Board Of Directors
Ruth Matz, President
Ruth Matz is a former public school teacher with over 20 years in schools throughout the US. Her administrative career included public and private school principalships. A development professional, she has raised funds for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Napa Valley Community Housing. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Fairfield-Suisun Community Action Council.
Suwinder Cooper, Vice President
Suwinder Cooper brings to Napa Valley Education Foundation, professional experience and expertise in human relations, arts programming and arts education. As an advocate for the arts, she works collaboratively with diverse community groups to develop and strengthen arts education, educational programs and cross-cultural understanding through the arts.
Suwinder coordinated the first Annual Napa Valley Arts 2010 Festival and has coordinated the countywide Imagination Celebration Festival for children and families for Arts Orange County. As the Associate Director for Arts Brings Cultures Together, she assisted with the coordination of professional development teacher training seminars, workshops and conferences.
Suwinder also has broad based experience in Human Relations. She has developed and coordinated professional development training programs for educators; conducted retreats to develop student leadership skills, and assisted schools and organizations in developing long-term strategic plans to improve inter-ethnic relations. She has organized Walk in My Shoes Conferences for 300-500 middle/high schools for the Orange County Human Relations Council; researched and developed academic training programs for University of California, Irvine and instructed classes at the University of British Columbia. In addition to developing counseling programs, she has designed and implemented seminars on cross-cultural counseling and communication skills. She has presented at state and national conferences.
Suwinder received her Master of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She currently resides in Napa with her husband and two children.
JoAnne Miller, Secretary
Dr. JoAnne Miller is an educational professional with years of experience teaching at every educational level, special emphasis on educational technology. She has combined her expertise with creativity and common sense to create a variety of successful technology programs for youth through partnerships with business, universities and community organizations. Dr. Miller is an experienced manager and sales professional with excellent media skills in public speaking, workshops, training, networking, and technology-based presentation. A teacher of the visually impaired for many years, Dr. Miller later created the Health Education Partnership at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, and was the first Director of External Relationships at the New Tech High in Napa – the first Digital High School in California. Dr. Miller served eight years as an elected Commissioner on the San Francisco Board of Education, two years as the President.
Dr. Miller has been published in numerous educational technology magazines and online sites. She has appeared on Bay Area technology television shows as a guest and was a panelist at the gala opening of San Jose’s The Tech Museum. Though her varied career she has been an evangelist for students to integrate technology and “real-world” skills into education. Her vision is to make education relevant and future oriented, for every child to have their individual educational plan (IEP) to develop to his/her own potential. She has lived in the Napa Valley for 15 years, and brings her varied background and interests to serve Napa’s children.
Katie Aaron
Katie became a board member in 2009. She graduated from Vintage High School, received a BA in History from UC Davis and taught at Vintage for 7 years prior to becoming a full-time mom. She has lived in Napa with her husband Jason for 13 years and they have two children with their oldest being a kindergartner at Vichy. Katie not only brings the perspective of a parent in the community, but that of an experienced teacher to the board. She is the current liaison to middle schools for the foundation.
Sara Brooks
Sara Brooks, general manager of Napa River Inn, is a third-generation Napa Valley native. She was born and raised in Napa, as were her mother and grandmother (her great grandparents were immigrants from Northern Italy). Sara has over 100 family members in the Napa Valley alone. She brings a unique insider perspective to her role as general manager of the Napa River Inn (www.napariverinn.com), where she has been overseeing the operations of the historic landmark property for more than twelve years. Apart from managing the Napa River Inn for over a decade, Sara prides herself on being a true local and knowing the ins-and-outs of Napa Valley. She writes a blog (http://insidenapavalley.wordpress.com/) where she posts tips and insider knowledge for Napa residents and visitors on a wide range of Napa Valley topics including dining, wine tasting, transportation, arts and entertainment, kid friendly activities, environmentally friendly destinations and more. Sara’s expertise in hotel management is superior and the Napa River Inn holds a unique distinction – under Sara’s role, the Napa River Inn is the only Michelin three-starred downtown Napa hotel and the only locally owned and operated hotel in Napa. Community activism is also high on Sara’s agenda including sitting on many non-profit boards including Cybermill Technology Clubhouse for Kids, the Napa Valley Education Foundation and nationally is the Co-Chairman on the Board of Advisors for Historic Hotels of America. Sara currently resides in Napa with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling, and exploring Napa Valley
Pat Burke
A resident of Napa since 1994, Pat Burke has been in the Napa Valley wine business community since 1999 working for Beaulieu Vineyards, Calistoga Cellars and presently at Judd’s Hill Winery as their Wine Club Manager. He also has a long history as a member of numerous non-profit boards. Currently, he is serving on the Napa Valley College Winery & Viticulture Technology Foundation Board and as the Treasurer of the Shannon Lemieux Memorial Fund. In the past, he served as President and member of the Leadership Napa Valley Foundation Board, President of the Silverado Trail Wineries Association and, the City of Napa’s representative for the Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau.
