Leadership
Meet our Board of Directors
Our board brings together legal, clinical, financial, and community leadership — united by a shared commitment to every child's potential.
Board of Directors
Board Members
Serving families, supporting the mission, and strengthening the organization.
Jeff is honored and humbled to be a member of the board at School of Imagination. He is deeply passionate about the vision of SOI and committed to helping "bring out the extraordinary in every child."
As the proud parent of an SOI student, Jeff has seen firsthand the necessity and transformative power of the programs and staff at SOI. He is committed to helping SOI bring their services and programs to more families — working toward a day where there are no waiting lists and every family has easy access to the customized care SOI is known for.
Jeff brings a law degree as well as a BS in Accounting & Finance. He has worked for two multinational healthcare organizations and spent 12+ years in various marketing services departments. Those who have worked with Jeff can attest to his passion for people, collaboration, and confronting complex business challenges head-on.
Jeff loves his family and enjoys spending quality time with his wife and two daughters.
Judge Pulido dedicated 46 years to the legal profession, including 28 years as an attorney and 18 years as a Superior Court Judge in Alameda County. During his judicial career, he served as Presiding and Supervising Judge of the Family Division and as Chief Supervising Judge of the Civil Division, while also chairing committees including Family Law, Civil, Jury, Outreach, Personnel, and Security.
Beyond the courtroom, Judge Pulido served on the Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees (2003–2007), including a term as Board President, championing student success and community engagement.
Judge Pulido has been a steadfast supporter of SOI for nearly 20 years, recognizing the importance of early intervention and inclusive education.
"I have been dedicated to education all my life and have been involved with SOI for almost 20 years. SOI is near and dear to my heart and I am committed to their success."
As Executive Vice President & CFO of Sony Music Entertainment / RCA Records, Cliff spent over 20 years at the helm of one of the most influential music labels in the world. Before stepping into his CFO role in 2019, he served as SVP | CFO and SVP of Finance, shaping the company's financial health and long-term success.
Cliff was one of the first business leaders to offer strategic guidance to SOI, supporting the organization from its early days. His expertise in strategic planning, financial growth, and corporate leadership — including an MBA from NYU Stern — will help SOI continue expanding its programs for neurodivergent children and their families.
"The mission is meaningful because it empowers neurodivergent children through education, resources, and support, helping them overcome challenges and thrive. The school fosters independence, confidence, and a better quality of life while easing the burden on families and promoting inclusivity. Serving on the board helps to ensure the school's long-term success and makes a lasting impact on students and their community."
Michelle holds a strong academic foundation in school psychology and special education, having dedicated her career to working with children and families in the school system. Her responsibilities as a school psychologist included conducting psycho-educational evaluations, providing counseling services, consulting with parents and teachers, and implementing behavioral interventions to support student success.
In addition to her career, Michelle brings extensive nonprofit leadership experience. As co-president of the Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) Board at a local elementary school, she led community events and fundraisers including ice cream socials, jog-a-thons, and silent auctions.
"As a parent who had a child receive services at SOI, I have experienced what the school has to offer and what a difference it is to be able to receive early intervention. My child demonstrated so much growth while in the Little Sunshines class in addition to receiving speech therapy at SOI, and is now thriving in school. I have no doubt that SOI played a huge role in my child's success. Although it has been many years since my children attended SOI, I see the school continually making improvements and providing more for students and families in need. I believe in SOI's mission and want to help the school so that more families can receive the services and support my family did."
Julie Ishii is an Attorney with Hall Law Group LLP, where she manages all aspects of her practice areas including advanced estate and special needs planning, trust and probate administration, business organization, and representation of Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees.
"I admire Charlene and her dream team of professionals because of their understanding of the struggles, fears and goals that special needs children and their families experience. Their decades-long commitment to helping special needs families continue to amaze me, and I hope to be just a small part of that effort."
With over 40 years of experience in healthcare, Joe brings valuable skills, connections, and expertise to the board. He served as Director of Physical and Sports Medicine / Outpatient Nutrition Services at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, and has a background in community service including the ValleyCare Foundation board and the Pleasanton Human Services Commission.
Joe has been a supporter of School of Imagination and Happy Talkers since 2005 when he first began volunteering. As a physical therapist who has worked with children throughout his career, he deeply appreciates SOI's commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.
"We are delighted to have Joe Carlucci join our Board of Directors. Joe's longstanding support of our organization since its early days, coupled with his leadership in healthcare and the community, make him a valuable addition to our team." — Charlene Sigman, Founder
Ken is a Senior Investment Advisor at Schultz Collins Inc., with 25 years of financial services experience. His expertise includes fixed income markets and real estate investment trust research and analysis. He holds a BS in Applied Economics and a Master's in Financial Analysis, both from the University of San Francisco.
Ken is the proud parent of a former SOI / Happy Talkers student. He believes the school and staff had an immeasurable impact on his son and his family — an experience that motivated him to give back through board service and ensure that other families have the same opportunity to benefit.
Ari is a seasoned professional with a remarkable track record in workforce strategy, delivering projects for Fortune 500 clients encompassing employee experience, talent development, DEI, and organizational culture. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Fox School of Business at Temple University with a BBA in Management Information Systems and Organizational Leadership.
