Jill Dineen
Executive Director
Jill Dineen has fifteen years of community engagement, nonprofit management and fund development experience, most recently as Executive Director at Classroom Central, a nonprofit serving students in poverty in Charlotte, NC. For her work there, Jill was honored as one of Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women of 2015, a NAWBO Non Profit Leader of the Year in 2014, and one of Charlotte Business Journal's Top Women in Business in 2014.
A Bay Area native, Jill was transformed by her early exposure to the arts, and believes that all children should have the same opportunity to be inspired by and engaged in the arts, to build academic skills and cultivate individual creativity, to be introduced to diverse cultures, and ultimately, to achieve their fullest potential. Jill is also an accomplished blues/jazz singer, songwriter and performer.
cotie galloway
development manager
Cotie grew up in Fairfield, CA with a passion for all things fashion/design arts and music related. With the encouragement from her family, she was able to explore various hobbies such as ballet, taekwondo, pottery and creative writing. This exploration of the arts left an indelible mark, which led her to work in education to focus on increasing access to expanded learning programs and community engagement.
Cotie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and recently completed her Master’s of Science in Human Resources Management from Golden Gate University. She plans to continue being a civil servant and blending her talents to empower the youth. She loves to recharge and channel her creativity by being surrounded by water, attending live concerts, watching documentaries, traveling and thrifting.
Jacqueline haudek
Operations Manager & Community Engagement Coordinator
Jacqueline (“Jackie”) has worked in sales strategy and operations, project management, and in politics and community outreach. Through the SF Public Library she has worked a reading tutor for students in 1st-4th grades to encourage literacy skills and a love of reading. She moved to the Bay Area in 2014 to attend school at San Francisco State where she completed her B.A. in Journalism, with an emphasis in print and online media. Jackie believes in the power of arts education to uplift spirits and promote life-long learning. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and creative writing.
Eva Goldstein-Moore
program Manager
Eva is a California native and a lover of all things art. After studying Art History and Public Policy at Mills College in Oakland, she went on to receive her master's degree in Museum Studies with a focus on education, social justice, and community engagement from John's Hopkins University. She has been lucky enough to work as an educator both in and out of museums, working with institutions like the Exploratorium and World AIDS Museum and wants to make art education accessible for all. When she's not working, she can be found in Oakland usually doing some type of art project, writing, or hanging out with her cats.
Officers
RYAN LEE
Chair
Ryan’s first introduction to Leap came in 1997 as a 5th grader attending Claire Lilienthal Elementary in San Francisco and participating in Leap's annual Sandcastle Classic, where his team constructed a giant brain linked to a computer – the theme being “Education!” He’s since participated multiple times in Sandcastles and considers the classroom workshops the highlight of the multifaceted event season. Ryan received his Bachelor of Architecture from California College of the Arts and is currently employed at Woods Bagot – a global design and consulting studio. As someone who was interested early on in design, Ryan’s path to his career in architecture not only included participation with Leap but with the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco as well, another local educational nonprofit serving students of multiple backgrounds. As a board member with both organizations, he relishes in the ability to come full circle and serve students in the same creative community that he was raised in, hoping to inspire others to pursue their passions.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stephanie Chen
After getting "Most Artistic" during her preschool graduation, Stephanie continued to develop her love of the arts throughout her life. She spent her earlier years in visual arts and moved on to dance and performing arts. She graduated from Princeton University with a BSE in Computer Science and a certificate in Theater and Dance, with a thesis project combining the two of them which was performed at the Berlind Theater. She has also spent much of her career pursuing avenues to make learning fun and equitable. Most recently, she spent the last 6 years at Clever, serving K-12 schools, helping them access learning programs easily in the classroom. Stephanie has also been involved with numerous dance companies and projects during her time in the Bay Area, including Duniya Dance and Drum Company as a dancer since 2012. She is thrilled to be joining Leap to continue to serve students and create accessible programs because arts are a fundamental part of every child's education and success as a human.
Nathan hyman
Nathan grew up in Southern California and has always had a passion for Architecture, Design, and problem solving. He followed his passion for Architecture to San Francisco, where he was also introduced to Leap's Sandcastle Classic and helped his students build an enormous Pikachu spaceship. Nathan is currently an Architect working with WRNS Studio, passionate about building places to improve his local communities. He also serves on the Design, Zoning, and Land-Use committee for his SF neighborhood - Russian Hill - as another way to use his profession as a conduit for giving back and creating positive change.
Sofiya melnykova
While growing up, Sofiya attended an Art school full of passionate and talented teachers. And that experience formed a deep belief in the importance of Art education for children. Professionally, Sofiya works as a Design Producer, focusing on supporting creatives in tech companies’ design organizations by helping deliver projects on time and in a healthy team environment. Sofiya’s favorite activities are traveling, attending live music concerts, and museum hopping with her daughter and husband.
Doreen Hoang
Doreen Hoang grew up in the SF Bay Area, where she developed a passion for music and the arts, starting her musical studies on piano at age 6 before switching to percussion at age 11. She graduated from Stanford University, and has studied Percussion Performance at the USC Thornton School of Music. She freelances as a professional drummer, percussionist, and orchestral timpanist throughout California. She is also a certified Human Potential coach, and enjoys helping individuals and communities realize their highest potential. As an educator, she has previously served as a drum instructor and Vietnamese school teacher. In her business career, she’s worked abroad in Vietnam and Singapore, and as a business development leader for technology companies in San Francisco.