PARK DAY SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Lower School Spanish Teacher
Alisa joined the staff of Park Day in 2014. She grew up in Brooklyn, NY and fell in love with Spanish in the fourth grade through a weekly class offered in her school. She told her parents she was going to live in a Spanish speaking country one day and since then, has travelled or lived in Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, and El Salvador. Alisa went to Boston University, where she received her teaching degree in elementary and special education. One of her first jobs as a young teacher in California was teaching Spanish at the Walden School in Berkeley, where she was deeply and permanently impacted by progressive education. After seven years at Walden, Alisa went on to teach Spanish and music in a number of other schools in the east bay, including Manzanita SEED Dual Immersion Elementary School in Oakland. Through her work with an organization called Guitars In The Classroom, she has also taught many classroom teachers throughout the Bay Area to play guitar and integrate music into all aspects of their curriculum. In 2015, Alisa earned her Masters in Education with a concentration in Language and Literacy.
Alisa was a founding member of the performing group Colibrí, with whom she performed Latin American folkloric music for twenty years. She lives in in Berkeley with her teenage son, and enjoys travel, playing music, gardening, and hiking.
Job Titles:
- Digital Media Manager & Enrollment Associate
Job Titles:
- Family Physician
- President of the Board
- Contact Board Chair
Andrea is a family physician with a small practice in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. She received a B.A. in History and Sociology from Columbia University and attended the University of California San Diego for medical school. Her two sons and daughter attended Park Day School. Andrea was a parent Trustee from 2010-2014 while her children were enrolled at Park Day. She rejoined the Board of Trustees in 2017 as a community Trustee, later serving as Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Governance Committee, and Chair of the Committee on Trustees. She lives in Oakland with her husband, Michael.
Job Titles:
- Seventh and Eighth Grade History Teacher
Born in Washington, D.C., Andrew was raised in small-town Pennsylvania in an area that is affectionately called "the Wilds". Educated at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, he has taught a variety of grade levels at a number of independent schools in the East Bay and Seattle areas. Andrew joined Park Day School in 2015. In addition to teaching, Andrew helps lead youth outdoor programs in the California wilderness.
When not teaching, Andrew can be found avoiding long lines, chasing his kids in the backyard, fixing something on his house, walking in the woods, listening to music a little too loud, or dreaming of big league baseball.
Job Titles:
- Head of School
- Leader
- Meet Head of School
Angela Taylor has been a school leader for more than 20 years. Prior to taking the helm at Park Day School in 2020, she served as the Head of School at Convent Elementary (K-8 girls division) at the Convent & Stuart Hall Schools in San Francisco, where she worked and taught for nearly two decades. She and her husband Shaw have been proud and active Oakland residents since 1997. Angela is committed to progressive education, and to stretching students to meet the challenge of leading transformational change in a world that is becoming more and more polarized and fragmented. A longtime educator before moving into school leadership, Angela started her career as a teacher at the esteemed progressive school, The Children's School, in Atlanta, GA. She has a B.A. in Child Development from Spelman College in Atlanta, and an M.A. in Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Ariel is a Park Day School alumnus ('89), and is the parent of boys in 3rd grade and Kindergarten. He works at Facebook as a data science research manager specializing in product research. Before Facebook, he worked as a quant researcher at a hedge fund.
After receiving his BA in Economics & Politics at Oberlin College, Ariel obtained an MA in Statistics at UC Berkeley.
Job Titles:
- Director of Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Arjuna joined the Park Day administration in 2019 after serving as the Admission and Outreach Director at the East Bay School for Boys. Prior to that, he served as the Childhood Development Center Manager at Wu Yee's Children's Services and Program Director at the After School Enrichment Program. Throughout his professional and personal life, Arjuna has sought to cultivate authentic relationships with community stakeholders in the service of equity and inclusion. Arjuna is also a Park Day parent.