Ari has a strong background in nonprofit programming and leadership, including 15+ years of experience and service as Governance Committee Chair on the Board of Directors for San Francisco Hillel.
What makes Ari's involvement particularly meaningful is his longstanding relationship with SOI through PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he led pro bono consulting engagements over four years that helped SOI evolve and strengthen its capabilities.
"It has been a distinct pleasure to support Mitch, Charlene, the Board of Directors, and the School of Imagination community through multiple strategic engagements over the past four years. I am inspired by the work SOI does to provide a high-quality integrated classroom learning experience, and optimistic about SOI's potential to grow and serve more families in the Bay Area. I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors."
Clinical Advisory
Consulting Medical Director
Clinical leadership supporting our integrated care model and diagnostic programs.
Dr. Sumit Sen is a board-certified pediatrician and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics who has been caring for children on the autism spectrum for over 20 years, applying cutting-edge evidence-based research. He integrates years of brain research experience with his background treating stroke patients to develop a deep understanding of the condition.
Dr. Sen received training at the University of Washington Autism Center, has organized autism workshops at the American Academy of Pediatrics, and recently traveled to Bosnia as keynote speaker to help build that country's first Autism Institute. He is currently at Stanford Children's Health and serves on the Developmental Pediatrics Subcommittee of the CA chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Autism is treatable, but only if it is diagnosed and treated very early. Happy Talkers is the leader in early screening and diagnosis and early intervention — truly one-of-a-kind in the nation."
Emeritus Board
Emeritus Members
Former board leaders whose service helped build the foundation School of Imagination stands on today.
Steve is proud to have served on the board of School of Imagination. He has always been impressed by the organization's tenacious pursuit to be a force for good in the community. Watching children enter the program developmentally delayed and seeing them progress, grow, and thrive as a result of their time at the school has been the most rewarding aspect of his service.
Steve brought extensive leadership experience from serving on boards for numerous local government and nonprofit organizations including the Dublin Sister City Association, California Auto Body Association, City of Dublin Planning Commission, Parks and Community Services Commission, Dublin Historical Preservation Association, Dublin Lions Club, and the Valley Children's Museum.
A founding board member, Janet has been with School of Imagination & Happy Talkers since 2009. During her time as Mayor of Dublin, she was instrumental in bringing the school into its current facility — working with city officials and land developers to create the space and fund the construction of the new school.
Janet has held many leadership roles including President of the Chamber of Commerce, City Council member, and Superintendent of the Enrichment Academy for the Dublin Partners in Education. For Janet, the most rewarding part of working with SOI is connecting with families and witnessing the breakthroughs that lead to real, meaningful communication and connection between parents and their children.
Claudia McCormick served as Vice Mayor and Councilmember for the City of Dublin and is a recipient of numerous awards including a State of CA Senate Proclamation, U.S. Congressional Record recognition, and Dublin Citizen of the Year. She is a board member of Soroptimist International, the Dublin Historical Preservation Association, and the People to People Foundation. Claudia is also a published author, editor, and former newspaper columnist.
As the parent of a disabled child, Claudia understands firsthand the impact School of Imagination has in the lives of its families. She brought fundraising, outreach, and development skills to the board alongside a vision for growth management and board development.
Ted Kaye served as CEO of the Las Positas College Foundation beginning in 2004. Prior to that role, he was Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity San Francisco and Interim Executive Director of Beyond Shelter, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting family homelessness in Los Angeles. Before shifting to nonprofits, Ted spent 25 years in television production, rising to Senior Vice President of Television Production at the Walt Disney Company.
For Ted, the most rewarding aspect of SOI board service was seeing the staff interact with the children — the mutual respect, love, kindness, and joy flowing between the children and the people who work with them every day.
Don retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers where he was a Partner in the Management Consulting Services Group, leading Financial Services Consulting for the Western US and Banking Consulting for North America. His career also included CFO of the Retail Banking group at Wells Fargo Bank and Vice President at IBM. He is a UC Berkeley graduate and CPA.
Don adopted his son Josh at two days old, not knowing Josh had been born with Cerebral Palsy. As the parent of a child with special needs, Don became a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities. Over 30+ years he has served on the boards of numerous nonprofit agencies including as President of the Board of United Cerebral Palsy of the Golden Gate, and in 1981 helped write a California Senate Bill to ensure early intervention services for children with disabilities.
Kelly Knabe is the Owner and CEO of Cobalt Equipment, an emergency and disaster response equipment rental company serving the western US for federal, state, county, and private agencies. She has served on the boards of the YMCA, Alameda County Fair Association, and Dublin Partners in Education, and has been a member in good standing of Soroptimist of the Tri-Valley for 30 years.
"I believe in the mission of the School of Imagination and want to help ensure progress is made in achieving growth and sustainability of services to our community. I know firsthand how hard the day-to-day work is in delivering services and want to be supportive of the founders and employees in all ways possible."
Interested in joining the board?
We welcome leaders with backgrounds in healthcare, law, finance, technology, and community advocacy. If you share our commitment to integrated early childhood services, we'd love to connect.