Jennifer Hartvickson

Jennifer travels the country speaking to schools, art associations and after school programs about the importance of setting goals and making plans.

She has presented assemblies to over 200,000 students at over 300 elementary schools across the United States, using her experiences as an author and illustrator to delight, educate and inspire young readers and writers. Jennifer has extensive background in forward-thinking educational ventures. She served as Director of Marketing and Operations at A.S.K. Learning and was Campus Director of InsideTrack Learning, a student recruitment and retention services organization. Jennifer is a graduate of Stanford University, from which she holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Sociology.

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Hans Hartvickson

Hans is the author of books including the award-winning “Mister Lemur’s Train of Thought” and “It Will Take a Lot of Us to Lift a Hippopotamus,” and the founder of the educational band “The Scheming Lemurs.”

Hans and Jen are the creators of the GATE class “My Child The Author” and have taught eBook making workshops to teachers and librarians. He has also been an instructor at the Stanford Alumni Association’s “Alumni Creative Camp.” Hans earned an M.B.A from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. While attending Wharton, he served as the president of Wharton Toastmasters. Hans holds a B.A. from Stanford University, where he majored in economics and earned a secondary major in public policy. In addition to his work as an author, Hans spent 10 years in financial services, as a Vice President at an investment bank and a Senior Research Analyst at a San Francisco hedge fund.

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Zee Smith

Zee organizes and project-manages the recruiting process that brings together AIW Camp’s awesomely amazing summer staff!

Zee grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania (home to Larry Holmes, the boxer and Crayola Crayons). She went on to study Drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and worked as an actress in film, tv, and theatre. Alongside these creative pursuits, she worked privately with families coaching their children in theatre to build stronger self-esteem. When the number of families she worked with grew larger than she was able to cover, she started finding other people to work for them. She then officially started her own company recruiting other performers to work with children as babysitters, tutors, and full charge nannies. Zee’s love of working with children also led to taking on a Founder and Director role in Esteem Preschool in Los Angeles. Now living in Monterey County, she is taking on another adventure and role with AIW as the Director of Talent Acquisition to find more creative, enthusiastic, and talented staff members to join the team. In her free time, Zee chases after her 8-year old on the Soccer field as a Rec Coach, leads the drama club at her daughter’s elementary school, takes long walks or runs with her husband or dog, and finds time to hop with her bunny.

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W. Andrew McClelland, Director

Andy McClelland is the Director of Operations for smartschoolsplus, a provider of educational staffing services to public school districts and charter schools.

In this role, he consults with superintendents, administrators, and school board members to help them balance their educational and budgetary needs. Andy’s operational and “workforce management” expertise positions him to provide the board valuable insights on camp staffing and retention.

Andy is a graduate of Stanford University, where he majored in Sociology with a concentration in Organizational Management. Andy and his wife have 3 children, as well as an unexpectedly agile 120 pound African Sulcata tortoise.

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Beth Sutkus Thompson, Director

Beth Sutkus Thompson brings substantial experience in educational non-profit operation to the board of Kids Love Writing.

Beth is the founding Executive Director of KIPP Bay Area Schools, an innovative organization that is revolutionizing education in low income neighborhoods. In this role, she developed and implemented a strategic growth plan for the organization, identifying and chartering new locations for new schools.

Prior to KIPP, Beth was on the founding team of NewSchools Venture Fund, a philanthropic fund that invests in entrepreneurs that are transforming the public education system. At NewSchools, she provided strategic consulting and operational support to several nonprofit ventures in the portfolio, managed the due diligence and business plan review process, and spearheaded various events and initiatives to engage NewSchools’ network of business, education, and policy leaders. Beth holds a B.A. in political science, an M.A. in Education, and an MBA with a certificate in nonprofit management, all from Stanford University. She is married with one child.

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Kevin Keegan, Director

As former elementary school principal, and current Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Santa Clara Unified School District, Kevin Keegan brings the public school administrator’s perspective to Kids Love Writing’s board of directors.

Kevin is currently the principal of the Ormondale School in the Bay Area’s Portola Valley School District. He has been recognized for his collaboration with staff and community, as well as with groups such as the Silicon Valley Educational Foundation and Altera Foundation to bring unique and innovative programs to his schools.

Prior to his time at Ormondale, Kevin spent time as the principal at Kathryn Hughes Elementary in the Santa Clara Unified School District, and as a 4th grade teacher. He is particularly interested in early literacy, equity, STEM education, and project based learning. Kevin is married with three children.

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