John Palmer, Board Chair
John is a Partner in the Public Finance group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. His practice focuses on financing for cities, counties, community college districts and school districts. His specialties are Public Finance, Elections, Legislation, and Governance.
He is a past trustee at the Ecole Bilinque de Berkeley, and currently serves on the Law Board at the Northwestern University School of Law, and on the advisory board for the Center for Practice Engagement and Innovation.
John is a proud alumnus of Berkeley High School, UC Berkeley, and the Northwestern University School of Law.
Rupa Chandra Gupta, Vice Chair & Strategic Planning Committee
Rupa is cofounder and CEO of Sown To Grow, an impact-driven education technology company designed to improve student ownership and engagement in learning. She also supports OUSD’s Roosevelt Middle School via leadership and school design coaching. Previously, she served in both district office and school roles in San Jose Unified School District, most recently leading school redesign implementation. Before working in schools, Rupa spent nearly 10 years working in strategy and nonprofit consulting at Bain & Company and The Bridgespan Group.
She earned her Bachelors in Chemistry and Business Administration from UC Berkeley, her MBA from Stanford University, and her Masters in Educational Leadership through The Broad Residency.
Rupa lives in Oakland, and can often be found enjoying the parks, restaurants, and libraries of our great city with her family. Her children proudly attend Oakland’s public schools.
Marjorie Goux, Secretary & Governance Committee
A passionate advocate for equity in education who hails from a family of educators, Marjorie Goux, supports education-focused organizations through board and other advocacy work and is proud to serve on the Board of the Oakland Public Education Fund.
Marjorie is Chief Legal Officer of RODAN + FIELDS, makers of life-changing skincare. She is also strategic advisor for the seed-stage and award-winning kids’ computing startup TANOSHI. Previously, Marjorie served as Chief Legal Counsel at CLIF BAR whose energy bars fuel our adventures. Earlier, she was business counsel at Oakland-based, CLOROX, for a series of its businesses, while also serving as Chief Counsel for its Global Alliances team. Marjorie began her career at HP after being in private practice with BAKER MCKENZIE in London, UK and Palo Alto, USA.
Marjorie graduated from the University of Washington (BSc Chemistry) and University College, London (Law), is an enthusiastic Oakland resident, and can often be seen walking in Knowland Park.
Wilbur Hobbs, Jr., Treasurer & Chair – Finance and Investment Committee
Wilbur E. Hobbs, Jr. is SVP & Chief Lending Officer of Community Bank of the Bay based in Oakland. He serves on the board of ICA/FundGoodJobs (a Non-Bank CDFI) and is committed to making a difference in economic development, financial education and affordable access to capital.
As Chief Credit Officer (2005 – 2012) of Community Bank of the Bay, Hobbs led credit policy design and implementation over a period when the bank grew to $110 Million in Loans from less than $45 Million. This period experienced the deepest economic recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, but Community Bank of the Bay more than doubled the size of its loan portfolio through prudent banking practices and the acquisition of equity capital.
Hobbs also serves on the Board of Directors of Ramsell Corporation, a privately-held company that provides pharmacy benefit and management solutions targeting underserved populations nationally. He recently completed Presidency of The 100 Club, a 74-year old Bay Area organization that fundraises for youth services organizations. Hobbs is a member of Oakland Rotary #3 and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
Hobbs and his wife, natives of Philadelphia, PA and Brooklyn, NY, respectively, have been proud Oakland residents since 1999.
Landon Baines, Finance and Investment Committee, Audit Committee & Development Committee
Landon is Senior VP – Regional Market President at Heritage Bank of Commerce in Oakland. Born in Oakland, he attended Glenview Elementary before his family moved to Hayward. However, his Oakland roots never left him.
Landon has been a banking professional for more than fifteen years serving with top banking institutions including CitiBank, First Republic Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo. He returned to Oakland in 2017 to lead the commercial banking office for Community Bank of the Bay. In 2019, Landon was recruited by Heritage Bank of Commerce establish their brand to Oakland. He jumped at the opportunity because it presented an opportunity to bring new capital, well-paying jobs and a bank with a rich history of supporting small business owners and non-profits to Oakland. And, Landon is no stranger to the Oakland Public Education where he has served on the Community Advisory Board granting funds through it’s A – Z Fund to hundreds of public school projects across Oakland.
Landon received his MBA from St. Mary’s College, is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, and earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from California State College in Hayward.
Loraine Binion, Finance and Investment Committee
Loraine Binion is the Executive Director of Finance and Administration for the University Development and Alumni Relations unit at the University of California, Berkeley. Loraine also serves as Treasurer of the UC Berkeley Foundation and Treasurer of the Berkeley Endowment Management Company. Prior to coming to UC Berkeley, Loraine held a number of senior Finance positions including 18 years at Levi Strauss & Co and has operated her own CPA firm. She serves on various Boards, is active with Community organizations and is Treasurer for a member of Congress. She has received many awards recognizing her professional accomplishments and commitment to create social change.
Loraine is also an educator, serving as adjunct professor at a Bay Area University and several Colleges. Loraine is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Accounting from UCLA and a Bachelor of Science degree from Cal Poly Pomona.
