Horizons at SFFS 2025-2026 board

Aaron Whitmore (he/him) comes from a family of educators. His mother was an 8th-grade science teacher at the local public school, and his father was a college basketball coach before becoming a public high school athletic director.  Aaron attended Colby College and got his B.A. in Human Development, then went on to get his M.A. in Educational Leadership from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.  Aaron is a passionate educator who loves working with school-age children. His educational career began at Camp Belknap, Kent School, and Milton Academy, where he served as an advisory board member at Upward Bound before moving to the Bay Area to run the Admission and Financial Aid Office at Crystal Springs Uplands School. At Crystal, Aaron was a member of the Multicultural Leadership Team and, during his tenure, partnered closely with Peninsula Bridge as well as A Better Chance and the SMART program to support students from traditionally underrepresented communities and enable better access to independent school education.  Recently, Aaron transitioned to become the CEO of Little, Molligan & Whitmore, an educational consulting organization that helps students and families determine which schools are a great match for them based on family values and academic and extracurricular interests. Aaron works to support families through the school application process as well.  Aaron is on the board of Sierra STEM, a non-profit aimed to cultivate scientists and citizens who are more critical, resilient, and humane. Aaron and his wife, Carrie, have two children who currently attend San Francisco Friends School. For fun, Aaron loves to play basketball, explore other cultures through travel, and spend time with his family.

Andrea Ruiz De Bustamante (she/her) is a Horizons parent who is also very involved at Mission Prep as a parent of current 8th and 7th graders.  She currently serves on the parent advisory committee at Mission Prep and is also great at relationship building.  Her family moved from Colima, Mexico, to Tijuana, then to San Francisco, CA, in the Mission District, where they continue to live, to get medical assistance for her aunt. Andrea was born to a single mother who raised her along with her family and grew up in a bilingual home. Andrea struggled throughout her school years with a learning disability and made it to San Francisco State to earn a BA in Psychology. While in school, she interned at Oakes Children Center for SED kids when it was in the avenues, and a year later, she was hired as an afterschool counselor and worked there for ten years. In those last two years, Andrea earned an MA in Social Work. After earning her MSW in 2007, she dedicated her focus to raising two wonderful children, a 14-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old boy, with her husband, her childhood friend, and their 5-year-old dog, Jack Sparrow. In 2020, in the heart of the pandemic, Andrea was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and is happy to say she is doing well. Andrea loved volunteering during her schooling. Her family loves hanging out with other family and friends, traveling, dancing, and being at home. They enjoy movies and playing board games and are huge Disney and 49ers fans. Andrea enjoys reading murder mystery novel series and watching paranormal shows.

Aneesha Capur Aneesha is an investor in climate change, legaltech and education with an interest in supporting underrepresented founders. She is a Limited Partner at Axiom Partners and How Women Invest. She is an advisor for organizations with a social impact mission. She coauthored an article titled Efficacy Before Scale for Stanford Social Innovation Review that was selected for inclusion in an inaugural book series by SSIR, Essentials for Social Innovation: Scaling. Aneesha is an advisor for Harvard Business Review. She was nominated for an advisor network led by the Haas, Jr. Fund and Packard Foundation. She was a Global Advisor at How Women Lead for the first ever Women Leaders for the World Abortion and Reproductive Health, Rights & Justice Fellows Program. Her prior work experience includes ten years in university education content development and publication at Stanford and Wharton, and eight years in corporate strategy and consulting at JPMorgan and Booz-Allen as well as economic and international development consulting. Aneesha’s prior board and committee tenures include serving on the Boards of Voice of Witness and the Homeless Prenatal Program as Governance Chair for both, and on the SF Committee/Global Council of Human Rights Watch. Aneesha has published a book, Stealing Karma (HarperCollins Publishers), and has been invited to speak and teach at conferences including the Bookworm International Literary Festival in Beijing and the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali. She was a Finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Award for Socially Engaged Fiction. Aneesha has an MFA from Warren Wilson and an MBA from Wharton. She was also accepted for a PhD in economics at Columbia and Georgetown universities. She has attended the summer Spanish language program and creative writing at the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. Aneesha was born in India and spent most of her childhood in Kenya. She now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children (Eila, SFFS ’28, and Kian, SFFS ’31). They love spending time together in nature, outdoor recreational and cultural activities, and cooking.

