Staff
Abel Talamantez, Chess Program Director​
Abel Talamantez joined Rise during the 2021-22 school year as Chess Program Director. Prior to coming to Hamilton, Abel served for 3 years as the Chess Director of the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, the oldest continuously running chess club in the country. He has a decade of experience coaching scholastic chess in elementary schools, as well as building community and culture within the club.
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Abel is a California native who has spent the last 10 years as a chess coach and organizer, spending the last 3 years as Chess Director of the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, the oldest continuously running chess club in the country. He has co-organized many state and national championship events, including the CalChess Super States Championship, CalChess Grade Level Championship, Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship, U.S. Junior Congress, U.S. Cadet Championship, and U.S. Amateur Team West. Abel is the 2020 US Chess Accessibility and Special Circumstances Person of the Year and 2021 US Chess Organizer of the Year. He has over 10 years of coaching experience at the elementary school level in schools throughout the Bay Area and is as passionate about introducing brand new players to the game, as well as developing and coaching a competitive team.
He strongly believes in the power of chess to bring communities together, and that chess can be used in schools as a tool for social empowerment, developing critical thinking skills, teaching sportsmanship and competition, and many other skills that children will use throughout their life away from the chessboard. The goal of the chess program at Hamilton is to make chess enjoyable and fun, to build community among the players, and to give kids a place to go where everyone feels valued. From beginner to experienced player, all are welcome at the Hamilton Chess Club.
Abel has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley. He is also a FIDE Arbiter, FIDE Instructor, FIDE National Instructor, FIDE School Instructor, US Chess Senior Tournament Director, and FIDE Chess in Education Lecturer. He is also the current Chair of the US Chess Clubs Committee. You may contact Abel at abel@riseforthekids.org. ​​​​
Neil Caynan, Athletic Director
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Neil Caynan has been the athletic director of RISE since 2021. Prior to joining RISE, Neil served as the athletic director and dean of students at St. Hilary School. Neil is in his 20th year of teaching and brings over 25 years of experience coaching basketball at schools throughout Marin County including Marin Catholic, Marin Academy, and Terra Linda High School. You may contact Neil at neil@riseforthekids.org.
Madi Cavanagh, Operations Coodinator
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“Hi everyone! My name is Madi Cavanagh, and I’m so excited to be joining RISE Scholars full-time as the Operations Coordinator. After starting my career in tech sales for a nonprofit fundraising software company, I realized my true passion was working directly with students and supporting their academic growth. While studying for my Masters in Elementary Special Education, I worked in the classroom as an instructional assistant for two years. Then I worked as a special education teacher for two years. Over the past three summers, I’ve had the joy of teaching at SummerHawks and learning more about RISE Scholars. During that time, I completely fell in love with RISE's programs and saw first hand the incredible impact RISE has had on so many students' lives. I am honored to join this community on Hamilton's campus and very excited to lead the intervention programs, including RISE in Reading and RISE in Math, coordinate the after school Math Academy for 3rd-8th graders, and run the RISE SummerHawks program. I can’t wait to keep building meaningful connections with our students and families!” You may contact Madi at madi@riseforthekids.org.
Gail McCallister, Enrichment Program Associate
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BIO COMING SOON
You may contact Gail at gail@riseforthekids.org.
Kim Hospodar, Mentor Center Manager
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BIO COMING SOON
You may contact Kim at kim@riseforthekids.org.
Mike Thomas, Athletics Coach
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Mike Thomas retired in 2015 from St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco where he was a counselor, teacher, and coach for 39 years. Mike is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. Mike was instrumental in developing the full and thriving athletic program that exists at Hamilton School as part of the RISE program. Mike coaches track and field, cross county and basketball.
You may contact Mike at mthomas@siprep.org.
Janico Bracken, Chess Instructor
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BIO COMING SOON
You may contact Janico at brackenjanico@gmail.com