EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL - Key Persons
Adam joined Eastside Prep to teach Physics and Advanced Physics. He discovered his love for teaching while leading undergrad classes and labs as a graduate student at Cornell. After Cornell, he taught upper school physics and math at Lakeside School for seven years before he switched to teaching younger students. He has worked on integrated curricula before and is excited to work within the EPS mission.
Adam loves live music, dancing, and philosophical fiction.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Varsity Boys Ultimate Head Coach, Varsity Girls Ultimate Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Technical Theatre Specialist
Alex joined the facilities team to gain the experience of maintaining a campus while using skills he learned doing home renovations. On the weekends Alex enjoys hiking during the warmer seasons with his husky Russ. Alex also meets up with friends weekly to cook and play boardgames together.
Job Titles:
- English, College Counselor
Allison has been at EPS since 2007. She is a Kirkland native who came to her career in teaching by way of the East Coast publishing industry; she used to edit and market children's books, until she realized students and teachers are way more fun than publishers. Allison now loves helping students identify their storytelling strengths in the classroom and as they apply to college. When she's not immersed in a book herself, Allison can usually be found tending her garden, cooking, jogging through the woods, or hanging out with her family.
Amis has been proposing a wide variety of visual arts offerings to engage students of all skill levels at EPS since 2005. Courses have included ceramics, drawing, painting, mixed media, graphic design, and filmmaking. Her philosophy is that art inspires and enriches our lives. It transcends languages and prejudices. It opens and expands our minds to the world around us and teaches us to see.
Amy started rowing as a middle schooler at Overlake. She rowed in college for Stanford and is on the Lake Union Crew Nationally Competitive Team. She has taught people to row from ages 12 to 75 and loves helping people get on the water.
Amy began rowing in high school at Mount Baker, spent four years rowing for Radcliffe, and rowed with Lake Union Crew as an adult. She was a member of the Junior National team and has won nationals at the junior, collegiate and masters level. Amy enjoys working with individuals along the whole spectrum of rowing skill and experience. In addition to coaching middle and upper school students at Eastside Prep, she teaches kids and adults how to row, and coaches a women's nationally competitive team.
"Rowing has taught me that there is no finish line. You can always push a little harder, go a little farther and do a little more, on the water or off. As a coach, rowing continues to provide opportunities for me to learn and grow, and I love creating those opportunities for others."
Amy has been a member of EPS' counseling team since the 2019-2020 academic year. Amy comes to EPS with a diverse array of experiences providing school-based mental health counseling to young people, including time spent at other Seattle-area independent schools as well as school social work settings in the Chicago area. In addition to being a School Counselor, Amy is a Licensed Associate Independent Clinical Social Worker whose clinical area of interest is the nexus of athletics and mental wellbeing.
In her free time, Amy enjoys distance running, hiking, cycling, cooking, reading non-fiction, and keeping up with her energetic young son.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Athletic Operations
- Assistant Director of Athletic Operations / B.a.S. Information Technology
Angie has a passion for systems and information management and she has enthusiastically applied those skills to the EPS athletic program. Prior to her work at EPS, Angie was the Operations Coordinator and high school registrar at a local independent school and a database systems manager for Mountlake Terrace High School. Angie has also spent time in the corporate world, non-profit sector, and as the owner of several small businesses. Her pride and joy is her family, which includes her husband who is a school principal, her music-loving teenage son, her soccer goalkeeper daughter, and her two rescue pups. When not on campus, Angie enjoys traveling around the world, hot yoga, discovering really good bakeries, biking, and art.
Anne joined the EPS community in 2018 to teach mathematical thinking and science. She has an array of teaching experience from college level chemistry courses to sixth grade chemistry as well as integrated math and science at several nationally recognized schools in San Diego and the Phoenix areas. In addition to teaching math and science courses, Anne has worked on curriculum development at each school, been an advisor to students, clubs and independent studies as well as served as a mentor to new teachers. After watching her youngest daughter graduate from college in May 2018, Anne started her next adventure in the Pacific Northwest at EPS where she has acted at tenth grade GLC, completed the Professional Development Program (PDP) and now serving as the twelfth grade GLC.
Anne grew up to a Danish mother and American father leading to most of her childhood experiences growing up in Denmark. So when Anne is not busy teaching, she enjoys travel as she has friends and family all over the nation and world.
Job Titles:
- Associate Head of School for College Counseling and Alumni Relations
Ben has been practicing as a BOC certified Athletic Trainer for 11 years. He is a Massachusetts native where he completed his bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Fitchburg State University. He went on to Weber State University in Utah to earn his master's in Athletic Training. Ben continues to enjoy the interactions with athletes, coaches, and families and the variety that comes with each day when responding to injuries in sport. He brings a passion for helping others to Eagle Athletics.
