Board of Directors / Team

Ying Gonikman joined the SchoolForce board in 2018. Ying was part of the Measure K and Measure C campaigns serving as chair for OutreachCircle. As a continuation in advocating for school funding, Ying served as Sandpiper Chair, VP of Annual Giving and VP of Operationsfor SchoolForce. She has been a resident in Redwood Shores since 2009 and has two kids, one who attends Ralston. Ying enjoys volunteering in classrooms and in youth sports leagues. She is excited to work on encouraging parent community involvement at all levels and ensuring that the schools in our district continue to excel.

Ying holds a BA degree in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. Ying loves to read, travel, and explore the outdoors.

Eric has lived in the Bay Area since 2004 and has lived in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District since 2011. He and his wife have two sons, one at Nesbit and one at Ralston.  Eric joined the SchoolForce Board in 2018 and currently serves as the SchoolForce treasurer and has previously served as financial secretary.

He currently works at Visa as a Vice President in the Strategy Group. He has an MBA from Rice University and a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Indiana University.

Alan Kissick is a proud father of two kids, one at Central and one at Ralston. He first got involved through programs like Art in Action and is a regular volunteer at Central. When he is not working with SchoolForce, Alan is a global health and local patient advocate related to non-communicable and infectious diseases.

In his spare time, Alan is passionate about cycling, the great outdoors, and music, and loves to learn.

Matthew Debski joined the SchoolForce Board in 2022 and serves in the role of Secretary.  He has also served as a member of Central’s Site Council. Matt and his wife, Katie, have one son at Central Elementary, and one at Ralston Middle School.

Matt moved to the Bay Area in 2000 after earning his BS and MEng in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He works at Google as an Engineering Manager.

Debbie joined the SchoolForce board in 2021 and is excited to be more involved in supporting our kids and schools. It takes a village! She looks forward to meeting and working with our community. She has a background in communications, and has worked in a variety of analytics and program management roles.

Aaron is a San Francisco native who attended public schools throughout his life. He and his wife moved to Belmont in 2014 and have two sons who attend Fox and Ralston. Aaron has many years of experience leading digital marketing and is currently a fractional marketing executive. He can be regularly seen around Belmont helping his sons’ baseball and basketball teams or running on the Bay Trail.

Aaron has a BS in Business Administration from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Texas.

Paul and his wife have two daughters, one who attends Ralston. He first got involved with the Nesbit PTA due to his interest in exploring ways to increase carpooling and extracurricular activities, and he is interested in technologies that build and support communities. He has led Art in Action and several Discovery Day projects – including building and racing solar cars and bringing several of his family’s chickens to meet and play with the children.

Paul has worked in startups and international companies in the clean energy and decarbonization sectors for over 15 years, and he has BSE, MS, and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans. In his spare time, Paul enjoys many sports and camping with his family.

Ellen has lived in Belmont since 2008. She joined the SchoolForce Board in 2022 and serves as the SchoolForce Financial Secretary. She has two children at Cipriani.  Professionally, she was a Director of Product Management at one of the largest cybersecurity companies. Prior to that she worked in internal audit as well as in one of the big 4 public accounting firms. She has a B.A. in Accounting and Management Information System. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities and playing music with the children.

Sherie Lyn Hafalia and her husband, Michael, have lived in Belmont since 2012 and have three children, one at Ralston and one at Central. Sherie has volunteered at Central Elementary teaching music theory, recorder classes, ukulele lessons, and has helped with their fundraising events for the past 6 years, including in the role of Central PTA Executive Vice President. Sherie works at Stanford University as a Conference and Events Manager at the Graduate School of Business and also owns Pili Lani Events, curating weddings and corporate events.

Ryan Lewis joined the SchoolForce board in 2022.  Ryan has served as President of the Footsteps Child Care Board, and serves as a member of the Measure I Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.  He and his wife, Lauren, have two children at Central Elementary.  Outside of his community involvement, Ryan works as an executive coach for Federal employees based out of IRS University.

Ryan loves indoor rock climbing, road cycling throughout San Mateo County, and spending quality time with family throughout the Bay Area.  He earned his BA from Emory University and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

The SchoolForce Legal Counsel assists with all legal matters, including contract review, advising the Board when activities could endanger 501(c)(3) status, and advises corrective action of 501(c)(3) issues and appropriate 501(c)(3) activities.

Ryan Lewis joined the SchoolForce board in 2022.  Ryan has served as President of the Footsteps Child Care Board, and serves as a member of the Measure I Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.  He and his wife, Lauren, have two children at Central Elementary.  Outside of his community involvement, Ryan works as an executive coach for Federal employees based out of IRS University.

Ryan loves indoor rock climbing, road cycling throughout San Mateo County, and spending quality time with family throughout the Bay Area.  He earned his BA from Emory University and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

Kristin’s began serving as the SchoolForce Chair for Fox Elementary in 2023. She and her husband have two children: one at Fox and one at Ralston. Kristin has been part of the Fox PTA board since 2018. She served on the ECC steering committee which led her to be more involved with SchoolForce. Professionally, she is a World-Wide Account Manager at FedEx. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, doing F45, and traveling.

Mindy started volunteering as a room parent at Nesbit and then actively volunteered for Nesbit PTA. She was excited to join the SchoolForce Board in 2023. She currently serves as the Nesbit Chair and looks forward to getting more involved to support our community.  Professionally, she currently works at a tech company. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities.

Nivedita is excited to volunteer as the Ralston representative on the SchoolForce Board. She brings many years of volunteering experience at various levels – co-op preschool Board President and Secretary, chairing events at Nesbit, representing Nesbit on the PTA Council and SchoolForce Board and working in the classroom. Nivedita and her husband, Anand, have two boys. One is a Ralston Ram and the other a Carlmont Scot.

Nivedita holds a BE in Electrical Engineering from India and an MS in Computer Science from The Ohio State University. For eight years she worked as a graphics software engineer at an award winning animation and special effects studio. She earned a couple of movie credits for her work.