Hillsdale named a “School of Opportunity”
The National Education Policy Center out of the University of Colorado has named Hillsdale a “School of Opportunity”, the first in California to earn the gold level and one of 8 schools to be so recognized across the country this year. The Washington Post, September 2016.
The Hillsdale High School Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to sustain Small Learning Communities at Hillsdale. The organization consists of an Executive Director and thirteen active board members, plus ad-hoc committees. The board is comprised of parents, alumni, faculty and staff who contribute a wide range of expertise. See how you can get involved
MEET THE BOARD
Elisabeth Imhof-Ackerman
Elisabeth lives in San Mateo with her husband and two children. Her son is in the class of 2024 at HHS. …
Susan Condon
Originally from Southern California, Susan moved to the Bay Area thirty-five years ago …
Holly Allen (Vice President)
Holly was born and raised in the SF Bay Area and has lived here most of her life. …
Silke Feldman
Silke, a German native, chose San Francisco and the Bay Area as her new home …
Lauren Lum Musich
Lauren is a native of San Mateo and attended both public and private schools in the area.
…Ritu Dhawan
Ritu an original native of India, came to US to pursue higher education. …
Jeff Gilbert (Lead Principal)
Jeff is the Lead Principal at Hillsdale High School. He received his Masters of Education, …
Don Leydig (VP and Co-Chair of Alumni Committee)
Don is a Founding Member, Past President and now …
Michael McCall (President)
Mike has been teaching math at Hillsdale High School since 2012.
…Bridget Michelsen (Secretary)
Bridget is a life long resident of Foster City. I graduated Hillsdale High School, …
Anu Singh
Anu moved to the San Mateo in 1999. Anu has been working at Wells Fargo …
Terri Schmier (Treasurer)
Terri has lived in San Mateo since 2000 with her husband, Michael, and two daughters …
Alex Yang
Alex has lived on the SF Bay Area peninsula with his wife and 3 sons since 2005. …
MEET THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jennifer Burke Russell joined the foundation team in July 2015. Her most recent position was at Stanford University where she worked for four years in fundraising and program management for students pursuing an MBA in the public sector, nonprofit, or socially responsible business. Prior to that, she worked at The Development Fund, a national nonprofit, as a Program Director for six years designing, launching, and raising money for public purpose community development financing intermediaries. Her other work experiences include paralegal work, banking, consulting, and teaching middle school in Thailand. Jennifer’s volunteer experiences include running large fundraising events for St. Paul’s School, serving on the PTA of Foster City Elementary School, and coaching her kids’ soccer teams. Jennifer attended both Dartmouth and Vassar colleges graduating from Vassar with a BA in History. She studied International Business at the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University in the Netherlands while earning her MBA from UC Davis. As the mother of one recent Hillsdale student, Gillian (2021), and two future students, Sean & Fiona, Jennifer is heavily invested and dedicated to the school’s continued success.
MEET THE BOOKKEEPER
Karen Christensen has lived in San Mateo for 25 years with her husband and son, class of 2018, and daughter, class of 2022. She is originally from Santa Rosa and graduated with a BS in Accounting from University of San Francisco. She has worked in public accounting (Ernst & Young), a publicly-traded corporation (Harris), start-ups and non-profits (Community Gatepath and LiveMoves, formerly InnVision-Shelter Network.) She also served on Laurel Elementary PTA board and Site Council and Hillsdale Music Boosters board. She is also a founding member of the Laurel Green Team with the environment being one of her passions. Karen joined the Foundation team in 2019 and is excited to help support the HHS Foundation in achieving its goals.
FOUNDATION HISTORY
Founded in April 2007, the Hillsdale High School Foundation serves as the school’s primary fundraising entity. The HHSF kicked off its fundraising efforts with an event honoring Homer Zugelder and Rich Mazzoncini, two respected and admired Hillsdale coaches. In 2009, district budget cuts endangered Small Learning Communities. HHSF now focuses its fundraising campaigns to insure that SLCs continue to thrive for Hillsdale students. Learn more
