Description :

Ms. Vanessa Paiz’s Eighth Grade English Language Class Interviewed Mr. William Shakespeare who traveled from England 400 Years ago to San Francisco 2026 The Students interviewed him at the Willie Brown Middle School.

Kevin Patterson is the Son of Phyliss and Ron Patterson who are the Founders of the Original Rennisan Faire and Dickins Fair in 1970.

Joe Schmitz‍ ‍( William Shakespeare)is a Bay Area stage actor, voice actor, and drama teacherHis current emphasis is the Hunter Heartbeat Method, a kinesthetic approach to Shakespeare that makes theatre more accessible to people with autism. 

Joe has had the pleasure to appear with Nash Baroque and Dance Through Time in their production of Pulcinella’s Dream. His other stage credits include various roles at the Dickens Christmas Fair, Lucifer with San Francisco Renaissance Voices, and The Poet in Poet’s Corner at the Marin Irish Festival. Joe studied theatre at Studio ACT in San Francisco and the Teatro Dimitri in Switzerland. 

Without Further Adieu… May we present to you Mr….

William Shakespeare !

Description: For Part Three: Round Table Discussion with the Technology Panel and the Faculty at Willie Brown Middle School

The Technology Panel at the Willie Brown Middle School was a two hour event. 

Here is part three:  A round discussion with the panel and the faculty, led by Jonathan Jacobson the Computer Science Teacher.

Maynard Holliday 

was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for research Engineering. He worked for President Obama during which time he launched the Defense Innovation Unit.

Taylore Givens 

Taylore works in engineering and consulting, helping to bring complex systems into real-world environments. Her work lives in the layer where technology intersects with physical infrastructure , regulation,and coordination across stakeholders. She represents the implementation bridge between abstract innovation and lived reality. Which includes:

Integrating systems into communities.

Navigating compliance and logistics

Balancing budgets and feasibility 

Coordinating between public private actors.

Taylore layer reminds us that technology is not just software -it becomes part of buildings, streets, institutions, daily life.

Adam Perry is in real estate and has a non profit.

He is the CEO of Blackbridge Development and Consulting, a real estate company that specializes in buying and renovating houses. They also help people get connected to contractors , landscapers and staging specialists. He is the executive director of Disciples Open Door Project, an education charity that specializes in empowering students of color and giving them resources that they need.

Richard Jones 

Richard Jones is a 25 year veteran of the internet .His experience at Intel Corporation and General Dynamics makes him a well seasoned Technology Professional.

His roles included Venture Capital Stock Options Trading, Strategic Marketing, Government Security and Clearances Emerging Country and Channel growth.

Jared Givens 

Is a Software Engineer skilled in C++ Rust, Typescript, Java Script, C# Go, SQL CMake Linear Algebra Agile SDLC He works for Tesla, He worked for Google and is the Co Founder and lead instructor  STEM Camp 

The Technology Panel at the Willie Brown Middle School was a two hour event where the

Middle School Students had the Opportunity to interview five STEM industry

Professionals. Here is part two of this truly wonderful event .

Adam Perry is in real estate and has a non profit.

He is the CEO of Blackbridge Development and Consulting, a real estate company that

specializes in buying and renovating houses. They also help people get connected to

contractors , landscapers and staging specialists. He is the executive director of Disciples Open

Door Project, an education charity that specializes in empowering students of color and giving

them resources that they need.

Richard Jones

Richard Jones is a 25 year veteran of the internet .His experience at Intel Corporation and

General Dynamics makes him a well seasoned Technology Professional.

His roles included Venture Capital Stock Options Trading, Strategic Marketing, Government

Security and Clearances Emerging Country and Channel growth.

Jared Givens

Is a Software Engineer skilled in C++ Rust, Typescript, Java Script, C# Go, SQL CMake Linear

Algebra Agile SDLC He works for Tesla, He worked for Google and is the Co Founder and lead

instructor STEM Camp

In Part ONE of our Technology Panel the students from Mr. Jacobson’s Computer Science Class and Mr Matthews Ethnic Studies Class interviewed Mr. Maynard Holiday and Taylore Givins

Maynard Holliday worked as Assistant to the Under Secretary for the department of defense under President Obama and President Biden. Taylore Givens works for Miscrosoft Edge and is a specialist in AI

Theo Ellington is a third generation San Franciscian who was raised in bay view hunters point

by his mother who was a a concessionaire at Candlestick Park for the San Francisco Giants

and 49ers games. Theo went to Charles Drew, and Gloria Davis Middle School at the age of 13

Theo lost his cousin to gun violence. Theo committed to creating a new normal for his

neighborhood . Theo made a documentary film about homelessness in San Francisco he made

two films that were shown at the San Francisco International Film Festival. And the World

Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland. Theo is the first of his family to graduate from collage.

Theo earned a masters from the University of San Francisco .Theo has been appointed by three

Mayors Mayor Gavin Newsom , Mayor Ed Lee, and Mayor London Breed .Theo served as the

infrastructure Commissioner he helped create over 1,000 new affordable homes including more

than 100 formerly homeless residents and low- income seniors while restoring over 50 million in

City investments for minority and women owned business. Theo was the Director of

Homelessness Initiatives and community development for the Salvation Army and He was the

Golden State Warriors first Director of Public Affairs, an important role bringing the team to the

Chase Center. Theo is now the Executive Director of the Ruth Williams Bay View Opera House

and is focusing on the next generation of local artist of color.