Job Titles:
- Director of Auxiliary Programming
Ashley has held multiple roles at Park Day including Dean of Students and Athletics Director. She is delighted to be Director of Auxiliary Programming and oversees the after school, camps, and athletics programs at Park Day while also working as an admissions associate in the enrollment office. Prior to joining Park Day School in 2018, Ashley taught upper grade elementary school in Berkeley and Oakland for nine years. During her time teaching in the Bay Area she has developed her passion for and acuity at helping students grow into socially responsible, fulfilled and achieving students. While teaching at Oxford Elementary, Ashley served as Equity Teacher Lead and Technology Teacher Lead. At Crocker Highlands Elementary she was selected to model Caring School Community curriculum, a strategy for creating inclusive and socially/emotionally skillful student communities, for the district.
Ashley played basketball at Holy Names University where she later earned her M.A. in Urban Education. Ashley enjoys any kind of physical activity with her dog Peppy, watching the Warriors dominate and spending time with her family, especially reading books to her newborn daughter and young son.
Bianca Salaverry is a parent Trustee with two boys in 4th and 5th grade. She knew Park Day was the right place for her family from their first visit. What drew her to the school initially was its commitment to progressive education and centering of social justice, but the warmth and diversity of the community have proven to be equally meaningful. From Day 1 Bianca has taken advantage of the many opportunities to get involved at Park Day, including volunteering in the classroom, driving for field trips, and running a booth at the Halloween Carnival. She has taken on more extensive leadership roles in the past two years as Room Parent and co-chair of the Parent Stewardship Group. She's excited to learn and support the school even more as a Board Trustee.
Job Titles:
- Seventh and Eighth Grade Science Teacher
Briana is looking forward to returning to the middle school classroom after five years of teaching at Envision Academy High School. She is particularly excited to join Park Day's progressive education model, where students can practice science in its authentic form of discovery and collaboration. In Briana's class, students will be introduced to several disciplines of engineering as students create cars, musical instruments, and electronics.
Briana is also looking forward to returning to the small classrooms and parental involvement of private school education. Having attended private schools from elementary through graduate school at Stanford University, Briana appreciates the unique ecosystem Park Day provides to nurture children in a holistic manner. She hopes to honor that holistic model as students to learn science's integration in daily life. For instance, students will learn the physics behind music as they build their own instruments, or the organic chemistry behind plant life as they care for their gardens.
Job Titles:
- Middle School Learning Specialist
Originally from Ithaca, New York, Carrie has lived in the Bay Area since 1979. She holds degrees in Drama, Creative Writing, and Educational Therapy. She began her teaching career in the Creative Writing department at S.F. State University in 1995. Since then she has taught at Everett Middle School as a member of San Francisco WritersCorps/Americorps, tutored in the East Bay for over ten years, taught drama as a Teaching Artist with Walnut Creek Civic Arts, and been a classroom teacher at Raskob Day School and Bayhill High School. She was a Learning Specialist at The Mills College Children's School, conducted psycho-educational assessments for The Ann Martin Children's Center, and most recently was the District Reading Specialist in Piedmont Unified's Special Education Department. For over ten years she has maintained a private practice in educational therapy. Carrie joined Park Day School in 2018. She has also published essays, articles, and short fiction, and her plays have been seen in local theaters. Carrie was a founding board member of Twins by the Bay, a local support group for parents of twins. In her free time she can often be found at the theatre, or enjoying the outdoors.
Cassandra came to Park Day School in 1997 having worked for years in the Astronomy Dept at UCB. She was drawn to Park Day because she wanted to be a part of a workplace community, especially one that dedicated itself to the important work of educating children. Since coming to Park Day, Cassandra has been an important member of our Diversity and Justice Alliance Committee. She is proud of the work that the DJA does bringing the questions to the community about issues of race and equity.
