Executive Director

Susan Mathews

Susan is the executive director and a founding member of School Fuel. Susan previously worked as an attorney in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. for several years. She received her law degree from Yale Law School and her undergraduate degree from Ohio State University. Susan has been involved as a volunteer in public schools since she was a college student. Her favorite projects before joining the board of School Fuel have included working as a leader in a world events course for high school students, and serving as a literacy volunteer in an urban elementary school in Washington, D.C. Susan, her husband Christopher, and their three children have lived in Novato since 1999. Her three children attended Novato High School, Olive Elementary, Lynwood Elementary, Hill Middle, San Jose Middle, and Sinaloa. She has served in PTA leadership positions at each of her children’s schools. She has also served as a member of the NUSD Superintendent’s Advisory Team, and is an officer for the Marin County schools foundation known as SchoolsRule-Marin. Support for public education has been a family tradition in Susan’s extended family, which includes several public school teachers, administrators, and support staff.

Board of Directors

Heather Sammons, President

Heather joined the board in 2020. She is a native of Novato, who attended San Ramon Elementary, Sinaloa Middle School, and San Marin High School ’96. She went on to get her B.S. from the University of Arizona in ’00. She returned to Novato with her husband to raise her three children; the oldest is at Sinaloa Middle School, and the two younger ones attend Lu Sutton Elementary. Heather currently works at the Buck Institute and has over 20 years of experience in fundraising and events.

Stephanie Ericksen, Vice President

Stephanie joined the School Fuel Board in 2022. Originally from snowy upstate New York, she completed a BS in Marine Science from Stockton University in New Jersey in 2004. After working as a field biologist for New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish & Wildlife, National Audubon Society, and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, she found that what was most rewarding was sharing her passion for science and the environment with kids. She completed a Masters in Education in Curriculum Studies with a focus on science education at the University of Hawaii Manoa in 2013. Stephanie volunteers with the Rancho school garden and is also responsible for the creation and coordination of Rancho Elementary’s first Earth Day. Stephanie has three children who attend Rancho.

Derek Knell

Lenna Mogannam, Secretary

Lenna became a board member in 2024. Lenna grew up and attended public schools in Granite Bay, California from elementary through high school. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UC Davis and her Master’s in Business Administration from Golden Gate University. After working for Bank of America’s Commercial Banking Group in San Francisco, Lenna and her husband welcomed twins, a son and a daughter, and made the joint decision for her to become a homemaker. After having another son in 2020, their family moved to Novato and now all three of their children attend Olive Elementary School. Lenna has held positions on the Olive PTA board since 2021, where she is currently Vice President. She recently joined the board of North Marin Council of PTAs as the Reflections Art Program Chairperson. Lenna is passionate about parent advocacy and making education accessible, fun, and equitable for all children.

Ricardo Rivas-Avalos, Treasurer

Ricardo became a board member in 2015. He attended public schools in Sonoma County from 3rd – 12th grade and went on to graduate from Sonoma State University in 2012 with a degree in Business, with a concentration in Accounting. He moved to Marin County in 2013 to join Bregante + Company, LLP to advance his career in public accounting. The managing partner of Bregante is one of the founding members of School Fuel, which led to Ricardo becoming familiar with the organization and its mission of enriching the public education for every child in the Novato Unified School District. Bregante also encourages its employees to become involved in the community and volunteer for causes they feel strongly about. Ricardo believes in the popular saying that “you must be the change you want to see in the world” and decided to join the board to contribute his grain of sand in helping the local public education system and aid with the development of our future leaders.

Brian Whitlow