Sarah Creeley, President
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Sarah Creeley has been an Elementary school teacher at Hanna Ranch Elementary School in Hercules since 1996. She was a founding member of March 4 Education in 2004, and a founding member of the Friends of Franklin Canyon. Sarah has worked to advocate for the Hercules Community public Library since 2010, and she volunteers there teaching a Wild About Writing class every summer. Sarah has been a director on the Hercules Education Foundation board for six years.
Don Kuehne, Director
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Don Kuehne has served as a director of the Hercules Education Foundation since its inception in 2007. Don is married and has three children that attended our public schools (K-12) and graduated from Hercules High school. He is retired from Chevron and is active as a community volunteer.
Sylvia Villa-Serrano, Treasurer
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Sylvia Villa-Serrano is a native of San Francisco and has lived in Hercules since 1989. After a successful three decade career at Wells Fargo Bank she has dedicated her time and skills in supporting organizations and coordinating fundraising for worthy causes. She is a champion for small business in our community and has been active with the Hercules Chamber since 2009. She has been instrumental in forming the Bay Front Chamber of Commerce, an organization that merged the Hercules, Pinole and Rodeo Chambers of Commerce. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Bay Front Chamber and serves on numerous community boards.
Kimberly Dauer-Sargentini, Secretary
Kimberly Dauer-Sargentini has taught school in Hercules since 1997, when she started teaching at Hercules Elementary School. She previously worked at Valley Preschool and taught grades Kindergarten to 3rd grade at Hercules Elementary/Lupine Hills, substitute taught in other grades, and worked as an intervention tutor.
Her three children have attended or currently attend these schools: Lupine Hills, Hanna Ranch, Hercules Middle, and Hercules High School. She has lived in Hercules since 2007 and her husband grew up in Hercules. His parents were original homeowners here starting in the 1970’s.
She has volunteered in several capacities. She has assisted and taught Sunday School and Summer Night Camp at Valley Bible Church. She has served as a School Site Council teacher representative at Lupine Hills and as a parent representative at Hercules Middle and Hercules High School. She has previously been treasurer and secretary for the Lupine Hills PTA. She has also served as a field trip chaperone.
Jamela Smith-Folds, Director
Jamela M. Smith-Folds was born and raised in Alabama. She is graduate of Auburn University with a double major in English and Social Science and she holds a credential to teach. She is a veteran teacher with West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) and has been in the education field for over 15 years. Prior to moving to Hercules, she lived and worked in Richmond. She credits Gompers Continuation High School with providing her with the motivation to always be at the decision-making table when it comes to issues around education. She has been a resident of Hercules for a decade. She finds purpose and fulfillment in serving the students and families of Hercules. She is a long-standing parent volunteer and advocate for parents and teachers inside and outside her community. She is a married mother of three school aged daughters. In Hercules, she has held positions on School Site Council (SSC), Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), Parent Teacher Association (PTA), African American Parent Advisory Council (AAPAC), and School Climate Team. She has been the Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) Coordinator for Hercules High School. She is a member of community organizations PHREED and HARP. She is a founding member of the community organization PEACH. She is a member of the Black Educator Network (BEN). She is an assistant volleyball, soccer, and girls’ basketball coach for Hercules Middle School. She is the Mafanikio Black History Teacher. She has held the position of Black Student Union (BSU) teacher advisor. She was also the Leadership teacher and Activity Director for Hercules High School 2019-2020. She has been recognized as Parent Volunteer of the Year twice. Jamela finds value in making sure others have good experiences. She believes, “Life is short and it should not also be hard.”
Alexander Walker-Griffin, Director
Alex has lived in Hercules since was 6 years and is a proud alumni of Ohlone Elementary, Hercules Middle School, and Hercules High School. Since the age of 5 Alex has attended city council meetings and has been politically involved. By the age of 13 he was a canvasser for Governor Jerry Brown’s 2010 Gubernatorial race. Alex’s love for politics really began to blossom during his high school career. By the age of 16 he and his friends founded the company Herban Movement. In which they made reusable bags and cookbook encyclopedia hybrids. Alex served as the President of Production where he oversaw all of the company’s assets.