Cate is a parent of one current and one future Park Day student and an Alameda resident. She credits her mother, a public school history teacher who pushed the boundaries with her curriculum and always encouraged her children and students to learn beyond the books, for her passion for progressive education. Cate was born and raised in Central Illinois and received her bachelor's in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois. She currently works as a Vice President of Sales at Clorox, where she has worked since college in a wide variety of roles.
Chanda Williams is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and the proud parent of a fourth grader at Park Day School. Chanda has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and master's degrees in Integrative Health and Depth Somatic Psychology. She is the Northern California Program Director for the Prison Yoga Project. Since 2015, she has facilitated yoga classes inside San Quentin State Prison. Chanda is a Ph.D. candidate currently completing research that will describe the effects of mindfulness-based, trauma-informed yoga for incarcerated people. She also is a research specialist for a clinical research study sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, evaluating the effects of mindfulness-based movement for veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). In her free time, Chanda loves spending time with family and friends, enjoying delicious food or out in nature.
Chris is an attorney practicing in the areas of health care, litigation, and general business matters. He was born and raised in southern California, where he attended both college and law school. He is a proud parent of two Park Day students. An avid sports fan, he can usually be found on weekends roaming the sidelines and dugouts at his kids' soccer and baseball games.
Chris was excited to find her home at Park Day School in 2018 - the kind of school her parents, themselves children of the counterculture, would have chosen for her. Chris is honored to lead the school's fundraising efforts with the Annual Fund, plan events such as the East Bay Mini Maker Faire and the beloved Read-a-Thon, oversee ParentSquare communications, and support our devoted parent volunteers.
Chris enjoys playing volleyball, binge watching both lowbrow and high-concept tv, and she inherited an obsession with the music of the golden age of Motown and '70s Rock & Roll. She lives in Alameda with her husband, Lance, and is a proud mom to Skyler (25) and Anika (17), and a reluctant caretaker of the family's obnoxious tuxedo cat, Oreo.
Claire is an aspiring teacher and a new member of the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI) program. She has worked with young students at various summer camps and through volunteering positions. In her spare time, Claire likes to garden, cook, roller skate and hike. She is a Bay Area native and is thrilled to be working with the wonderful community at Park Day!
Job Titles:
- Fifth Grade Math and Science Teacher
Claudia graduated from Stanford University in 2017, after studying learning in an interdisciplinary program called Symbolic Systems, and joined the Park Day School community in 2019. They previously worked at St. Paul's Episcopal School in the after-school program and as a caretaker. She is currently pursuing a Multiple Subject Credential and Masters Degree in Education with the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI). Claudia is non-binary, uses she/her and they/them pronouns, grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, TX, and now calls Oakland home.
Concha started working at Park Day School in 2002 and has a deep connection with the community. Concha enjoys teaching a number of classes, but her favorite is her beloved cooking class. She is adept at working with large numbers of kids at once, and as she works, her love for the kids shines through. She is a very hardworking staff member with creative ideas to make ASAP fun for all. Be sure to smile and say hello to her when you are picking up your kids from ASAP!
Job Titles:
- Middle School Art Teacher
Cristina was born in Puerto Rico and still has all of her family there. She loves the Island's warm ocean breeze. Her first degree was a BBA, in Marketing. She worked in the field for a few years before hearing the call to pursue her real passion. That's when she moved to San Francisco to attend the San Francisco Art Institute, were she obtained a BFA, in Sculpture and Photography and MFA, in Sculpture.
Cristina's first teaching experience was at Creativity Explored, a San Francisco non- profit that helps people with disabilities become artists within their own right. "These artists with disabilities are true to who they are," says Cristina. "They aren't afraid to create. Experimenting with materials gives them freedom and joy." Cristina's artwork resonates with this joy; the playfulness and the process of experimentation. She has been teaching Art to children for over a decade, and joined Park Day School in January 2013.
