Welcome New Trustees!

We are thrilled to welcome five new Trustees to our Board, including two SGS alums: Danyaile Hammond, David Basior, Jing Redman ‘12, Mina Yoo, and Niza Orozco ‘04. Each of these amazing individuals brings unique perspectives, expertise and experiences in support of our students and this school and we can’t wait to work with them! 

We also want to give a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing board members, Simone Davis (alum parent) and Sydney Swonigan (alum), for the time and talent they invested in our mission of empowering the change-makers of tomorrow.   

Danyaile Hammond 

Danyaile is excited to join the SGS family! She is a long time resident of the local central Seattle area and most importantly, the proud parent of a middle school-aged daughter. She has a BA degree in Human Development, a Masters degree in Education, and soon an EdD degree in Social Justice Leadership. Danyaile works in higher education, where she develops programs and implements strategic plans to increase student support and cultivate caring and inclusive campus environments. The focus of her work (and research) is on supporting students' success and improving organizational climates and equity. Danyaile serves as a leader on the university’s Diversity Council and Anti-racism taskforce. Prior to working in higher ed, Danyaile gained experience, skills, and connections working across a variety of fields including health care, hospitality, government, nonprofit, hospitality, and retail. As a volunteer, Danyaile has focused on mentoring youth, food and economic sustainability, and community building and empowerment. Danyaile offers a unique perspective, valuable skills, a deep commitment to quality education and equitable change.

David Basior

David Basior is passionate about SGS, its leadership, faculty, staff, and students. As a decades-long worker in education and youth work - from youth soccer referee to youth group director, from assistant classroom teacher to synagogue education director - David is happy to bring his experience and values of economic, racial, gender, and labor justice to the SGS board. Graduating from the University of Florida in Business Management (BS) in 2001 and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (MA) in 2015 as a rabbi, David has served as Rabbi of the Kadima Reconstructionist Community since 2015 and Co-director of Kadima since 2022. He lives in SGS's neighborhood in a co-housing community (where he currently serves as co-coordinator) with his partner Ariel, SGS student Madrona, daughter Gallia, his mom Diane, and their golden doodle, Trudy.
 

Jing Redman,‘12

Jing (‘12) is a proud SGS alum and has been serving as a mentor since her return to Seattle a year ago. Jing holds a MA in International Relations from the University of St Andrews (Scotland), which has led her to live and work all over the world, including in Romania during the onset of the war when the first wave of Ukrainian refugees arrived and Hong Kong during the Covid-19 pandemic and the escalating tensions with China. Currently, Jing leads operations at a fast-growing venture-backed technology company that is at the forefront of AI innovation. As a trustee, Jing brings her extensive international experience, global perspective, and expertise in technology to help SGS stay ahead of the curve and anticipate the evolving role of education in our increasingly technology-driven world. Jing is dedicated to supporting SGS's mission and navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
 

Mina Yoo

Throughout her professional life, Mina has been working to create opportunities for women and people of color. With a BA from Brown University and a dual Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Mina was an academic at the University of Washington Foster School of Business and Stanford University, researching and teaching entrepreneurship, especially what was then called “minority entrepreneurship.” Mina then invented a product based on her needs as an outdoor enthusiast and a mom and then went on to start a consumer product business that was acquired. During her career as an entrepreneur, she served as a mentor to many women and founders of color and then decided to scale her mentoring by writing a book called Be an InventHer: An Everywomen’s Guide to Creating the Next Big Thing (published by Penguin Randomhouse). After the acquisition of her company, Mina went on to serve as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at REI’s new venture fund for founders of color, creating and running its first accelerator. Mina is currently continuing to work with REI’s venture fund while helping start-ups grow and scale their businesses. Mina first learned about SGS from a friend who was serving on its board and couldn’t wait for her daughter to get old enough to attend. She is thrilled that her daughter is finally attending this amazing school!

Nisa Orozco, ‘04 

Nisa is a ’04 alum from SGS’s inaugural class. As D1 student athlete, Nisa graduated Saint Mary’s College of CA with a BS in Psychology.  Settling in Oakland, Nisa became a 5th grade homeroom teacher, a full spectrum doula and a varsity head lacrosse coach. Nisa’s experience as a doula led her to her ultimate calling, to become a midwife. She is graduating from Bastyr University with a Masters in Midwifery with a concentration in Botanical Medicine. Nisa’s experience as an educator grounded in empowerment and advocacy, strongly guides how she plans to approach and implement changes in maternal healthcare. She strives to help create a healthcare system that reflects the communities that she will be serving. Ultimately, her dream is to aid practitioners and legislation in adopting a maternal healthcare culture guided by principles of accessibility, prevention, quality care, and culturally appropriate education. Nisa’s experience as an educator and reproductive justice approach to maternal health care closely aligns with SGS’s mission of developing courageous leaders who champion change.