After graduating from Hercules High School Alex interned for the office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, worked for the Office of the Richmond City Council, and is one of the founding members of Gladeo, a nonprofit that helps high school students find their dream career.
During the Summer of 2017 Alex was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Alex is Contra Costa College’s former Student Body President from 2016-2018. Prior to his service as Student Body President and BOG member, Alex was the Vice President of Contra Costa College’s Student Government and former President of Community Organizing and Political Action.
In addition to his various roles and titles, Alex is the CEO of Generation Z Consulting a social justice consulting firm aimed to help organizations get up to date with our ever changing world. Alex enjoys skateboarding in his free time.
Evangelia Ward-Jackson, Ed.D., Director
Dr. Ward-Jackson is a first generation college grad who has also earned three Masters degrees (M.A., M.Ed., M.Th.) and two Doctoral Degrees (Ed.D., Ph.D.); she is a life-long learner who continues her education by participating in Post-Doctorate Professional Development in advanced Educational Leadership at Harvard University. Dr. Ward-Jackson has a 19-year research, practice, and administration background. She is a Bernard Osher Fellow as well as an alumna of Teacher Cadet and the Phi Delta Kappa Future Educator Institute at Dominican University (then college). Before joining Making Waves Academy in 2012 as the Middle School’s Academic Dean, Dr. Ward-Jackson served students in both traditional public school communities and within the For-Profit supplemental education sector. A self-proclaimed “fence straddler,” she has taught Kindergarten, 5th grade, and 11th grade in the K-12 system and has also taught as a Lecturer and Adjunct Professor collegiately (she presently holds an appointment at Holy Names University and is a Summer Session Guest Lecturer at UCLA). Dr. Ward-Jackson worked in For-Profit Supplemental Education Services in the capacities of Director of Education, Center Director and Executive Director over the course of 8 years, serving San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Oakland, Acalanes, and Mount Diablo Unified School Districts. Always mindful of the power of post-secondary education and its profound impact on her life, Dr. Ward-Jackson has also given back as an Admissions Representative and Ambassador for UC Berkeley and is a 10-year Selection Committee Member for the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office (specifically the Incentive Awards Programs). Dr. Ward-Jackson is presently a Divisional Director at Making Waves Academy, a high performing, 5th-12th grade, Independent Public County Charter Academy in Richmond; she isolates this role as the most impactful and fulfilling role of her career to date. In this role she harnesses all of her previous experiences to effectively engage administrators, teachers, parents, and students in academic rigor, relevance, results, and relationships. A proud Hercules resident, Hercules Community and Library Services Commissioner, and Hercules Education Foundation Director, Dr. Ward-Jackson is a family oriented person who enjoys traveling, singing, writing, and cultivating others towards success.
Maddie Yuen, Director
Although the plan was to live in Hercules temporarily for a few years, Maddie decided to stay way beyond, topping three decades. After leaving corporate law firms to pursue non-profit interests, she decided to explore the City & County of San Francisco, working alongside the Government Team at the City Attorney’s Office, and the Airport General Counsel’s Office with the Airports Commission in its Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Division, primarily on issues involving equity and access in contracting, and there she retired. Since 2004, Maddie’s outreach to numerous non-profit organizations and academic institutions in higher education within the Bay Area has delivered in-class, after-school programs and extracurricular activities to both private and public school classrooms, at either zero or minimal cost, in support of K-12 students. While her younger daughter attended Hercules High School, Maddie served on the School Site Council, and co-founded the Hercules High School’s Parent Teacher Organization (now conjoined with the Middle School) and began her partnership with the Hercules Education Foundation. She is married to an avid golfer, has a younger daughter in college, the older one in Texas, and six grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, good reads, traveling, music, and ongoing cooking competitions with her husband!
