Executive Leadership Team

Beth Thompson

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer

Beth Thompson is the founding CEO of KIPP Northern California where she is responsible for the organization’s performance, growth, and sustainability. KIPP Northern California currently works with over 7,000 students and their families in 23 schools across seven cities and has supported over 4,500 alumni on their journeys to fulfilling lives.

Beth has been a part of KIPP for 25 years. Before becoming KIPP Northern California’s founding CEO in 2006, she created and implemented a strategic growth plan for KIPP schools on the West Coast, including securing charters, start-up funding, facilities, and community support.

Beth began her career as a founding team member of NewSchools Venture Fund. She holds a B.A. in political science, an M.A. in education, and an MBA with a certificate in nonprofit management—all from Stanford University. She is a proud resident of Oakland, parent of two elementary and middle school kids, board member of Cambiar Education, and co-founder of Greenhouse E3.

Hilary Harmssen

Chief External Impact Officer

Hilary Harmssen brings over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector in the areas of educational equity, community development, affordable housing, and economic development. Prior to joining KIPP, she worked at the California Charter Schools Association for 10 years, serving as a relentless advocate for charter public schools and leading the organization's advocacy, policy, and political work across the Bay Area and Northern California. A Bay Area native, Hilary holds a BA in American Studies from Cornell University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California. In her free time, Hilary loves to go on adventures with her husband and three kids.

Brandy Woodard

Chief People Officer

As a lifelong learner, Brandy Woodard has consistently pursued educational opportunities to deepen her knowledge and improve her skills in the field of education. Brandy began her career in 2007 as a Science and Spanish Educator at Perspectives Charter Schools and TEAM Englewood, and in 2011, Brandy became aSchool Director at Teach For America. In 2012, Brandy rejoined Perspectives Charter Schools as High School Instructional Leader and later served as an Assistant Principal and Secondary School Principal. In 2017, Brandy transitioned to Alliance College-Ready Public Schools as the TurnAround High School Principal. Brandy created a positive learning environment and enhanced the instructional program to personalize learning for all students. In 2020, Brandy joined KIPP Public Schools Northern California as the Managing Director of Schools. In this role, she coached principals and other leaders to drive academic results and build strong relationships. Brandy has also served as an Executive Leadership Coach at the KIPP Foundation and as the Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at Sown To Grow.

Brandy obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2001, and a Master of Science in Science Education and Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2009.

Jenny Tan

Superintendent

Jenny Tan graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science. She earned a Master's degree and a School Leadership License from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. As the elementary principal of the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, she helped the school achieve the highest distinctions: "Exemplary" and "High Achieving" as determined by the Nevada Department of Education. She later became the first Chief Academic Officer for KIPP Colorado, where she supported their elementary, middle, and high schools to become top-performing schools in Denver Public Schools. Jenny then joined the KIPP Foundation allowing her to work with senior academic leaders across the KIPP network. She was most recently the Associate Dean of the Relay California Leadership Programs before joining our KIPP Northern California team.

Dr. Savina Woodyard

Chief of Staff

Leslie Billie

Chief Operating Officer

Leslie Billie serves as Chief Operating Officer, where she leads the Data, Expanded Learning & Athletics, Operations, and Tech teams, and focused on building an operational ecosystem that enables schools to deliver joyful, academically excellent learning environments.

Leslie was formerly KIPP NorCal’s Managing Director of Operations & Compliance, partnering closely with schools, regional teams, and senior leaders to develop mission-aligned systems that allow educators to stay focused on teaching and learning.

A long-time KIPPster, Leslie previously spent a decade at KIPP NYC, where she helped expand operational systems during a time of rapid regional growth and instructional alignment. She served as Director of Regional Operations and, earlier, as Director of Operations at KIPP Washington Heights Elementary.

Frank Wu

Chief Financial Officer

Frank is KIPP NorCal's Chief Financial Officer, leading the Accounting, Finance, Public Accountability & Compliance, and Real Estate teams. He focuses on continuously cultivating the optimal financial and operating conditions to deliver the equitable and high-quality education necessary to drive student success over the long-term.

Prior to becoming CFO, Frank served and led on the KIPP NorCal Finance Team for eight years during which he developed deep partnerships with our School Leaders, Board of Directors, and RSO teams, evolved our school compensation strategy, and maintained KIPP NorCal’s strong financial health. Prior to KIPP, Frank was a strategy consultant at Accenture, where he also volunteered to lead the Accenture SF / KIPP NorCal partnership.