Woodside School District - Board Member Profiles

Board Member Profiles

JENNY HAYDEN — President
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Jenny grew up in Woodside and attended Woodside Elementary School from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Jenny moved back to Woodside with her family in 2014 and has one child attending Woodside School and two attending high school. Jenny served on the board of the Woodside School Foundation, worked on the parcel tax campaign renewal, and actively volunteered in the classroom.

Jenny completed her undergraduate studies at Boston College with a degree in Economics and received an MBA from Duke University. Jenny’s career has been in finance at GE Capital in the Financial Management Program and strategy consulting at Bain & Co.

Woodside has been a special place for Jenny’s family since they moved here 40 years ago. The community involvement and support of the school were a big reason she wanted to move back here and have her children attend Woodside School as she did.

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AMANDA PEIFFER — Vice President
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Amanda is honored to serve the children, parents, and Woodside community. She and her family have been in Woodside since 2015, when the oldest of her four children entered first grade. Since then, she has volunteered in many areas of the school, including seven years on the Woodside School Foundation as coach of girls' volleyball and basketball, and served on the COVID Reopening Task Force. Amanda has a BA in Public Policy from Brown University and a JD from the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California, where she was actively involved in the Public Interest Law Foundation and the clinical programs in immigration and employment law. Before devoting herself to motherhood and community service, she was a marketing manager and a plaintiff-side employment attorney. Amanda currently serves on the board of directors of Tipping Point Community and the Pinpoint Foundation.
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BRETT WESTERVELT — Clerk
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Brett has one child attending Woodside School and one in high school, and his wife, Melody, serves on the PTA.

Brett is a product designer and the VP of Product Design at Instagram. He previously led design teams at Facebook, OpenTable, and Ness Computing. In practicing design and leading design teams, Brett developed a passion for creating products and systems that meet people's needs in thoughtful, human-centered ways. Brett has an MS in Product Design from Stanford and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Woodside has been a special place for the Westervelt family since they moved here in 2017, and they care deeply for the school and the community. Brett is humbled by the opportunity to support Woodside School as a trustee.
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MATT MURPHY — Trustee
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Matthew has been a proud member of the Woodside community since 2016 and is deeply committed to supporting the success of Woodside School. As a parent of two Woodside School students, he has actively contributed to the school’s growth and development through his involvement with the School Foundation Board and the WESD Master Facilities Committee.

Professionally, Matthew serves as a General Partner at Montage Ventures, where he collaborates with entrepreneurs pioneering innovation in Financial Services and Education. Previously, he held the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Chegg, where he gained invaluable insights into the education sector. A seasoned entrepreneur and executive, Matthew brings extensive strategic planning expertise and a steadfast commitment to fostering a rigorous, differentiated curriculum that inspires curious and self-motivated learners.

As a Woodside School Board member, Matthew is dedicated to supporting educators, nurturing creativity and critical thinking, and promoting a safe and inclusive learning environment. His mission is to empower students to excel academically, socially, emotionally, and physically while instilling a lifelong love of learning.

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SHERRY LIN — Trustee
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