Ben lives in Snohomish with his wife Michelle and two boys Miles and Owen. He enjoys playing sports, hiking, fishing, tackling house projects, and spending quality time with his family. He is excited to join the Eastside Prep community and looking forward to connecting with everyone around campus!
Job Titles:
- Social Science & EICL Co - Coordinator
Bess McKinney joined EPS as an Upper School Humanities teacher and 11 th/12 th grade advisor in 2016. In addition to her teaching in the Humanities, in 2018 she became EPS's Equity and Inclusion Coordinator.
Prior to EPS, Bess taught at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences and at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut. Bess is also an attorney and has clerked for the Washington State Court of Appeals and worked as a civil rights lawyer.
Bess is passionate about and dedicated to helping all EPS students feel included and seen for all that they are, and about helping students see and think beyond their own lives. In pursuit of this goal, Bess has attended the National Association of Independent School's People of Color Conference, Courage of Care's Courageous Compassion Advanced Training program, and Columbia University Teacher School's Klingenstein Summer Institute. As much as this training and learning has aided Bess's work, she is most helped by her students. Bess is continuously inspired and motivated by EPS students and their passion for creating a more equitable and inclusive community and world. She believes fiercely that, as Maya Angelou wrote, "in diversity there is beauty and there is strength."
When not on campus, Bess can be found outside running or hiking, in her living room or a local coffee shop reading, or in her kitchen baking or cooking.
Job Titles:
- Director of Special Projects
- Real Estate Developer
Bob Baldwin has been a real estate developer / homebuilder in the Seattle area since 1991. Prior to his arrival in Seattle, Bob was in real estate sales and marketing in New York, NY. As an Account Manager for two large marketing agencies; his clients were some of New York's major real estate development firms.
Upon his arrival to Seattle, Bob worked for several development companies and was a partner at The Murray Franklyn Companies. He has developed single-family homes, multifamily condominiums and apartments, mixed-used developments, Master Planned Developments, a golf course community, commercial buildings and storage facilities throughout the Pacific Northwest.
For the last several years, Bob has worked as a development consultant and owner's representative in the Seattle area. He has assisted EPS in the development of its campus since 2011 as a real estate advisor and Owner's Representative. He has developed the Bishop/Friel buildings remodel, the first and second Levinger-Poole Commons remodels, and the Middle School remodel in 2014. Bob managed the design and construction of the school's first ground-up construction project, The Macaluso Academic Collaborative (TMAC) completing it in 2015, as well as the TALI Hall building completed in 2018.
Brandon is moving home after living abroad for 12 years. Originally from Stevenson Washington, a small town in the Columbia River Gorge, he decided to move abroad over a decade ago. Starting off in Qingdao, China, followed by seven years in Cairo, Egypt, he wrapped up the tour with two years in Jeju, South Korea. In 2020 Brandon's daughter Nieva Corynn was born and it quickly became a family priority to live closer to home.Adjusting back to life in the states will have some ups and downs, but the extremely welcoming community at EPS has made this transition quite easy.
Brandon joined the EPS staff in 2022-2023 as a mathematics teacher and advisor. He previously worked in the IB (International Baccalaureate) Program for the past nine years and has taught both MYP and DP courses. Brandon attended Undergraduate and Graduate school at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. There he studied mathematics and theatre before starting a masters program in education. Brandon's first teaching job was in the Franklin Pierce School District as a mathematics and theater teacher before hopping over the pond and living internationally.
When not with his daughter, you can find Brandon playing board games, out for a run or reading a book. Brandon is excited and humbled at the opportunity to work at this school and is looking forward to a great year at EPS.
Job Titles:
- Varsity Volleyball Assistant
- Varsity Volleyball Assistant Coach
Brittany is currently a Pre-School teacher for the Seattle school district and has loved and played competitive volleyball since high school. She went to Lakewood High School in Arlington, Washington where she played varsity volleyball and track and field. She then went on and played Jr College at Skagit Valley College. She now plays all over WA State as well as traveling with a local women's volleyball team. Brittany has coached middle/ high school age club volleyball and regular season high school volleyball since 2014.
Job Titles:
- Junior Varsity Boys Ultimate Head Coach
Bryan has been playing for 13 years and coaching at EPS for 7 years with the US Boys JV program as well as with various Middle School teams. His goals are always to foster the love for the sport and develop players to the point where they are more than prepared to make the jump to the next level of play-whether it's moving onto varsity, college, or even club.
