Amy Ng
Board Chair
amyn@urbanmontessori.org
Amy Ng, is the Vice President at Silicon Schools Fund. She spent five years at Aspire Public Schools, leading the network’s Operations team, charter petitions and renewals, authorizer compliance, state and federal reporting, and the development of school ops leaders. Amy began her career at Amazon.com as a Financial Analyst, who helped launch the Kindle e-reader and digital content business while overseeing the Amazon retail vendor services and experience business. Amy is a first generation Chinese-American to graduate from high-school and college and received her B.A. from The University of Washington. Amy is a proud mom of two sons and lives in Oakland.
Evan Sequoia
Board Treasurer
evans@urbanmontessori.org
Hello! My name is Evan Sequoia and I am pleased to be a member of the UMCS Board. I am a transplanted Californian, originally from Philadelphia, PA. I call Oakland my home and am so happy to see the city's rich diversity represented in my child's school. Before my recent focus as a stay at home parent, and then Senior Caregiver, I was a consultant for a fine art gallery and a woodworker for over 10 years. And before that I worked with the Special Housing Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania to accommodate visiting guests and their families. In short, I enjoy working with people to achieve common goals that will benefit all of us. I look forward to serving the community to the best of my ability.
Greg Klein
Board Secretary
greg@urbanmontessori.org
Greg Klein, Secretary, completed his work in July 2024 at the now sunset Rogers Family Foundation as Senior Director, Innovation and Learning. Greg joined RFF in June 2012 and managed most of the Schools portfolio. Greg loves working directly in schools supporting principals, teachers, and students to personalize learning at Oakland public schools. He has begun coaching school boards, teaching online, and other education consultative work. Greg’s at his best when he’s helping teams and education entrepreneurs build a common understanding of their current status and trajectory, and then helping educators dream even further of where they might go next and how to get there with students. Prior to working at the Foundation, Greg helped launch Downtown College Prep’s (DCP) Alum Rock campus, developing an innovative Learning Lab at the middle school level. While at DCP he managed large groups of students, integrated computers and technology into the classroom, and focused his attention on teaching. Greg began his career in education reform as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Oakland Unified School District for seven years, including building his own computer mini-lab in his classroom as a first-year teacher. Greg graduated from Dartmouth College in 2004 with a BA in History. When not working, Greg listens to nerdy podcasts including grown folks playing Dungeons and Dragons. Greg is Dad to three fabulous children and lives with his wife Mariah in Oakland.
Kara Fortuna
Board Member
karaf@urbanmontessori.org
Kara Fortuna is a writer, editor, and project manager currently working in the Historic Preservation field. She previously worked in hospital management, banking, non-profit/fundraising, and technology; she enjoys immersing herself in and learning about new environments and looks forward to applying this to her role on the UMCS Board. Kara is the parent of two children and is dedicated to supporting UMCS in maintaining its commitment to providing access to high fidelity free Montessori education for all. She lives with her family in San Leandro, CA.
Lana Butler
Board Member
lanab@urbanmontessori.org
Lana Butler, FAC Representative, believes that supporting public education is vital for the health and well-being of our communities and society as a whole and thus is thrilled to be a UMCS Board Member! Lana grew up in Austin, Texas and developed a deep-rooted passion for the arts, environmentalism, food/nutrition, and community from an early age. She received her BA in Studio Art from UT, and has since worked for multiple universities and schools in fundraising, event planning, community building, teaching, and the arts. The UMCS Auction fundraising team has been her focus for several years and she hopes to use her skills to further support UMCS as a Board Member. She loves nature, yoga, animals, painting, food, gardening, sewing, and fun. She lives in Oakland with her husband, three children, dog, cat, and snake.
Sarah Morrill
Board Member
sarahm@urbanmontessori.org
Sarah Morrill, Board Chair and Executive and Governance Committee Chair, is passionate about creating equitable learning programs for all. Sarah spent five years as a principal leading the turnaround effort at Lazear Charter Academy, a TK-8th grade school in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. Prior to leading at Lazear, Sarah served as the senior managing director for Teach For America's west coast teacher training in Los Angeles, managing the program of 500 new teachers and 100 staff members to create a strong summer school for over 2,000 students. She started her career in Atlanta, Georgia teaching 3rd grade before becoming a teacher coach across Atlanta for new teachers. Sarah graduated from Colorado College with a BA in International Political Economy. Most recently, she received her Masters in Business Administration from UC Berkeley and transitioned to adult entrepreneurship education and now supports scientists to bring climate technologies to market at the Berkeley-based non-profit, Activate. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking, and board games. Sarah lives in the Laurel neighborhood of Oakland with her partner and two children.