Board of Trustees

Andy Nakahata is the father of a seventh and fifth grader, and has been a member of the MCDS community since 2010. Andy has served as a Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Finance Committee, member of the Executive Committee and member of the Investment Committee. Andy also led the Long Range Financial Planning Task Force and previously served on the Indexed Tuition Task Force.

Andy's greatest appreciation of MCDS is for the engagement and thoughtfulness of the MCDS community.

Pete Chung has been a part of the MCDS community since 2009. He joined the Board in 2015. Pete is the parent of a current eighth grader and fifth grader. He currently serves on the Board’s Finance Committee.

As the son of an inventor, he truly appreciates transdisciplinary skills and the healthy dose of grit required to polish them. One of his favorite MCDS moments was how the second grade "Inventions Expo" taught both his children -- and their entire class -- the difficulty, determination and iteration required to succeed in the creative process. His own father could have learned a thing or two from MCDS's second grade teachers!

Stephen Galloway and his family joined the MCDS community in 2005. He is the father of a current eighth grader, as well as two alums -- one from the Class of 2014 and another from the Class of 2016. Stephen joined the Board in 2013. He chaired the Arts Advisory Council and also served on the Strategic Plan Alignment Committee and the Master Plan Update Committee. “What amazes me is how, for all of my three very different children, the faculty always seem to be teaching directly to them at their level.”

Alison Garrett joined the Board in 2016. She served as the Parents Association president for the 2016-17 school year.

Alison joined the MCDS community in 1978 as a kindergartner and graduated in the MCDS Class of 1987. She and her husband Mark have daughters in the sixth and fifth grades. Alison has volunteered as a Room Parent, Walkathon Chair and Book Fair volunteer.

Alison appreciates looking back on her own experience as a student at MCDS. She recalls what a wonderful place it was to be a “kid” and enjoys sharing this experience with her daughters. Alison is grateful for the stewardship of all the MCDS administrators, teachers, parents and students who strive every day to continue to make it the same place she remembers.

Jumee Park is the parent of a current fifth grader and two alums (Class of 2016 and Class of 2017). Jumee, her husband, David, and their family became part of the MCDS community in 2007.

Jumee joined the Board of Trustees in 2010. She is currently a Vice Chair and serves on the Committee on Trustees and the Executive Committee. As a trustee, Jumee is inspired by the Board's partnership with parents and the school administration to further MCDS’s mission to inspire and challenge each other to think about what it truly means to educate the whole child and prepare them for their future.

As a parent, she appreciates all the ways MCDS supports children’s learning and growing and also how the school nurtures in them a sense of self, a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose.

Lucinda Lee Katz joined the MCDS community as Head of School in 2004. She has served on every possible board committee during those years!

What she especially appreciates about MCDS is the partnership between trustees, faculty and staff and parents, and how we are all aligned to support the students and the mission of the school.

Ann Alpers joined the MCDS community in 2001. She is the parent of three alums. Her oldest daughter who graduated in 2010 and, most recently, her twin daughters "stepped up" in 2016.

She still loves walking onto the MCDS campus and feeling its beauty and spirit. Ann chairs the Board's Communications Committee.

Tad Buchanan and his family joined the MCDS community in 2010. His children are in the third, fifth and seventh grades.

He is the Co-Chair of the Development Planning Committee. He also serves on the Investment Committee.

“Our family appreciates the depth and character of MCDS teachers, faculty, staff, parents and children.”

Chris Buchbinder joined the Board in 2017. Chris and his wife, Nina, are parents of three MCDS students: a first grader, a second grader and a fourth grader.

He currently serves on the Investment Committee and the Development Committee at MCDS.

"Our family enjoys seeing our children thrive in an open, accepting, and thoughtful school environment. We have had wonderful experiences with many of the teachers, our kids have formed strong peer relationships, and we appreciate the values of the broader community."

Rebecca Eaton joined the Board in 2017. She is currently President of the Parents Association for the 2017-18 school year. She also serves on the board's Development Committee.

Rebecca and her husband, Nick, have two children at MCDS: a third grader and a sixth grader.

Rebecca has served as Co-Treasurer, Treasurer, Co-Chair and Chair of the Book Fair. She has also served as an art, lunch duty, teacher treasure and room parent volunteer.

"Each morning, when I drive my children to school and MCDS comes into view, I am grateful that I can give my two children over to this immensely talented group of teachers and administrators. I am grateful that they are learning not only how to synthesize and analyze information but also how to be kind and inclusive little people, how to protect the environment, and how to stand up for themselves, their classmates and the causes they consider most important. And I am grateful that they can learn all of this in a setting that engages and inspires them.”

