HeadsUp Board Bios
Michelene Moayedi, Executive Director
Michelene has served as HeadsUp Executive Director since 2016, bringing to the role her years of executive experience and community service in education. After studying speech and rhetoric at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Michelene’s first career stint, lasting eight years, was in Silicon Valley and the UK as a high-tech sales engineer. Seeking change, Michelene completed culinary training and worked as a chef for two years before realizing she was in a career not compatible with family life. She then pivoted to serve as Director of Finance for a culinary team-building company. Michelene served as vice president of fundraising at Coleman elementary for three years and as PTO president for an additional three years. Since 2013, Michelene has been a mentor for cancer caregivers through the nonprofit Imerman Angels. Michelene’s two children are now the fortunate beneficiaries of their mother’s culinary training and are students in San Rafael City Schools district.
​
​
Executive Committee
​Alicia Malet Klein, President
Alicia has served on the HeadsUp board since 2007, acting as president since 2013. Following a brief advertising career in Los Angeles, she returned to Marin County in the 1990s to raise her sons and begin her committed work for public education and education equity. Alicia served as trustee on the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Board and for 16 years was a teacher for gifted and talented fourth- and fifth-graders at Coleman elementary. For many years, Alicia worked weekly in classrooms to directly support students and their teachers. She has also held a variety of parent leadership positions. Alicia serves on the San Rafael City Schools district’s budget advisory committees and the Parcel Tax Citizens Oversight Committee. She is president of Making Waves Academy, a charter school in Richmond and sits on the Board of Directors of the foundation that supports its facilities and college success program. Her two adult sons attended Coleman, Davidson, San Rafael High and Stanford and she is grateful they both now reside in the Bay Area. Alicia and her husband, Tom, love to hike, read, kayak and travel.
Tanya Burdick, Vice President
Tanya joined HeadsUp in 2013 and has co-chaired the annual HeadsUp Carnival (formerly Summerfest), the foundation’s community-wide and largest fundraiser, since joining the board. Tanya is an active supporter and fundraiser for athletics and enrichment in the community and school district, serving on the SwimMarin Board for eight years and Music Boosters at San Rafael High for three years. Tanya is team parent coordinator for her two sons’ water polo and swim teams. She is also a physical therapist at Kaiser Permanente and a member of the ALS Clinic team. Her two sons attend San Rafael City Schools.
Secretary - Melinda Mackaben
​
​
Kris Jackson, Treasurer
Joining the HeadsUp board in 2021, Kris contributes over three decades of finance and accounting experience and a demonstrated passion for education equity. She is currently Treasurer for HeadsUp and has held several parent-volunteer roles in SRCS, including Treasurer of Davidson Middle School PTO and Vice President of We Are SR. Currently, Kris serves as Sr. Director of Client Accounting Services with Hood & Strong LLP, a local CPA firm that specializes in supporting non-profit organization with their accounting and tax needs. Kris grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with degrees in Accounting and Marketing. She has two sons who attend San Rafael High. She loves sharing adventures with her boys skiing, mountain biking, surfing, and hiking. Their black lab, Rufus joins in the fun as well.
At-Large Board Members
Emily Busch
Emily has been committed to SRCS students since she began working for the district in 1997 as a Classified Account Clerk at San Rafael High School. As a dedicated advocate for students, Emily also stepped up as administrative advisor for HeadsUP Link Crew, a school-wide student mentoring program. Emily was an Administrative Assistant at Davidson Middle School until 2016 when she became Executive Assistant in Business Services in the SRCS District Office. Emily says she loves SRCS and has dedicated years of hard work and advocacy to support SRCS students. She joined the HeadsUp board in 2018, where her experience and knowledge about the diverse SRCS community will continue to benefit all students.​
​
Tory Harter
Tory Harter joined the HeadsUp Board in 2021 to support equity in action — appreciating the many ways HeadsUp benefits all students in San Rafael, and creates a more cohesive community. Tory has worked in Marin as a public health nurse since 2002, is passionate about breaking down barriers and problem solving so that everyone living in Marin can access its many resources. In a previous life, she traveled and lived in Ecuador — her current life is in Marin, raising two children (well teens now, albeit she is in a bit of denial) and a menagerie of pets. Having worked on the front lines of the Covid 19 pandemic, she is more committed than ever to creating change in our local systems, especially our schools and believes HeadsUp is a great way to do so. Her children thrived at Davidson Middle School, now attend San Rafael High School and are involved in athletics and student leadership. She learns so much from them and their friends, and is grateful to all the SRCS teachers, staff and administrators who have helped along the way.
​
Tracey Hessel
Tracey is deeply connected to the health and wellness of her community through her roles as Associate Medical Director, Pediatrics, at Marin Community Clinics and also as Co-chair of the Marin County HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Lifestyles) Steering Committee and member of the Marin County Oral Health Advisory Committee. Joining the HeadsUp board in 2014, Tracey is a fierce advocate for equity and ensuring that all students in the district have academic opportunities and enrichment programming. She earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and completed medical school and residency at UCSF. Both her son and daughter attended SRCS.
​
Lindsey Holtaway
Coming Soon
​Amy Jonak
Amy joined the HeadsUp board in 2008, serving as president from 2010 to 2013. Amy spent over 20 years in editorial development, management, marketing and production for book publishers and book developers including McGraw-Hill, International Masters, Roundtable Press and her own company, LA Press. For more than fifteen years, she has served in a variety of volunteer and board positions focused on education. In the San Rafael City Schools, Amy served many years as PTA president of both Sun Valley elementary and Davidson middle school. She also served on the SRCS Superintendent’s Parents Council and Roadmap to the Future Committee. In addition to her role with HeadsUp, Amy is chair of The Marin School, an independent high school in San Rafael, and sits on the executive board of the Marin Chinese Cultural Association. A graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Amy lives in San Rafael with her partner, Mary. Their daughter, Sophie, attends CSU Fullerton.​
​
Anne Levenson
As a dedicated advocate for public school education and equity, Anne is honored to serve as a Board Member for the HeadsUp Foundation. As a mother of two children attending San Rafael public schools and a proud 15-year resident of San Rafael, Anne is deeply committed to fostering enriching educational experiences for all students. With over a decade of community involvement and a career in Event Marketing, Anne brings valuable experience from her tenure as a member of the Coleman Elementary School Executive PTO Board, where she currently serves as Secretary. Her passion for excellence in education drives her efforts to strengthen community ties and ensure equitable opportunities for every child. Anne is excited to contribute to the HeadsUp Foundation's mission of enhancing educational excellence and nurturing a vibrant, inclusive community.
​​
Melissa Tervet-da Cunha
Coming Soon.
​
Gabrielle Wain
Gabrielle joined the HeadsUp Board in 2024, shortly after her eldest daughter started elementary school in San Rafael. Prior to her move to San Francisco in 2017, Gabrielle lived and worked in the UK leading strategy, lobbying and public policy work for affordable housing providers. After moving to the Bay Area, she began supporting new, unregulated tech and robotics companies as a government affairs focussed executive. Gabrielle now runs her own consulting business from San Rafael, offering high level advice and practical support for technology companies engaging with governments around the world. She values equity and fairness in her community and, as well as supporting the HeadsUp board, she is also a member of the City of San Rafael's Homeless solutions working group.
​
School Principal Liaison
Mari Kernan