Dani grew up in the Bay Area and attended college at Holy Names University (HNU), where she earned a degree in Psychology. She played soccer for HNU and became involved in the theater program. Before joining Park Day's staff as ASAP director in 2014, she worked for two years as an after-school coach for Playworks, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching students conflict-resolution skills through creative play. Dani's favorite part of her job is having fun with the kids. She loves to sing, craft, take pictures, act, and play soccer. Dani has a beautiful daughter named Hayley.
Job Titles:
- Technologist & Blackbaud Data Manager
Denise returned to Park Day School in 2014 after a 5 year stint at St Paul's where she went through the BATTI Program (Bay Area Teacher Training Institute) and then taught kindergarten. Previously Denise taught k-2 Spanish at Park Day for one year covering a sabbatical, and also assisted and taught after school drama. Having received both a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) and an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in acting, Denise loves to weave theatre into her teaching. Don't be surprised if you find puppets, plays and a range of entertaining characters in her classroom. Denise lives in Oakland with her husband, Spencer. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, yoga, Tibetan Buddhist meditation and outdoor adventure.
Devin was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN by a community of teachers. He graduated from Macalester College in Minnesota where he studied education and creative writing. Before joining Park Day in 2014, Devin taught in a variety of educational settings ranging from running his own 5th grade classroom, to coaching soccer, to creating and implementing educational programming for youth and their parents at Planned Parenthood.
Devin earned his Masters Degree in Education through the BATTI program, which he completed in May 2016. When he's not in the classroom, Devin can be found building forts and eating burritos with his three daughters. He can also be found laughing with his wife at the number of young children they have. If you look hard enough, you'll hopefully see him playing more soccer again.
Dina Wolkoff has been a Park Day Parent since 2013 after moving to the East Bay from Vermont and Minnesota. She is the parent of a rising 7th-grader. Professionally, Dina‘s expertise is in Development (fundraising) for political, human rights, and educational non-profits in both higher-education and independent schools. Dina holds Masters Degrees in Chinese and International Management and has previously worked in the music and hospitality industries. Dina loves tennis, Broadway Musicals, and helicopter skiing in British Columbia. She is also an owner of Laurel Glen Vineyard in Sonoma. At Park Day, she has held many volunteer roles including Room Parent (1st, 3rd, 6th Grades) and member of the Fundraising Committee. She is thrilled to extend her volunteer work further as a Board Trustee.
Job Titles:
- Fifth Grade Humanities Teacher
Eileen joined Park Day School in 2018. Her educational philosophy emphasizes the development of critical thinking, creativity, personal responsibility, and social-emotional development.
Prior to joining Park Day School, Eileen taught 5th grade in Oakland for two years, during which time she served as the schoolwide lead Science Teacher, helping to develop Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) competency amongst the teaching staff, while also leading the school science fair for 150 students. Prior to that she was teaching in the Los Angeles area.
Eileen hones her passion for teaching writing by emphasizing collaborative and intensive reading and writing workshops. She loves exercising her educational creativity in an independent school environment! Eileen's BA is in International Relations, with a Spanish minor, from UC Santa Barbara. Her Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential is from Cal State Northridge. Prior to teaching, she worked in environmental sustainability, specifically focusing on water conservation. She is a social justice activist, volunteers at Berkeley Free Clinic, and works in Adult Literacy and at a youth Rescue Mission. While teaching is her professional passion, Eileen is also a traveler. She has spent multiple summers serving as a volunteer English teacher in Peru and Costa Rica.
Elizabeth grew up on the east coast and in the West Indies, on the small island of Bequia. It was there that her love of teaching was born as she volunteered at a small local school. Elizabeth graduated from Guilford College, a Friends school in North Carolina, with a BA in socio-anthropology. She received her Masters in Early Childhood Education from Norfolk State University. Before moving to Oakland, Elizabeth taught kindergarten for 12 years in the public school system in Norfolk, VA. Elizabeth has been at Park Day School since 2011.
When she's not teaching, Elizabeth enjoys singing, reading, traveling, and being silly with her daughter Sophie, a student at Park Day School.