Caitlin McLane joined EPS as an Upper School Humanities teacher and Advisor in 2017. Prior to EPS, she taught history at the Baldwin School outside of Philadelphia, St. Mark's School outside of Boston, and Emma Willard School, her alma mater, in upstate New York. Along with teaching, Caitlin enjoys cooking (and eating!), hiking, running, and traveling. She is also a huge sports fan. As a native of Cooperstown, New York, the birthplace of baseball, Caitlin is an avid New York Yankees fan.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Operations
- EPS As Chief Financial Officer
Casey joined EPS as Chief Financial Officer in 2017 with twenty-five plus years of finance experience. Before joining EPS he was the CFO at Nuun Hydration where he helped grow the young company to a leader in the healthy sports drink market. Prior to that he spent thirteen years at T-Mobile and its predecessors in both corporate and operational finance roles. After graduating from the University of Washington, Casey began his career in public accounting. A native of Bellevue, he has served on non-profit boards since early in his career. He has been a board trustee of KidsQuest Children's Museum for more than a dozen years, including stints as Board Chair and Treasurer. Casey lives in Issaquah with his wife Christy, who has been an educator in the Issaquah School District for more than twenty-five years. They have two children, Sienna graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a Biology degree and Kellan is a senior at the University of Washington studying Political Science. He enjoys sports and the outdoors, especially running, cycling, and cheering on the Huskies.
Job Titles:
- Learning Support Administrative Assistant
Cassidy joined EPS in November 2022 to support the Learning Support team. After working years in the corporate event industry, she is excited to transition into an academic setting. Her skills will translate well into managing the variety of testing a student goes through during their academic year.
Outside of work Cassidy can be found soaking up every minute with her husband and two small children, traveling to their favorite places and being outside.
Job Titles:
- Director of Enrollment Management
Cheryl joined the EPS community in July 2018 following thirteen years of enrollment experience in both independent school and college settings. Most recently, she served as Director of Admissions at Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, a fellow member school of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools.
Passionate about helping families and collaborating with colleagues, Cheryl values working both in and beyond the admissions office. She works to advance inclusion and equity on campus, and enjoys learning beyond the classroom through outdoor trips and retreats.
While Cheryl grew up in both New Jersey and Colorado and has lived in five different states, she considers Tacoma her true home. When she is not at EPS, you'll find her in T-Town enjoying time with family and friends.
As Director of Enrollment Management, I'm excited for you to get to know the team of professionals I am honored to lead. Emceeing our events, you'll hear and see me often during the admissions sessions you attend!
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Varsity Volleyball Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Administrative Services Director
Tina brings to EPS over ten years of general office administration, primarily assisting senior executives in corporate sales & marketing. As the school's Administrative Services Director since 2005, Tina provides support to the Head of School and the Board of Trustees. She is also the managing editor of Inspire, Eastside Prep's biannual magazine. Outside of work, she likes to spend time with family-traveling and exploring new places. Tina also enjoys reading books and working on her latest beading project.
Dan joined EPS in March 2023 and previously held the role of Director of Finance & Operations at another independent school in the Northwest. He and his wife live in Renton and enjoy cooking, hosting friends, working out in their home gym, and generally living the simple life. Always curious and learning new things, Dan likes to take on DIY challenges. His current focus is on restoring a classic vehicle and building new skills to aid in that process. Dan is passionate about supporting educators so they can dedicate their time to improving student outcomes; he is excited to continue that work at EPS.
David Kelly-Hedrick joined Eastside Prep to teach seventh and eighth grade English. He comes from a long career in education and community work that includes time developing leadership and service programs at the Seattle YMCA.
David and his wife have three kids. He loves hiking, running, swimming, and just wandering through the city or mountains.
David developed a passion for science and mathematics from watching episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy on PBS when he was growing up. The strong desire to pursue a STEM education led him to his engineering degree, chemistry doctorate, and postdoctoral research position. His fourteen years of chemical research includes development of communication materials and processes for producing value added chemicals. While chemical research has always been an important part of his life, David's heart was drawn to science education because he believes it is the means to have a greater positive impact on the world. Prior to joining EPS, David taught college chemistry courses. He began his teaching career as a chemistry instructor at South Seattle College where he was also a math and science tutor in the Upward Bound program. Most recently, he was a visiting assistant professor at Pacific Lutheran University. David was drawn to EPS for the opportunity to educate and prepare students in STEM fields, the small class sizes for individualized instruction, and its commitment to building a strong inclusive community. He hopes that his research and teaching experience will inspire students to be critical problem solvers and lifelong learners in their future academic, professional, and personal pursuits. Outside of the classroom, David enjoys bouldering, lifting weights, watching sports, and spending quality time with friends, family, and his greyhound Heisenberg (named after German quantum physicist Werner Heisenberg).
