board of trustees
& advisors
Board Members
Ca
Carri Abrahms (Secretary) - Carri is a licensed, ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologist who brings a breadth of experience in communication disorders and the arts. A professional dancer and singer, she has shared her passion for music with Marin County children as a private voice teacher and musical director for organizations such as Marin School of the Arts, Marin Academy, Stapleton, and YES Productions. She continues to perform with San Francisco Choral Artists and Those Darn Accordions and is currently exploring ways to integrate music and literacy. Carri lives in San Rafael with her violinist husband and daughter, a dyslexic learner.
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Jessica Nenner - Jessica is a licensed clinical social worker, with over 20 years working in schools. Jessica has taught SEL (social-emotional learning) classes, worked individually with students, and provided support and guidance to teachers and parents in both independent and public elementary and middle schools. Currently, she is the Lower School Counselor at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco. J
​Matt Kropp (Treasurer) – Matthew brings fifteen years of business experience to his position as Treasurer. Currently, he is a partner at Boston Consulting Group, advising for-profit and not-for-profit businesses on strategic planning and technology. In addition to his business acumen, his background in computer programming and content delivery will guide the technology integration planning process. In addition to his professional skills, Matt is the father of a dyslexic son.
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Karen Rosenquist (President) - Prior to founding North Bridge Academy in 2015, Karen was involved in board work for non-profits that provided low-income students with educational and financial support. For the majority of her career, Karen was an executive in children’s digital and media companies including DreamWorks, Warner Brothers, and Jim Henson Productions. Karen began a career in the 1990s as a project manager for several web design start-up companies. Karen is pursuing a Master's in Education from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, she holds a Master's in Education from Dominican University and a degree in Art History/French from UC Santa Barbara. She lives in San Anselmo with her husband and her high-school son, the first North Bridge Academy student.
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Glenda Sell - Glenda has been practicing law in the North Bay for 18 years. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Hispanic Studies from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis, School of Law (King Hall), and was certified by the State Bar of California as a Family Law Specialist. This is her third year as a proud Narwhal parent.
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Dave Williams - Dave is currently the Chief Operating Officer at a high-growth renewable energy company. He is also a Sir Edmund Hillary Fellow for the New Zealand government and a Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley focusing on solutions for a decarbonized energy transition around the world. He holds governance positions on advisory and director boards at for-profit and non-profit organizations, including Canal Alliance in San Rafael. David graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His career has focused on climate, sustainability, and justice in a variety of roles with purpose. David is passionate about the challenges of education disparity and endeavors to find ways to further the work North Bridge Academy is doing and extend the reach in bold ways.
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advisors
Dr. Nancy Cushen-White - Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco, Department of Pediatrics, a teacher, and a learning disabilities specialist
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Dr. Surina Basho - Dr. Basho has expertise in cognitive neuroscience, executive function, and learning differences. She provides one-on-one individualized educational therapy to students; training teachers and schools in how to integrate executive function into the classroom for all students, and providing educational talks to the parent community.
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Alumni board committee
Ben Brooks - Bio to come
Andrew O'Donnell - Drew brings to the board valuable experience in both business leadership and real estate. Drew works at LinkedIn helping to build and grow the LinkedIn Learning business and is passionate about creating life-long learners. Drew gives a generous portion of his volunteer time coaching youth soccer in Marin and helping North Bridge Academy in various capacities. As the functional head of our facilities committee, he is responsible for ensuring that our facility meets school needs, both for current and future growth. Drew provides significant guidance on shaping and communicating the school mission and philosophy to fellow parents of dyslexic children and to the general community. As a father of two North Bridge Academy students, a boy in 6th and a girl in 8th, he has a wide lens that affords deep insight into the parent community. Advocating for dyslexic learners has been a part of Drew's life as his mother was a reading specialist at the Benchmark School outside of Philadelphia for 30 years. Drew holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Virginia.