"Students don't care what teachers know until they know that those teachers care."

About Us

Board of Trustees

The Seven Hills School Board of Trustees 2010-2011

Michael A. Coke: Member of the Board since 2007.  He is President, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Terreno Realty Corporation. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer for AMB Property Corporation and four-time recipient of the Realty Stock Review's Annual Outstanding CFO Award. Prior to that Mike was with Arthur Anderson for seven years. Mike has a BA in Business Administration and Accounting from California State University Hayward, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Urban League. Currently, he is a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc.  Mike has a son in first grade and a daughter in seventh grade at Seven Hills.

Catherine Cutler: Vice President and member of the Board since 2006. Cathy has a BA from Yale and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.  An environmental/land use attorney, Cathy has been Deputy Chief Counsel of the California Coastal Commission and in private practice. She served on the Orinda Planning Commission for six years through 2009. She is also a professional humor columnist/writer, published monthly.  She has performed with Lamplighters’ Music Theater since 1989. Her twin son and daughter are in sixth grade at Seven Hills. Cathy serves on the Development Committee and the Committee on Trustees.

Scott DeVries: Secretary and member of the Board since 2005. Previously the firm-wide Managing Partner of Nossaman Guthner Knox and Elliott law firm in San Francisco, Scott is now a litigation partner in Winston & Strawn's San Francisco office where he chairs the law firm's Insurance Recovery Group. He has specialized in civil litigation (both trial and appeal) for 30 years with a diverse range of clients in aerospace, apparel, automotive and automotive parts, finance, metals, technology, energy, real estate and chemical industries. Scott graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and earned his JD from Hastings School of Law in San Francisco. He has a son in third grade, a daughter in fifth grade and another daughter who graduated in 2010 from Seven Hills. Scott is a current member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Kevin Katari: President of the Board of Trustees and member of the Board since 2005. Kevin is a Managing Member of Watershed Asset Management, LLC, an investment management firm.  Kevin was a co-founder and Vice President of Bluefire Systems and a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. He earned an AB in Physics from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Kevin has children in first, fifth and seventh grades at Seven Hills.

Carolina Melara Katz: Member of the Board since 2007. Carolina has a BA from the University of California at Berkeley and MBA in marketing from the Eller School of Management at the University of Arizona. Carolina has over 20 years experience in the non-profit sector with specific emphasis in Development and Fundraising. Her professional experience includes the Diablo Regional Arts Association, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and The United Way. She currently serves as a Trustee for the Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) and has also served as a Director for DRAA. Carolina and her husband, Jerry, are the parents of a seventh grader and a third grader at Seven Hills. Carolina serves on the Development and Marketing Committees.

Louis J. Lavigne, Jr. Member of the Board since 2008. Lou is a management consultant specializing in the areas of corporate finance, accounting and strategy. He retired as EVP and CFO of Genentech in March 2005 where he was responsible for the company’s financial, corporate relations, and IT  groups. Lou was named the Best CFO in Biotech in 2005 in the Institutional Investor survey and, in 2006, received the Bay Area CFO of the Year-Hall of Fame-Lifetime Achievement Award.

Prior to joining Genentech, Lou held financial management positions with Pennwalt Corporation, a chemical and pharmaceutical company.

Lou is on the Boards of several biopharmaceutical and IT companies. He is also a member of the Pacific Southwest Audit Committee Network of Audit Committee Chairs.

Lou is a faculty member at Babson College and a Trustee of the California Institute of Technology. He has served as a panelist at the UC Berkeley Director’s Institute and at the Outstanding Directors Exchange.

Lou earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Babson College and an MBA from Temple University.  He serves on the Seven Hills Board’s Buildings and Grounds and Finance Committees and as the proud grandparent of four current Seven Hills students.

Christine Lee: Member of the Board since 2010.  At Seven Hills, Chris has co-chaired the Diversity Connections Committee and served as parent coach of the Seven Hills Middle School Golf Team.  Her professional background is in finance.  She worked in equipment leasing from 1977 to 2005 with Bank of America in marketing, sales, project management and equipment management.  At the time of her retirement in 2005 she was a Vice President in the Contract Administration group working on the aircraft portfolio.

Her love of the arts led Christine to help found The.Art.Re.Group, Inc. (The Lab), a multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts space in San Francisco. She worked on non-profit status, board creation, administrative staff structure, publicity and grant writing.  She served as Chairperson of the Board from 1986 to 1988.  In 2005, with her son in the Lafayette public schools, Christine joined the Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation fundraising committee, a group of volunteers dedicated to raising $1 million per year from the Lafayette community to support the public schools. In 2007, she joined the LASF Board and assisted in organizing and running the annual phonathon, which raised approximately $400,000 a year.

Chris received her BA in English Literature from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She currently works with her husband Phil in his health insurance and employee benefits business, in Lafayette where they also live.  She is the parent of a Seven Hills eighth grader and serves on the Green Committee.

William H. Miller:  Appointed Headmaster of The Seven Hills School July 1, 1992.  Prior to coming to Seven Hills, Bill was Headmaster of Stuart Hall for Boys, Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, California and has been an independent school educator for 38 years..  He attended the University de Grenoble, France, 1969, received a BA from the University Notre Dame, 1970, and earned a Master’s in Private School Administration from the University of San Francisco, 1980. Bill is the parent of 2008 and 2004 Seven Hills alumni. He also serves on the Committee on Trustees.

Shami Patel: Member of the Board of Trustees since 2009. Shami has a BA. in Philosophy and Economics from Trinity University, and an MBA and JD. from Duke University. His most recent professional experience was as Chief Operating Officer of Alesco Financial. Prior to that he was Managing Director of Financial Services Asset Management at Cohen and Company. Shami is the father of three girls, the eldest a 2010 graduate of Seven Hills and her sister entering 5^th grade.