Jacqueline Chilton (Advisory, Trustee Area 1, Napa Valley Unified School Board) Jacqueline Chilton has joined the NVEF board as the liaison with NVUSD School Board. Jacqueline is a Partner in payments strategy consulting firm Glenbrook Partners and co-owner of the Yountville Deli. She has two children in elementary school and a passion for supporting public education. Jacqueline has her Masters in Business from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, IVEY School of Business and her Bachelor of Commerce with Honors from Queen’s University in Canada.
Robin Hampton, Director Music Connection, Executive Director of the NVEF
Robin Hampton served for nine years on the Napa Valley Education Foundation and during that tenure chaired the Wine Festival and served as chair of the Grant Committee and was granted Director Emeritus status upon retiring in 1997. In 1998, Robin took on the directorship of the Foundation’s Music Connection program. The program has grown and now serves 3000 students in the NVUSD annually. In February of 2011, Hampton was voted on as the first Executive Director of the NVEF and is committed to the NVEF vision of inspiring youth to reach their full potential through vital educational programs and arts education in response to the needs of the 17,555 children in the NVUSD. Having been born and raised in Napa, and returning after college with her husband to raise their family here, Robin has a passion for Napa schools and the community.
Julie Herdell (Advisory)
Laura Hewitt
Laura has extensive experience in children and youth policy, community development, and systems change. Her professional career has included serving as Executive Director of Safe Passages, a partnership between Alameda County public agencies, the City of Oakland and the Oakland Unified School District, and Director of Planning and Special Projects for the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth and Their Families. She has also worked on local and national projects focused on moving families from welfare to self-sufficiency. Laura and her husband Chet have two sons. In recent years, Laura has committed herself to raising her boys and volunteering in the community. For the past three years, she has volunteered for two days a week in her son’s class at Donaldson Way Elementary School (DWES), and assisted with grant writing and strategic planning. She is chair of the DWES School Site Council. Laura has a M.A. in Education and a B.A. in American Studies from Stanford University. As the daughter and niece of educators, she is passionate about ensuring that teachers and others who work with children have all the support and resources they need to do their jobs well.
Patrick Sweeney
(Advisory, Superintendent of the Napa Valley Unified School District)
Dr. Patrick Sweeney came to the Napa Valley Unified School District in July 2010 from the Patterson Unified School District, where he served as Superintendent for 15 years and Director of Education Services for 2 years. Prior to joining Patterson Unified School District, Dr. Sweeney served as Superintendent of the American School in Durango, Mexico for 4 years. Dr. Sweeney earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of La Verne and Master of Arts from San Jose State University. Dr. Sweeney began his educational career as an elementary teacher in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. He also served as principal of a California Distinguished School and as Coordinator of English Learner Programs in Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Dr. Sweeney has been extensively involved in the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) where he serves on the State Superintendents’ Council. In 2008 Dr. Sweeney was recognized as ACSA Region 7 Superintendent of the Year. In addition, he is active in the American Association of School Administrators, Association of Mexican American Educators, California Association of Latino Superintendents and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
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