; and is an alumna of Duke University, where she studied Biology and English. She earned a Master’s degree in Education from Stanford University.
