Our Team
Rossmeri Alfaro
Rossmeri Alfaro
Associate Partner
Rossmeri Alfaro is a passionate advocate for educational equity and immigrant rights, with over a decade of experience in higher education and non-profits. Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, and raised in East Palo Alto, CA, she transformed her journey from an undocumented student to a first-generation college graduate into a mission to empower underrepresented communities. Rossmeri earned her BA in Sociology from CSU Sacramento, where she had a transformative study abroad experience in London. Her work focuses on creating opportunities and resources for others, driven by her personal experiences and commitment to the transformative power of education. As a board member of El Concilio of San Mateo County and the San Jose Area Authority, Rossmeri tirelessly advocates for community needs and educational access, making her a pivotal force in advancing equity and empowerment.
Crystal Arrizon
Crystal Arrizon
Associate Partner
Crystal has worked in the education and nonprofit sectors for over 10 years. At Bay Ed Fund, Crystal builds coalitions of family leaders and family members in the South San Francisco and East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park communities. She has previously worked as a teacher, community organizer and program director. Crystal was raised and educated in the Bay Area. She is the daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate. Combined, these experiences have deeply shaped her commitment to work in partnership with communities to build equitable and sustainable systems where every student can thrive and access a high-quality life.
Rui Bao
Rui Bao
Partner
Rui is a first-generation immigrant whose transformative public school experience opened doors to the American dream. Having attended both urban and suburban public schools, she witnessed firsthand how disparate resources and systems can shape student opportunities – an experience that drives her work today. Her career in education spans traditional districts, charter schools, nonprofits, and the private sector, most recently as the Chief Business Official at Belmont-Redwood Shores School District. She is passionate about creating the systems and structures that allow school communities to focus on what matters most – serving students.
Heather Burns
Heather Burns
Educator-in-Residence
Heather, a Golden Apple Award-winning educator, brings 24 years of Bay Area Title One teaching experience. A native San Franciscan and daughter of an immigrant, she holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology and an MEd focused on underserved youth. As a former Union President, Heather values building trust and fostering relationships with stakeholders, and has honed her expertise in negotiations and contract language. She is committed to driving equity and meaningful change at the classroom, school, and district levels. Heather’s vision centers on empowering leaders and helping communities dream big, find their voices, and create lasting connections.
Abby Friedman
Abby Friedman
Associate Partner
Abby is a lifelong educator, community builder, and equity advocate with experience spanning K-12, higher education, EdTech, and the nonprofit sector. She is passionate about expanding access to opportunity and brings two decades of experience as a college access and success leader, creating pathways to and through college for low-income, first-generation students. Abby has worked in deep partnership with families and seen the transformative impact that effective and sustained family engagement can have on student outcomes and school culture.
Rachel Heredia
Rachel Heredia
Associate Partner
Rachel has spent her career working for organizations and programs seeking to address the opportunity gap for students in public education. At Bay Ed Fund, Rachel leads internal systems and strategy and manages special projects with community partners. She began her career as an elementary school teacher before working at The Bridgespan Group and Rocketship Public Schools. Her professional experiences, as well as her family’s story, have solidified her belief in the power of communities of change-makers to build the education systems that we all want to be a part of.
Paul Keys
Paul Keys
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
As a first-generation college graduate, Paul has spent the last two decades working to ensure all students have access to an excellent education. Paul leads the Bay Ed Fund and ensures progress on the organization’s vision and strategy as well as manages partnerships and donor relationships. Prior to this role, Paul served as the executive director of Teach for America (TFA), Bay Area. Before joining the TFA-Bay team, Paul was on the national executive leadership team at TFA. Paul has deep relationships with superintendents, school leaders, and elected and community leaders across the Bay Area.
Gina Pascual
Gina Pascual
Associate Partner
Gina has worked across the K-12 landscape, beginning her career as a Transitional Kindergarten Liaison and most recently serving as an Improvement Advisor to high schools across California. She is deeply driven by seeing all students reach their full potential. Gina leverages her expertise in human-centered design and Improvement Science to uncover and scale innovations that are already present within schools. She was drawn to the Bay Ed Fund because of its commitment to centering the voices of students, families, and teachers in defining and leading change.
