History

Summer Search North San Francisco Bay was initiated in 1998 thanks to a $100,000 grant from the MacDonnell Foundation, who wanted to bring this resource to the expanding yet underserved Latino population. In 2006, Summer Search provided life-changing programs and services to 75 deserving students from Napa, Sonoma, and Northern Marin counties with a growing base of 225 alumni. Today, Summer Search North Bay serves 143 students.

Staff

Kait Schroeder, Executive Director
Hagar Berlin, Bay Area Director of Development
Joni Bissell, College and Financial Aid Director
Ryan Cooney, Outreach Director
Lindsey Roark, Program Director
Chelsea Pemberton, Program Associate
Alexandra Walter, Program Associate
Cristina Ramirez, Bay Area Alumni Coordinator
Lea Antonio, Bay Area Events Specialist
Meghan Kirkpatrick, Bay Area Grants Specialist
Alicia Reza, Bay Area Development Associate.

Kait Schroeder, Executive Director
A native of New England, Kait graduated from Haverford College in 2002 with a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a minor in education. After college, Kait spent three years at Millbrook School in New York State teaching chemistry, working as a dorm parent, coaching field hockey, and guiding a community service group. This reinforced for her the importance of a holistic approach to helping high school students develop their leadership. In the summer of 2004, professional development funds allowed Kait to travel to the Samburu region of Kenya with the Earthwatch Institute as part of a conservation research team. This expedition strengthened her firsthand understanding of the power of experiential education. After moving back to Boston in 2005, Kait joined Summer Search as a Program Associate. In 2008 she became Associate Director of the Boston site to oversee programming for 300 students and 600 alumni, as well as lead mentor training for a staff of 14. In April 2010 Kait was thrilled to move to California and step into the role of Executive Director for Summer Search North San Francisco Bay.

Hagar Berlin, Bay Area Director of Development
Hagar was born in Israel and lived in the Netherlands as a young child, but spent most of her youth growing up Queens, New York. Hagar attended college at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. After graduation, she returned to New York where she began her fundraising career at Urban Education Exchange, a non-profit that partners with inner city schools to improve reading instruction. In 2004, Hagar relocated to San Francisco where she joined the development team at Jumpstart for Young Children, a national early childhood education non-profit. Hagar served as Jumpstart’s Development Director, securing the organization's operating budget in California and Washington States and spearheading Jumpstart’s annual Read for the Record Campaign. In 2009, Hagar left Jumpstart to pursue a Masters of Education with a focus on Policy and Organization Leadership Studies at Stanford University. Upon graduating from Stanford, Hagar was thrilled to join Summer Search as the new Bay Area Director of Development, charged with supporting fundraising efforts in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and the North Bay.

Joni Bissell, College and Financial Aid Advisor
Joni was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Wells College, New York with a BA in Art History. After graduation, she went to Arizona to work at Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri's architectural experiment in planned communities. For the past twenty-six years, Joni has lived with her husband, Ted, in Mill Valley, where they have raised three sons--Owen, Evan, and Eric. She has served on local boards, as well as volunteered extensively for Marin schools and the community. Joni has been involved with Summer Search as a volunteer for almost nine years. She joined the staff as college advisor in 2003, recently earning her College Advisor and Career Planning Certification from University of California, Berkeley. In addition to advising students on college applications and financial aid, she is also learning the complex process of mentoring.

Ryan Cooney, Outreach Director
Ryan was born and raised in Mill Valley, California. He graduated from Tamalpais High School in 1999, and continued on to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California on a partial baseball scholarship. Ryan graduated in 2003 with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology and realized his passion for helping others, especially youth, through his many volunteer experiences during college. Ryan is passionate about helping kids see their full potential and being a positive role model in their lives and strives to create equal opportunities for all kids. This in turn led him to Summer Search. After college, Ryan began working with kids in all levels of the public school system, including Elementary and Middle School and at the Junior College level. Most recently, Ryan worked in ESL classes at Mill Valley Middle School and served as the assistant baseball coach at College of Marin. He is excited to be a new member of our team, and to have a positive impact on the lives of Summer Search students.

Lindsey Roark, Program Director
Lindsey Roark grew up in Grass Valley, California, a small town at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. She attended UC Davis and graduated with a B.A. in Communication and Art Studio. During her time in Davis, Lindsey developed a strong sense of leadership and teamwork as a member of the UC Davis softball team, helping to lead them to a National Championship in 2003. For four years Lindsey worked with youth for the City of Davis in their Outdoor Education Program before moving to Sonoma County to attend graduate school. Lindsey studied Organization Development at Sonoma State University and graduated with a Masters of Psychology in 2007. Looking for a position where she could help students learn to make meaningful and sustainable changes in their lives, Lindsey was delighted to find Summer Search. Lindsey is thrilled to combine both her studies and passion for empowering youth here at Summer Search in the North Bay.

