Board Transitions: Honoring Service and Welcoming New Leaders
by Vikrant Batra, WSP Board President
Strong schools are sustained not only by inspired teaching and engaged families, but by steady, values-driven stewardship behind the scenes. At WSP, our Board of Trustees plays a vital role in holding the long view; supporting the school’s mission, navigating change with care, and ensuring that decisions are guided by both wisdom and heart.
As we look ahead to the coming year, I’d like to share a few updates about the composition of our Board. These transitions reflect the healthy evolution of governance within our school, and they offer an opportunity to pause in gratitude—honoring a deeply cherished trustee whose service has shaped WSP for more than a decade—and to warmly welcome two new members whose lived experience and professional insight will help guide us into our next chapter.
With deep gratitude, we thank Amy Shimmick for her eleven years of extraordinary service!
Amy joined the Board in February 2014 and, for the past eleven years, has been a steady and deeply committed presence in WSP’s leadership. Her genuine love for the school, her warmth and humor, and her ability to articulate the value of Waldorf education have supported countless families and guided many important conversations.
As a parent of two WSP alumni who began in Kindergarten, Amy brought a thoughtful long-view to every decision. She advocated tirelessly for enrollment across the school—especially in the high school—and consistently uplifted the well-being of faculty, staff, and administrators in board deliberations.
Over the years, Amy served as Board Treasurer; co-led Tuition Adjustment with empathy and fairness; jumped in as temporary registrar when needed; and played a key role in the success of our spring galas and auctions. She even tended bar at the poker party for fifteen straight years and hosted an annual yoga retreat that became a beloved community tradition.
We are deeply grateful for Amy’s dedication, generosity, and the countless ways she has strengthened WSP. While she is stepping off the Board, her impact and spirit will remain woven into the life of our school.
Please join us in welcoming Sami Nassif (pictured right) and Chris Bacon (left) to the Board.
Sami Nassif is an alumnus of WSP and has been an active part of the WSP community for 25+ years. A Bay Area native, he attended Los Altos High School and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, before building his career at the intersection of global technology and finance. His professional experience spans private equity/venture capital, strategy, and technology operations, primarily within the application and infrastructure software landscape.
Sami has experienced firsthand the value of Waldorf's holistic approach to human development and the occasional challenge of staying connected to the interdisciplinary dimensions within each of us in a world where AI and automating manual processes increasingly threaten creative, integrative thinking. He is excited to be a part of the WSP board, helping to shape the educational experience of children in a rapidly changing world and supporting WSP through its next phase of growth.
Soon after his birth in California, Chris Bacon’s parents moved to Down East Maine, and his mom started a Waldorf preschool in their home. After returning to California, he learned to garden with his dad, attended Waldorf Schools through 7th grade, and then transitioned to public schools. Chris earned degrees in Environmental Studies and Economics at UC Santa Barbara before moving to Washington, DC, where he interned with the World Resources Institute. After undergraduate studies and work, Chris joined the Peace Corps, earned a PhD with a focus on Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz, and secured a postdoctoral fellowship in Geography at UC Berkeley.
He is currently a tenured professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences at Santa Clara University. He has mentored over 50 students, published over 30 peer-reviewed articles, and edited several books (published by MIT Press and others), drawing on a long-term community-based participatory action research agenda that aims to alleviate hunger and advance food and environmental justice for all.
Our school is strengthened every day by the dedication of our families, faculty, and staff. We look forward to the meaningful work ahead.