Emily Hawley is a proud Bay Area native, and has lived in San Leandro her entire life. She has worked in Education for five years as part of the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay, previously as an after school teacher at Joaquin Miller Kids Club. She is passionate about art, and loves to draw and craft in her spare time. Emily is excited to be a part of the team at Park Day School.
Emily McMahon K-8 School Counselor Emily earned her BA in Performance Studies from UC Berkeley and her MS in Counseling/MFT from CSU East Bay. Most recently, she has worked as a school counselor in the San Lorenzo Unified School District in both elementary and middle schools. Emily is experienced with both restorative practices and trauma-informed practices.
Erwin Wong is currently the K-12 Director of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid at Convent & Stuart Hall in San Francisco. His work includes a 30,000-foot view of the institution when it comes to long-term sustainability thru the broad contextual lens of enrollment management without compromise to inclusive initiatives. For over 25 years, Erwin has devoted his professional life to some facet of education from early childhood programs, primary and secondary education to higher education. His academic background includes a dual undergraduate degree in Political Science and Sociology from UC Irvine, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at UC Berkeley in Public Policy, and a Master in Public Administration from USC. In July, he along with his wife and two girls will relocate to Southern California in order for him to begin his tenure at The Buckley School as their Director of Enrollment Management. In his spare time, he enjoys good conversations over a good cup of coffee.
Geoff and his wife, JoAnne, are the parents of three children who have attended Park Day, including Benjamin, Jake and most recently Kaila ('22). They have lived in Oakland since 1996. Geoff was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, received his BA in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University in Connecticut ('82), and, after living and working in Taiwan and China, received his JD from UC Hastings ('87). Geoff has specialized in the practice of maritime and transportation law since 1987. He started his own firm (Gibson Robb and Lindh LLP) in San Francisco in 1996, which recently moved Emeryville. Geoff's interests outside a demanding work and rich family life include cycling, open water swimming, science reads, barbequing, and walking about in Point Reyes National Seashore.
Job Titles:
- Middle School Spanish Teacher
Grecia was born in Mexico to a family of teachers and has been working in the classroom for years. She has a BA degree in Communications from the University of Veracruz and a Scientific Film Minor from the International School of Film and Video. Since 2006, Grecia has been teaching Spanish and art to Kindergarten through fourth grade students and has found her passion in teaching Spanish. She brings her cultural roots to her teaching, as well as her interests in art and Mexican folk dancing. Prior to joining Park Day School in 2017, Grecia taught in Orinda Public Schools.
Hannah Davis Gardener Hannah has been a landscape designer/gardener by profession since finishing the Merritt College Landscape Design program in 1988. Prior to that she received a BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA) after moving from Virginia at 19. She has been caring for our beautiful grounds since her oldest son came to Park for kindergarten in 1999. Hannah worked on the PDS annual Garden Tour fundraiser for over a decade: chairing, selecting gardens and editing the booklet. She is dedicated to preserving the grounds as a green oasis in the middle of Oakland and as an inspiring outdoor classroom. When not at Park she designs and maintains small residential gardens for private clients. Soon to be an "empty nester" with her husband, Mark, she hopes to find some time to get back to making art, doing some creative writing, and traveling a bit. Both of their sons are Park Day alums.
