Board of Directors
Our school is led by a small and growing board deeply committed to our vision and with significant experience in education. The Board’s primary responsibilities are to create, adopt and monitor a long-term strategic plan and associated budget, and to employ and evaluate the leadership of our school.
Board agendas, minutes, and important documents can be found here.
BITA NAZARIAN (Chair)
Executive Director, 826 Valencia
Term: 2023-2026
Bita is the Executive Director of 826 Valencia, an organization committed to closing the Bay Area education gap. Bita joined 826 Valencia’s Board of Directors in 2006 and served for five years, three of them as President. Prior to 826, Bita served as a teacher, leader, and administrator in SFUSD. She currently supports new school administrators by facilitating a class for UC Berkeley’s Leadership Support Program. She was recently recognized as a Superbowl 5o Fund’s Playmaker and as one of 7×7 magazine’s 2015 Hot 20. Bita is a proud parent of an 8th and 6th grader at New School SF.
POOJA MEHTA SHAH (Treasurer)
Board Member, Playworks National
Term: 2023-2026
Pooja most recently served as the Vice President of Strategy, Finance and Operations at Peer Health Exchange, a national nonprofit organization that trains college students to provide a comprehensive health education to underserved high school students. Prior to Peer Health Exchange, she was the Chief Financial Officer of a national nonprofit organization called Reading Partners and also spent some time at the KIPP Foundation. Pooja started her career in technology investment banking at Lehman Brothers followed by corporate business development at Cisco Systems. Pooja graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Business Administration. She earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Pooja serves on the national board of Playworks.
FAROUK LADHA
Managing Partner, Four Rivers Group
Term: 2023-2026
Farouk founded Four Rivers Group (FRG) in 2007. Prior to FRG, he was a Managing Director at SVB Capital, the venture capital arm of Silicon Valley Bank, where he managed the firm’s direct equity group. Prior to SVB Capital, Farouk worked at Broadview in the technology M&A group, and at PwC in the turnaround group consulting to businesses in crisis. Farouk began his career in sales and channel development at an inventory management startup selling into the healthcare space. Farouk graduated with High Honors at Dartmouth College, earning a B.A. in economics and a minor in Islamic Studies. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. Farouk is actively involved in the community and volunteers in numerous capacities within the Aga Khan Development Network.
RAVI PAIDIPATY (Secretary)
Deputy CIO, Freestone Partners
Term: 2023-2026
Ravi is Deputy CIO at Freestone Grove Partners. Before this, Ravi was a Partner at XN and Portfolio Manager at Surveyor Capital, which is a global, multi-manager equities strategy and is one of Citadel’s three fundamental equities businesses. Before Surveyor Capital, Ravi was a Managing Director at Farallon Capital from 2008-2018. Previously, Ravi worked as a private equity associate at Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley. Ravi graduated with Distinction from Yale College with a B.A. in Ethics, Politics & Economics and received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He also sits on the board of Reading Partners San Francisco.
NIK AJAGU
President, SF Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools
Term: 2024-2027
Nik is the co-founder of Barrel & Ink, Code & Canvas, and Ecosystems Ventures. He joined Facebook in 2007 and served as the Head-Global Partnerships from 2014. Nik lives in Palo Alto with his two daughters and partner. He is the President of the San Francisco Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools. Nik earned a BA from Princeton.
LINDSAY FLORIN
Executive Vice President & General Counsel, IQHQ
Term: 2023 -2026
Lindsay specializes in both real estate and general business matters and has represented clients in a wide variety of debt and equity transactions. Lindsay has counseled national banks, real estate investment trusts (REITs), private equity firms, developers, operators, and investors with respect to a variety of real estate transactions, including joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing, real estate-backed financings, loan modifications and restructurings, and related matters. Lindsay earned her J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law and her B.A. from Stanford University.
ANDREW GLICKMAN
Corporate Partner, Benesch Law
Term: 2023-2026
Andrew Glickman is the General Counsel, Corporate Secretary at NAX. Before NAX, he served as Vice President of Legal and Business Development at Sweetgreen. Andrew also spent over four years at Uber - first as corporate senior counsel, then as corporate legal director, leading key strategic imperatives, such as Uber’s IPO and numerous mergers & acquisitions. He began his career as a corporate attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates before spending four years at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Andrew graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Journalism and received his JD at Fordham Law School.
GREGORY PETERS
Executive Director, SF-CESS
Term: 2022-2025
Dr. Gregory Peters is a school reform leader with a longstanding history working within both local and national efforts. Peters served as Principal of San Francisco’s Leadership High School – a National Demonstration and Mentor School. In 2005, Gregory established The San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools (SF-CESS), which is committed “to interrupt and transform current and systemic educational inequities to ensure all students have access to personalized, equitable and high performing schools that believe and demonstrate each student can, should and will succeed.” Gregory earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership & Social Justice from California State University East Bay in 2012; his dissertation focused on Teacher Transformation.