Benjamin Ibarra (he/him) is a San Francisco native through and through. A child of Mexican immigrants, Benjamin is no stranger to The Mission and its population. A graduate of UC Davis and the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, Benjamin has worked diligently as a public servant for almost two decades with UC Admissions, the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, The San Francisco Public Library, and currently, San Francisco Public Works where he is a Public Information Officer, working on quality of life-related matters within the Mission. A father of three, including a 5th grader at Friends School. When not working or driving his kids around, he likes to watch baseball, play soccer, and try to finish the day’s crossword puzzle.

Chris Rupright moved to San Francisco from the Midwest in 1986 and had his first apartment at 23rd and Guerrero Streets.  He practiced law in the City for 26 years, specializing in representing investment advisers and private investment funds.  He spends time volunteering, cooking, and enjoying the outdoors.  He is a graduate of the College at University of Chicago and Northwestern University Law School. He has been a longtime supporter of Horizons at SFFS, and his son worked for two summers as the swimming pool and lunch helper.  He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam, a college admissions counselor.  They have two children: David (SFFS 2012), a high school teacher in Chicago, and Emily (SFFS 2014), an architect in Chicago.

Deborah (Deb) Rockwood (she/her) brings over 20 years of experience in independent school fundraising, with a focus on strengthening communities, supporting development teams through leadership transitions, and designing systems for long-term sustainability. Now working as a consultant and interim leader, Deb is known for stepping into complex situations with a steady hand, strategic insight, and a collaborative spirit that helps schools move forward with clarity and confidence.  Her expertise spans all areas of development, including annual giving, capital campaigns, major gifts, alumni and parent engagement, and board relations. She especially enjoys creating structures and strategies that allow mission-driven institutions to thrive. Deb is currently serving as the Campaign Consultant for the public phase of Crystal Springs Uplands School’s Thrive Together Campaign. Most recently, she served as Interim Director of Development at The San Francisco Friends School. Deb is a founding member and currently the Vice President of the Board for the Advancement Exchange for Independent Schools, a nonprofit association dedicated to supporting independent school advancement professionals throughout California.  A proud Bay Area transplant, Deb moved north from Southern California to attend the California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA) and never looked back. She and her husband, Bill, made San Francisco their home, where they raised their son, Evan, and remain deeply engaged in the local community. Since 2020, Deb has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), working with children in the foster care system. She also volunteers regularly with Muttville and the SPCA, including fostering senior dogs in the family’s home, which they share with their big-hearted Bernese Mountain Dog, Opal. Deb is a committed gym-goer, an enthusiastic baker, a reader, and a fan of long chats over tea with friends. She is less passionate about doing the dishes, making the bed, or balancing her personal budget, but promises she’s working on it.

Eddie Kaufman has dedicated his professional career to supporting youth and families to achieve their potential. A San Francisco resident for three decades, he has found his home with Mission Graduates.  Under 12 years of Eddie’s leadership, the organization has grown eight times to over 150 staff serving 5,500 youth and families on a $14 Million annual budget.  As the son of a first-generation college student, he knows personally the importance of building college-going aspirations within families.  Before joining Mission Graduates, Eddie spent eight years leading Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay. During his tenure, the agency expanded from two to four counties, increased its revenue threefold, and expanded the number of youth served in the organization from 225 to over 1,500. In 2010, he was recognized with the Heart of Marin Excellence in Leadership Award – awarded to an Executive Director demonstrating exceptional leadership and vision within his nonprofit organization and to the general Marin community. Eddie has spent the majority of his professional life working with organizations that educate and empower youth. Organizations that he has been a part of include Youth Leadership Institute, Spectrum LGBT Center, YWCA of Oakland, San Francisco Council on Homelessness, and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. He is a recognized trainer in the areas of youth development, youth-adult partnerships, and environmental prevention. Eddie has a demonstrated passion and commitment to education; he is a faculty member of City College of San Francisco where he has been teaching for the last 20 years. One of his great joys has been to support LGBTQ individuals in developing their intimacy skills by teaching the Male Intimacy and Relationships Course for the LGBT Studies Department.   He received his undergraduate degrees in Genetics and Psychology at U.C. Davis and his Masters in Social Work at San Francisco State University.  He is also an avid snowboarder, scuba diver, and knitter.

