Board of Trustees
Board Positions for 2025 (effective November 19, 2025)
President: Doug Brown (Term expires Dec. 2026) - at-large trustee (elected in 2022)
Vice President: Katie Jay (Term expires Dec. 2028) - Area 3
Clerk: Chaitanya Bhuskute (Term expires Dec. 2028) - Area 2
Trustee: Nicole Mustafa (Term expires Dec. 2028) - Area 5
Trustee: Semonti Stephens (Term expires Dec. 2026) - at-large trustee (appointed in Dec. 2025)
Outoing Trustee: Dan Devoy resigned from the Board, effective November 18, 2025.
CHAITANYA BHUSKUTE
Mr. Bhuskute was first elected in 2024 and is serving his first term (2024-2028).
Chaitanya Bhuskute is an engineering manager at Meta (formerly Facebook), where he leverages technical and leadership skills to build teams and drive progress in security infrastructure. He and his spouse moved to Burlingame in 2019, and have two children in the Burlingame School District, both at Franklin Elementary. Prior to Burlingame, Chaitanya earned his MBA and BS in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Arizona.
In his own words: I grew up attending public schools in Arizona, and have seen firsthand the impact that BCE and local community initiatives have on Burlingame as a member of the BCE board. I'm excited to be joining the Board of Trustees to provide support where I can for the Burlingame community. Outside of work/volunteering, I'm an aviation hobbyist and love to travel, making Burlingame one of the perfect places to find a park and plane-watch!
DOUG BROWN
Mr. Brown was first appointed in March 2022, elected in November 2022, and is serving through 2026.
Doug Brown joined the Burlingame School District Governing Board of Trustees in March of 2022. He and his wife have two children; one at BIS and one at BHS. Since moving to Burlingame in 2013, he has been active in the community by serving on the Measure M and O Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee since 2019, coaching AYSO soccer, and supporting BCE.
Doug is a Managing Director and co-head of higher education public finance at Wells Fargo Securities, where he assists universities and nonprofits in accessing the capital markets to fund projects, primarily with municipal bonds. He earned a BA in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale College and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Away from work, Doug enjoys spending time with his family, skiing, camping, and visiting his native state of Montana.
KATIE JAY
Mrs. Jay was first elected in 2024 and is serving her first term (2024-2028).
Katie joined the Burlingame School District Governing Board of Trustees in December 2024. She and her husband have lived in Burlingame since 2013; their twins attend McKinley Elementary School. Katie originally joined the Burlingame School District in 2006 as a third-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School, where she taught for 10 years. After her time at Franklin, Katie was a founding teacher at Hoover Elementary School when it reopened in 2016. Katie taught at Hoover for six years and is currently taking time away from the classroom to focus on her family and volunteer work.
In addition to her professional experience, Katie has been an enthusiastic volunteer and leader in the BSD community. She began volunteering at McKinley during her boys’ kindergarten year and has served in a variety of leadership positions, including as PTA President and Harvest Chair. She has also served as the PTA Council Art Reflections Chair, and as both New Family Site Liaison and Scholars Circle Site Representative for BCE.
Katie holds a BA in Psychology and Education from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University. She also holds both a California Teaching Credential from Cal State Long Beach and an Administrative Credential in Educational Leadership from Cal State East Bay.
With a unique perspective as both an educator and a parent, Katie approaches her work on the Governing Board with a collaborative mindset, working to ensure that every Burlingame student thrives.
Outside of her board work, Katie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and spending time outdoors.
NICOLE MUSTAFA
Mrs. Mustafa was first elected in 2024 and is serving her first term (2024-2028).
Nicole Mustafa was elected to represent Trustee Area 5 on the Burlingame School District Board of Trustees in November 2024 and took office in December. She comes to the board with deep roots in public education and administration and years of leadership across the BSD community.
A Wisconsin native, Nicole grew up in a family of public school teachers, administrators, and union negotiators. Her childhood was shaped by dinner-table conversations about contracts, classrooms, and district reform — and by sitting in on school board meetings where her parents presented on behalf of their colleagues. That early exposure left her with a lasting conviction that engaged boards, when focused on students, can drive meaningful change even when the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly.
Before public service, Nicole built a small business and worked for nearly twenty years as a registered massage therapist and participated in shaping the legislation pertaining to massage therapy that was then passed in the statehouse. She later trained as a surgical technologist and worked on a neurosurgery team at a Level I trauma center. After moving to San Mateo County in 2016, she became active in her children's co-op preschool and served as its board president through the COVID years, helping to keep the school open safely when many similar programs closed. She has since held executive PTA roles at Washington Elementary School, served on the BSD PTA Council, and joined the board of the Burlingame Community for Education (BCE) as New Families Chair and later as Washington Site Director where she gained a close-up view of district leadership, school finance, and the broader BSD community.
Since taking office, Nicole has prioritized building deep expertise in board governance. She has completed the California School Boards Association's Master in Governance program and continues to participate in trustee training through both CSBA and the California Teachers Association — organizations with different perspectives she considers equally important to learn from. She is also currently studying Public Service and Public Policy at Arizona State University.
Nicole lives in Burlingame with her husband and their two children, who attend Burlingame schools.
SEMONTI STEPHENS
healthcare, and public service. She spent nine years at Apple working across health and communications initiatives. Prior to that, Semonti worked at Square, joining a team to support small businesses through innovative payment solutions.
Her career is distinguished by her time in public service, most notably on the communications team for First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House, and earlier on the Obama for America campaign. She also served in roles for U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tom Harkin, Mark Dayton, and Chuck Schumer.
Originally from Minnesota, Semonti and her husband have made Burlingame their home where their children attend Burlingame's public schools. She is deeply committed to advocacy and community engagement, where she served as Co-Chair of the Special Education District Advisory Committee (SEDAC) for Burlingame School District, working to ensure equitable educational opportunities for students with special needs.
BOARD INFO & RESOURCES
Regular Board Meetings will now start at 5:30 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m., effective 4/16/25.
Board of Trustees Calendar of Meetings
Board Meeting Agendas/Minutes (Current)
Board Meeting Agendas/Minutes (2009-2022)
How to Make a Public Comment in-person or virtual (click the dropdown arrow above the list of meetings)