Amy Eliot, parent of a recent alum (Class of 2016), has enjoyed being a part of MCDS's vibrant community since 2007. She currently chairs the Buildings and Grounds as well as the Master Plan Update Committees and has served on the Finance Committee and Arts Council.

There are many reasons she loves MCDS, among them are its culture of kindness and compassion and its true commitment to its mission. However, as an architect, she can't resist the qualities that make our extraordinary campus such an evocative and supportive place.

Manolo Espinosa is the father of two MCDS alums (Class of 2015 and Class of 2017). He has served on the Finance and Data/Admissions Committees. He has also been a member of the Parents Association, a room parent and a docent.

Manolo values the care with which decisions are made at MCDS and the openness to innovation in pursuing the best opportunities for the entire community.

Simon Frankel has been an MCDS parent since 2007. He is the parent of a seventh and fifth grader and an alum (Class of 2016). Simon has served on the Buildings and Grounds Committee and the Audit Committee. He loves the open spaces and open minds at MCDS.

Holly Hagens is the parent of a current sixth grader and an alum (Class of 2017) and has been a part of the MCDS community since 2008. Holly currently serves on the Development Planning Committee and is a member of the Committee on Trustees. She served as the Parents Association President during the 2013-14 school year.

Holly appreciates how much her children love to coming to MCDS, how inspired the teachers are and the wonderful connections her family has made among the MCDS community.

Scott Haskins joined the Board in 2017. He and his wife, Timmie, are parents of a current fourth grader. Scott is an MCDS alum and currently serves on the Buildings and Grounds Committee.

Meg Krehbiel is a parent of a current seventh grader and fifth grader. Meg joined MCDS community in 2013. She joined the Board of Trustees in 2015 and currently serves as a member of the Committee on Trustees and the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Meg previously served as a member of the Mindfulness Committee for the Strategic Plan 2012.

Meg appreciates the school’s continual process of distilling and integrating the most innovative advances about how children learn. Meg is particularly interested in MCDS’s focus on building both skills and habits of heart and mind. She is inspired by MCDS’s founding belief that learning is joyful and a lifelong process.

Bill McGlashan is the parent of a seventh grader and two MCDS alums (Class of 2015 and Class of 2017). He joined the Board in 2015.

As a volunteer for MCDS, Bill served on the last Capital Campaign Committee and he has volunteered for numerous class field trips, when he is lucky enough to be selected.

Melissa Ma is the parent of a fifth grader. She has been a part of the MCDS community since 2012. She currently serves on the Development, Finance and Investment Committees. Melissa and her family appreciate the inclusiveness of the MCDS community, the parents’ commitment to building connections both at and outside of school, and how the students learn to love learning.

Rashmi Yadav Marya is the parent of two MCDS students -- a third grader and a fourth grader. Rashmi, her husband Varun, and their family became part of the MCDS community in 2013. She joined the Board of Trustees in 2016 and currently serves on the Master Plan Committee and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Rashmi appreciates that MCDS develops the whole child by focusing on habits of mind, community service, and mindfulness hand in hand with core academic skills. She loves that MCDS instills in children a strong sense of self and love of learning.

Steve Morris is the Head of The San Francisco School. He joined the Board in 2016. He has been working as a teacher, coach and administrator in independent schools for the past 20 years.

“I have a deep respect for the strong history and program that MCDS has offered students throughout the years. Its core values of “Respect, Responsibility and Compassion” are ones that resonate deeply with me as an educator and as a parent. I am honored to serve this school in the capacity of a Trustee.”

Jon Murchinson has been a part of the MCDS community since 2011. He is the parent of a sixth grader and a third grader.

Jon currently serves on the Committee on Trustees and the Head of School Search, Diversity & Inclusion and Finance Committees. He previously served on the Affordability and Communications Committees and was a member of the STEM/I&C Advisory Council. He and his wife co-chaired Kite Day in the fall of 2013.

Helen Spalding joined the Board in 2017. She is the parent of three MCDS alums (Classes of '94, '96 and '00).

She has served on the board of numerous Bay Area and national non profits and for profit boards including Summer Search, Drew School, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Medical Research Institute, Catholic Charities and the Chronicle Publishing Corporation.

While a parent at MCDS she was involved with co- running the Community Service Club, working on the 8th grade play, co-chairing several major fund raisers and serving as class parent on numerous occasions. She is thrilled to once again be involved with MCDS.

Chris von Eckartsberg joined the Board in 2016. He and his family have been thrilled to be part of the MCDS community since 2011. Chris and his wife, Colleen are parents of a current seventh grader and fourth grader.

Chris serves as Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee and as member of the Master Plan Update Committee. Chris is honored to have served on the Board of Trustees since 2016.

As an architect, Chris believes in the power of an environment’s context, culture, and community to inspire. He is deeply grateful that his children are able to be lifted up each day by the magical place and people of MCDS.