Galileo Year-Round Staff

Galileo Learning's home office is in Oakland, Calif., where an experienced team works year-round to develop curriculum, partner with top-notch facilities, select and train amazing summer staff, and provide caring customer service to families enrolling in camp. We provide our local Camp Directors with the tools they need to run a safe, fun and organized camp experience, which they in turn stamp with their own unique flavor and creativity.

Learn about current job opportunities in our Home Office.

Glen Tripp, Founder and President
Ileana Street, Vice President of Operations
Tajalli Horvat, Vice President, Field Operations
Chris Goetz, East Bay Area Director
Maggie Roach, North Bay Area Director
Marie Lewallen, South Bay Area Director
Stephanie Burns, Peninsula Area Director
Puja Dasari, Director of Middle School Programs
Becky Spencer, Director of Human Resources and Special Projects
Denay Scharpf, Recruiting Director
Jeremy Sampson, Marketing Manager
Jessica Eiselman, Customer Service Manager
Joyce Friedrichs, Curriculum Development Manager
Stephanie Chang, Director, The Tech Museum Summer Camps
Steve Faller Warehouse Manager

Glen Tripp, Founder & CEO
	While an undergrad at Stanford University, Glen got his first camp job at Stanford Sierra Camp and discovered the joys of working with kids during the summer. After graduating and spending six years operating after school programs, he returned to his camp roots and founded Galileo in 2001. Glen’s dream is to create an enduring company that promotes creative development and nurtures the careers of current and aspiring educators. His 5 and 7-year old boys are proud attendees of Camp Galileo Back to top
Ileana Street, Vice President of Operations
	Ileana joined Galileo in 2004 and has worked in the areas of children's education and marketing since 1993. She directed leadership programs for Hispanic high school and college students at the National Hispanic Institute and founded and ran CraniaMania, a company specializing in online academic competitions and promotional games for youth. Ileana received her BA in Psychology from Stanford University and MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA. Ileana loved attending camps every summer as a child-some of her favorites included space science and psychology camps, church camps, and theatre camp. Back to top
Tajalli Horvat, Vice President, Field Operations
	Tajalli has been with Galileo since our first summer of camp in 2002 as an Area Director. Since then she has helped grow the company while directly serving our Peninsula and East Bay communities. She now oversees the field, leading the Area Director Team and managing camp operations. Previously, she was the National Marketing Manager and opened and directed several centers for SCORE! Educational Centers in Chicago. Tajalli has a B.A. in Spanish and Business from the University of Southern California and currently lives in the East Bay with her husband Tim and is expecting her first baby in January! She loves to dance and travel in her free time. As a child, Tajalli attended theater arts and canoeing camps. Back to top
Chris Goetz, East Bay Area Director
	Chris joined Galileo in the Spring of 2007 and he oversees Camp Galileo's East Bay locations. Prior to Galileo, he spent 7 years working for SCORE! Educational Centers in San Diego and in the Bay Area where he was a Regional Manager. Chris graduated from UC San Diego with a double major in Human Development and Psychology, and is a proud husband and father to two. He spends much of his free time with his wife and kids and loves photography, fitness and all things Disney. Back to top
Maggie Roach, North Bay Area Director
	Maggie joined Galileo in the summer of 2008 and oversees the North Bay Camp Galileo sites. She received her BA and MA in education at Stanford, where she spent summers on the shores of Fallen Leaf Lake at Stanford Sierra Camp. After several years at SCORE! in roles including Center Director, Region Manager, and Project Manager, and some time working in school districts and with education non-profits, Maggie is excited to be back in a summer camp! She loves helping to create fun learning environments for kids, and is excited to spend time with camp families in Marin and San Francisco. Back to top
Marie Lewallen, South Bay Area Director
	Marie came to Galileo from after earning her BFA from UCSD and her MFA from California College of the Arts in painting. After a year as Lead Art Instructor and two years as a Camp Director in Menlo Park, Galileo became a true passion for Marie. It embodies her hope to help kids and staff build confidence, take risks and to voice their own creative minds. Marie joined the Area Director team in 2008 and oversees the South Bay Camp Galileo sites. When she's not with her South Bay camp community Marie is painting, writing and visiting San Diego for adventures with her family beside the ocean. Back to top
Stephanie Burns, Peninsula Area Director
	With a contagious energy and passion for arts, science and outdoors, Stephanie inspired Camp Galileo campers for five years as Founder and Camp Director of Camp Galileo in Woodside in 2003 and San Francisco in 2005. She then joined the Area Director team in 2007. Prior to Galileo, Stephanie earned a Bachelor's Degree from Wake Forest University, and spent 10 years teaching and training with Bay Area environmental education organizations including the Marine Science Institute, Headlands Institute and Bay Model Association. Stephanie looks forward to meeting all of our Peninsula families at camp this summer, as well as continuing to learn and grow with the entire Galileo community! Back to top
Puja Dasari, Director of Middle School Programs