Chelsea Pemberton, Program Associate
Chelsea grew up in Richmond, Vermont in the heart of the green mountains. She attended the University of Vermont where she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art in 2005. During her undergraduate years, she traveled to Valparaiso, Chile on a social justice program with the School for International Training. This experience cultivated within her an immense appreciation for the greater world around her and a desire to get involved with her community. This aspiration was fulfilled in the spring of 2006 when she began working for the University of Vermont’s Upward Bound program. Chelsea discovered a great passion and fervor for working with youth from a similar background to her own during this time. She was so inspired by her connection to the work that she returned to her studies at the University of Vermont to achieve a Master of Education in 2009. She is most proud of this accomplishment as she is the first in her family to achieve this level of education. Chelsea is excited to bring her knowledge and experience to the Summer Search family and looks forward to growing her passion for and knowledge of mentoring youth.

Alexandra Walter, Program Associate
Alexandra Walter was born in Ohio and grew-up with a supportive family that valued hard-work and the importance of education. Alexandra’s awareness of the significance of giving back to the community surfaced early, and when she was a middle school student she began volunteering with underserved youth. Armed with passion for helping young people reach their personal and academic potential, Alexandra continued her commitment to service and civic engagement during college at Ohio State University. She volunteered as a mentor with the Boys and Girls Club and Reach Out and Read and led her peers on service-oriented Spring Break trips. Prior to graduating Suma Cum Lade from Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s in Communication, Alexandra expanded her Spanish language skills and cultural competency during a study abroad trip to Mexico and advanced her development and writing skills as a fellow with the John Glenn Institute of Public Service and Public Policy. Alexandra’s penchant for service then led her to volunteer as an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow with St. Joseph’s Circle of Sisters, an afterschool violence prevention program for at-risk girls, where she was consistently impressed by the resilience, tenacity and strength of the program participants. Following AmeriCorps, she worked as Grants Coordinator for a Member of Congress, where she observed the influence cogent public policy has in shaping social change. Alexandra is proud of her most recent accomplishments: summiting Mt. Whitney and joining the Summer Search team, where she is excited to share her experience, skills and passion to support the organization’s work and mission.

Cristina Ramirez, Bay Area Alumni Coordinator
Cristina has a BA in Psychology and an Ethnic studies certificate from University of San Francisco, and a Masters in Social Work from San Jose State, with an emphasis in schools and special education. Before joining Summer Search, she worked as a clinical social worker in the community-based agency, La Clinica de la Raza, with children, youth, adults, and their families. She first learned about the strength and uniqueness of Summer Search through her brother’s experiences as a Summer Search student. Cristina joined the San Francisco office in 2002 as a Program Associate and within two years became the Program Director. She continued to mentor students, and managed and trained staff to ensure program quality. In 2007, Cristina became the Associate Director of Summer Search North Bay, partnering with the Executive Director to hire and train mentors to increase student capacity. Under Cristina’s leadership they doubled mentors, implemented training structures that have allowed staff to learn the mentoring in a third of the time as in the past. Cristina also helped increase second year student retention rates from 80% to over 90% each year. Fall 2009 Cristina transitioned to a new role as the Bay Area Alumni Coordinator and is excited to oversee the success of the Alumni Program

Lea Antonio, Bay Area Events Specialist
Lea Antonio was born in the Philippines, and moved to Los Angeles, California, with her family at the age of three. As the youngest of four children, Lea witnessed the daily challenges, and also accomplishments, of her typical first-generation immigrant family. She earned her B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, and spent the next few years as a corporate librarian for a software company in Pasadena. In 1992, she joined Fox Broadcasting Company, where she spent several years in corporate event production and coordination, and continued to work freelance as an event designer after the birth of her two children. Now living in the Bay Area, Lea is excited to join the Summer Search team.

Meghan Kirkpatrick, Bay Area Grants Specialist
Meghan grew up in San Jose, California. She received a BA in American Literature and Culture from University of California, Los Angeles and an MA in English Literature from San Jose State University. During college, Meghan spent a year studying Spanish Literature in Granada, Spain. She loved living abroad and decided to join the Peace Corps after college, where she served as an Environmental Education volunteer in Bolivia. Before joining Summer Search, Meghan taught in various settings, including Dahl Elementary School, Almaden Tutoring Club, and San Jose State University. After a year and a half as a Program Associate for Summer Search Silicon Valley, Meghan is excited to join the Bay Area Development Team as the Grants Specialist. She looks forward to sharing her passion for Summer Search’s work with foundations and corporations throughout the Bay Area.

Alicia Reza, Bay Area Development Associate
Alicia was born and raised in Orange, California. She remains a proud Southern Californian albeit happily relocated to the Bay Area. She attended the University of California at Santa Cruz and holds a BA in Sociology. During her 4 years there, her main focus was the evolution of the Juvenile Justice System in the United States and its reform. The child of two educators, Alicia is a natural advocate for educational equality and, therefore, a great fit for Summer Search. Outside of work she enjoys photography, spectator sports, beach vacations, and kickboxing