BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors bring to Stellar Academy many years of diverse professional experiences across different industries in the Bay Area. Many of the current and previous board members have a personal association with Dyslexia and they empathize with the struggles and hardships faced by children with Dyslexia. The Board of Directors are committed to providing education your child needs to thrive in life.
WILL DAVI
Chairman of the Board
Will Davi has been a working professional in the insurance industry for over 25 years. He has degrees in business from Ohlone College and San Jose State. He has been serving on the Stellar Board for many years. His kids have graduated from Stellar, and they are now both working professionals in the tech and medical industries. He also works part time as a lighting designer all over the Bay Area where he has earned many degrees and designations.
DALE GRANT
Vice-Chairman of the Board
Dale Grant is the co-founder of Stellar Academy. He has served as Chairman on this Board from 1998 - 1993 and then as a member since 2015. Mr. Grant’s professional career spanned many years in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Business Development with Caterpillar Tractor Company, Lockheed Martin, and Mazak Corporation. He has also served on the Board for The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Jobs Daughters, and coached young men in Little League and Soccer. Mr. Grant was very active in supporting his dyslexic son through high school, sports activities, and finally his college graduation. Seeing the success of Slingerland, his goal is to provide the same resources to all Dyslexic Children in the San Francisco East Bay. Mr. Grant is now retired and in his spare time tries to conquer the white ball in golf.
DR. KEITH GAFF
CFO, Board Director
Keith is a Senior Director for Corporate Development at Lam Research Corporation. Keith has an MBA from Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, a Ph.D. in Physics from The Australian National University, and BSc/BEng (Hons) degrees from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He has held leadership positions at Lam Research in engineering, R&D and product management and has been awarded 25 patents related to semiconductor equipment design. Keith has a diversity of experiences in engineering over 25 years that range from working for an Australian mining company to developing photonic chips with a Silicon Valley startup. He is the father of two children, one of whom has dyslexia and attended Stellar Academy.
SAMPADA CHAVAN
Secretary of the Board
Sampada Chavan is a Principal Product Manager at ServiceNow for AI/ML Platform. Sampada has an MBA from Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, an MS in Computer Science from the University of Southern California, and a B.Tech in Information Technology from SNDT University, India. Sampada has 15+ years of experience in the Technology industry delivering solutions that support operations for Engineering, Marketing, and Customer Support organizations. Sampada now calls the Bay Area her home and is passionate about education-related causes.