Staff

Jeff Escabar,
Executive Director 

Jeff brings 43 years of experience as a highly respected educator in the Bay Area as a teacher, a Director of Admission and a Head of School.  A first-generation student himself, Jeff earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of San Francisco, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Concordia University-Portland and California teaching credential.
 
Jeff’s career began at Marin Country Day School where he served a variety of roles for 36 years.  For the past seven years, Jeff has been the Head of School at the bilingual Spanish Infusion School in San Francisco. While English is Jeff’s native tongue, he continues to work on his speaking, reading and writing in Spanish and actually taught beginning Spanish earlier in his career.
 
If Jeff seems familiar, it’s because he’s a longtime resident and business owner in our community and a former member of the San Rafael Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  Jeff’s many philanthropic credentials include leadership positions at the National Association of Independent School Admission Professionals, Saint Luke’s School in San Francisco, the Marin AIDs Project, and Spectrum, which promotes safety and acceptance for young LGBTQ youth.

Education:
  • B.A. University of San Francisco
  • M.A. Concordia University

Shawn Cole-Woods,
​Senior Education and Programs Director

For more than a decade, Shawn has explored his personal commitment to education through lenses of higher and secondary education, doctoral studies and research consultation, and identity and equity leadership.

A Mississippi native whose background is in Physics, Mathematics, Molecular Sciences, and Nanotechnology, Shawn brings classically- and self-taught skills to the classroom with his students in ways that work to build awareness of blind spots that inhibit effective learning.  Ultimately, his love for Physics was not only the subject area itself, but HOW his past educators charged him to pursue educational equity in STEM by simply telling him, "You just don't know it yet."  This outlook has since become the core of Shawn's educational philosophy and pedagogical practices.

Shawn joined the NGS community in 2017 as a part-time tutor, then became a Summer Academy teacher before joining the NGS team full-time.

​Education:
  • B.S. - Tougaloo College
  • Ph.D. Candidate - Louisiana Tech University

Nghiem Bui,
​Director of College and Career  Counseling

Nghiem returns to NGS and to his native San Rafael after building a decade of professional experiences across the country and personal insights throughout the world. Born in a Malaysian refugee camp, the son of Vietnamese immigrants, raised in Marin County, Nghiem attended public and private schools, all on full financial scholarships. Since he was seven, he has been his family's translator in Vietnamese. Nghiem also speaks Spanish proficiently, having studied and lived in Quito, Ecuador.

​He has implemented educational policies for high school students in Boston and taught kindergarteners in the southside of Chicago. Most recently, Nghiem worked in admissions at Marin Academy and was the Dean of Student Life at Live Oak School in San Francisco. He returns to the organization, a proud product and graduate of the program, committed to launching the next set of scholars into college and into their careers.
​
Education:
  • B.A: Boston College
  • M.Ed: Northwestern University

Llesica Hernandez,
Middle School Director

Llesica Hernandez grew up in Los Angeles, California and moved to San Rafael, at the age of 12, where she attended Davidson Middle School and San Rafael High School. Llesica graduated from the University of California, Merced with a degree in Psychology. During her time as an undergraduate she worked as a peer health educator for UC Merced’s Health Education Representatives for Opportunities to Empower Students (H.E.R.O.E.S.), an organization that work to make UC Merced a healthier campus. She served as a group leader for two years tackling wellness issues on campus with her group. This year, Llesica is excited to teach our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade class.

Education:
  • B.A. - UC Merced

Andrew Chong,
Admissions Coordinator 

Andrew was born in San Francisco and raised in San Rafael. He went to Sun Valley Elementary School, Davidson Middle School, San Rafael High School, and College of Marin. After a short stint at American University, he earned a BA degree from UCSD in International Studies and Sociology. During his time at UCSD, he studied abroad in Santiago, Chile for 6 months. Andrew enjoys basketball, studying languages, playing music, cooking, and exploring nature and traveling. Andrew is excited to take on his role as the Admissions Associate.

Education: 
  • B.A. - UC San Diego

Rose Jennings Newhouse,
Interim Advancement Consultant

Rose's passion for advancing soical, economic, and educational equity for youth has never been more ignited than it is today. Four-decades of experience in capacity-building and furthering the missions of several Marin nonprofits, all with the focus of improving the quality of life and scope of opportunity for children and families, have resulted in the common sense approach to management she is respected for today. In addition to her nonprofit advancement expertise, Rose has a robust background in the field of education, both in the private and public sector.  

Raised in an Irish immigrant household so small that its walls could barely contain the gregariousness of her 6 sibings, Rose appreciates both the hardships and the wins that her parents experienced in paving a new path for her family, and strives to pay those wins forward.  A firm believer that knowledge is power, she takes  pride in her two daughters, Gracelyn and Aleah, as they work to achieve their MBA and BA, respectively. Rose appreciates hiking in nature and a keen sense of humor. 
 
Education:     
  • B A, Liberal Studies, CSU,Chico
  • K-12 Multiple-Subject Lifetime Teaching Credential, CSU,Chico
  • Nonprofit Executive Certification,                    Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern                            

Sally Matsuishi,
​Founder, Director Emeritus