Job Titles:
- Director of IT Operations
Derek brings years of experience in website design, video production, photography and marketing to Eastside Prep. As the school's webmaster, Derek will assume responsibility for updating and improving the school's main EPS website as well as smaller sites such as arts.eastsideprep.org and athletics.eastsideprep.org. He will also help to increase the school's social media presence and will teach two Web Design classes. Derek moved his family to the Seattle area from Southern California for the opportunity to work at Eastside Prep and enjoy the many outdoor opportunities the Northwest offers.
Job Titles:
- College Counselor, Literary Thinking
Job Titles:
- Student Records Coordinator
I will be interacting with you throughout your time here. I review and make sure the application information about you and your family is accurate. I also will provide transcripts and records for you when it is time to go to college and beyond.
Job Titles:
- Junior Varsity Volleyball Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Job Titles:
- Learning Support Specialist
Job Titles:
- Technology Support Specialist
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Student Well - Being
Job Titles:
- Database and Network Administrator
Job Titles:
- Varsity Assistant Boys Basketball Coach
As our campus ambassador, I welcome visitors and community members at our front desk. I will also be seeing you at events and in interviews.
Job Titles:
- Admissions Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Admissions Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Varsity Assistant Girls Basketball Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head of Upper School
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategy, Technology, and Innovation
Job Titles:
- Literary Thinking & Faculty Development Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Assistant to Institutional Advancement
- Executive Assistant to Institutional Advancement
Born and raised in the Seattle area, Katie is a Pacific Northwest native. She is a proud alum of the University of Washington where she earned her B.A. in English & Communication with a minor in Dance. Over the years, she has trained in ballet, modern, and tap dance. After graduating from UW, she started her career in Advancement at an independent school where she worked for three years before coming to EPS.
When she's not working, Katie enjoys running long distances, lifting weights, and being active. She also loves to read, write, and spend time with her family and friends. In the summer, she likes to hike and enjoy the natural beauty of the Northwest.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Administrative Assistant to Alumni Relations and College Counseling
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant to the Office of Student Well - Being
Job Titles:
- Academic Design Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Enrollment Management Coordinator
I have the pleasure of getting to meet you through parent interviews, student visits and activities and through other events!
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the Upper School
- Executive Assistant to the Upper School / Master of Library and Information Science, University of Washington BA, Art History & Visual Culture Studies, Whitman College
Kristine grew up just outside of Kansas City, but her family's roots are in the Pacific Northwest-and she is happy to be home. She joined EPS as the Executive Assistant to the Upper School in 2021. Prior to EPS, Kristine was an upper school librarian at another independent school in Seattle and a librarian for King County Library System and Kitsap Regional Library. In her free time, she loves to read, sew, and knit.
Job Titles:
- Dining Services Assistant Manager
Job Titles:
- Theatre and Production Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Varsity Girls Ultimate Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Director of Academic Design and Integration
Job Titles:
- Admissions Event Coordinator
- Admissions Events Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Physical Education
- Rowing Coach
Job Titles:
- College Counselor, Learning Support Specialist
Job Titles:
- Learning Support Specialist
Job Titles:
- Learning Support Specialist
Job Titles:
- Resident
- Teacher
- Varsity Boys Ultimate Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Varsity Girls Tennis Head Coach, Varsity Boys Tennis Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Director of Student Well - Being
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the Middle School
Job Titles:
- Theatre and Events Technician
Job Titles:
- Varsity Boys Tennis Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Security / Safety Officer
Job Titles:
- Director of Health Services
Job Titles:
- College Counselor, English
Amy decided to take a risk on running cross country in her senior year of high school. She often finished in the back of the pack, so she was surprised when her coach pulled her aside to share her belief that if she continued running, she could become competitive. Several years of consistency later, that prediction came true as she discovered endurance running. Amy has run three marathons, finished 2 nd female overall in a trail 50K, and trained to attempt a Boston Marathon qualifier (2020 had other plans). More importantly than the joy of getting faster, Amy developed a deep appreciation of running as a moving meditation and an empowering way to connect with herself, friends, and the world at large. In 2021, Amy has loved running all of her miles with her favorite running buddy - her son, who is due in early fall. In addition to coaching cross country, Amy serves as one of our School Counselors and enjoys the opportunity to integrate her understanding of mental health into athletics.
Job Titles:
- English, Assistant Head of Upper School
Job Titles:
- Varsity Girls Basketball Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Director of Institutional Advancement
Job Titles:
- Middle School Volleyball Head Coach