Board of Trustees

June, 2007

Trustee Update

Two years ago, the Board of Trustees began a program to increase its communication with the SFDS community. In this spirit, we want to give you an idea of what the trustees’ goals were for this year, and how we performed against them. This year, the Board of Trustees established three goals in September.

The first goal was to name a new head to join SFDS in the summer of 2007. This is the only hiring decision made by an independent school board, and it is a responsibility we do not take lightly. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Adam Elsesser and his team of ten, we will welcome David Jackson as our next head of school on July 1 st.

Our second goal was to complete the Strategic Review process. The Strategic Review task forces have completed an immense amount of work in committee and individually. By the end of the school year, each of the four task forces will have met with David Jackson and will have presented its findings to the full Board of Trustees. We are truly lucky to have such talented parents, faculty and administrators in our midst, all of whom were willing to sacrifice many hours to the Strategic Review process. We will continue to work on the reports over the summer and hope to present the task force findings to the full community in the fall. Our plan is for David Jackson to review the findings and recommendations of the four groups and to work with the administration to develop an implementation plan in his first year.

Our third goal was to break ground on the New Spaces project. As outlined in a separate letter, which all families received in the mail, this project was delayed by an unfortunate political climate in the city of San Francisco. While we are disappointed by the current situation, we are heartened by the fact that David Jackson will be able to lead our efforts at designing the appropriate new spaces for our current and future programs.

Last month, the board of trustees elected three new members for a three year term, Lesley Bunim, Peter Dickstein, and Leslee Subak, and we welcomed Parents Association president, Elaine Foppiano, for a one year term.

The election of Lesley Bunim to the SFDS board is a milestone in the short history of our school. Lesley, who graduated in 1991, will be the first alumna to serve as a trustee. Lesley received her BA from Wellesley College and her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is currently a senior associate at J.H. Whitney Investment Management, a hedge fund in San Francisco.

Peter Dickstein received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from Wharton School of Business. He has a broad background in entrepreneurial activities, and currently serves as a visiting entrepreneur at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He founded and sold two companies and served as an advisor to many others. He also served as a board member of the Friends of the Urban Forest. He was an active member of the Strategic Review Financial Task Force and has been an energetic volunteer at the School. Peter and his wife, Lisa, have a kindergartener and fourth grader at SFDS.

Leslee Subak is an associate professor at UCSF and is co-director of the UCSF Women’s Reproductive Health Research Career Development Program and Director of the UCSF Women’s Health Clinical Research Center Fellowship. She received her AB from Dartmouth College and her MD from Stanford University. Leslee has numerous affiliations and publications as well as a full load of teaching and mentoring. Leslee’s extensive work at SFDS includes service on the Strategic Review Diversity Task Force. Leslee and her partner, Linda, have a second grader and kindergarten twins.

Elaine Foppiano received her BA from the University of California, Berkeley and her MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Since 2002, Elaine has been working on the cultivation of her family’s agricultural properties and the marketing and distribution of vineyard grapes and wines. Elaine will be serving next year as the Chair of the Parents Association and will also serve on the Board of Trustees. Elaine’s activities at the School include serving as the chair of the Admissions Tour committee for three years. Elaine and her husband, Tom, have a fourth and seventh grader at SFDS.

This month, the Board of Trustees bids farewell to five trustees who have served your school well during their tenure. All of them invested numerous hours in the stewardship of the school and had leadership positions throughout their six years. Please join me in thanking Gordon Atkinson, Ron Dudum, John Fisher, and Lindsay Joost for their incredible work. They will be sorely missed. Thanks also to Danny Wong, whose tenure was shorter but meaningful. Danny brought energy and perspective to the Parents Association representation at our board meetings.

Although we do not measure our success in terms of numbers, they do help illustrate the strength of our program. This year, SFDS once again received applications for many more students than it could possibly accept. In addition, the attrition rate of students leaving the School is far below the national average for independent schools. And, finally, the school has been commended by its independent auditors for its policies, practices, and general financial health.

Our faculty, staff, and students have earned a well-deserved summer break. We look forward to welcoming David Jackson to our community this summer, and look forward to seeing you all in the fall.

Sincerely,

The Board of Trustees