Ryan is a Sacramento native and as a child was fortunate enough to be exposed to many of the cultural events the Bay Area has to offer. Art, music and the power of a strong community became a clear passion of his at a young age. After graduating high school, he set off for the Central Coast to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. There he was studied Urban Planning, Real Estate Development, and Environmental Design.
Mara was born and raised in San Diego, California. She completed her Bachelors degree at the University of California Davis and since then has traveled and worked around the world. She began her career in San Francisco working to help low income Californians gain access to legal aid. In 2011 she moved to Cambodia to work with the United Nations and a local non-profit called Legal Support for Children and Women on policy relating to labor migration and human trafficking.
Margaret Karl was born and raised in the Bay Area and she began her professional career with San Francisco Ballet when she was just 16 years old. While at SFB, she worked with many world-renowned choreographers such as Mark Morris, William Forsythe, Wayne Macgregor, and Christopher Wheeldon, and she received an Isadora Duncan Award in 2006. In 2010 Margaret retired from professional dance and graduated with honors from St. Mary’s College. After leaving the stage, Margaret continued to work with professional dancers pursuing higher education at St.
Born and raised in the East Bay, Matthew’s first exposure to charitable giving was when he came into the city with his family to see musicals or go to the symphony—his parents would give him $5 to either buy candy or give to someone in need. It was a poignant lesson and he always gave the full $5 to the first person he saw, begging his parents for more cash at every encounter along the way.
As a Deputy Public Defender who protects and defends the rights of SF’s most vulnerable residents through effective, vigorous, compassionate, and creative legal advocacy, Brian is no stranger to serving his community. He brings this same passion to the Reason to Party team, which he joined in 2011. As Treasurer of Reason to Party, Brian is responsible for all financial operations of the company, including financing, reporting, and accounting, and for making sure that we don’t waste any money and thereby donate as much as possible to our beneficiaries.
Brandon is originally from Hanford, California where he grew up on his family’s farming operation. He graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2008 with a degree in agriculture business and a minor in agricultural communications.
