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Oakland and the East Bay Supporters

East Bay Board of Directors

Kelly Blake
With over 18 years of marketing experience in public relations and product placement, Kelly Blake is an Account Manager for boutique agency OutsidePR. In addition to working with brands such as Wolverine, GU, GORE TEX Transrockies Run, Road ID and Pearl Izumi, Kelly also handles OutsidePR’s marketing, business development and human resourcing. Kelly holds a degree from the University of Oregon in telecommunications and film. Kelly has worked as the Strategic Marketing Manager at JanSport and currently has her own public relations firm in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This mother of a daughter (8 years), son (5 years), and 10 year-old Swiss Mountain dog enjoys skiing, hiking, and has adjusted nicely to car camping. She feels extremely lucky to have found a great company and boss to support her work-life-family-play balance! 

Joseph DiPrisco, PhD
Joe DiPrisco is a prize-winning poet and novelist who has published extensively, including two volumes of poetry and co-authoring two books about child and family development: "Field Guide to the American Teenager" and "Right from Wrong." Also a teacher, he has taught for twenty years – middle school, high school, and college - in public, independent, and Catholic institutions; and received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. When he comes up for air after writing, he has been deeply involved in various non-profits supporting children, education, and the arts, including Redwood Day School in Oakland, where for seven years he was Chair of the Board.

John Gannon
John Gannon is a licensed investment advisor with Merrill Lynch Bank of America in San Francisco, and works with individual philanthropists and non-profit foundations managing their investment portfolios. In addition to his position on the Playworks East Bay Board of Directors, John is also a board member for Good Samaritan Family Resource Center in San Francisco. Previously, John worked for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in San Francisco, served as a volunteer marathon training coach for the National AIDS Marathon Training Program, and as consultant and advisor to SIFMA Foundation; which helps inner-city youth develop financial literacy through teamwork and competition. A longtime resident of the Bay Area and Oakland’s Jack London District, John feels it is important that everyone come together around a shared vision for the future of the community and well-being of its people.

Roger Mendelson, MD
Private Practice Psychiatrist

Patrick Morrin
Pat Morrin is the former co-founder, CFO and Vice President for Basis Communications Corporation – a communications semiconductor company based in Fremont, California. Which was acquired by Intel Corporation in 2000. Pat was previously Director of Marketing and Business Development at Intel, and held various positions at Cirrus Logic Inc., including Controller, Business Development and Treasury Analyst.  He is currently the Chairman of the Board for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Oakland and a member on the Board of Advisors for The Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has served on the boards of eHospital, Inc. and Annexient (now XPFLOW Software). Pat received a BA in English and a BBA in business management from the University of San Diego, and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He is also a long-running coach for NOLL/SOLL, Oakland’s Little League. 

Kyle Ryan
Kyle is a successful leader and executive within financial services.  He is currently an Executive Vice President for Personal Capital, the next-generation financial advisor.  Kyle previously served as a Director for Merrill Lynch; being responsible for all of the wealth management banking operations in Northern California. He also served as the youngest-ever Group Vice President for Fisher Investments, a global investment management firm.  He graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Kyle lives in Danville with his wife and three young children.  He is passionate about the role of play and sports in the development of kids and enjoys his time participating as a youth sports coach. 

Bonnie Wentworth
Developing leaders while playing four-square at recess? You bet! Being on the Board of East Bay Playworks is the perfect intersection of passion, play and profession for Bonnie Wentworth, an executive coach and leadership strategist. Founding Wentworth Consulting Group in 1998, Bonnie and her team coach, teach and consult to leaders of successful organizations including Stanford, Charles Schwab, eBay, Gap, Kaiser, UC Berkeley and Genentech – as well as start-ups and non-profits. Additionally, with an undergraduate degree in Classics and a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology, Bonnie serves as adjunct staff for several courses at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Bonnie integrates life experiences as a leader, competitive athlete, mother, wife, volunteer, adventurer, learning junkie, change catalyst and human being in her work. 

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