HIGH TECH HIGH FOUNDATION BOARD

Mr. Gary Jacobs is the Managing Director of Jacobs Investment Company LLC (JIC). JIC was created in 1997 to participate in real estate development throughout the United States. In partnership with several developers, JIC has invested over sixty million dollars in projects ranging from government services to residential to commercial. Mr. Jacobs serves as Chairman of the Board of Nutrinia Ltd. Mr. Jacobs is also a director of Next Generation Technologies, and Flourinex Active Ltd.

In the community, Mr. Jacobs serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of High Tech High charter schools, Graduate School of Education and national high school reform movement. HTH is founded on three design principles: personalization, adult-world connection, and a common intellectual mission. He also serves as Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Social Sciences at University of California at San Diego UCSD. He and his wife, Jerri-Ann, created the Gary and Jerri-Ann Graduate Fellowship in Social Sciences Endowment and the Jerri-Ann and Gary Jacobs Chair in Social Sciences.

In addition, Mr. Jacobs is Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of JCC Association of North America; and past president of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County. He and Jerri-Ann have endowed the Jerri-Ann and Gary Jacobs Teen Director position and created an endowment for the senior department at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus. Mr. Jacobs is also a board member of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, Jewish Community Foundation, The San Diego Foundation and the UCSD Board of Overseers.

In the summer of 2000, Mr. Jacobs created and funded the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute. The institute brings together ten Jewish teenagers from San Diego, ten Jewish teenagers from the Shaar HarNegev region in Israel, ten Israeli Bedouin teenagers from Segev Shalom and ten Palestinian teenagers from Gaza for a year long program during which participants and staff travel together to San Diego, study historical Muslim/Jewish relations in Spain for a week and then in Israel for a week to study with a modern perspective.

Mr. Jacobs graduated in 1979 from the University of California at San Diego with a B.A. in Management Science. He worked as a Software Programmer and Engineer at Linkabit Inc. and QUALCOMM from 1979 through 1996, then as a Senior Education Specialist until 2000 working with K-12 educational institutions to enhance science and math studies.

Mr. Jacobs lives in Del Mar with his wife Jerri-Ann, and their dogs, Sunny and Winston. They have four adult children, Adam, Sara, Beth and Dylan.

My name is Chrissy McComish and I am the proud parent of 3 HTeM students. I have held the role of PFA President for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years at High Tech Elementary Mesa. During my time as President, I successfully raised over $70,000 for our school. I also oversaw the creation of several new PFA Volunteer positions and eagerly worked to recruit new volunteers from our talented and passionate community of families. I have successfully managed groups, met timeline and budget goals and sought feedback to continually improve PFA offerings.

I hold a B.A in Human Resources and 13 years experience in HR. For the past 9 years I've loved being a stay at home mom. I feel both of those roles help me to bring the skills of organization, problem solving, creativity and team building that can contribute to the growth and success of the HTH Foundation.

Natalie Bantom is the Head of Leader & Team Experiences at Meta where she is responsible for developing the leadership of thousands of employees. Prior to that, she worked in the education field for 12+ years, starting her career as a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher. From there, she coached teachers, led teams of teacher coaches and implemented teacher training across the country. In all her roles, she has focused on impact by developing the leadership of others, including her students. 

She has a BS in Nutrition and Chemistry from the University of Arizona and a Masters in Education – Teaching from the University of Hawaii Manoa. And she now lives in Escondido with her husband and two sons.

Lisa is a San Diego native who brings a blend of non-profit management experience as well as real estate experience, facility management knowledge, project management and business experience to her position at NTC Foundation.  In addition, she has a strong background in philanthropy both from professional and volunteer perspectives, having served as a fundraiser for many community-based organizations.

Lisa has been in her current role since 2015 and, just prior to this, was the Executive Manager of a branch of the YMCA of San Diego County.  Before taking on the position of Executive Manager at the Y, Lisa was a volunteer board member at the Y for ten years.  Before working at the Y, Lisa worked for The Corky McMillin Companies, Master Developer for Liberty Station, and was with them when they moved their offices to Liberty Station from their headquarters in National City.

Johnson and her husband, a retired San Diego police officer and practicing attorney, have two grown daughters and live in Bonita. She has been extremely active in civic activities and was past president of the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Chula Vista. She is also past chair of the grants committee of the Chula Vista Community Foundation and current board chair for this organization. Lisa is a longtime member of the South County Economic Development Council, a past chair of the Southwestern College Foundation Board of Directors, and she continues to serve on this board.  Lisa has prior careers in law enforcement as a federal agent, Protective Services worker, supervisor, and manager for the County of San Diego, and has been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for over 20 years. 

