Board of Trustees

List of 20 members.

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  Valla Vakili 

  Bio

  Valla Vakili joins the Board in 2022. Valla is a digital executive and entrepreneur with a career spanning financial services, digital media, and technology. He is currently the Head of Insights and Innovation at Visa, leading the company’s global network of innovation centers and studios. Valla is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and conducted doctoral research at St Antony’s College at the University of Oxford. He and his wife, Sheida Vakili, have one child at EB.
• 

  Xavier Quan 

  Bio

  Xavier joins the EB Board as a parent of two children in the Maternelle. He has a strong connection to EB as an alumnus, having undergone his primary and secondary education within its bilingual curriculum. His academic journey maintained an international focus, culminating in a bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of California, Irvine.
  
  Before his return to the Bay Area, Xavier gained experience in accounting and finance in southern California, which now complements his role as the proprietor of a small business in Oakland.
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  David Abernathy 

  Bio

  David Abernathy is an alumnus of Ecole Bilingue.  He attended the school for 10 years, graduating in 1999.  He works as Executive Vice President for Business Solutions at a cannabis data, analytics, and research firm and has spent more than a decade in the fields of cannabis investment and market research.  Since his time at EB, David has founded and/or led three companies and five nonprofit organizations.  In addition to his position on EB's board of trustees, David sits on the board of directors of a nonprofit cat rescue and serves as co-chair of the Finance Committee at the Minority Cannabis Business Association.  He also teaches Economics at Oaksterdam University and co-owns a miniature golf company called Subpar Miniature Golf.
• 

  Roxanna Ahlbach 

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  Alexandre Bayen 

  Bio

  Alexandre Bayen joined the board in 2019. He is the Liao-Cho Professor of Engineering at UC Berkeley. He is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is currently the Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS). He is also a Faculty Scientist in Mechanical Engineering, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He received the Engineering Degree in applied mathematics from the Ecole Polytechnique, France, in 1998, the M.S. and Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1998 and 1999 respectively. He was a Visiting Researcher at NASA Ames Research Center from 2000 to 2003. Between January 2004 and December 2004, he worked as the Research Director of the Autonomous Navigation Laboratory at the Laboratoire de Recherches Balistiques et Aérodynamiques, (Ministere de la Defense, Vernon, France), where he holds the rank of Major. He has been on the faculty at UC Berkeley since 2005. Bayen has authored two books and over 200 articles in peer reviewed journals and conferences.

        
• 

  Robin Brewer 

  Bio

  Robin Brewer joined the Board in 2023 as the Co-president of the Parents’ Association. Robin is a partner at Perkins Coie LLP in San Francisco specializing in patent litigation. She received her law degree from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. Following a childhood dreaming of all things French, Robin received a Fulbright scholarship to spend a year in Lyon, France studying mechanical engineering at Institut National des Sciences Appliquées, from which she received a D.E.A. She also earned a Bachelor of Engineering in biomedical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in engineering science (high honors) from Dartmouth College. Robin and her husband have two children at EB.
• 

  Thierry Durandard 

  Bio

  Thierry joins the Board of Trustees in 2022.  He retired as Lower School Head from EB in 2018 after working for 30 years at the school as Teacher and Director of Admissions and in his last position as Lower School Director from 2001 to 2018. Thierry is passionate about education, and firmly believes in educating the whole child in his/her academic, physical, social and emotional dimensions in becoming a well-rounded and balanced individual who can adapt to any environment.  Education is a journey with its joys and at times its struggles, which are actually learning opportunities with proper support and encouragement.   Thierry lives with his partner Rick, two dogs and three horses and spends most of his time caring for the animals and experimenting with permaculture on his property in the Oakland Hills.  He is the Godfather of two EB students.   
• 

  Jason Harm 

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  Pria Hidisyan 

  Bio

  Co-Board Chair
  
  

  Pria joined the EB Board in 2018. She is an urban planner by training with more than a decade’s experience in long range, regional planning and consulting for state agencies and local municipalities, focused on community development and sustainability. Beyond her planning work, she is an active real estate investor in Oakland. Pria graduated with honors from Brown University, and received a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in planning. She and her husband Ben have two children at EB: Arek and Lucine.
• 