Job Titles:
- Director of Design Make Engage Program
At the heart of Ilya's educational practice is a deep curiosity about out how things work, whether it is a child's approach to problem solving or an engineering design solution. Ilya has worked with children and educators for over three decades, in school and non-school settings. As the director of Park Day School's Design+Make+Engage program and the Innovation Workshop, Ilya provides integrated and collaborative programming supporting STEM, community service and social justice curricula. In addition, Ilya is a member of the Agency by Design Oakland leadership team, facilitating a teacher fellowship in maker-centered learning classroom practices. Ilya was a Maker Leader for Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Project Zero, Agency by Design, a research project exploring the promises and practices of maker-centered learning. She has also been an instructional coach for the HGSE online course, Thinking and Learning in the Maker-Centered Classroom. Previously, Ilya founded Park Day School's Learning Resource Program, one of the first in Bay Area independent schools. She has taught for the Boston Children's Museum, Ullens School in Nepal, and the Sonoma State University Maker Certificate program. Ilya's lifelong learning includes B.A. Studio Art/Art History; M.A. Special Education and Certificate in Educational Therapy; extensive trainings in neuropsychological perspectives and addressing learning differences; and a host of workshops related to industrial arts, digital fabrication, and maker-centered learning. Ilya joined Park Day School in 1989.
Job Titles:
- Lower School Music Teacher
Jackie joined Park Day School in 2017. She has more than 20 years experience teaching music to preschoolers through adults, most recently serving as Teacher and Music Program Director at Escuela Bilinque Internacional (EBI) for 10 years. Jackie holds a BA from Holy Names College / Music and Arts Insitute of San Francisco and completed Orff-Schulwerk teaching certification from Dominican College, San Francisco. She is also an accomplished performer and continues to keep that aspect of her musicianship alive. Recently, Jackie studied music in Ghana with a group of teachers that included Jim Santi-Owen, our former middle school music teacher. Jackie will bring her Venezuelan culture and expertise to our music program, as well as incorporate robust Spanish language learning. She has been a highly sought after presenter, inspiring teachers around the world. Jackie will bring much joy and heart to our program and community. She is creative, passionate and her approach fits beautifully with Park Day's progressive model.
Job Titles:
- Auxiliary Programming Coordinator
Jalen started working at Park Day School in 2014. A Park Day alum, he has worked with students for the majority of his career both at Park Day, and at Steve and Kate's camp on the Park Day campus. His constant goal is to facilitate a fun, safe environment in which kids can play and connect with each other. He particularly enjoys art and is thrilled to be contributing to his alma mater!
Javia graduated from California State University, Sacramento in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Child Development, an Elementary Pre-Credential, and a minor in Counseling. Before the pandemic began she was a teacher's assistant at Bancroft Elementary in Sacramento. Javia has also worked with her church's Sunday school program, assisted with children in different holiday events, and worked part time at Aquatech Swim School. She will be earning her Master's in Education and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI). Outside of school, Javia enjoys listening to music while drawing or painting, baking with her mom, and doing arts and crafts.
Jean-Luc Bloom was born in Mexico and raised in the bay. He is a college student and his hobbies include; fashion, photography, hiking, and art. Jean-Luc is excited to join the ASAP team and the Park Day community.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Outreach & Service Learning
Jeanine Harmon has over 25 years of experience working in both public and private schools as a classroom teacher, administrator, and consultant. Prior to joining the Park Day School as Director of Community Outreach and Service Learning in 2009, Jeanine was the public school liaison for the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI).
Jeanine has taught courses for student teachers in math and science curriculum development at St. Mary's College in Moraga. She has a master's degree in Educational Technology from San Francisco State University and is rarely seen without her camera. Jeanine enjoys working with PDS staff and students to design service learning projects that connect the students with the local community and the world at large.
Jennifer has been following her interests in creating, designing, fixing, building and growing things since she was young, and is delighted to be able to do all those things at Park Day School, especially when kids are involved. Jennifer has been at Park Day School since 2012. She was instrumental in starting the gardening program and later took over as the learning gardening teacher. As she taught, Jennifer also spearheaded and managed various projects on campus, from the Innovation Workshop to the chicken coop, yurt, and the rainwater catchment system, and has worked with students to build many campus projects.
