PEF Welcomes New Board Members
Eight Piedmont Community Members to Join PEF Board of Directors
A slate of eight nominees were presented to the PEF Board of Directors by the Nominating Committee and unanimously approved at the April 20 board meeting. The new board members bring an array of backgrounds, know-how and experience to PEF. All have spent years volunteering and fundraising for a wide variety of organizations, from Piedmont parent and support groups to civic and educational organizations.
The incoming board members are Cortney Allen, Alison Elvekrog, Charlotte Ero, Cathy Glazier, Gina Lambright, Rebecca Thornborrow, Rick Smith, and Linda Wendel.
“Our incoming board members represent a wonderful diversity of experience, skills and backgrounds which I look forward to drawing from as I begin my term as Executive Director.” says Heather Frank of the Piedmont Education Foundation. “Each new member is already well-known in the community for their volunteerism and commitment to Piedmont schools and will be a huge asset to the PEF.”
A Thoughtful and Comprehensive Process
The final slate was months in the making and represented much due diligence on the part of the nomination committee. Chaired by Molly Ashford, the committee included School Board Representative Sarah Pearson, Board Members Molly Ashford and Mahvash Hassan, and community members Nicole Taylor and Katie Harmon.
Says Ashford, “I want to acknowledge the search committee who reached out to a number of people, far more than the positions to be filled, and had substantive conversations about PEF and the commitment involved.” She adds, “It is challenging to come up with the right mix of talent and community members able or willing to contribute their time. It was also heartening that several of the people we talked to and brought on board were self nominated-it is great when the community knows the work of PEF and are interested in joining the efforts.”
Incoming Talent, Experience and Commitment
All incoming members have spent years volunteering and fundraising for a wide variety or organizations — from Parent Clubs to support groups like PAINTS, CHIME, PNNC, Piedmont Soccer Club, Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization and the Wellness Center in addition to other civic or educational nonprofits.
PEF Chair Christine Wente von Metzsch is thrilled with the talent coming on board. “I’m excited to welcome the new PEF Board members. It’s an impressive group of people with a strong commitment to the Piedmont schools and a wide range of expertise, including finance, marketing, fundraising, and non-profit governance. We are lucky to have such committed, talented volunteers in the Piedmont community.” says Wente von Metzsch.
The new members will be officially welcomed at the final PEF meeting of the year on May 18.
is a community-based, registered 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to promote academic excellence, champion innovation, and provide sustained financial support to the Piedmont Unified School District. PEF raises more than $2.5 million annually for the K-12 Piedmont public schools, and is the steward for an Endowment valued at approximately $6 million. Responsible for providing nearly 8% of the District budget, the board actively engages our community on behalf of the Piedmont schools.
Read more about the new PEF members
Cortney Allen
Cortney co-Chaired the 2016 Spring Fling and has been an active volunteer and parent of two daughters at Havens and a son who will be in K next year. She is currently a board member of the Piedmont Language School and Havens Parents Club, and has served on the board of the Piedmont Neighbors and Newcomers Club. Her most recent professional experience is in Career Counseling and Coaching. Before moving to the Bay Area, Cortney managed tour operations at an educational travel company in New York. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Georgetown University and her Master’s degree in Career Development from JFK University. (Havens School Representative)
Charlotte Ero
Charlotte is the Outgoing Beach Parent Organization President. She has a son at Beach and is interested in being more involved with PEF. Her extensive Audit and Accounting management experience include Deutsche Bank and Charles Schwab. She holds a degree in Accounting and Finance and is a qualified Chartered Accountant in the U.K. Active in this community she is also a former President of Piedmont Neighbors and Newcomers Club, and past Treasurer on the Board of SF Camerawork. (Assistant Treasurer)
Gina Lambright
Gina is a marketing professional with more than 20+ years of marketing experience across consumer and business-to-business industries. Currently she is a founding partner at Toz Consulting, where she helps large companies use their data to produce meaningful, measurable marketing programs. Gina is also an active Wildwood parent volunteer. She worked on communications for the Giving Campaign and has one child at PMS and one at Wildwood. She is a graduate of Northwestern, and has an MBA from Haas with a professional background in business consulting and strategic marketing. (Wildwood School Rep)
Rick Smith
Rick brings a wealth of nonprofit experience to the Board, A Graduate of UC, Berkeley he has worked professionally for many prestigious organizations and also has a long history of community volunteerism. He facilitated the PEF community Task Force in 2015and was an active volunteer on the recent PEF Executive Director searches. He has been a Board Member of PRFO (Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization), Piedmont Soccer Club and numerous outside boards as well as adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley and Golden Gate University. Currently, he serves as Executive Director/CEO EBay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP), in Berkeley where his responsibilities include staff supervision, operational and strategic planning, development, program management, and financial management. His two boys attended Piedmont schools and his wife Amal is a current member of the Piedmont School Board.(Governance)
Allison Elvekrog
Allison is a general manager with a marketing and communications background who has spent her career growing companies, managing complex projects and campaigns, and leading high-powered teams. Her experience ranges from multiple start-ups to established organizations and institutions including The White House, the Russian Privatization Ministry, and a global news channel. Since moving to Piedmont nearly 3 years ago, she has volunteered for the Giving Campaign and served on the boards of the PHS Parent Club and the Piedmont Soccer Club. She has 2 children at PHS and one at PMS. She received her MBA from Harvard and undergraduate degree from Amherst College and works as an independent consultant. (Piedmont High School Representative)
Cathy Glazier
Cathy’s affiliation with the Piedmont Unified School District began in 1980 when she was hired to teach Art at Piedmont Middle School. She worked in this capacity for 12 years before her children were born and was an active member of the faculty. Cathy and her husband, Mark, have lived in Piedmont for 26 years. Their three sons attended Wildwood, Piedmont Middle School and Piedmont High School. Cathy served on the Parent Club Boards of all three sites for 15 years. Additionally, she worked to help establish the PUSD Wellness Center and served on the Wellness Center Support Committee for 6 years, chairing it for two. Cathy has served on the Boards of the Piedmont Garden Club, Hoe & Hope Garden Club and the Piedmont Beautification Foundation. She is also currently a member of the PEF Grants Committee. She remains interested in the Piedmont Schools and brings a wealth of perspectives to the Board. (Member-at-large)
Rebecca Thornborrow
Rebecca is an Oakland native who found her way back to the east bay after many years on the east coast and the San Francisco peninsula. She moved to Piedmont with her husband and two children in 2011, and immediately began volunteering for the Piedmont schools. Over the past six years she has served as Publicity Director, Vice President, Gala Chair and President of CHIME, as well as Site Council member, Library Chair, Vice President and President of the Havens Parents Club. She graduated from Princeton University and received a Ph.D. in Medieval and Renaissance Italian Literature from Columbia University. She was a Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellow at Stanford University before starting a family and becoming a full-time community volunteer. (At-large/Communications)
Linda Wendel
Linda is Global Head of Community Relations for Franklin Templeton and has been a professional in corporate philanthropy, grantmaking, volunteer management, PR, and marketing for nearly 20 years. In the fall, both of her children will be at Beach (incoming K and 3rd) and she is interested in getting more involved in Piedmont in a way that utilizes her skills and knowledge in philanthropy and communications. Her wide volunteer Board service has concentrated in children’s charities. She is described by fellow volunteers as a great collaborator, efficient, fun and community oriented.(Beach School Rep)