	Puja received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Columbia University, and her Master's degree in Education from Mills College. This is Puja’s 5th year with Galileo. In 2008 she founded Galileo’s newest program, Galileo Summer Quest and now manages four sites along with The Tech Museum Summer Camps. Prior to her work at Galileo, Puja was a Camp Director for Cybercamps and Technology Director at Community Bridges Beacon in San Francisco, where she led a variety of science and technology workshops for elementary, middle and high school students. In her spare time she enjoys conducting culinary experiments on her husband and playing Wii bowling. Back to top
Jeremy Sampson, Marketing Manager
	Jeremy joined Galileo's marketing team in 2007 after 5 years and multiple roles at SCORE! Educational Centers, including a stint as the Northern California Marketing Manager. Previously he worked in the travel industry marketing cruise vacations, and taught English to business executives for a year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jeremy received his BA in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley, where he also served as the Sports Editor at The Daily Californian from 1995‒1997. As a freelance writer, Jeremy has also written music reviews and features for multiple Bay Area online publications, including SF Station and Flavorpill. Most importantly, he spent many unforgettable summers as a senior camp counselor at Kamp Kaleidoscope in Northridge, California. Back to top
Jessica Eiselman, Customer Service Manager
	Jessica, an Oakland native, joined Galileo in November. Prior to joining Galileo, Jessica enjoyed providing great customer service to her clients at Merrill Lynch, administrators at the University of California Office of the President and families at SCORE! Educational Centers. She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies from UC Riverside. Her fondest memories are from her many years as a camper and staff member at Camp Arazim and she looks forward to working with all of the Galileo families. When not working, she enjoys going to the Oakland Zoo and Tilden Park with her husband and two daughters. Back to top
Becky Spencer, Director of Human Resources and Special Projects
	Becky joined Galileo as Director of Recruiting in 2005, and was responsible for recruiting over 2000 camp staff members over 5 years in that role. In 2010, she shifted her focus to work with Galileo's growing Home Office team, and currently manages HR, professional development, and internal staff hiring. She also gets to take on other special projects to help drive the company's growth into its second decade. She previously worked as a District Manager with Cutco, where she was responsible for recruiting, training, and managing a team of college students. Becky received her BA in English Literature and French Language from Whitworth University, and earned the Professional in Human Resources Certification in 2009. She is an avid urban gardener, loves to cook, and wishes she could spend the summer in Kitchen Chemistry! Back to top
Denay Scharpf, Recruiting Director
	Denay joined Galileo as Director of Recruiting in Fall 2009. She has worked in the recruiting field for more than a decade, including her time running a Campus Recruiting Program in Chicago and as a Recruiting Manager at The Gap. Denay earned her B.S. in General Studies from Indiana University. When not recruiting for Galileo, she enjoys time with her husband and 1-year old son Ryan. She has also been known to dabble in hobbies as wide-ranging as interior design, sewing and dance. Her knowledge of 1980s music lyrics is virtually unparalleled. Back to top
Joyce Friedrichs, Curriculum Development Manager
	Joyce has devoted her career to educating children in traditional and non-traditional settings. She has been a teacher, the Education Director and CEO of a non-profit education foundation, and has worked in educational publishing training teachers and as a science product manager. Joyce is the board chair of the Environmental Volunteers, a non-profit that teaches kids to love and respect nature. She has a B.S. in Education from the University of Colorado. Joyce joined Galileo Learning in 2004 and manages Camp Galileo's art, science and outdoors curriculum development. One of her passions is orchestrating the development of amazing art, science and outdoor activities for campers. She loved her day and overnight camp experiences as a child, and had a blast as a summer camp counselor. Back to top
Stephanie Chang, Director, The Tech Museum Summer Camps
	Stephanie graduated from MIT with a major in Biology and minors in Science, Technology, and Society and in Biomedical Engineering. After a stint in Washington, DC in science policy research, she moved to California to explore the wonders of the West Coast. Having taught marine science and outdoor education on boats in the Bay, she has spent the past year as the year-round Director for the Tech Museum Summer Camps‹and loves it! She's thrilled to continue improving, expanding, and making Tech Camps the best ever for 2009. When not entirely focused on the Tech, Stephanie works on recruiting and curriculum development for GSQ as well , and in her spare time, she enjoys eating sour gummy worms while bounding around the outdoors. Back to top
Steve Faller, Warehouse Manager
	A big kid himself and proud father, Steve came to Galileo in February 2008 to put his organizational skills to work in our warehouse and logistics areas. He brings six years of summer theater experience, 10 years of trade show management and a wealth of product distribution knowledge to our camps' supply management challenges. Steve is thrilled to be putting his passion, knowledge and enthusiasm to work for the benefit of Bay Area youth, families and Galileo camp staff. Back to top