Fernando Lopez was born and raised in Mexico City and moved to the U.S. on his own at the age of 24. After a couple years in the DC metro area, he settled in San Francisco with his wife, Mayra, in 2004. The first in his family to graduate from college, Fernando earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Communications Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, followed by an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where he served as VP of Diversity in the student government. He remains actively engaged with the Haas community as a guest lecturer and as a founding member of Somos Haas, a Latinx alumni group dedicated to building support networks for first-generation students.  Fernando and Mayra have two children: a son who graduated from SFFS in 2024, and a daughter who is currently a member of the Class of 2028. Professionally, Fernando is a Senior Account Executive at Komodor, an early-stage startup. Over the years, he has built a career in Enterprise Sales, Channel Development, and Sales Leadership at technology companies such as Modern Treasury, Conviva, Boomi, New Relic, IBM, and HP. Before pivoting into sales, Fernando began his career as an engineer. Outside of work, Fernando enjoys traveling, working out, and listening to music. Most often, however, he can be found fulfilling his favorite role—“chief of transportation”—driving his kids to soccer games and ballet recitals all over the Bay Area.

Guybe Slangen comes from an international family of educators—his dad (from Belgium) was a professor for nearly three decades, and his mom (from the Philippines) taught in public schools for many years. He joined SFFS in 2009 from the Head-Royce School, where he was the Dean of Students. Prior to that, he worked at independent schools in both Colorado and New York. Whether it is leading students on backpacking trips in the Sierras or taking them to serve meals at homeless shelters, Guybe believes strongly that learning has the greatest impact through experience. At Friends, his work centers around building and sustaining strong relationships between the school and the greater community, be it in the Mission or across the country. He also manages all grade-level trips and co-clerks the school’s Quaker Life Committee. Guybe is a graduate of Dickinson College and completed his Master’s in Educational Leadership at Columbia University’s Teachers College. He is on the Advisory Board for the National Network for Schools in Partnership (NNSP), and has presented workshops nationally on the topics of leadership, diversity, and community engagement. An avid surfer, biker, and skier, Guybe lives in Oakland with his partner Susan and their daughter Livi.

Joel Lacayo immigrated to San Francisco with his family from Nicaragua at 5 years old. In his 20+ years in the Financial Services Industry, he has supported entrepreneurs to start their businesses with sound financial structures towards financing/lending solutions, created strategic marketing plans, and coached them through their growth evolution. His current role is as the Lead Channel Account Executive with Rippling, a modern employee management platform for Payroll, HR, and IT. During his time as a Xero Regional Sales Director, he supported accounting/bookkeeping owners in growing their services and revenue lines. He has served as a board member of La Cocina, a local not-for-profit focused on low-income female food entrepreneurs looking to formalize their businesses, and a Business Consultant with Working Solutions, a CDFI supporting underserved SF Bay Area entrepreneurs. Currently, he is a member of Accounting Salon, supporting the Nominations Committee and Diversity Initiative to steer the accounting industry's modernization. Joel received his B.S. in Business with a concentration in Marketing from San Francisco State University. Joel loves playing and coaching all sports with his boys, trying new eateries with his wife, and leveraging social capital with like-minded people. 

