A 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, Beacon Day School is governed by a Board of Directors.
These individuals – parents, alumni parents, and community members – bring a wealth of skills and experience. Working together, they provide strategic direction, policy development, fundraising, and oversight for the school. The Board has ultimate responsibility for the long-term health and financial strength of the school. Yet beyond its legal accountability, the Board has a greater duty: to hold the school, its mission, and its future in trust. The Board works in partnership with the head of school to ensure the ongoing integrity of the school and to perpetuate the institution.
Marion Aaron, President
Attorney; Berding & Weil, LLP
Marion is Of Counsel at Berding & Weil. She has practiced law in California since 1988, and currently focuses on nonprofit corporations and associations and their governance. Prior to joining Berding & Weil, Marion was in-house counsel at two national title insurance underwriters, where she served in various business capacities. Her practice pertained to residential and commercial real estate transactions including financing, due diligence, underwriting, 1031 exchanges, insurance, commercial contracts, corporate governance, compliance and regulatory matters, leasing and facilities. In this capacity, Marion advised business leaders on insurance and regulatory matters, negotiated and drafted vendor contracts and commercial leases, managed revenue streams and associated personnel, and drafted and executed business and sales plans. Prior to serving as business counsel, Marion served as litigation counsel and managed a corporate in-house team. She tried numerous cases to judgment and participated in two published opinions. Marion received an AV rating from Martindale Hubble, their highest rating. Marion received her JD from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and her master's and bachelor's in political science from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Marion's two children attended Beacon.
Jan Stone, Executive Director
Beacon Day School
Jan came to Beacon in 1996 as the mom of a preschool son and immediately volunteered for the school marketing committee. A few months later she joined the Beacon staff as a part-time advertising and media coordinator, eventually becoming the Director of Marketing and Communication. Jan left Beacon in 2008 to return to her consulting practice. She joined Beacon’s Board of Directors in 2009. In 2011 the Board asked Jan to assume the position of Executive Director.
Prior to joining Beacon, Jan held a variety of executive positions with Macy’s, I. Magnin, Embarcadero Center, and Golden West Financial. She left the corporate world to form her own marketing consulting business with a colleague serving local and national clients. Jan and husband Brian are adjusting to being “empty nesters” with their Beacon alumnus son ('07) now a student at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. Jan has a bachelor's in advertising and marketing from San Jose State University.
Summer Batte, Vice President
Online Content Editor, Stanford Magazine; Stanford University
Summer is the senior digital content editor for Stanford magazine at Stanford University. She leads the magazine's online and social media pursuits, developing content, communications and strategy in an increasingly digital media world. She has worked for the University’s bimonthly publication, winner of national design and journalism awards, for more than a decade in various writing and editing roles. Prior to working for Stanford magazine, Summer was an event planner for the University, and worked for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education in Washington, D.C. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Stanford in 1999. Summer lives in Alameda with her husband, Dave, a technical director at Pixar Animation Studios; their daughter is a current Beacon student.
Matthew Dean, Past President / Advisor
Finance Consultant, CPA
Leslie Yotsuya-Montagna, Secretary
Senior Vice President, Compensation, Benefits & HRIS; Bank of the West
Leslie is senior vice president of compensation, benefits and HRIS at Bank of the West. As a human resources professional, she has worked in a variety of industries, including positions at California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Wilson Sonisni Goodrich and Rosati, and Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate. She has been a volunteer for a number of nonprofit organizations, including sitting on boards of the American Cancer Society and Women in Management. Prior to joining Beacon’s Board of Directors, Leslie served as president of the Beacon Family Association. Leslie and her husband, Jim, live in Alameda and have two children attending Beacon.
Michael Melvin, Finance Committee Chair
Managing Director; BlackRock
Michael is managing director and head of currency and fixed income research in BlackRock's Global Market Strategies Group. Michael's service with BlackRock dates back to 2005, including his years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. Prior to joining BGI in 2005, Michael was professor of economics and Dean's Council Distinguished Scholar at Arizona State University. Michael was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany and a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Board and International Monetary Fund. He has been a visiting professor at the Kellogg School, Northwestern University; Anderson School, UCLA; University of Frankfurt; University of Munich; and UC-San Diego. He currently team teaches a class in the master's of financial engineering program at the Haas School, UC-Berkeley.
Rick Ricketts
Executive Director, Business Systems, Strategy & Implementation; Kaiser Permanente
Rick began his career at Kaiser Permanente, a $50 billion+ healthcare organization, as a fellow in 1990. Today, he is an executive in Kaiser’s National Financial Systems Department. He has served in other various roles in East Bay Kaiser Hospitals, including Executive Director, Business Systems Strategy and Implementation, and e-Procurement and Operations Support Services Leader. Rick holds a bachelor's degree in human biology from Stanford University and a master's in business administration and master's in public health from UC-Berkeley.
Jack Hou
Software Engineer; BlackRock
Jack is a software engineer at BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset management companies. There, since 2004, he has administered large-enterprise software systems that manage many aspects of the investment process. Prior to joining BlackRock, Jack worked for Mellon Financial Corporation (currently Bank of New York Mellon), where he led the architecture, design, and development of financial and human resources systems. Before Mellon, he worked for a start-up company that developed innovative profit-optimization software for manufacturing companies. Jack received a bachelor's degree in computer and information science from Ohio State University, Magna Cum Laude, and a master's in computer science with a concentration on database and knowledge base systems from UCLA.
Michelle Bonfilio
Director, Human Resources; The Gap, Inc.
Michelle is a human resources leader with more than 15 years experience in strategic human resources management, organizational development, change management and communications, mergers and acquisitions, recruitment, compensation and performance management. She currently works for The Gap, Inc., as director of human resources for their global eCommerce, digital strategies and new businesses division. Prior to The Gap, Michelle worked for Williams-Sonoma, Inc., where she held a number of human resources leadership roles for the Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids divisions. Michelle, a Bay Area native, holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and biological sciences from UC-Davis. She and her husband, Paul, live in Alameda; their daughter is a current Beacon student.
Chad Boling-Lewis
President; Global Wealth Management Inc.