Courtney Baltiyskyy (she/ her) is an advocate for children, youth, and their families. She has over 15 years of experience in child and youth program development and is now the Vice President of Policy and Advocacy with the YMCA of San Diego County. She also facilitates the Children First Collective San Diego and is a Board Member of the Partnership for Children and Youth. She helps strategize for social impact focusing on multiple policy issues including child care, expanded learning programs, youth homelessness, and mental and behavioral health services. Courtney has a knack for leveraging the intersection between public, private, philanthropic, and nonprofit agencies for community impact through a collaborative spirit, innovative thinking, and evidence-based decision-making. She holds a BA from Whittier College and a MPA from San Diego State University. Connection to nature through gardening and exploring outside brings her joy. Her two kiddos attend High Tech Elementary Chula Vista and she is grateful for the opportunity to support the HTH community through participation on the Foundation Board. 

Lieutenant Commander Bradley Bowen is a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy and currently serves as the Deputy Executive Assistant to Vice Admiral John Wade at United States THIRD Fleet in Point Loma. He is the parent of a High Tech Explorer Elementary student and is a 2007 graduate of High Tech High. Bradley has a B.A. in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross and a M.A. in Defense and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College. 

He has previously served as a Communications Officer, Training Officer, Fire Control Officer, Operations Officer, and Combat Systems Officer onboard several U.S. Navy ships and has completed several deployments to the Middle East as well as the Western Pacific. Bradley’s experience has focused around operations, scheduling, leadership development, strategic planning, and program management. He currently lives in Pacific Beach with his wife and three daughters.

Sarah Poore is a Trustee of the High Tech High Foundation, where she also serves as Chair of the Fundraising Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Design with a concentration in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). Through her education, Sarah developed a strong foundation in critical and visual thinking, as well as essential design processes—skills she applies to her work with the Foundation.

With over 20 years of professional experience in graphic design, Sarah combines creativity, strategic planning, and organizational leadership to advance the Foundation’s mission of providing equitable, innovative education for all students.

As co-chair of the Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala, Sarah played a pivotal role in organizing and managing the event, ensuring key milestones were met and that all efforts remained on track. The Gala successfully raised $925,000, funds that will be instrumental in supporting scholarships, including the prestigious HTH Founders Scholarship. Sarah’s ability to adapt and lead with efficiency was critical to the success of this landmark event.

Sarah is also an active member of the High Tech High community, contributing her time and expertise to initiatives that strengthen connections among families, educators, and students. As the parent of twin boys thriving within the High Tech High system, Sarah has a personal connection to the Foundation’s mission and a deep appreciation for its innovative approach to education.

Her dedication to advancing educational opportunities, combined with her problem-solving mindset and professional expertise, makes Sarah a valued member of the Foundation’s board, driving meaningful impact within the High Tech High community.

Jess is an innovative senior financial executive, with a successful record of accomplishment in communications, strategy and solutions, and multi-billion dollar M&A transitions. Her expertise lies in building strategies and teams to support and drive community, public, investor, media and government relations programs. She has worked with companies including Mattel, LPL Financial, Cetera Financial, New York Life, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and many others.

After a life-changing high school experience studying abroad, where she conducted a case study of the Zulu and Xhosa tribes in pre-apartheid South Africa, Jess decided to pursue and earn a B.S. in Journalism at Boston University. While there, she interned at the Associated Press in London. She began her career at CNN and Bloomberg TV in New York, as a journalist and reporter, covering and breaking live news. She leveraged that experience to deliver results in leadership roles within large public and private global enterprises.  

Jess is passionate about supporting companies and causes centered around gender and socio-economic parity, and is honored to bring that passion to the High Tech High Foundation. Jess is the proud mom of two HTHI students, Devon and Grace, and loves to cheer them on in baseball, basketball, cross-country and student government. She is a published novelist, and working on her third book. She loves to travel the world with her children, and is excited to brave the Nordic arctic with them next. 

Matt Velasquez is a proud HTeX parent, corporate attorney, and President of his community’s homeowner’s association. Matt served in the U.S. Marine Corps. for four years before attending college. He has a BA in Psychology from San Diego State University and a law degree from California Western School of Law.

Matt’s legal expertise is in small businesses, contracts, and estate planning. Matt is the Microbusiness and Nonprofit Support Program Staff Attorney for the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program where he helps provide free legal services to low-income entrepreneurs and nonprofits helping low-income San Diegans.

 Matt lives in Point Loma with his wife, two kids, and two dogs. He looks forward to lending his legal knowledge to the HTH Foundation and is very excited about being more active in the HTH community.

Jason is a Senior Vice President, Senior Managing Director who has been with 1st Century Bank since 2023. Aside from leading the Bank’s presence in the San Diego market, he focuses on credit origination and relationship management for privately held companies, nonprofits, and commercial and residential real estate primarily in the Bank’s California markets. Prior to joining 1st Century, he spent nearly 10 years with Wells Fargo and 20 years with First Republic Bank. After growing up in Chula Vista, Jason studied finance at San Diego State University. He dedicates his time to several nonprofit organizations, most recently as a trustee for the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Jason is a HTeX and HTM parent and he lives in Point Loma with his wife and two sons.