Ernest Kimme
Ernest Kimme is a retired teacher. He taught elementary school for
6 years and middle school math for 25 years. He has been the
President of the Vacaville Teachers Association, Chair of the
Solano County Parks and Recreation Commission, Acting Solano County
Parks Director, member of the Vacaville City Council (1990 to
1998), Vice-Mayor of the City of Vacaville, Chair of the Solano
County Orderly Growth Committee, Chair of Vacaville Community
Housing, and President of the Board of the Unity Church of the
Valley. He currently serves on the Vacaville Community Housing
Board, the PACE Board of Directors, Solano County Orderly Growth
Committee, and the Vacaville Public Education Foundation. He also
is on the Vacaville Reporter’s Editorial Board, and recently
started writing a weekly column for the paper. In his spare time,
he volunteers at the Math Lab at Solano Community College, helping
students with their math homework. He is very pleased to be on the
VPEF Board. Vacaville is very lucky to have an organization like
VPEF that is such an active supporter of public education, and he
hopes to be able to help them create new learning opportunities for
Vacaville school children.
Jennifer Leonard
Jennifer Leonard is the President of Modus Solutions, a marketing
firm that specializes in strategic marketing and sponsorship sales
for non-profit organizations. Ms. Leonard specializes in value
proposition development and communication strategies that work to
maximize financial return as well as grow alongside a growing
organization. She also oversees operations, community outreach and
marketing for Blue Ridge Family Dental in Vacaville. Jennifer’s
most challenging task however, is keeping up with her three
gregarious daughters who are all currently enrolled in VUSD.
Debby McGuire
Vacaville residents since 1972, Debby and her husband Paul have
four children who attended Vacaville schools. Currently she serves
as the Wellness Coordinator for Vacaville USD, a member of the
Vacaville Youth Roundtable, the AWARE city team and the Solano
County Reducing Rates of Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drugs
Coalition. Over the years, she has been involved with a variety of
youth related activities including founding member of the
Children’s Network, Christmas Wish, Notre Dame School, VHS Grad
Nite, Challenge Days, and the Youth Summit.
Matt Hefner is an Advisor at Asset Strategies Group (ASG), a full-service wealth management firm. Matt has lived his entire life in Vacaville and participated in public schools. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with a minor in psychology at UC Davis. During his college career, Matt actively volunteered in coaching the Vacaville Blackdog Rugby Club. He participated in the Leadership Vacaville program through the Vacaville Chamber and was also involved with establishing the Active 20-30 Club of Vaca Valley which aims to benefit underprivileged children in our community. Matt stays regularly involved with sports in both a recreational and a competitive atmosphere. He loves Vacaville and plans to work towards keeping it a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.
Nolan Sullivan – President
Nolan Sullivan is a Program Manager for the Yolo County Department
of Employment and Social Services. Nolan has lived in Vacaville
since the age of 5 and has attended and benefited from the Vacaville
public school system. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in
Administration in Public Recreation with a minor in Human Resources
at California State University Chico and his Master’s in Public
Administration from University of San Francisco. Nolan is an alumni of the Vacaville Leadership program and could not think of a better community to be a part of. Nolan has always been very grateful for the educational experience he received in the Vacaville public school system and wants to ensure his son and future generations benefit from this tremendous community resource.
Laura M. Petty – Vice President
Laura is a partner in the law firm of Petty and Warshawsky,
Attorneys at Law, where she works with her husband and law partner
Robert. Laura and Robert live in Vacaville with their son, who is a
VUSD student. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and Golden Gate
University School of Law. Laura is a member of California Attorneys
for Criminal Justice, the California Public Defenders’ Association,
the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers, Women
Defenders, the Solano County Bar Association, and the Siskiyou
County Bar Association. Laura also currently serves as the
chairperson of the Solano County Barristers, and is a member of the
Boards of Directors for the Solano County Bar Association and the
Vacaville Chamber of Commerce. She is also a graduate of the
Leadership Vacaville Program.
Tracee Stacey
Tracee owns and publishes Prime Time Living Magazine and is the Community Educator for the Older Adult Mental Health Program at the Area Agency on Aging. She has lived in Vacaville for 25 years and is a proud graduate of the VUSD system. In 2012 Tracee and her husband Brian were able to purchase their home in Browns Valley. They have three children with two currently enrolled in the VUSD system and the third on his way. Tracee is currently serving on the budget advisory committee.
