Board of Directors & Advisory Council

Sabrina Braham, MD is a physician at Menlo Clinic in Menlo Park, California, where she also serves as an adjunct clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Sabrina completed her training at Stanford Children’s Hospital (formerly Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital) in 2009 and joined Menlo Clinic Pediatrics in 2011, where she has a busy clinical practice in general pediatrics. She served as PTA chair at Synapse School in Menlo Park for two years and continues to be active in the area of education and learning differences, via both professional affiliations and philanthropic efforts. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband and three children, is an aspiring dog owner, and very much enjoys cooking large family meals and cycling to work.

Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD is a pediatrician specializing in Adolescent Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is a director of health services at Covenant House Pennsylvania, a shelter for homeless and marginalized youth. He has written extensively promoting teen health and resilience, including the books Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings and Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love with Expectations and Protection with Trust. He has also produced and edited the multimedia professional toolkit, Reaching Teens: Strength-based Communication Strategies to Build Resilience and Support Healthy Adolescent Development. His definitive memorandum for the American Academy of Pediatrics, The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds, formed the basis for his congressional testimony in May 2007.

Calla Griffith is a Menlo Park, CA resident and a committed ambassador for the health and well-being of kids in the local community and beyond. She has over 20 years of fundraising and event planning experience, and significant expertise in making an impact in the non-profit sector through building awareness, developing allies, and raising funds for non-profit organizations across the Bay Area Peninsula, including the Children’s Health Council, Menlo Park City School District, and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.

Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann came to Stanford University in 1996. She is the first university chaplain from a tradition other than Christianity in Stanford’s history. In 2001, she was appointed senior associate dean for Religious Life. She teaches and lectures widely on Jewish feminism, rabbinical ethics, the relationship between religion and education, and social justice. Rabbi Karlin-Neumann was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1982. She has been a Hillel director and Jewish chaplain at UCLA and at the Claremont Colleges, a congregational rabbi in Alameda, California, and a regional director for the Union for Reform Judaism, the congregational arm of the Reform Movement. At Stanford, she teaches courses including “Spirituality and Nonviolent Social Transformation” and “Rereading Judaism in Light of Feminism.” She is married and has two children.

Michael Keller is the director of social and emotional support in the Laguna Beach Unified School District. He leads school-based mental health professionals and the health services teams in implementing systems of care TK-12.  He is a licensed educational psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist and earned his doctorate of education in educational leadership and educational psychology. Michael has taught advanced graduate courses on trauma and grief counseling in the schools, positive behavior assessment and interventions, and learning theory at the University of Southern California and CSU Long Beach. He has presented nationally at conferences in school-based mental health and model programs in applied social and emotional learning. He lives in Long Beach with his wife and two children.

Seth Leslie earned masters’ degrees in both management and education. He serves as the chief development officer at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto where he oversees all fundraising and capacity-building initiatives. He has consulted for Bay Area start-ups in the areas of operations, business development, and strategy. Seth was a founder of East Palo Alto Academy High School, where he transitioned from a National Board Certified math teacher to assistant principal over a 14-year career. He serves on the boards of Camp Tawonga and Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, where he offers expertise in development and fundraising. He previously served on the boards of Wilderness Torah, Glow Foundation, John Gardner Center for Youth and Communities, and the Tech Museum of Innovation.

Alex Lockett is the dean of students at San Francisco University High School where she has worked since 2004. During her tenure as dean, Alex led the founding of the school’s mentoring program, which has received national attention for its innovative approach. A lifelong native of independent schools, Alex is motivated by the desire to help students bring their whole selves to school and to help teachers feel equipped to respond to the needs of their students. Alex enjoys studying systems and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and an MBA. She lives in Oakland with her husband and her one-year old son.

Meredith Pasquesi earned a BS in Biological Sciences and an MBA. For 17 years she worked in the investment management business. Meredith was a managing director at The Investment Fund for Foundations (“TIFF”) and managed private equity investments for non-profit institutions and family foundations. Meredith is interested in education and has worked as a volunteer and board member at the various schools her children have attended in the US and overseas. She lives in Woodside, CA with her husband and two children. Meredith enjoys travel adventures with her family, hiking, and yoga.

Carole Pertofsky is the director of Stanford’s Wellness and Health Promotion Services. She develops and oversees courses and programs related to health and wellness. Her areas of expertise are positive psychology, happiness and well-being, and resilience. She co-founded and teaches Stanford’s first Psychology of Happiness course as well as workshops related to the art and science of compassion, emotional intelligence, work/life balance, and stress management. Carole has served as a Challenge Success advisor since its inception and is also the co-founder of the Spiritual Tools for Healing Center, a cancer survivors’ support network in the East Bay. She is also interested in women’s health issues and is featured in the award-winning documentary that focuses on women and aging, Let’s Face It: Women Explore Their Aging Faces. Carole is a professional consultant, leadership coach, national speaker, and seminar leader at Stanford, the Esalen Institute, Stanford Continuing Studies, UC Berkeley, Women’s Healthy Living Retreat, and coaching associations. She is the recipient of a number of grants and awards, including the Stanford University Margaret Ann Fidler award for exceptional service to the Stanford campus.

