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
Carla Cheney
Director of Social Services

Carla Cheney’s passion for social justice and helping vulnerable populations came from her own bi-racial and transnational identity/experiences. During her academic career she studied social justice movements, history, policy, post-colonial literature, and international relations.  Carla realized that she wanted to work more directly with people so she pursued a master’s degree in social work. After graduating, she primarily worked within tribal communities. She advocated for children and families on behalf of the tribe in diverse State courts as well as support families directly. Carla  is passionate about helping students of color make it to college.  As a woman of color herself, an immigrant and someone that had to maneuver a learning disability, she can relate and identify with the children that NGS serves. It was the strength and support of her mother that allowed her to make it to college and it is her mother that continues to be her biggest inspiration and connection to her own culture. "Mi Mama y mi abuelita showed me true strength, resilience, and unconditional love."

​Education:
  • B.A.  University of South Dakota
  • M.A. Munster University Germany
  • M.S.W. Social work Humboldt State University
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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
Shawn Cole-Woods

​Senior Education and Programs Director 

A native of Jackson, MS, Shawn uses math and science as a lens to view life. He moved from Memphis, TN, in 2016 with his husband, William, and furry daughter, Reese, to teach full-time, secondary education. He earned a B.S. in Physics with a Mathematics Emphasis from Tougaloo College. He is currently earning a Ph.D. in Molecular Science and Nanotechnology from Louisiana Tech University. Shawn's been at NGS as a Physics tutor and Summer Academy teacher! 

Education:
  • B.S. - Tougaloo College

Cherie Graham
Director of Development & Outreach

Cherie is passionate about empowering young people to be successful in their careers and lives through education and mentoring. She enjoyed a 20 year career in Financial Services before transitioning to the nonprofit space. She has been a mentor at Year Up for over 10 years and recently served as COO at Girls Leadership in Oakland where she led Operations, Finance, Human Resources, and Technology. Cherie moved to the Bay Area from Boston in 2015 to escape the cold weather. Cherie has a BA in International Studies from The American University and an MBA from Babson College. On weekends you'll find her hanging out with her dog, Baloo, enjoying a hike in Marin or browsing the local farmers market. 

Education:
  • B.A. - The American University
  • MBA - Babson College

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

Beverly Matsuishi, Ph.D. (PSY # 16203) Clinical Director​

As Clinical Director, Dr. Matsuishi, a psychologist, oversees the provision of social and clinical support services to scholars and their families. Dr. Matsuishi is dedicated to fostering and preserving the vibrancy of communities of color so they can nurture and sustain future generations of scholars. Her dissertation on Japanese American women and the internment won the Richard Allen Smith Award for excellence. She is a past recipient of a National Institute for Mental Health/American Psychology Association grant for specialized training in Asian American Psychology. She also received a grant from the People's Republic of China/World Health Organization to serve as a visiting scholar at the Hunan University Medical Center in Changsha, China.

Education:
  • B.A. - UC Berkeley
  • M.S. - Dominican University of California
  • Ph.D. - The Wright Institute

Sally Matsuishi
Founder and Director of College and Career Counseling

In 2003, after serving for nearly a decade in college access for underserved students in South Central and East LA as well as Koreatown, Sally returned to her native Marin to create Next Generation Scholars which has become a nationally recognized, award winning, educational access non-profit. She lectures and consults across the country on issues of educational justice, college prep curriculum for underrepresented populations, and college access. She is a proud mother, daughter and wife and owner of one large cat and one small dog.

Education:
  • B.S. - Vassar College
  • MFA - University of Southern California
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.
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Education:
  • B.A: Boston College
  • M.Ed: Northwestern University