Jennifer received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University, and later completed graduate work in Architecture and Planning at U.C. Berkeley. She has over 20 years of experience in commercial and residential design, construction and project management, sustainable and green building design, and community organizing and public speaking. An avid gardener, cook, and maker, Jennifer is the mother of 2 wonderful children (both Park alums) and loves spending time outdoors with her family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Seventh and Eighth Grade English Teacher
Prior to joining Park Day School in 2018, Jen taught middle school English at a progressive, independent school in San Francisco. She also taught upper elementary grades for many years at a private school on the Peninsula. Jen comes to us with a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development from San Francisco State University, and an M.A. in Education & Teaching with a C.L.A.D. Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, both from USF. Jen is committed to helping students become successful, lifelong learners who are eager to identify as writers, read for pleasure, and contribute to their community. She especially enjoys supporting students as they travel, change, and explore these adolescent years. Her classes place an emphasis on critical thinking, skill building, and conversation. By pushing in these directions, Jen's students leave the classroom with a greater appreciation and respect for all forms of text, themselves, each other, and our global communities. In her free time, Jen enjoys practicing yoga, traveling with her partner, reading, gardening, and discovering new eateries in the East Bay. She recently moved to Alameda and loves taking her pup on long walks around the island.
Job Titles:
- Human Resources and Payroll
Prior to joining the Park Day School staff in 2017, Jill served as the first female Executive Director of the USS Hornet in Alameda. Before that, she was the Chief Finance and Operations Officer of the Chabot Space and Science Center. In both of these previous positions, an area of focus beyond finance and operations was advancing these organizations' skills and capacities in the area of STEM education.
Joe joined the Park Day School community in 2017. Joe earned his master's degree in Geography at the University of Arizona, focusing on local food systems and public art. In Tucson, he worked as a field coordinator for The Community and School Garden Program, developing and leading garden education curriculum for K-12th grade students and assisting with the designing, planting, and maintaining of fruit and vegetable garden sites. Prior to graduate school, Joseph served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua, working on issues relating to food security and sustainable agriculture. His projects included designing and implementing food-processing and agribusiness workshops, leading a school garden program for youth, and installing solar panels in the community with the assistance of a USAID grant. Joseph is excited to collaborate with his fellow teachers on developing curriculum that nurtures Park Day School students' academic, social, and emotional learning.
Josie AG Shapiro Chief Enrollment & Admission Officer josie.agshapiro@parkdayschool.org Josie has been working in youth-serving organizations for nearly 20 years, and has been at Park Day since 2016. She is a proud Park Day School alum, and credits her Park Day educators with teaching her how to love learning, approach challenges with creativity and kindness, and stand up and take action when something isn't right. She has a BS from Cornell University, and taught English and Creative Writing at the University of Montana where she received her MFA. An avid cook, Josie works on the side as a freelance recipe developer, and has taught cooking classes to first and second graders. She and her husband Alex have two daughters who attend Park Day School.
Job Titles:
- Middle School Drama Teacher
Born in Rochester, NY and having called Boston home for 11 years prior to moving to the Bay Area, Joyce is a Taiwanese American educator and performing artist. She holds a Bachelors and Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Wheaton College (IL) and Boston University, as well as a Masters in Education for Middle School Humanities from Lesley University. In 2006, Joyce debuted with Boston Lyric Opera as La Charmeuse in Massenet's Thais, went on to sing in multiple productions with BLO, and performed in Opera Boston's Boston-based premiere of Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar. She is a graduate of Luna Dance Institute's SI program, and has also taken part in Alameda Department of Education's Integrated Learning Specialist Program. In her work with arts and education, Ms. Ting has been a middle school humanities teacher, director, and arts administrator. Prior to joining Park Day School in 2019, Ms. Ting served as Program Director at zSharp. She is the current Co-Managing Director at Ailey Camp, hosted by Cal Performances at UC Berkeley.
In her spare time, Joyce loves traveling the world with a team of global music educators as part of the Glocal Collective, hiking with dogs, salsa dancing and eating her way through farmers markets.
