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
Holly Allen (President)
Hope Kavoosi (Vice President)
Jennifer Lin (Treasurer)
Susan Condon (Secretary)
Jeff Gilbert (Lead Principal)
Don Leydig (Chair of the Alumni Committee)
Michael McCall
Marcella Ballard
Lauren Lum Musich
Bridget Michelsen
Priscilla Nues
Jennifer Russell
Anu Singh
Grace Whipkey
MEET THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Marcine Jansen joined the Foundation in May 2024. She has an extensive background in technology, fundraising, and nonprofit governance. Most recently, she was Chair of the Board of Directors for Community Tech Network, a national organization with San Francisco roots that is dedicated to promoting digital equity and bridging the digital divide. Prior to that, Marcine served as Chair of the Board of Directors for Story For All, an organization that works to help heal marginalized communities through the power of storytelling. Marcine lives in San Mateo with her husband and son (Hillsdale Class of ‘33), and has proudly called the Bay Area her home for over 20 years. Marcine holds a BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard University.
Early in her career, Marcine worked for a fundraising tech platform helping nonprofits build and grow relationships with their supporters. Later, she was head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Marketo (now part of Adobe), where she was honored to accept an award from Silicon Valley Community Foundation acknowledging the excellent work of that team. Marcine has been co-founder of a marketing agency, she has led fundraising events for a variety of organizations, and she has served as president of her son’s elementary school PTA. Through it all, she has remained most interested in problem solving and bringing people together. She is very excited to be part of the Hillsdale community!
MEET THE BOOKKEEPER
Karen Christensen has lived in San Mateo for 28 years with her husband, son (Class of 2018), and daughter (Class of 2022). She is originally from Santa Rosa and graduated with a BS in Accounting from the University of San Francisco. She has worked in public accounting (Ernst & Young), at a publicly-traded corporation (Harris), and at start-ups and non-profits (Community Gatepath and LiveMoves). She served on the Laurel Elementary PTA Board and Site Council and the 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 enjoys supporting 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
