Our Team

As Director of Innovation, Mario coordinates program design, implementation, and support for all NapaLearns programs. He also supports Napa County districts and schools with the integration and evaluation of new and innovative tools that support the next generation of teaching and learning in Napa. As a digital native and multimedia enthusiast Mario is passionate about technology integration as a means to redefine learning opportunities for students and leaders. Before working at NapaLearns, Mario worked in the San Francisco Unified School District’s Curriculum and Instruction Division as an Educational Technologist and Learning Systems Coordinator. Prior to working in San Francisco, he served as Site Technology Coordinator at Napa Valley Language Academy, a dual immersion charter school.

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As Executive Director, Peg Maddocks, Ph.D., is responsible for advancing NapaLearns’ innovative programs to improve the educational outcomes of students in public schools throughout Napa County. While Maddocks has spent most of her career in private sector leadership positions, she began her professional life as a teacher, principal and program director in a K-12 public school district. After working for Cisco Systems for over 14 years, Maddocks served as CEO of Maddocks Learning, a consulting practice focused on accelerating educational change through the redesign of teaching and learning to enable successful integration of technology. Maddocks holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education/Special Education. a Master’s of Education in School Administration from Rhode Island College, as well as a Ph.D. in Instructional Psychology from Michigan State University.

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As Director of Student Services, Michele is the Learning Success Coach for the NapaLearns Virtual Career Academy. She is the main contact to help students with the logistics of the program, beginning with the application process through the course and the exam, if applicable. 

Michele is passionate about education and setting students up to thrive. Her background is in STEM (chemistry) and she has worked with students from preschool to high school at Scientopia and the Boys and Girls Club of Napa Valley. She has volunteered with 4-H, several Napa schools/school clubs, fundraising, and Friends of Napa County Animal Shelter. 

Michele has 3 children with her husband of 27 years, and loves to garden and tend to her animals (1 dog, 2 cats, 2 rabbits, and 10 chickens.) 

Owner, Vineyard 29

Chuck McMinn and his wife, Anne, are the owners of Vineyard 29 in Saint Helena. Prior to Vineyard 29, McMinn spent over 25 years starting, developing, managing and advising high technology companies the last being Covad Communications, which he co-founded in 1996.  Additionally, McMinn was the President & CEO of Visioneer Communications and a general partner at the venture capital firm, InterWest Partners. He began his Silicon Valley career at Intel and received a BSEE from Brown University in 1974, an MSEE from Syracuse University in 1976 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1978. In Napa Valley, McMinn splits his time between the winery and several non profits which he chairs including the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, and RADNapa as well as NapaLearns.

Owner, Jones Family Vineyards

Rick Jones is the proprietor of Jones Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley that he co-owns with his daughters.  His time is spent supporting a number of non-profit organizations throughout the Bay Area: he serves as chairman of OLE Health and serves on the boards of the St. Helena Hospital Foundation and Governing Board, NapaLearns and Raising a Reader.  Jones received a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He joined Safeway, Inc. in 1983 as Executive Vice President where he continued to work until his retirement in 1997. His home is in Calistoga, California, overlooking the Jones Family Vineyards.

Trevor Jackson, General Counsel for NapaLearns and Napa High School graduate, attended the University of California, Santa Cruz where he obtained his baccalaureate degree. Mr. Jackson then worked in the South Bay and Peninsula regions in the fields of business, technology and education. Ultimately, he attended Golden Gate University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree with academic distinction. Mr. Jackson returned to his hometown of Napa in 2007 and established the Law Office of Trevor G. Jackson. His practice focuses on, and is committed to, the achievement of proactive and positive outcomes for individuals, families, children, and businesses. Mr. Jackson, who was on the mock trial team in high school, now volunteers his time as a scorer for the Napa County Mock Trial competitions.

CEO, Boomerang

Dave Kearney is a seasoned Silicon Valley tech executive who recently sold his digital marketing company, Boomerang.com. Currently Dave is the Vice President of Engineering at HULFT, a Silicon Valley software company providing enterprise integration tools. In addition, he provides management and technology consulting services to businesses and organizations in the San Francisco bay area. Living in Napa, he is utilizing his management and technical skills to help NapaLearns bring more innovation into the classrooms and the community. He is also the chair of NapaLearns’ Makerspace Committee working to enhance children’s education with more engaging learning environments and experiences. Dave has four kids, two of whom graduated Napa’s New Technology High School. He is passionate about finding new ways to engage and motivate kids of all economic backgrounds to be more curious and creative.

President, Napa Valley College

Dr. Ronald D. Kraft, is President of Napa Valley College.  His doctorate in higher education leadership is from Capella University; M.A. in Education and B.A. in Business are from San Diego University. He is a graduate of a California Community College. Dr. Kraft has served as President of Southern California University of Health Sciences; and President of the Washington State Community Technical College System Alliance for Corporate Education, representing the 34 college’s career education throughout the state. His roots are in teaching and administration, with a long service as an elected trustee of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. Dr. Kraft has also served in private industry as a CEO with several national firms in organizational development, consulting technology, finance and travel companies. He serves on numerous college, community and industry foundations.

Superintendent, Napa County Office of Education

Dr. Barbara Nemko was reelected in June, 2018 for her sixth term as Napa County Superintendent of Schools. She served on Tom Torlakson’s Transition Team, Technology Task Force, Blueprint and Blueprint 2.0 for Great Schools, and was honored as Public Policy Advocate for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in 2014, Computer Using Educators (CUE) Legislative Advocate in 2013, and Digital Promise’s Digital Innovation Learning Award (DILA) in 2014.

Barbara is passionate about helping teachers and administrators to implement digital resources to close the achievement gap, and has spearheaded a very successful countywide program that put iPads in the hands of preschool English learners. This program won the Collaboration Nation grand prize in 2015 and the ACSA Family Engagement award in 2016.

Barbara worked closely with the ACLU and CCSESA beginning in 2015 to clarify how districts could go digital and meet the Williams mandates, resulting in a 2017 joint memo to the field. In her spare time she enjoys doing community theater and has played roles including a Swedish psychic, a jealous Italian wife, a Jewish mother from New York, and a has-been Hollywood star, among others. She has 2 granddaughters, ages 9 and 7, and will happily tell you stories and show you pictures until you can escape her clutches.

Chair, Graduate School of Education, Touro University

Dr. Pamela Redmond is Professor of Learning Innovation and Chair of Graduate Studies in the School of Education at Touro University California where she directs the Learning Innovation Lab that hosts teacher investigations and action research and reinventing the landscape of learning for the 21st century.  As a former special education teacher, she believes that that the true purpose of technology is to enable unfettered access to information and personal expression.