6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. PST

Reception, Student Summer Project Showcases, and Sponsor Slideshow Feature

Reception (main event floor, mezzanine, outdoors rooftop)

In the first hour of the event, we will have Reception, Cocktails and Passed Hors d’Oeuvres. We hope you’ll enjoy the opportunity to meet and mingle with other attendees across the three floors of The Pearl’s venue (main event floor, mezzanine, and outdoors on the rooftop).

Student Project Showcases (mezzanine)

Come learn about how Summer Experiences funded by Minds Matter Bay Area have helped our high school students shape their own academic learning, personal growth, and career aspirations. We know you’ll love spending time with our presenters, as they share culminating projects that showcase what they gained from these formative experiences over their Sophomore and Junior summers.

Sponsor Slideshow Feature (main event floor)

Come learn more about the generous Corporate and Individual Sponsors who are contributing to our School Night event, and whose contributions will help a generation of Minds Matter Bay Area’s students graduate from top colleges all over the country and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty for their families.

7:00 p.m. PST

CEO’s Opening Remarks

Opening Remarks

We’ll start the evening program with a few words from MMBay’s CEO, Irene Shih about our bold vision for impact across the Bay Area over the next decade.

Irene Shih joined Minds Matter Bay Area (MMBay) as its first full-time CEO in March 2019, returning to her hometown roots in the Bay Area. For 18 years, Irene has served students in low-income communities — previously as a middle and high school classroom teacher in Arizona, a strategic advisor to superintendents in large urban school districts like Boston Public Schools, and a thought leader on state-level education policy in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Irene is a corps member alumna of Teach For America, holds an M.P.P. in Social & Urban Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and completed a B.A. in English Literature and Women's Studies from U.C. Berkeley. Presently, she is a member and contributing writer on the Forbes Nonprofit Council, a contributing writer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Nonprofit Quarterly, and a presenter at SXSW EDU.

As the CEO of Minds Matter Bay Area, Irene has led the organization and its 300-student and 300-volunteer strong community through the adversity of a global pandemic, through changing cultural attitudes about remote work and work-life balance, toward unprecedented levels of communal, operational, and programmatic growth. Above all, Irene and her incredible leadership team are focused on the culture and values of MMBay, on fostering a world-class educational environment that nurtures generational impact on its students by cultivating transformational relationships between students and an ecosystem of volunteer mentors.

7:10 p.m. PST

Student Alumni Speaker: Benton Liang

Hear from a student whose life was impacted by our program

Benton Liang is a Class of 2016 graduate of MMBay, a 2020 graduate of Harvard University, and currently a Software Engineer at Splunk. Benton is also now both a volunteer mentor and instructor at MMBay.

Reflecting on his experience, Benton shares how our organization inspired his growth and choices:

“Like other MMBay students, I come from a background where no one in my circle of family and friends could give me academic and career advice. My parents don’t speak English, and they definitely don’t know anything about the college process or how to look for internships. To my high school self, my MMBay mentors had ‘made it’ - they finished college, are going through their career, and were there to help me. They became a personalized bulletin board of opportunities, and tailored these opportunities to what they understood about my strengths. My MMBay mentors were the first people in my life to provide this for me.

All of my life, I have been on the receiving end of others’ support. There is a shared value in giving and receiving. I am now back at MMBay - this time, as a Mentor. Being with MMBay keeps me grounded and honest about the state of students in my community. Further, this is how I can continue to give and receive through serving students who are just like me. There are only so many lives I can live, but through other people I give to and invest in, their lives and their dreams become and extension of my fulfillment.”

On October 10, we will get to hear even more from Benton about his post-MMBay and post-Harvard journey, and all that he has learned in these past two years as a volunteer Mentor and Instructor at MMBay.

In the meantime, please visit our Stories page to read (and watch) stories from students like Benton, Angeline, and Kelly.

7:25 p.m. PST

Spotlight on an MMBay Champion: Lee FitzGerald

Come celebrate one of MMBay’s greatest supporters!

Lee FitzGerald, our Board Emeritus Director and former Board Chair, has been an incredible champion of our organization since 2013, and served as our Board Chair in 2016-18 and in 2020-23. For over a decade, he stewarded our culture and aspirations on the Board of Directors, mentored the organization’s first full-time CEO (Irene Shih) through her first 4 years in the role, and modeled the highest character for our community of leaders.

Reflecting on his experience, Lee shares how his involvement with MMBay has impacted his life:

“I first became involved at MMBay because a younger professional at our firm was volunteering his Saturdays to mentor a student with this organization. Knowing what the workload looked like at our firm, I was amazed not only by his work ethic, but was also intrigued to learn more about an organization that was able to attract talented and terrific people like himself.

I’ve now been involved with MMBay for over a decade. I’ve seen it grow from being a passion project entirely built and run by volunteers, to becoming a professionalized organization led by leaders who comprehend the specific and unique value held within this incredible community.

I’ve always believed that MMBay is really about two stories: the story of our students, who must overcome immense odds and who deserve our support to help them reach their potential; and the story of our volunteers, who not only offer service but also a lifetime of friendship and support to our students. MMBay remains best-in-class as an organization that bridges the gap between low-income students and excellent young professionals who might otherwise never have crossed paths.”

On October 10 at School Night, we will honor Lee’s tremendous contribution and legacy. Please join us!

In the meantime, please visit our Stories page to read Lee’s reflections on MMBay.

8:00 p.m. PST

Live Auction and Donations

Bid on exciting items, and donate to support our event!

Our live and silent auctions have ended, and winners will be receiving an update on their items. Thank you for supporting!

8:15 p.m. PST

Fireside Chat with Keynote Speaker:

Hydra Mendoza, Chief of Strategic Relationships in the Office of the Chair and CEO, Salesforce

Learn from an industry expert who is passionate about mentorship and education

Hydra Mendoza has over 25 years of experience working as a community organizer, government and public affairs advisor, and education and equity leader.   

Hydra started her community work as the former Executive Director and a founding member of Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco, a national organization that engages parents and community members to support, promote, and improve public education.

In 2005, Hydra was appointed by then Mayor Gavin Newsom to serve as his Senior Advisor on Education. Hydra’s work allowed her to build a strong partnership between the Public School System (Pre-K to 20), the community, and the City. She subsequently served under Mayor Ed Lee as his Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Equity before his untimely passing.  She has also served under former Acting Mayor London Breed, and former Interim Mayor Mark Farrell.

Hydra was the first and only Filipina elected to office in San Francisco. In 2006, 2010, and 2014, Hydra successfully won a citywide bid and re-elections for a seat on the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education where she was elected by her peers, twice, as the President and Vice President. She served in her dual role with the city and SFUSD throughout her tenure.

In 2018, Hydra was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to serve as the Deputy Chancellor for the Division of Community Empowerment, Partnerships and Communications responsible for the offices of Family and Community Engagement, Community Affairs, Government Relations, Marketing, Communications, Press, and Translation and Interpretation in the New York City Department of Education.  The NYCDOE is the largest public school system in the country serving 1.1 million children.

Hydra is the current Vice President, Chief of Strategic Relationships in the Office of the Chair and CEO of Salesforce, Marc Benioff, where she develops, builds, and maintains key stakeholder relationships.  She was the key architect behind the 10-year public education partnership that has resulted in an investment of over $110M to SFUSD and OUSD.

She serves on the Boards of the GLIDE Foundation, California Academy of Sciences, Bay Area Council, and as an advisor to the Leo McCarthy Center for Public Service and Common Good at USF.  She lives in the Bayview District in San Francisco with her husband and has two adult children.