Kamaria Carnes started her career as an educator in the Mission teaching English Language Arts to middle schoolers, and has since transitioned to co - leadership of a network of Elementary Instructional Coaches across 72 schools in San Francisco Unified School District. In her role, she supports Instructional Coaches to implement a newly adopted Language Arts curriculum at their schools through the development and facilitation of professional development and support systems in partnership and collaboration with other departments. Her journey to being an educator was inspired by her brother’s experience in school and working as both a leadership camp counselor and a student ambassador for the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity in college. As a leader for educational equity, she is driven and inspired by continuous improvement and growth, the retention and support of educators of color, and realizing an educational experience for all students that supports them in having agency in their lives and reflects back to them their brilliance and unique contributions to our community. Kamaria is originally from Everett, Washington. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, Seattle, and her Master’s degree and Administrative Services Credential from the University of California, Berkeley. She resides in San Francisco and spends her time occasionally taking ceramics classes, traveling to sunny beaches, trying new fruit, enjoying music, and cooking new recipes.

Katina Papson-Rigby has over 20 years of experience in the field of K-12 education, community activism, and DEIB (Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging) focused efforts in public, charter, nonprofit, and private spaces. She is drawn to opportunities for systems change through creative collaboration across differences. As a practiced communicator, facilitator, and co-conspirator with diverse constituencies, her work as an interdisciplinary artist and teacher is an expression of many voices. She has authored and published social justice, ethnic studies, arts-integrated, place-based, and interdisciplinary curricula, and has experience as a teacher coach and administrator of distinct educational youth programming. She is a trained professional artist whose artwork has been shown in galleries and museums across the country. She identifies as a Queer, ethnically mixed Latina mother, and partner who has experienced white citizenship and cisgender privilege. The pronouns she uses are she/her/ella. She strongly identifies as a lifelong learner.

Ken Jones moved with his family to San Francisco from Chicago in 1997 to work as an operations manager at the San Francisco Zoo. Ken then focused on financial accounting and worked with several nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area before eventually joining the partnership Metis Partner Solutions in 2013 to provide finance consulting to Bay Area nonprofits. He is a graduate of the College at University of Chicago. Ken has served on several nonprofit Boards and is currently the Board Chair for the Pomeroy Center in the southwest corner of the City. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Wendy, a business systems analyst for a biotech firm. They have two children, Rosa, a nursing assistant in Denver, and Katy, an elementary school teacher in the Mission.

Maureen McAvoy is an executive coach with 10+ years experience coaching leaders in corporate, professional services, and non-profit roles. Before becoming a coach, she spent most of her career focused on strategy development and business management as a consultant at BCG, as an executive at Charles Schwab, and as a co-founder of a small software startup. She has an MBA from the University of Chicago. Originally from the Midwest, Maureen and her husband Brian moved to San Francisco almost 30 years ago, adopted the SF Giants as their home team, and raised two kids here: Connor (SFFS 2014) and Riley (SFFS 2016). Maureen also served on the board of the San Francisco Friends School.

Morgan Bromstad, CFP®, advises high net worth individuals and families on complex financial matters. He is the founder of Luminis Management, a financial planning and consulting firm. Previously he held positions as Director at a Single Family Office and Vice President at Hall Capital Partners (Multi-Family Office). He holds a B.A. in Global Economics from UCSC.

Morgen Humes began her career in the organizational psychology department of a tech company before helping to launch a management consulting start-up. Driven by her passion for supporting organizations that create positive social impact, she left the for-profit sector to earn her Master’s in Social Welfare, Management, and Planning from UC Berkeley. First, Morgen was part of the executive leadership team of a large non-profit, serving first as the director of Training and Research and then Co-Director of Strategic Initiatives. Later, after the birth of her daughter and then son, Morgen started working for herself. Her non-profit consulting and grant writing services are grounded in over 20 years of professional experience. She works for a variety of non-profit and government clients who focus on supporting families, addressing homelessness, providing mental health services, and promoting educational equity. Throughout her working life, Morgen has also enjoyed serving on non-profit boards, and volunteering in her community and her children’s schools.

