Leadership
Leadership Team (l to r) Executive Director: Michele Davenport; Gavin Kwong, College Counselor: Susan Erickson Keiter, Tom Gold, Andy Fremder, Barb Fremder, David Staley, Iman Mills, Leslie Hsu, Julie Palley
Board Members
Andy Fremder, President
Andy Fremder is a co-founder of East Bay College Fund, and is currently a member of and consultant to Farallon Capital Management, LLC, a San Francisco based investment adviser. From 1994 until 2003, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Farallon. Mr. Fremder also sits on the board of CapitalSource Inc., a commercial finance company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He is a director of One California Bank, a community development bank headquartered in Oakland; and a trustee of Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools, an Oakland, California-based school reform organization. Mr. Fremder received his BBA and MPA from the University of Texas at Austin.
Barb Fremder, Secretary
Barb Fremder is a co-founder of East Bay College Fund. After a career in visual merchandising, she currently spends her time volunteering in the community and raising her two daughters and two dogs. Ms. Fremder received her BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
David Staley, Treasurer
David Staley is a co-founder of East Bay College Fund, and has resided in the East Bay since 1981. He is currently a Senior Vice President in the Mortgage Backed Securities group of Lehman Brothers in San Francisco, and has worked in the financial services industry in San Francisco since 1985. Mr. Staley received his BA in US History from the University of California, Berkeley.
Tom Gold
Tom Gold is professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in the study of China and Taiwan. He received his BA from Oberlin College and MA and PhD from Harvard University. He currently also sits on the Board of the Bay Area based organization, Pacific Environment.
Linh Le
Linh Le has been a Counselor for the Oakland Military Institute College Preparatory Academy (a charter school) since 2005. She received her BA in Integrative Biology and minor in Education from the University of California, Berkeley and her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania. Her passion for youth work stemmed from her own experience as a refugee and as the first person in her family to attend college. She believes that she can make a difference in the world, working with one child at a time.
Iman Mills is a Senior Program Assistant for PolicyLink, an Oakland based national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity. Iman’s projects at PolicyLink are focused on health disparities and health in communities. Previously, she was the circulation manager for a health management publishing firm in New York City, where she served as a liaison between the production and marketing departments. Mills holds a BA in English and comparative literature with a minor in neuroscience and behavior from Columbia University.
Julie Palley
Julie Palley is an independent marketing consultant. From 1983 to 2003, Julie served in a variety of marketing roles at Levi Strauss & Co., including Marketing Director for the Youthwear division and Director of Worldwide Marketing Projects. She began her career in Brand Management with The Clorox Company. Ms. Palley received her BS in Business Administration-Marketing from University of Illinois, Urbana.
Leslie Kawamoto Hsu (currently on temporary leave)
After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2005 with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies (focus in Education and Social Justice) and a minor in Ethnic Studies, Leslie decided to formally pursue her passion for educational equality. For the past two years Leslie has been the Program Director for the East Bay Consortium’s College and Career Information Centers, located at the Castlemont Community of Small Schools and Life Academy High School. Working in Oakland schools in various capacities for the past six years has been compelling and has helped Leslie further solidify her commitment towards working to dismantle educational inequalities.
When she is not helping young people reach their college dreams, Leslie loves to connect with friends and family, eat great food, travel when she gets a chance, and most of all, Muay Thai Kickboxing and Boxing.
Gavin Kwong (currently on temporary leave)
Gavin Kwong is a high school math and business teacher at Washington High School in Fremont, CA. He began his career in investment banking and Internet marketing before transitioning to the field of education. He received his BA from UC Berkeley.
Executive Director
Michele Davenport
Michele Davenport has over 20 years experience mostly in Human Resources and Sales in a variety of positions in Fortune 100 companies including Philip Morris Management Corporation, Kraft Foodservice and Mary Kay Cosmetics. Ms. Davenport began her career in the airline industry as part of a venture backed start-up in New Jersey. She relocated to the bay area ten years ago and has spent much of that time consulting on projects ranging from marketing, marketing research and business development. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola University of Chicago.
Since 1986 she has served as a mentor and advocate for youth, particularly older youth. As a member of an international children’s service organization, she has supported programs for families, has been active with the SPCA, Girls, Inc. and a host of other community organizations and civic initiatives.
College Counselor
Susan Erickson Keiter
Susan Erickson Keiter is a co-founder of East Bay College Fund, and former manager of Meritus College Fund, the San Francisco-based nonprofit after which East Bay College Fund is modeled. Ms Keiter has taught and counseled young people in K-12 schools and on university campuses since 1986, specializing in college financial aid and scholarship programs. Ms. Keiter also teaches piano and singing to children and adults. Ms. Keiter graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelors of Music from the University of Southern California and received a MS in Counseling from San Francisco State University.
Advisory Council
Jose Arredondo, Teacher, Oakland Unified School District
Douglas Boxer, Principal, Boxer & Associates, Inc
Romeo Garcia, Co-Principal, ARISE High School
Ian Isaacs, Co-founder of East Bay College Fund; Senior Partner, Director of Research, Merlin Securities
Steve Jubb, Founding Partner, None But Ourselves
David Kakishiba, Executive Director, East Bay Asian Youth Center; Oakland Unified School District Board Member
Thuy Thi Nguyen, General Counsel, Peralta Community College District
Peter Reinke, Teacher, Director of Civic Purpose, The Head-Royce School
Wilson Riles, Jr., Executive Director, Family Independence Initiative
Tony Smith, Deputy Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District