Loraine lives in Oakland with her husband; she has two grown daughters who were in Oakland schools through high school.
Helen Bulwik, Chair – Development Committee & Audit Committee
Helen is a seasoned executive leader with diverse experience as an operating and merchandising executive for large multi-channel national retail, specialty retail and consumer manufacturing companies and as an executive advisor to CXO’s of large and middle market companies. Her career has focused on developing and executing strategies for business development and growth for consumer sector companies.
Helen has served as CEO of six middle market retail and consumer product manufacturing companies, successfully developing and implementing strategies for growth and competitiveness. In addition, as a senior level strategist and thought leader for three highly respected consultancies – IBM, Accenture and the Tom Peters Group, she advised senior management of more than 70 of the top 100 Global Retailers in the development and execution of strategic initiatives for growth, new market development and a sustainable competitive advantage.
Helen has served and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of a number of public and private companies and non-profit organizations. She earned both her undergraduate degree and MBA from the University of California – Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
Helen grew up in Oakland, attended Oakland public schools, and resides in Oakland today.
Cari Jacobs-Crovetto, Chair – Governance Committee & Strategic Planning Committee
Cari is a seasoned senior level marketing executive. She currently serves as CMO of Torch, an online learning, coaching and mentoring company combining human-powered coaching and mentoring with technology.
Previously, Cari led marketing for marquee brands including Gap Inc, Toyota, Lexus, Procter & Gamble, Intuit, General Mills, Levi’s and Coca-Cola, and in roles with some of the world’s most prestigious advertising agencies, such as Deutsch, J. Walter, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide and Publicis Group Worldwide. Cari then shifted to the start-up world where she helped launch and/or scale starts-ups such as Sunrun, Sungevity, ModCloth, Unison and now, Torch.
Cari earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from California State University of Long Beach. She has served on the Board of Directors for Mother Miracle and advises ByKids, both of which seek to bring more world understanding through the eyes of kids.
Michael Johnson, Development Committee & Governance Committee
Michael has provided leadership and management expertise for over 25 years to health care delivery, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, including startups, industry leaders and government institutions. Michael currently serves as the Director of Medical Services Contracting for The Permanente Medical group. He leads all contract and network development activities for Kaiser Permanente’s network of providers in Northern California with an emphasis on mental health and addiction medicine.
He is a past board member of the East Oakland Community Development Corporation, co-founder of the Oakland Chapter of the National Action Network, and currently serves on the Board of the Health and Human Resource Education Center, and member of the Steering Committee for the Russell City Reparative Justice Project in the City of Hayward. He also serves as an Associate Pastor at the historic Beebe Memorial Cathedral CME Church in Oakland, California.
Michael earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma, his Master of Science in Public Health from UCLA, and his Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law from the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.
Michael grew up in Oakland, is a product of Oakland Public Schools and lives and works in Oakland.
Travis Kauzer, Finance and Investment Committee & Development Committee
Travis is an experienced investment professional, specializing in real estate syndication and acquisition. He has spent his entire career in the Investment Management industry working in both public and private markets at Fisher Investments, Fort Point Capital Partners, and The Grupe Co.
He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Chico State University and his MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
His extended family has a long history of teaching in public schools and universities around the country and he looks forward to supporting the education community through his volunteer efforts.
Travis is an East Bay native who resides in Lafayette with his wife and two children.
Dawn Taketa Riordan, Chair – Strategic Planning Committee & HR Committee
Dawn is the Executive Marketing Director and Co-Managing Director for IDEO U, IDEO’s online school that teaches the skills and mindsets of design thinking and creative leadership. As an entrepreneurial venture within IDEO, she orchestrates marketing across product, digital, content, media relations, brand and partnerships. In addition, she leads IDEO U’s diversity equity and inclusion work.
Dawn has deep roots in digital marketing and e-commerce including growing Peet’s Coffee & Tea’s online business as general manager and pioneering Gap Inc.’s digital marketing and e-commerce presence including the launch of their first web sites. She thrives at the intersection of technology, business and creative so is thrilled to work at IDEO where she is exploring how human centered design applies to marketing.
A true blue, Dawn earned her BS from U.C. Berkeley in Political Economics then returned to earn her MBA from the Haas School of Business. She resides with her husband and two teenage sons in the Bay Area. You will often find her swimming with her beloved masters team, watching a ton of basketball or on food adventures near and far.
Tiffany Wood, Development Committee & HR Committee
Tiffany is a Senior Program Officer at Pacific Foundation Services where she provides private foundations with dedicated support to streamline operations, promote equitable grantmaking, and maximize impact. With over 15 years of experience in philanthropy, she has a deep understanding of effective grantmaking practices and a passion for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field. Additionally, she has six years of experience in education policy research, providing her with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities within the education sector.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Tiffany is an active volunteer, previously serving as an Advisory Board Member for the Oakland Public Education Fund and fostering a love for reading and learning among incarcerated individuals through supporting the Prisoners Literature Project, among other volunteer activities.
Tiffany earned a Master’s degree in International Comparative Education from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and International Studies from Emory University. She also holds a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.
Tiffany currently lives with her husband in Oakland and seeks out myriad opportunities to bring creativity and passion to both her personal and professional pursuits.