  Brooke Howell 

  Bio

  Brooke Howell is a litigation attorney, working in the housing sector for more than a decade.  Out of a commitment to equity and justice, Brooke interned for the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, clerked for the 31st Judicial District of Virginia, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and conducted clinical work in housing while in law school.  Prior to law school, she worked in education, business, and as a Fleishman-Hillard International Communications Scholar.  She earned her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law where she was recognized as a Merit Fellow and Dean’s Public Interest Law Fellow.  She also earned her Bachelor of Arts from Howard University where she was on the Dean’s List and was a Howard University Trustee Scholarship awardee.  Brooke and her husband have one child at EB.
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  Gregory Nemitz 

  Bio

  Greg Nemitz is a San Francisco Bay Area native with over thirty years experience managing local and national media sales teams at Disney/ABC, Viacom/CBS (now Paramount), and Audacy/Entercom.  Since Greg’s exit from Audacy in December 2022, he has been building an advisory practice with Mahdlo Executive Advisors.  In addition to serving on the board of trustees for EB, he is a board member for the Bay Area Chapter of Autism Society of America (SFASA), and he is on the Advisory Board for the Bay Area Chapter of Multiplying Good. He is the father of four, ages 12-33. Greg resides with his wife Sarah and youngest daughter Ella, an EB student, in Oakland.
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  Yousef Nouri 

  Bio

  Yousef Nouri joined the Board in 2023 as the Co-president of the Parents’ Association where he has served in various roles since 2017. He works as a Civil and Structural Engineer at EBMUD, and designs a range of water distribution and treatment facilities. Yousef received his graduate degree from the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Ann, have a child at EB.
• 

  Vincent Salimi 

  Bio

  Vincent joined the EB family in 2021 and the board in 2023. Vincent has 20 years of construction management experience and has served on multiple public agencies' boards. He served as the Mayor of Pinole in 2021-2022 when he inaugurated the opening of the new $200-million Pinole Valley High School. Vincent studied business and civil engineering in the California state universities. He also holds a commercial pilot certificate. Vincent and his wife have two children at EB.
• 

  Kristen Sidell 

  Bio

  Kristen Sidell joined the Board in 2019 and serves as the chair of the Buildings & Grounds Committee. She is a principal at Sidell Pakravan Architects, where she designs a range of residential and commercial spaces. Kristen also teaches architecture as an Adjunct Professor at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Kristen received her M.Arch. from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts and holds a B.A. in Art History from Stanford University. She and her husband, Paul Abboud, have two children at EB. 
• 

  Laura Spiekerman 

• 

  Micah Stilwell 

  Bio

  Joining the Board in 2023, Micah Stilwell is an educator and leadership coach based in Oakland, California. Her passion for fostering transformative adult learning spaces is evident in her approach to instructional coaching and leadership development. As the Director of Leadership Development at KIPP Public Schools Northern California, Micah is at the forefront of leading the Principal in Residence program, designed to train and support new and aspiring school leaders across 23 campuses and 7 school districts. Her expertise in K-12 instruction, change management, and educational equity empowers leaders to drive sustained organizational growth.
  
  

  Beyond her professional commitments, Micah cherishes quality time with her family. They enjoy taking long walks along the coast, camping amidst the redwoods, and savoring tasty treats in their backyard. With one child at EB, Micah's dedication to education extends to both her professional and personal life.
• 

  Marion Tobie 

  Bio

  Marion, who joins the Board as a new Faculty representative this year, is originally from Paris, France and has been living in the Bay Area since 2006. She studied law and holds a credential in Maritime Law. She first came to Berkeley in 1998 to learn English and upon moving back to France she decided to become a teacher. Marion taught in France at various levels for four years then in New Orleans for a year in 2005, and ultimately at EB. Since working at EB, she has been teaching in Kindergarten, grades 3, 4 and 5. Besides teaching, she loves biking, climbing and hiking.
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  Veronica Volny 

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  Kelsey Vrooman 

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  Patrice Zauret