Alumni Board
Cassidie Carmen Bates (2015)
President
president@dvalumni.net
Cassidie Carmen Bates is an alumna of Da Vinci Charter Academy, Class of 2015. After graduating, Cassidie attended UC Berkeley and majored in Legal Studies and Public Policy. While at Cal, Cassidie had the opportunity to be a founding member of a non-profit organization that supports survivors of human trafficking in the Bay Area. She's been with the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano since 2019, now serving as the Government & Public Affairs Manager, where she advocates for food-security and anti-poverty legislation alongside community members with lived experience. Cassidie loves to travel, and is working on her goal to visit every National Park; she's currently visited 28 of 62! Cassidie is passionate about giving back to Da Vinci through creating a space for alumni to connect with one another and with the school that helped shape us.
Justin Bier (2016)
Vice-President
vicepresident@dvalumni.net
Justin Bier is part of the 2016 graduating class from Da Vinci Charter Academy. After graduation, he attended Emory University with majors in Astrophysics and Mathematics. He also earned a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Emory. He now works as a Business Analyst for Cox Automotive. Justin loves skiing, photography, music, Pokemon Go, dogs, and anything that gets him outdoors. He is ecstatic to grow, connect, and give back to the wonderful Da Vinci community and alumni network.
Bee Kelsch (2013)
Secretary
secretary@dvalumni.net
Bee Kelsch graduated from DaVinci Charter Academy in 2013. After graduating, Bee attended school at Lewis and Clark College where she studied environmental science while working for the City of Portland Water Bureau. She continued her work with the Water Bureau after graduating and with encouragement from mentors, Bee went back to school to receive her Master’s in Environmental Engineering from UCLA. Since graduating Bee has worked on projects to improve water resources reliability and resilience for the City of Los Angeles and recently began a new job as a Civil Engineer in El Dorado County working on projects for the drinking water and wastewater systems. Outside of work Bee spends most of her free time adventuring outside on two feet or two wheels. Bee is excited to be living in Northern California again and for the chance to connect with DaVinci alumni and current students through her new role as the DVAN board secretary.
Aaron Burbank (2013)
Treasurer
treasurer@dvalumni.net
Aaron Burbank graduated from Da Vinci Charter Academy in 2013. He went on to receive his BA in International Relations from UC Davis, and his MA in Conflict and Security Studies form King's College London. Since graduating he works in consulting as a risk and intelligence analyst in the tech industry. He is passionate about foreign policy, politics, and photography/videography. In his free time he enjoys getting out to a river to fly-fish. He is passionate about the opportunities and skills Da Vinci provides its alumni, and and is excited to strengthen and deepen the community as the new DVAN Treasurer.
Petra Favorite (2015)
Events Coordinator
events@dvalumni.net
Petra Favorite graduated from Da Vinci Charter Academy in 2015. After graduating, she went to UC Santa Barbara where she majored in History of Art and Architecture. Throughout her time at UCSB she was an intern with a political advocacy organization and briefly worked as a political organizer in Connecticut before coming back to Davis. She is now going back to school to pursue a career in midwifery. Petra is very excited to be a part of DVAN and get to reconnect the Da Vinci community she loves so much.
Alexander Richardson (2013)
Communications Specialist
communications@dvalumni.net
Alexander (Sander) Richardson is a 2013 graduate of Da Vinci Charter Academy. After graduating, he pursued his passion in website management and social media outreach. Sander is currently a digital content and website manager for a sporting goods company. In his downtime, Sander loves to adventure with his spouse and dog throughout California, or going live on Twitch to share his latest video game hyperfixation. Sander is looking forward to putting his communication skills to use to reach DVAN alums across the globe.
Beau Runyan (2011)
Chief Technology Officer
technology@dvalumni.net
Beau Runyan graduated from Da Vinci High School is 2011 where he ventured off to Southern California working at Warner Bros. Studios. After realizing Hollywood was not the life for him he moved back to Davis, California in 2016 where he became a Paraeducator for Da Vinci! After 4 years of empowering Special Education Students he moved to Davis Joint Unified School District as an Instructional Technology Specialist. Currently he is DJUSD's Digital Instruction Administrator building the bridge between Instruction and the Technology Department. In Beau's free time he loves to play with his dog, visit the California foothills with his husband and entertain himself in some video games. Beau is excited to give his tech knowledge to the Da Vinci community.
Kendra Smith (2010)
Board Member At-Large
Kendra Smith graduated from Da Vinci Charter Academy class of 2010. She went on to receive her BA in Environmental Studies at Sonoma State University with a minor in Biology. After graduating, she became an Outdoor Educator for several outdoor science schools and currently works as a Zoo Educator at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose, CA. She is passionate about teaching conservation-focused, Next Generation Science Standards-based programs with animal ambassadors to students of all ages. Her favorite part of the job is working one-on-one with the animals as a Tier 1 Animal Trainer. Kendra is an avid dancer, artist, outdoor adventurer, and dabbler of many other hobbies. She is excited to build a deeper community with Da Vinci alumni as the new DVAN Treasurer.
Alexis Barton (2010)
Board Member At-Large
support@dvalumni.net
After graduating Da Vinci in 2010, Lexi graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Environmental Science, served two terms as an AmeriCorps member, and has since continued working in the environmental nonprofit field in the Portland, Oregon area. As a Watershed Council Coordinator, she works to protect and improve the health of an urban stream that serves as a cool water refuge for endangered fish. She serves as Secretary for the statewide Network of Oregon Watershed Councils, is on the City of Milwaukie (Oregon) Tree Board, and active member of a sister organizations' Justice & Equity Committee. When not managing restoration projects and volunteer events or tapping into her Da Vinci-rooted presentation skills in delivering workshops to community members, Lexi spends time crafting and hanging out with friends and partner Emanuel and their assorted pets. She's excited to tap back into the Da Vinci community and support DVAN's goals.
Tyler Millsap
Da Vinci Charter Academy Principal
Tyler Millsap is in his sixth year as Principal of Da Vinci Charter Academy and spent the previous nine years as a Da Vinci English and Social Studies Teacher. Tyler is passionate about innovative, student-centered learning and the inclusive DVCA community. He lives with his wife, Kate, a cardiology nurse, and his daughter, Maya, who is four years old. Tyler's hope for DVAN is to create a place where DV Alumni can connect and reconnect with each other and also hopes to create opportunities for DV Alumni to give back to their alma mater.