Theo is running for District 10 Supervisor , he is the a father of 3 young children and married to

his wife Seray a registered nurse. They are raising their children two blocks from where Theo grew up. Please Meet Theo!

The Honorable Willie L. Brown,Jr is easily one of the most recongnizable and influential politicians in California . He served as Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1980 to 1995 and as Mayor of San Francisco for two terms from 1996 to 2004. While many politicians keep a lower profile after they service, the 91 year old Mayor Brown still practices law and keeps up public appearances. In November of 2025 the students of Mr Matthews
seventh grade Ethnic Studies class at Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School interviewed their schools namesake about a number of topics- and their questions cut straight to the point ! Please enjoy this candid and heartwarming interview with former Mayor Willie L. Brown jr !

Since 1969, the Gap brand has been a fixture of American retail despite nearly sixty years of challenges, persevering along with sub-brands Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athletica. Robert J. “Bob” Fisher is the chairman of Gap Inc., and the son of original founders Don and Doris Fisher. Bob was chairman of Gap Inc.’s board of directors from 2004 to 2007, as well as interim CEO in 2019.

Outside of his work at Gap Inc., Bob is also the chair of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He is deeply involved with environmental and educational initiatives; he is a member of the Board of Trustees of the nonprofit organization Conservation International, and he and his wife Randi co-founded the Pisces Foundation, which focuses on environmental education and sustainable resource management.

For this episode of Peer Talk, our Willie Brown Middle School students chose to interview someone from Gap Inc., and we were lucky to have Bob Fisher himself join us. Our partner KALW (91.7 FM) graciously hosted us at their San Francisco community event space on May 27, 2025, and broadcast the interview live with the students' families in attendance! For those who missed it on the air, enjoy the students’ interview with Bob Fisher!

This week, the students of Peer Talk go space-bound with the dynamic husband-and-wife duo from NASA’s Ames Research Center, Kimberly and Joseph Minafra. As the Software Release Authority at NASA Ames, Kimberly oversees the release and licensing of NASA technologies. She drives tech transfer and commercialization, connecting with industry and public partners to bring space-developed software into real-world use.

Joseph leads Innovation and Technical Partnerships for NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) at Ames. His multidisciplinary background spans collaborative research systems, meteoritics, biology, project management, software and UI design, scientific illustration, and even professional cooking.

Pam Moore is a legendary Bay Area journalist with over 30 years at KRON 4 as an anchor and reporter, now serving as a special contributor. Her career spans major cities including Detroit, Boston, Louisville, Dallas, and Los Angeles.

She earned acclaim for her series About Race and won a Northern California Emmy for Who Owns Your Health. A member of the Bay Area Black Journalists Association, she was honored in 2009 for her dedication to journalism. Beyond the newsroom, she volunteers with the East Oakland Youth Development Center and co-founded Friends of Faith, a breast cancer support group.

The Peer Talk team was proud to welcome her to Willie Brown Middle School for an inspiring interview with Mr. O’s students. Tune in to learn more about Pam Moore!

Meet Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, representing California's 12th Congressional District in Oakland. She's the first member of Congress who is congenitally blind, and the first Muslim representative from California.

Before stepping into Congress, Ms. Simon served on the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board, the California State University Board of Trustees, and the San Francisco Foundation's board. She also made history as the youngest woman to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.

When Rep. Barbara Lee announced she was stepping down in 2024, Ms. Simon ran for the seat and won. In January 2025, she was officially sworn in. Shortly after, Ms. Simon sat down with Mr. O's students, and we're thrilled to share their interview with you on this week's episode of Peer Talk!

Beyond The Fog Radio presents our most exciting episode yet: an interview with former U.S. representative and current Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee, in partnership with KALW!

KALW (91.7 FM) is the oldest public radio station in the Bay Area, and it hosts a program called "Bay Made" which spotlights local creators and businesses. Ben Trefny is KALW's Executive Producer, and he kindly invited us on Bay Made to record our interview with Congresswoman Lee at KALW's event space in downtown San Francisco. On January 15, in front of a live audience that included former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Carolyn Tyler, and other community leaders, we launched into an in-depth look at Congresswoman Lee's life and career —

PEER TALK  at the Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School is a fresh new podcast emerging from the halls of The Willie Brown Middle School.

At Beyond the Fog Radio, we recognized the need for a platform designed for and by middle school students - where youth can develop their voices and share their perspectives.

Located in Bayview-Hunters Point, in San Francisco  a neighborhood that has been historically home to African American families, Willie L. Brown Middle School carries the name of  the well known former Mayor of San Francisco and Former Speaker of the California Assembly, who has devoted himself to the well being of the lives of others.

In the wake of Election Day 2024, we realized just how

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!!

Thank you all for Listening to Beyond The Fog Radio for the Past Four Years! We are now introducing a brand new brand the Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School Podcast!!!

The Students at Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School located in BayView Hunters Point in