Samara Jaffe (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of HR Transform, the leading event in the new work ecosystem bringing together business and people leaders from rapidly growing VC-backed companies, HR executives from the Fortune 1000, investors, and entrepreneurs building solutions for the workplace of the future. She is also EVP & Managing Director of Connectiv, a live events studio creating summits for brands and professionals across high-growth industries and at-scale sectors undergoing rapid change. Prior to finding her way to the world of events, she held various executive roles at both startup and enterprise organizations, including as General Manager and President of businesses, which exceeded $50M in annual revenue. Samara is a bridge builder and a thoughtful connector, moving seamlessly from building strategy to turning vision into business growth. She lives in San Francisco and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Sangita Forth (she/her) is a seasoned marketer and entrepreneur at heart whose passion is building mission-driven lifestyle brands.  Her brand experience spans from managing world-class brands at Kraft Foods & General Mills to growing early-stage challenger brands, Method Products, Plum Organics and most recently Revolution Foods.  Sangita has also advised high-growth food brands, including Somersault Snacks, Dang Foods, A2 Milk Company, and Pique Tea. Sangita is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Whole Biome, leading the marketing, commercialization, and consumer launch of microbiome-focused medical foods.  She is a faculty member of the Food Business School and an active member of National Charity League, and she recently served on non-profit boards, Lava Mae and Pacific Primary School. Sangita received her BS from Carnegie Mellon University and MBA from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, she loves exploring the Bay Area with her husband and three children (Ashna SFFS '21, Kiran '23 & Anjali '27).

Saraí Chicas is a proud San Franciscan born in the heart of the Mission to Salvadorean parents. Growing up, she formed close connections to the Latino Mission community by attending and being involved in her church Templo de La Fe on 24th and Valencia, and has continued to stay involved in local Mission nonprofit organizations throughout her life. She is Bilingual in Spanish and English and volunteers her time with the Immigration Justice Campaign as an Interpreter. Saraí Chicas is a first-generation college graduate, having earned both a Bachelor's degree in Child Development and a Master's degree in Elementary Education from San Francisco State University. Her education has provided her with a strong foundation in child development and teaching methods, which she has utilized throughout her career to make a positive impact on the lives of children and their families. Her passion for equity and education started when she volunteered for Jumpstart, an Americorp Program, which led her to a career as a Preschool Teacher. She worked as a preschool teacher for 10+ years in the Bayview Hunter’s Point, Mission, and Noe Valley. She has also been a drug and alcohol Counselor at Mission Council, working with families dealing with Substance Abuse. In 2018, she switched careers to the legal professional field and currently works as a senior paralegal at a boutique law firm specializing in Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, and Fertility Cases. Her passion for equity and education has been a driving force throughout her career, and she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of children and families in her community. In her free time, you can find her trying a new Restaurant during SF Restaurant Week or discovering a new trail with views of San Francisco.

Sofia Ortega has worked in different non-profit organizations and office roles for over a decade (including Mission Prep). Her pronouns are she/her, and she is a third-generation Mission native. She is also the proud mother of 5 children, soon to be 6, loves living in San Francisco and participating in community events, a fan of the 49ers and Giants! In her free time, she loves lowrider cruises and taking her beloved father’s old schools out with my children.

Vicki Penny has a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and a College Counseling Certificate from the University of California, San Diego. Vicki is an independent college admissions counselor with NextStep Educational Consultants. Vicki has worked in education, fundraising and community service for more than 30 years. She has served on the board of the SF Friends School and on several board committees of the Bay School of SF. Vicki is proud to have been a founding Horizons board member and the Vice President of Philanthropy for Service Corps SF, a service organization for high school boys. Helping students find their voice has led her to pursue college counseling. She has two teenage boys. Primarily based in San Francisco.