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.
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 as 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.
Lauren Tannous
program Director
Lauren Tannous is a native to the Peninsula, growing up right outside of San Francisco. Lauren is grateful for her exposure to the arts through school and believes that all children deserve the same life changing opportunities. She has worked as a professional theater technician, stage director and designer with YPTMTC, SFBATCO, Ragged Wing Ensemble, Bay Area ETC, the San Mateo Union High School District, and various other companies for over 15 years. Lauren has also served as an Academic Coach for AmeriCorps, a Special Education Paraprofessional with the San Mateo Union High School district, a Recreation Leader with San Francisco Rec and Park, and as a high school Humanities teacher in the East Bay. Bringing with her years of experience working with Nonprofit organizations, Special Education, after school programs, recreational arts programs, and educational theater, Lauren is beyond thrilled to be working for such an amazing organization as Leap Arts in Education.
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
Jillian Garcia Weisberg
Jillian is passionate about the intersection of arts, media, technology and social change. Currently the Lead Program Manager for Apple’s Media Products Data Science & Analytics team, Jillian’s previous experience is firmly grounded in non-profit and public sector tech transformation initiatives with roles at Active Voice, Heller Consulting, Echo Consulting and SFUSD. Jillian grew up in San Francisco, where her love for performing was ignited when she “starred” as the Wolf in Blame it on the Wolf at Lakeshore Elementary, leading to participation in A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, Lowell theater as well as improv and sketch comedy at Vassar College. A proud mother of an extroverted five-year-old, Jillian lives in Alameda and is thrilled to join as a Board Member to contribute to Leap’s mission of bringing high quality arts education to Bay Area students.
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.