Susan Safipour: Member of the Board of Trustees since 2009 and serves on the Marketing Committee. A native of New York City, Susan graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder journalism school. She worked as a reporter and editor with newspapers for 15 years, often with an emphasis on education. Susan has been Diablo magazine’s editor in chief for the past 10 years. She is responsible for managing the budget, directing the staff, and leading the editorial direction for the lifestyle magazine and its website, Diablomag.com. Her team also produces Napa Sonoma magazine and Diablo Arts magazine. Susan lives in Clayton with her husband, Fred, and her 10-year-old son, a 6th grader at Seven Hills.

Edward P. Scherr:  Treasurer and member of the Board of Trustees since 2004. Ed has a BA in Mathematics, Computer Sciences from the University of Rochester in 1985, and an MBA in Accounting from the University of Oregon in 1989. He previously held the position of senior manager with Deloitte & Touché LLP.  Ed also has served as treasurer on the board of Water Watch of Oregon.  He is a parent of a currently enrolled 8th grader and enjoys running, soccer, hiking, canoeing and fly fishing.  Ed serves on the Finance Committee.

Brian Sharpes: Member of the Board of Trustees since 2004. Brian is a Senior Vice President with the PRIME Asset Consulting Group of UBS Financial Services.  His area of expertise is working with Public/Private Foundations including College and University Endowments, Community Foundations, and Family Foundations.  He is a national speaker on subjects ranging from portfolio design and implementation, investment committee structure, fiduciary liability, spending/finance policy design, and industry ethics.  Brian holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst Designation under the Joint auspices of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Investment Management Consulting Association (IMCA).  He currently holds a position on the ethics committee within IMCA.  Brian earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada.  He has two children at Seven Hills (6th and 4th grade) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Diablo Regional Arts Association. He serves on the Finance Committee.

Brad D. Skepner: Member of the Board since 2007. Brad attended California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo for three years of undergraduate work in the field of Architecture with a minor in Computer Aided Design before leaving school in 1983 to join Albert & Wurzburger Architects where he ultimately became an associate partner.  He completed his education at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) graduating in 1988.  He is a licensed Architect in California and a member of the American Institute of Architects.  After fulfilling his goals in architecture, Brad became a developer of Commercial Real Estate and opened Skepner Development Corporation in 1994.  He has developed and supervised the construction of numerous retail, office and industrial projects throughout northern and southern California.  He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Building Owners and Managers Association. Brad lives in Alamo with his wife Amy and 3 young children: A Seven Hills 7th grader, a 5th grader and a 1^st grader. When not attending his children’s sporting events, he enjoys softball, tennis and skiing. Brad serves on the Building & Grounds Committee.

Bahman Taheripour: Member of the Board since 2008. Bahman has served as the Vice President of California Lithographers, a 100-person printing company in Concord, California since 1985. Bahman is a champion of thought diversity and is known to continually solicit the input of employees to harness their unique skills and opinions. This ensures that California Lithographers keeps its competitive edge and its relevance and prominence in the field of printing. Prior to California Lithographers, Bahman served as a partner in Inkwell Printing, in Walnut Creek from 1982 – 1985. Bahman received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1980.  He has also completed the Leadership Development Program at the Haas School of Business and a Management Development Program for Entrepreneurs at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.  He is an avid golfer; enjoys exercising, reading, wine and travel. Bahman is a loving husband to Mardjan and father of two boys, a 2009 alumnus, and an 8th grader. Bahman serves on the Development and Marketing committees.

Brian Thomas Member of the Board since 2010. Brian is the Upper School Head at the Bentley School in Lafayette.  He recently completed his tenure as Head at Presidio Hill School in San Francisco and, prior to his work at Presidio Hill, was the executive director, high school developer and principal at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy.  Brian graduated from Yale in 1984 and received a Master’s Degree in Education from Portland State University in 2003.  Across his 20-year career, Brian has worked with children in a variety of settings , mainly in the independent school world. He began his career in education as a studio teacher on the set of The Cosby Show. Before (and during) his early days in education Brian worked as an actor in regional theaters, off-Broadway and in Hollywood.  He received an Emmy Award in 1988 for the drama Fastbreak to Glory for WMAQ-TV (NBC) in Chicago. He is married to Jaime Thomas and they have two children.

Mary True: Member of the Board since 2008. Mary is a professor of psychology at Saint Mary’s College. Her area of specialty is child development; she  teaches  courses in Human Development, Infancy and Early Childhood,  Middle Childhood and Research Methodology as well as the Collegiate (Great Books)  Seminar. She has been at Saint Mary’s since 1995 and has been elected to the Faculty Senate and on the Educational Policies Board. She received her PhD from the University of California in Human Development in 1994. Her dissertation research examined mother-infant attachment among the Dogon of Mali. She lives in Oakland with her husband and two children. For the last twelve years she has been involved as a parent at an independent school in the East Bay. Mary serves on the Committee on Trustees.

Roy Yih: Member of the Board of Trustees since 2004. Roy is co-founder, CEO and majority stockholder of BIOCARE MEDICAL, a cancer diagnostic company which sells reagents and capital equipment to histopathology laboratories around the world.  Roy has spent over 16 years in the biotechnology arena.  He started his career as a researcher at Xoma Corporation followed by extensive sales experience at SangStat Medical and BioGenex Laboratories. He has a BS degree in Biochemistry from UC Davis and an MBA from the University of Santa Clara. Roy is the parent of a 2010 Seven Hills graduate and a kindergartner. He serves on the Development Committee.