Eva Price has an MS in traditional Chinese medicine and a BS in business administration. For ten years, she worked in private equity at Texas Pacific Group and Aqua International Partners. She is also a certified Bikram yoga instructor. Eva is co-owner of Three Sticks Winery, where she enjoys blending the wines with her husband and co-hosting wine events. Eva’s philanthropic focus is on women, education, the environment, health, and medical research. She is also a board member of the DaVita Foundation and the Catrinka Project. Eva lives in Belvedere, CA with her husband and daughter. She enjoys hiking, yoga, cycling, surfing, travel, and cooking.

Garry A. Rayant is a dental specialist in periodontics and implant dentistry and an entrepreneur. He practices part-time in San Francisco. Garry is the editor-in-chief and a partner in Dear Doctor Magazine Inc., a print and online national consumer healthcare magazine. He also sits on the board of Rodan & Fields. He has a master’s degree in behavioral science and has been active in post-graduate dental education. He served as a member of the parent education committee at Marin Academy High School and was a prior chair at Marin Primary & Middle School. He has been engaged in K-12 and college level educational, professional and parent development, and reform. He is involved in a number of Bay Area, national, and international causes and charities. Garry is married and has two sons.

Rebecca Sacerdoti is a Ph.D. level clinical psychologist trained in both clinical practice and research methods. She has significant clinical experience working with adults, couples, teenagers and children in a variety of settings, including private practice, agency work, and in schools. Her research experience stems from time spent as a Project Director in the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University, and has also spent significant time working with cancer survivors at Mount Zion Hospital and through extensive doctorate research. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.

Brad Sachs, PhD is a psychologist, educator, consultant, lecturer, and best-selling author specializing in clinical work with children, adolescents, couples, and families. He is the founder and director of The Father Center, a program designed to meet the needs of new, expectant, and experienced fathers. He has published numerous books and articles for both professional and lay readers, including The Good Enough Child: How to Have an Imperfect Family and Be Perfectly Satisfied and Family Centered Treatment with Struggling Young Adults. Brad is also a published poet, composer, and performer. He recently released Hard Tales to Tell, a cycle of sixteen original songs based on stories his patients have told him and has a forthcoming book of poetry, Why Am I Telling You This? And Other Poems From Psychotherapy.

Cathy Cotins is the Senior Director of Executive Education and Enterprise Learning Solutions at Harvard Business School and a former Assistant Dean of Admission at Wesleyan University. Cathy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and has 20+ years of experience in management consulting and executive leadership development. She looks forward to contributing her experience in higher education, talent development and adult learning to support, promote and implement Challenge Success in the East Coast Region.

Annie Hall is a governance (pro bono) attorney with a strong knowledge of corporate governance issues. She has served various board/council roles, both past and present, including President of the Wellesley High School PTSO when this school adopted the Challenge Success initiative. Annie has previously hosted two East Coast “friend-raisers” and is committed to expanding CS efforts in the northeast region. She acknowledges the challenges of expanding to New England, where “many political and demographic issues impact the potential success of the program.” 

Pamela Kading Webb has been actively involved with Challenge Success since 2013, launching and implementing the program at Dover-Sherborn Regional Schools (K-12), the first CS Member School on the East Coast. Pam co-chaired the CS Initiative at Dover-Sherborn, served as the Chair of Parent Programs on the Dover-Sherborn CS Team, has worked with numerous other CS schools in a coaching capacity as well as presented parent education workshops at our conferences. She has over three decades of experience working with non-profit institutions in an executive management or volunteer leadership capacity. Specializing in Child/Family Policy and Education, Pam earned a Master’s in Public Policy.

Patricia Russell is an experienced teacher and the former dean of studies at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. She joined the board of directors of the Mastery Transcript Consortium in June 2016. Patricia subsequently served as the MTC interim executive director and started as the Chief of Education and Operations in February 2018.

Catherine Steiner-Adair, Ed.D. is a leading expert specializing in child development, education, and family relationships, she speaks and consults on a wide range of topics, including social and emotional intelligence, health and wellbeing, leadership education, and nourishing healthy relationships in the digital age and developing a thoughtful approach to technology in school and life. She is a longtime “fan” and colleague of Challenge Success, Denise Pope, and Madeline Levine, as well as a CS Conference keynote presenter.