News Archive

Stuart Foundation Welcomes Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Director for Effective Education Systems Initiative and Child Welfare Program Officer

The Stuart Foundation welcomes three new members to the foundation staff this spring.

• Melissa Daar, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, will lead communications and public affairs at the foundation. Melissa most recently served as Senior Vice President at Full Court Press Communications (FCP) in Oakland, California, a public relations firm serving companies, foundations and non-profits seeking social change. At FCP, Melissa was a strategic communications advisor and account supervisor for several leading foundations and non-profits including Packard Foundation’s Local Grantmaking, The California Endowment, California Immigrant Policy Center, and California Health and Human Services Network among others. Earlier, Melissa managed communications and policy agendas for People For the American Way, Credo/Working Assets, the ACLU of Northern California, and a technology start-up’s CEO. Melissa spent a decade as a social entrepreneur. She founded and led Caribbean Music and Dance Programs which organized cultural exchange travel to Cuba and Brazil.
  
  Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Clark University.

• Gretchen Cummings, Project Director, Effective Education Systems Initiative, will lead an analysis of effective education practices in school districts. Gretchen recently completed MBA study at Presidio Graduate School; earlier, she led planning and organizational effectiveness at WestEd. Previously, Gretchen led planning and organizational effectiveness initiatives at WestEd, a national agency committed to improving outcomes in education, youth development and health. Prior to WestEd, Gretchen served in leadership roles in education organizations in Massachusetts and the Bay Area, providing expertise in project management, organizational development and policy analysis.
  
  Gretchen earned her Bachelors degree in History from Princeton University, a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from the Presidio Graduate School, where she also serves on the Board of Directors.

• Allison Sparks, Program Officer, Child Welfare, will manage grants that improve the lives of foster youth. Allison most recently focused her work on poverty prevention, education and positive youth development at the United Way of the Bay Area. Previously, Allison served as Program Officer at United Way of the Bay Area, where she focused on poverty prevention, education and positive youth development. Originally from the Northwest, Allison has worked in clinical settings including administering prevention programming to foster care youth in Queens, NY and counseling children of chronic substance abusers in Harlem.
  
  Allison earned her Master’s of Social Welfare degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master’s of Fine Arts in Photography from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Art History from Vassar College.