Ash Solar
Ash Solar
Co-Founder and Partner
Ash has dedicated his entire career to pursuing equity through public education. Ash leads Bay Ed Fund’s work with the South San Francisco Unified School District to drive forward their community-led vision for students and schools. Throughout this partnership, Ash works shoulder-to-shoulder with families and leads our strategy to develop and attract talent in the district. Ash began his career as an elementary bilingual education teacher in Houston, where he grew up. He’s served in leadership roles in schools, districts, state departments of education, advocacy organizations and philanthropy. His family’s journey and the sum of his professional experiences have brought him to the Bay Ed Fund because he believes deeply that the students, families and educators closest to the biggest challenges must have power in setting the vision and direction to address them.
Dr. Nicole Williams Browning
Dr. Nicole Williams Browning
Partner
Dr. Nicole Williams Browning is a servant leader with 28 years of service to public education. Her background includes educational nonprofit, charter management organizations, traditional K-12 districts, community colleges, and both private and public universities. At Bay Ed Fund, Nicole leads the organization’s work in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park to transform educational outcomes for students through the Ravenswood City School District’s strategic plan — the Ravenswood Promise — and leads our instructional strategy across communities. Creating the conditions that foster liberatory conditions and systems and sustainable leadership practices and development are Nicole’s heart work and her sustaining “why” as an educator. Her specific background is dedicated to systems and practices that support executive leaders, district leaders, teachers and teams to significantly narrow the opportunity and equity gaps in public schools and organizations.
Board Members
Michelle Boyers
Michelle Boyers
Founding Board Member
Michelle is a co-founder, and founding board member of the Bay Ed Fund. She is also the CEO of the Give Forward Foundation which works to improve education in school districts serving families with low incomes in the Bay Area of California. Previously, Michelle was a Director at the Schusterman Foundation, focused on developing and supporting high-quality teachers and principals in urban schools. Michelle spent most of her career in leadership roles in public schools in New York City and Boston. Michelle served as the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources for the Boston Public Schools. She also helped to lead the turnaround of Orchard Gardens K-8 School in Roxbury, which became one of the top schools in the state in terms of combined math and reading growth and was nationally recognized by the Obama administration. She also helped to launch Teach Plus, whose mission is to empower teachers to lead systemic change in urban schools. She serves on the boards of the NewSchools Venture Fund, Leading Educators, Ravenswood Education Foundation, Teach For America – Bay Area and Tipping Point.
Tammy Crown
Tammy Crown
Founding Board Member
Tammy is a co-founder, and founding board member of the Bay Ed Fund. She is also a former strategy consultant who most recently served as Vice President of Strategy for Charles Schwab and Company in San Francisco. Previously, she was a strategist at The Boston Consulting Group in Chicago and Mercer Management Consulting in New York, where she worked on operational and strategic issues in the financial, consumer goods, and utilities industries. She is actively involved in community leadership and has served on the boards of Teach for America in San Francisco, The World Wildlife Fund in Washington, DC, JFCS in San Francisco, LifeMoves in the Bay Area, and The Nueva School in San Mateo. She also Chairs the Environmental Committee and serves on the Education Committee for Crown Family Philanthropies in Chicago.
Paul Keys
Paul Keys
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
As a first-generation college graduate, Paul has spent the last two decades working to ensure all students have access to an excellent education. Paul leads the Bay Ed Fund and ensures progress on the organization’s vision and strategy as well as manages partnerships and donor relationships. Prior to this role, Paul served as the executive director of Teach for America (TFA), Bay Area. Before joining the TFA-Bay team, Paul was on the national executive leadership team at TFA. Paul has deep relationships with superintendents, school leaders, and elected and community leaders across the Bay Area.
Ash Solar
Ash Solar
Co-Founder and Partner
Ash has dedicated his entire career to pursuing equity through public education. Ash leads Bay Ed Fund’s work with the South San Francisco Unified School District to drive forward their community-led vision for students and schools. Throughout this partnership, Ash works shoulder-to-shoulder with families and leads our strategy to develop and attract talent in the district. Ash began his career as an elementary bilingual education teacher in Houston, where he grew up. He’s served in leadership roles in schools, districts, state departments of education, advocacy organizations and philanthropy. His family’s journey and the sum of his professional experiences have brought him to the Bay Ed Fund because he believes deeply that the students, families and educators closest to the biggest challenges must have power in setting the vision and direction to address them.
