Discovery Charter School Board Directors
Christopher Foisie – Discovery Charter Board of Directors Treasurer
Christopher has been a leader and financial professional for 15 years. He has spent a great deal of his professional career negotiating complex revenue contracts and managing expectations with sales teams, aligning corporate financial decisions, and working cross-functionally to manage growth goals. Education is in Chris’ blood – his mom was a teacher. Growing up in an educational environment instilled in him the value of good educators and the impact they make on children’s lives. Chris has two children enrolled at the Falcon campus. He and his family have an active lifestyle. They enjoy downhill skiing and many Tahoe winters.
Glady Lee – Discovery Charter Board of Directors, Vice President
Glady has worked for many years in communications as a web producer, first in the technology sector, and now in the non-profit field at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County. She is also an active member of the local artist community in San Jose. At Discovery, she has enjoyed volunteering in many different roles leading students in the classroom, and held various parent jobs. Glady’s family has been with Discovery Phoenix since 2009. They enjoy visiting art museums and libraries and watching the San José Spiders play professional ultimate frisbee.
Ilan Spieler – Discovery Charter Board of Directors, President
Ilan is a staff attorney with the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. He has worked extensively on civil litigation cases in a variety of areas. Ilan has had a lifelong interest in education, volunteering at schools long before he started his family, and at one point in his life’s journey, he considered becoming a teacher. Ilan has two children enrolled at the Phoenix campus. His interests include cooking, computers and technology, and playing guitar and writing music.
Christiana Sanchez -
Discovery Charter Board of Directors, Director
Christiana has worked in public policy for over 15 years and is passionate about community service. She is the former vice president of MANA del Norte, an educational non-profit, and worked in Washington, D.C. as a Congressional Fellow. In addition, she has worked in several capacities for the New Mexico State Attorney General and the Secretary of State including consumer advocacy, public relations, campaign finance and elections, and ethics compliance. Christiana has a bachelors degree from The University of New Mexico and a Masters degree in School and Community Counseling from New Mexico Highlands University. She lives with her husband and two children in San Jose, California.
Autumn Talbott - Discovery Charter Board of Directors, Secretary
Barbara Vella Eagle – Discovery Charter Board of Directors,
Barbara is the original Discovery founder and driving force behind the movement to establish Discovery as a charter organization. She works as an Associate Fund Director for Marketing at Stanford University raising approx. $3 million annually in support of her assigned funds/schools. She was a Co-Founder of Eaglevision Productions and focused primarily on Marketing & Business Development while there. She is an artist, an outdoors-woman and a wicked tennis opponent. Two of her children graduated from DCS, and she is passionate about education and kids. Barbara has an obsession with Annual Funds, both for Discovery and Stanford University. She served as President of the Discovery Board and organization since 2003!
Jennifer Walrod - Discovery Charter Board of Directors
Jennifer has worked in a variety of positions in schools around the world including South Korea, Thailand, Ethiopia, and San Jose, CA. She is passionate about developing educational programs and attended Columbia University, Teachers College,
receiving an MA in International Educational Development. Jennifer has taught English as a Second Language and Social Studies to elementary and middle school students, written curricula, started school libraries, and developed summer and after-school programs, as well as, a variety of other activities related to assisting schools in reaching their optimal growth. She is employed at the Harker School as the Director of Global Education. Jennifer is very active and loves camping, hiking and going to the beach with her two children, who both attend Discovery's Phoenix campus.
