Chris Balme, Co-Founder & Executive Director
Chris has seen the education system from a variety of angles and is dedicated to helping students find motivation and inspiration. He has taught with the Breakthrough Collaborative and worked as a National Science Foundation Fellow, developing and teaching new science curricula in the Philadelphia public schools. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Business, Chris moved to San Francisco and founded a successful tutoring cooperative, serving youth throughout the Bay Area. In 2004, Chris co-founded Spark with fellow educator (now Spark Board member) Melia Dicker. Through his experience teaching and through numerous research visits to schools around the world, Chris has developed a belief that hands-on, self-motivated learning and community building are keys to educational change.

Von Diaz, Development Manager
Von Diaz comes to Spark with a background in social justice advocacy and activism, and a commitment to empowering young people to be agents for social change. As Directors' Associate for the WAND (Women's Action for New Directions) National Field Office in Atlanta, GA, she worked as Membership Coordinator, Chapter liaison, and coordinator for WAND's student program STAND (Students Take Action for New Directions). She also worked as Associate to the WiLL (Women Legislators' Lobby) program of WAND with GA State Senator Nan Grogan Orrock. As an activist, she has focused on ensuring social justice and human rights for the local Latino community. Von has previously worked providing direct services for at-risk youth for the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence shelter. She has also been involved in her local arts community for several years, both as Gallery Manager for the Barbara Archer Gallery and as a violinist in the Agnes Scott College Community Orchestra. She holds a degree in Women's Studies from Agnes Scott College with a concentration in Spanish. She is very excited to join the Spark team and contribute to success of this rapidly growing organization.

Gail Fisher, Associate Director
Born in New York and raised in Venezuela, Gail brings the enthusiasm and skill that come from years of experience and a variety of roles as a child advocate. She began her professional life as a social worker working with children and families. Later, as an attorney, she co-founded a divorce mediation practice committed to helping parents minimize the negative impact of divorce on children. Gail has held leadership roles in several youth programs, including having developed a summer internship and job-mentoring program for high school students in San Francisco. Gail holds two Master's degrees from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research in both Social Service and Law and Social Policy, as well as a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.

 

 

 

Diana Ford, Program Manager
Diana comes to Spark after working in a variety of educational positions. She started her career in education teaching English language learners, first in San Francisco and later in Spain. When she returned to San Francisco she worked as a reading instructor for a wide range of age groups. Before joining Spark, she worked as a Special Education Coach at the Bay Area School of Enterprise, a non-profit charter high school in Alameda. Throughout her experiences both as an educator and as a learner, she has come to recognize the importance of becoming an active part of one’s own educational experience. She is committed to helping youth become motivated and inspired to learn by providing them with the opportunity to discover their own potential.

Katie Griffin, Development Associate
Katie joined Spark first as intern, learning the ins and outs of running a nonprofit organization, and now focuses on making Spark a financially sustainable organization through corporate and foundation funding. She holds a B.S. in Biology from The University of San Francisco and recently completed a degree in Classical Vocal Performance at San Francisco State University. Katie has always been a concerned citizen and an active volunteer in her community. By working at Spark, she hopes to help transform education into a process that will allow students to increasingly direct their own learning and personal development.

Joyce Kinney, Office Manager
A San Francisco native, Joyce has a wealth of experience in the management of busy, growing offices. She brings seasoned knowledge from her work in account management, customer service, accounting, and other key organizational functions. Joyce is excited to build systems to support Spark’s growing enrollment and impact. When she’s not streamlining and improving Spark’s systems, she can be found pursuing her interests in singing, acting, writing, and movie directing.

Liz Miller, Program Coordinator
Liz has been educating young people of various backgrounds for the last five years. She has taught English and cultural diversity worldwide in both large groups and individually in Bulgaria, Ghana, Turkey, and Spain with a focus on critical thinking. As a result of witnessing a variety of school systems, she believes education needs to be a hands-on experience where youth have the opportunity to experience different fields of interest. She believes it is essential that students have a voice in shaping some of their education, because students who pursue their own interests and activities are more engaged in learning. Liz is thrilled to be a part of Spark, where she will have the opportunity to help develop and improve youths' confidence, abilities, and leadership, creating strong and competent role models for the future.

Elena Sevastopoulos, Development Director
Having been a mentee and intern, Elena values the learning experiences that inspired her to pursue her academic interests and explore different careers. Elena completed her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley in 2003 and pastry school at the California Culinary Academy in 2005.  As Spark's Development Director, her focus is to increase Spark's network of advocates, reach out to individual and corporate investors, and build relationships with the foundations that support Spark's work. She hopes to accelerate Spark's growth so that more students will have the confidence, strength, and motivation to shape their own futures.

Nathalie Wade, Community Outreach Manager
A strong believer in the power of learning, Nathalie Wade has devoted her career to various aspects of education. While studying child development and international relations at Tufts University, Nathalie conducted aproject on the rural education system in a Senegalese village which motivated her to further explore the world where learning, community and social justice meet. Her interests led her to teach in the US and in Guadeloupe, lead a high school abroad program for The Experiment inInternational Living, and design the French language curriculum for a Connect18 exercise education course. In the Bay Area, Nathalie has worked with multiple nonprofits, including for HEROES, the volunteer program for the Oakland Unified School District, as Director of Volunteer Projects. She is thrilled to be part of the Spark team and looks forward to bringing community members and students together to promote a positive, connected society, ultimately giving students a chance to explore their futures in a whole new way.

Maria Watts, Program Assistant
Maria is an artist with a long history of local community involvement and working with diverse groups of young people. She previously attended the Atlanta College of Art, and is currently attending the California College of Art. Maria has worked as Program Coordinator, and later as Director, of the Our Voices photography project at the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless from 2004-2006. While there, she taught traditional black & white photography processes to people in transition or who were homeless. She went on to combine her passion for photography with her love for working with youth as Photography Instructor for the 92nd Street YMCA in New York City, and later worked with at-risk youth as Arts Instructor for the Carver Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Maria comes to Spark with a deep commitment to empowering youth, as well as to community partnerships and development.

Mason Learns to Fly

Mason is one of several Spark students who have pursued a dream of learning to fly with a trained Apprentice Teacher.