Michael White
Michael White is a Financial Consultant with Travis Credit Union
where he identifies, prioritizes, and helps clients strategically
reach their investment goals. He lives in Vacaville with wife Jenny
and three children who are all VUSD students. He earned his MBA from
UC Davis and BS in Business Administration from St. Mary’s College.Michael joined the VPEF Board of Directors in 2012 and is currently
a member of Vacaville Rotary. He is actively involved in his
children’s educational and sporting activities. His love & support
of the Vacaville education community stems from his wife Jenny and
inlaws — Dave, Nancy, Deke, & Erik Shelton — who have been
residents of Vacaville since 1981. Michael is committed to providing
all VUSD students the extra curricular opportunities that enrich the
VUSD curriculum — including GATE, music, sports, field trips,
technology apps (like Accelerated Reader), and LEGO Robotics.
Jennifer Goode
Jennifer Goode is a decade-long Vacaville resident who is committed to the ongoing improvement of her community. She is currently serving her third term as a City Commissioner for Vacaville’s Community Services Commission. Perhaps most recognized for her recent City Council run in the November 2012 elections, Jennifer proved herself a formidable presence in local politics when she captured just over 20% of the vote as newcomer to the political scene, narrowly missing the incumbent’s seat. Jennifer has been featured on national radio programs and is dubbed “a rising star” in local and statewide politics. Arising from humble beginnings, Jennifer and her siblings were the first generation of her family to graduate college and pursue higher education. As a self-proclaimed product of the public education system, Jennifer attributes much of her success to being blessed with a solid educational foundation that included opportunity and access to art, music, science and literature programs. Jennifer believes these programs are a crucial part of a child’s education given their immeasurable value in bolstering classroom engagement and fostering creativity, while developing a more competitive workforce, and she is a proponent of VPEF’s contribution in these areas. Jennifer currently works as a technical writer and editor for a Sacramento-based IT consulting firm. She holds a Juris Doctor of Law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated Cum Laude with honors in political science from Loyola University, Chicago.
Kathy Salling
Kathy came to Vacaville in 1996 with her husband, Greg, and their three children, who each attended and graduated from VUSD schools. Throughout the years, Kathy has been an active volunteer in various youth and community activities ranging from leading Girl Scouts, teaching Sunday school, preparing tax returns with the United Way Earn it! Keep it! Save it! Project, and serving as a judge or proctor for the Academic Decathlon. In addition to VPEF, Kathy serves on the boards of Meals on Wheels of Solano County and Solano Midnight Sun Breast Cancer Foundation. In her professional career, Kathy worked as a legal assistant for more than a decade, and as a long-term substitute teacher for the VUSD for five years. She worked as executive assistant for Children’s Network of Solano County for two years, and then co-authored a study at the California Research Bureau related to statewide career education opportunities in public middle and high schools. She is currently a staff analyst with the California Department of Education. In 2011-12, Kathy completed a thesis measuring the effect of supplemental tutoring on academic achievement, and she earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from CSU Sacramento; she also holds a California Real Estate Broker’s License. Kathy enjoys working collaboratively and participating with community leaders to improve and increase local resources for social programs.
Holly Kramer – Treasurer
Holly has an extensive and broad background in business and accounting. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Accounting. Holly has had a lengthy career in cost management, inventory control, logistics and purchasing with a Fortune 100 company. After mastering the enormity of accounting tasks involved in maintaining a large corporation, Holly rounded out her accounting experience as a small business owner and church financial manager. Holly currently works in a local elder law firm managing the office finances and specializing in Fiduciary Accounting.
While raised in the Bay Area, Holly moved to Vacaville, CA in 2004 with her husband, two sons, and various household pets. She enjoys living “at the pace of her children” and often volunteers in their many activities. She has coached soccer, taught Sunday school, led Cub Scout dens, and assisted with many baseball teams as coach, team mother and scorekeeper. She has also found great pleasure in volunteering with her church in various functions including Marketing Director for her church and producing the church newsletter.
Our family feels so blessed to be in such a supportive community. Both the Kramer children attend public school and have seen the extensive extra service that VPEF provides the Vacaville community.