Trustee Biographies

Miguel Dwin, President

migueldwin555@yahoo.com

A lifelong East Bay resident, Miguel Dwin was raised in Berkeley and attended parochial schools, St. Columbus on Alcatraz Avenue for his elementary years and St. Mary’s for high school.  He graduated from San Francisco State University and earned a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. With significant family ties in Berkeley, West Oakland and the surrounding neighborhoods, Miguel was always intrigued by the Emeryville community, finally moving here in 1996.

When he moved to Emeryville, he seized opportunities to volunteer within Emery Unified School District. At the request of State Administrator Henry Der, Miguel served as an appointee to the Budget Development & Facilities Committee. Ultimately, after years of valuable contribution, he was asked to run for the Board of Trustees and has been a member since 2005.

Currently, Miguel works for the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) as the Accountant/Budget Analyst for their pre-school program, overseeing the fiscal activities for eleven sites. He has been with BUSD for three years. Prior to that he was an Investment Accountant for a Real Estate Investment Management firm in San Francisco.

Miguel is passionate about giving students the opportunity to become aware of all the possibilities with a career in finance and accounting. As a long time member of the National Association of Black Accountants, he works every summer with their Residency Camp Accounting Career Awareness Program that exposes students to careers in accounting and finance during one-week camp sessions.

Miguel feels strongly that every child deserves a proper education so that when they finish high school they have the intellectual ability and the practical skills to pursue their dreams - higher education or a meaningful job.

 “It is my hope that every student can participate in programs that encourage them to pursue careers in their fields of interest while understanding the importance of their own involvement in community.  

Emery Unified School District wants to provide the opportunity for youth to discover their talents while building self-confidence, self-expression and the skills necessary to succeed and contribute to society. Our arts integration initiative in Emery USD is just one example of the power of students discovering new, creative ways to make it in school and life.”

Cheryl Webb, Vice President

chewebb@juno.com

Cheryl Webb is a passionate mother and community member committed to the belief that public education and local community activism is the best route to a more united and compassionate America. Raised in Redlands, CA, Girl Scouting was her best route and ticket to the outdoors. In 1973, Cheryl, an avid cyclist in her youth, rode from Mexico to Canada on a skinny wheeled 10-speed — with only one flat in Seattle!

She and her husband have resided in Emeryville since 1984 and all three of their sons have attended our schools. Her eldest is now a student at San Francisco State University and both younger boys attend Emeryville’s schools currently.

Cheryl received her Bachelor of Science from California Polytechnic Institute at San Luis Obispo and was selected to serve as Congressional Intern in Washington D.C. for then freshman House Representative, Leon Panetta. She worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador for two years and, in 1985, began her longstanding (and current) employment at the Lawrence Hall of Science in support of Science curriculum development.

Cheryl has been an active parent of Emery USD continuously since 1994 – the Booster Club, the Anna Yates Uniform Committee, the Parent Teacher Organization, the School Site Council, the Emeryville Youth Services Advisory Committee (EYSAC) as a founding member, in classrooms as a volunteer. In June 2001, she was appointed to the School Board, then officially elected in November 2001 and re-elected November 2005. Dedicated to the City of Emeryville as well, Cheryl serves on its Climate Action Task Force as the School Board representative.

“The role of our schools is to nurture curiosity and critical thinking skills, to communicate and hold high expectations and to provide a supportive, healthy, and enriched educational environment.”

Joshua Simon, Clerk

josh@joshruth.com
 
Joshua Simon and his wife, Ruth, have been active members of the Emeryville community since moving here in 1996, and have two daughters attending Anna Yates Elementary in the Emery Unified School District.
 
Joshua received his Bachelor of Arts degree in the Architecture program at University of California at Berkeley and his Masters degree in Real Estate Development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Joshua became interested in community development work in college and went on to be a founding board member of a Berkeley-based affordable housing development corporation. Devoting his career to community development, he works for nonprofit organizations as a developer of mixed-use affordable housing and community facilities. After 12 years with the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, Joshua is now the Director of Consulting & Grant Programs at the Northern California Community Loan Fund.
 
