The Rise Up! Board
The Foundation is volunteer run. We are a diverse group of devoted parents, guardians, and community members in Marin City, Sausalito and beyond. We listen to feedback from our community, the school administration and other local non-profit organizations to help us raise funds for our school and young scholars.
Claudine Alameda,,
President
Claudine Alameda is mom to an MLK 7th grader. Claudine’s family have been residents of Sausalito for over 35 years. Claudine brings experience in leading software and professional services teams for over 20 years, dabbled in international trade sales, and even taught English in Japan. She has been active in school foundations since 2020, and is especially keen on the success of the Community Partner and Grant Programs. She wishes to expand awareness of our school and foundation so that more individuals and organizations will help us bring educational excellence to our young scholars.
Kieran Culligan, Vice-President
Kieran has two children: one in Kindergarten and the other in the School District’s PreK program (in collaboration with Horizon Community School). He is also co-leading the Foundation’s “Neighbors for MLK” campaign. Kieran works in the technology field and is also passionate about making our community more walk and bike friendly for adults and children alike.
Danelle Threatt, Secretary & Treasurer
Danelle Threatt is a fifth generation Marin City resident. During a holiday visit in 2019, her mother took on guardianship of her two younger cousins, who both became students in our district in January 2020, just before unification. She extended her vacation and moved permanently back to Marin City to help raise her cousins, now in 4th grades, respectively, Danelle dove headfirst into educational and community service and hasn’t looked back since. She has been active in Arts+ Scholars and Growth Circles and is currently serving and liaised with Bridge The Gap, Hannah Freedom School, Play Marin and the Marin City Library. She is also a founding member of MLK Students First - an organization that seeks to preserve student facing and instructional roles in the face of oncoming budget cuts.
Michael McSunas,,
Board Member
Michael has a current first grader and a preschooler who cannot wait to join the K-pod next year. He is on the “Neighbors for MLK” campaign because he wants to realize the incredible impact our full local community could have on our children by investing in their public education. Michael’s professional experience has ranged from substitute teaching math, to biopharmaceutical process engineering, to directing a cell-cultivated meat process-development facility. He is interested in doing good by seeking to understand people and the world we inhabit together. Michael lives in a pole house in Marin City where he enjoys hanging out with and learning the neighborhood history from the good friends he has made since he moved there in 2016.