Ron Indra
Director of Safe Schools Project
Ron has a BA in Philosophy and Political Science with a minor in Business as well as a JD in Law. Currently, he is a teacher and advocate at Harbor High School where he has taught social studies for over 32 years.
In the past, he has worked as a financial consultant, director of Kennolyn Camps, Board Member of the Western Association of Independent Camps and American Camping Association.
Ron serves as the Director of the Safe Schools Project. Director of the Middle Schools Project, Chair of Santa Cruz City School’s LGBT Task Force and co-author of the AB 537 policy for SCCS. He is the adviser to the oldest Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) in the county and also serves as the LGBT consultant to PVUSD, SCCS, COE, UCSC and Santa Cruz County Greater Federation of Teachers. Awarded Outstanding Teacher of California, Eddy Award winner, Santa Cruz City Schools and the Good Times Outstanding teacher awards, and was honored with the Queer Youth Leadership Award as an Outstanding Adult Ally.
Jamie Cutter
Safe Schools Project Task Force Member
Jamie Cutter is a teacher and Queer-Straight Alliance advisor at Delta High School. She creates and teaches her own English and sex education curriculum that connects social justice concepts to the Common Core State Standards. She attended the University of California, Santa Cruz where she earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and sociology as well as a master’s degree in education. In 2014 Jamie completed San Francisco Sex Information (SFSI)’s Sex Educator Training, an intensive 60+ hour professional development program to support her work in teaching medically accurate and LGBTQ inclusive sex education. In addition to her work with the Safe Schools Project, Jamie also volunteers for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Diversity Center.
Rob Darrow
Safe Schools Project Director of Research
Dr. Rob Darrow has worked as an educational consultant with a variety of colleges and K-12 school districts in California to implement blended and online learning. He has also worked as an adjunct professor, online charter school principal, coordinator of school libraries, grant director, and teacher. His research interests include safe school environments for LGBT youth, blended and online learning, professional learning, creating a social presence in online courses, and school libraries. He is a native of Santa Cruz where he graduated from Harbor High and now works with the Safe Schools Project of Santa Cruz County as the Director of Research.
Ben Geilhufe
Safe Schools Project Task Force Member
Ben has been a gender educator and advocate since 2006. He has contributed to policy reform for higher education institutions, non-profit organizations and larger corporations around gender identity, awareness, and inclusivity. He pursued his MA in counseling psychology to better serve gender-expansive individuals in their journey of identity exploration. He works as a therapist and consultant and employs the gender affirmative clinical model to support gender-expansive individuals and their families. He is an active contributor to Mind the Gap, the Bay Area gender specialist team, and the Santa Cruz Transgender Therapist Team. He sits on the board of the Santa Cruz Diversity Center.
Gail Levine
Safe Schools Project Task Force Member
Gail is a former faculty member at UC Santa Cruz and Superintendent of Schools in the Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District. She worked for many years as a teacher and administrator in Santa Cruz City and Live Oak School Districts. She now keeps busy in her retirement by traveling and working on the Safe Schools Task Force as well as a variety of other community events.
Lauren Taylor
Safe Schools Project Task Force Member
Teacher at Mission Hill Middle School.