“Each child is blessed with special abilities and gifts to uncover, cultivate and celebrate.  As adults, we have the privilege and responsibility to support our community's children to become community leaders and have productive lives.  Working together, we are forging partnerships to power our students’ academic, civic and social success.  In doing so, we will reap the dividend of improving the health, wellness and sustainability of the entire Emeryville community.”

Melodi Dice, Member

mkdice@aol.com


Melodi Dice has a deep history with the Emery Unified School District, graduating from Emery High School, now Emery Secondary School, in 1993. A resident of Emeryville for almost 20 years, she has lent her leadership continuously to the district and its schools while in high school and then again after college.

During high school, she was a proud member of Rotary/Interact Club and continues to embrace their motto, “Service Above Self.” A student internship through a partnership with Chiron Corporation (now Novartis) offered Melodi the opportunity to know and understand business environments.  That early partnership has fueled Melodi’s professional success as she is currently employed as Head of Patent Services, Vaccines and Diagnostics for Novartis!
 
Melodi graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in Business Management from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC.  Most recently, she completed her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at Holy Names University in Oakland, CA.

Melodi continues to prove her commitment to our schools by serving as an Emery USD Trustee for two elected terms.  And, her history with our district continues to deepen through her family’s next generation - her much beloved niece – informing Melodi’s understanding of what our schools need today.   

 “I believe it is imperative that I participate in this community as this community gave me so much during my youth.  I am excited to serve the people of Emeryville as a member of the tremendous team of Emery Unified School District.  The families in Emeryville should know that I am working hard to ensure our kids have opportunities that only a few of us in my time were allowed.” 

Pat Hooper, County Representative

path@phooperassoc.com

Pat Hooper is an active Emeryville resident and has been since she moved to the Jewel by the Bay in 2003.  Born in Washington, DC and a public school kid, she attended elementary and high school in the Washington, DC metro area, and went on to the state university, Virginia Commonwealth University, where she majored in journalism.

  “When I was four years old, I asked my mother to teach me to read, and she did”, notes Pat, who knows that parent involvement with their child’s learning is just as important as school learning. In high school she was active in the Pen & Quill Club and worked on the high school year books. At the university, she was managing editor of the school’s newspaper and completed her course of studies in part, on a work scholarship.

 Pat moved to the Bay Area in 1982, and for more than ten years taught core and graduate marketing and sales classes at Renaissance Entrepreneurial Institute in San Francisco. The organization focuses on community-based business development offering individuals opportunities to learn how to start and run a business in a diverse and nurturing environment.  A business owner most of her adult life, teaching was a way for her to “give-back”.

 When she moved to Emeryville, she worked with her Triangle District neighborhood to establish traffic calming measures. “It makes our streets safer for children and everyone who lives in the Triangle.”, she notes. In 2004, she was appointed to the City’s Housing Committee on which she still serves, which is responsible for the affordable home programs in our City.

 She is part of the first graduating class of the Emeryville Citizen’s Policy Academy, which she notes was “one of the most interesting and fun things I have ever done”. And she served on the City’s Climate Change Task Force.

 An avid cook, she loves cooking with all the local fresh and natural produce and food that is available throughout the Bay Area. Pat enjoys taking walks and hikes along the Bay Trial with her dog, and hikes throughout the East Bay Park system. Biking is a good weather pleasure.  When she’s not cooking, or hiking, or biking, Pat’s professional life is in the environmental field. She s a consultant to large manufacturers on environmental and sustainability issues, and consults with organizations on environmental standards and certifications, rating systems, and environmental trends.  

 “We have a wonderful school district. I am so proud of the student’s academic scores, which are getting better every year.  The more we integrate school with community and the community with our schools, the more we all learn.”