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.
Jackson Shumway (2015)
Secretary
secretary@dvalumni.net
Jackson Shumway is a Da Vinci Charter Academy graduate of 2015. After graduating, Jackson attended Pepperdine University where he began studying sports management. Realizing his interest in mental health, he shifted his focus and received his degree in Psychology. A growing fascination with the connection between the mind and body finds Jackson continuing his education as a graduate student in Ithaca College’s School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, earning his Masters in Exercise and Sport Science, specifically studying Mental Performance. When he’s not in class, he loves reading, cooking, and spending time outdoors playing ultimate frisbee and exploring the abundance of waterfalls in upstate New York. Jackson is thrilled to engage and give back to the wonderful DV community from this new perspective.
Kendra Smith (2010)
Treasurer
treasurer@dvalumni.net
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.
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.
Emily Timm (2013)
Outreach Coordinator
outreach@dvalumni.net
Emily Timm (maiden name Talbot) is an alum from Da Vinci Charter Academy, Class of 2013. After graduating, Emily studied Psychology, Special Education and Spanish at the University of Oregon. She continued her education at the University of the Pacific where she got her Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology. She is currently a school psychologist in Berkeley, CA. For fun, Emily likes to spend time with friends, play with her dogs, and travel with her husband. Emily is excited to give back to Da Vinci as the Outreach Coordinator.
Emmett Barnes (2015)
Communications Specialist
communications@dvalumni.net
Emmett Barnes is an alum of Da Vinci Charter Academy from the Class of 2015. After graduating, he attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where he majored in Biochemistry as a Pre-Med student. While at LMU, he built upon his DV Recruitment experience by becoming a Senior Campus Tour Coordinator and immersed himself in the rich social justice atmosphere on campus by joining MAGIS Service Organization. His aspirations for a career in healthcare shifted as he explored the battle against climate change through his clean energy research, and he decided to use his gap year to work as a lab manager in the field. Emmett now attends the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in federal climate policy. He is excited to use his position on the DVAN Board to strengthen connections between current students and the wonderful and talented alumni that Da Vinci produces.
Evan Ream (2008)
Communications Specialist
communications@dvalumni.net
A member of one of the first graduating classes at Da Vinci Charter Academy, Evan Ream returned to campus in 2013 to spend three years as a long-term substitute and paraeducator. During this time, he also broke into the newspaper industry as a reporter and columnist at The Davis Enterprise. He left the school in 2016 to pursue a full-time career in writing, but came back for a second time in early 2021 to support reading and writing education at DVCA. In addition to his role as the journalism teacher and reading coordinator at the school, Evan runs the communications for NorCal Premier Soccer, coaches at Davis Legacy Soccer Club, and is currently working on a pair of non-fiction books. The Da Vinci ultimate frisbee team never lost a match in Evan's years on the squad.
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.
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.
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.