My favorite childhood book that I read over (and over and over and over) was: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. The illustrations are beautiful and I was so excited every time Sylvester turned back into a donkey at the end of the book! Also, the idea of finding a magic pebble loomed large in my imagination as an eventual possibility.
My hope for Oakland students is: That they feel loved and supported; that they love school and have opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive at every age.
Sara worked in the non-profit sector for more than 15 years before joining the Foundation in July 2016. In her role she manages most of the building capacity and enabling conditions portfolio which aims to equip students and adults with the skills and relationships needed to push for high quality education opportunities across Oakland. She previously worked with New York City Leadership Academy (now The Leadership Academy) where she consulted nationally and internationally with superintendents and central office leaders to transform their local education systems. Sara served as Program Director at Worldfund (now Educando), where she designed and launched the LISTO program, a leadership development program for public school principals in Mexico. Sara also spent three years as Director of Raising a Reader Alameda County, an early childhood literacy program, several years working in community development projects in rural Oaxaca, Mexico, and time as a teacher in Los Angeles, California and Madrid, Spain. Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and also earned her Master of Arts in International Affairs with a concentration in Development and Latin America from George Washington University. Sara is proud to have been a 2019 PLACES Fellow with The Funders Network. Sara lives in Oakland, California.
Email: slevine@rogersfoundation.org
