After two-and-a-half years as Executive Director of the Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF), Jason Galisatus has decided to pursue an outside opportunity.
Jason, a product of the Redwood City School District (RCSD), first joined RCEF in 2015 during his senior year at Stanford. “I remember sitting around a table in the small parlor at the Redwood City Woman’s Club, and what I witnessed was a small but mighty group of parent volunteers whose passion for making our schools better was unmatched. Their energy, collaboration, and enthusiasm inspired me, and I knew I had to get involved,” said Galisatus.
Seven years later, RCEF has transformed, while keeping the same spirit of community at the heart of its work. During Jason’s tenure, RCEF adopted a new mission centered around education equity. This resulted in shifting our funding to Hoover, Garfield, and Taft schools, which serve a student population that is 93% low-income, 93% Latino, and 62% English-learner.
“We are deeply grateful to Jason for his leadership, which helped reshape the organization and drive growth amid the tumultuous period of the pandemic,” said Board President Shannon Petrello. “He’s been a tremendous colleague and a valuable asset to the organization. We wish him all the best in his new role.”
To continue the work Jason set in motion, RCEF is excited to announce the hiring of Pati Ortiz, former head of RCSD’s Community Schools and Partnerships Department. Pati will lead the organization in an interim capacity as the board conducts a robust executive search process.
Pati brings over a decade of experience in education and community development. Prior to leading RCSD's Community Schools and Partnerships Department, she held the position of Community School Coordinator at RCSD, and worked in public administration and education non-profits in Latin America. Pati’s non-profit experience combined with her extensive knowledge of the Redwood City community will benefit RCEF and the students we serve.
With strong plans for the future, RCEF will continue to provide the underserved students in Redwood City with the educational opportunities and resources needed to thrive. Through the partnership of many generous donors, RCEF is able to provide enrichment opportunities to students in the community by supporting programs including Character Strong, Outdoor Ed, and Project Read, and funding three full-time mental health counselors for Hoover, Garfield and Taft schools. RCEF is proud to work with an amazing district and community in this model for educational equity. Thank you for joining RCEF on this exciting journey of advocacy, equity, and student success.
If you are interested in the long-term Executive Director position you can find more information here.