Jules is delighted to be working with her favorite age group, Middle Schoolers, and to be working at a progressive school like Park Day School which holds students at the center of learning. A product of independent schools, Jules entered the field of education to ensure all students in independent schools were able to access equitable and inclusive communities. Jules taught Middle School History at Hillbrook school for nearly 7 years, and was the founding Director of Diversity there. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in history, focusing on Asian and Islamic Studies, and a Master's in History Education from San Jose State University. Her love for equity, inclusion and social emotional learning lead her to want to explore Equity and Inclusion work, and she has spent the past two years at Drew School, as the Director of Equity and Inclusion. In conjunction with campus wide equity work, Jules was able to explore the world of Social Entrepreneurship, bringing real world learning and experiences to students. In addition to her work in teaching and leading equity efforts, Jules has been a frequent conference speaker and teacher coach. She is excited to be returning to a Middle School environment, and values holding space for faculty, staff and students to have the hard conversations that are deeply necessary to move equity work forward, and support continual student growth academically and personally. Jules sees progressive education as deeply important to help students foster skills to figure out how they learn best, while helping them develop empathy and curiosity towards differences. She appreciates that school is a place for students to take these learnings and try, make mistakes, and get messy in an environment of trust, safety and support. In her personal life, Jules has been a golfer since the age of 7 and continues to teach anyone who is willing to join on the course! She loves food, coffee, cooking, coffee and more coffee!
Julia joins Park Day after spending her first year in the classroom as an Assistant Teacher at Creative Arts Charter School in San Francisco.
While earning her B.A. in Communications from CSU Sacramento, Julia's work as a nanny and tutor illustrated to her the importance of building community to best nurture and guide young minds. After a career in public relations and home design, she is excited to begin a new chapter with a commitment to inclusive and community-centric education.
Julia is currently pursuing her master's in teaching and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential through the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI) at Holy Names University. Outside of the classroom, Julia is happiest outdoors whether skiing, hiking, swimming, or horseback riding. She loves to learn from and experience different cultures by way of travel and adventure. Enjoying delicious food and sunshine with family and friends is her idea of a perfect day.
Julie has a Masters Degree in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and a graduate-level certificate in educational therapy from Holy Names University. She is thrilled to be coming back to Park Day School after taking the last six years to develop her educational therapy private practice. Julie worked as a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Park Day for 13 years. Before that, she taught in myriad educational settings, including special education and bilingual schools. When she is not working, Julie enjoys watching both her sons play baseball, going for hikes with her dog, and camping with her partner.
Kaela is an alumna of Park Day School and an Oakland native. She is a therapist, consultant, researcher, and speaker on issues related to the mental health of kids and teens, impacts of trauma on development, and support for families of color. Kaela holds a B.A. from Stanford University in urban studies with a focus on urban education, and African and African American studies, and an M.A. in clinical psychology with specializations in applied community psychology and psychological trauma studies.
In her previous roles she worked as Assistant Director of a non-profit developing programming to support students of color in independent schools, as a therapist in a domestic violence emergency shelter, and as a behavioral therapist for children with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Kaela recently completed a year-long fellowship in child and adolescent mental health at Kaiser Permanente Northern California and currently works in mental health research at Stanford.
Karen has been an educator since 1980 and joined Park Day in 1984. During her tenure at Park, Karen has taught second through fourth grades before taking the Lower School Director position in 2005. Park Day's progressive philosophy and political values have been a perfect match for Karen, who enjoys experimenting with and creating curriculum and grappling with issues related to school leadership and social justice. Karen migrated to California to put herself through school at SFSU, earning both her BA in liberal studies and completing post-graduate credential work. Karen has published Creating the Bedroom of Your Dreams in the California Mathematics Council Communicator in June, 2002, and was a contributing author to the Great Explorations in Math and Science guide, Math on the Menu: Real Life Problem Solving. She has presented several workshops for Oakland public school teachers and was the Keynote speaker for a seminar for California Subject Matter Projects, UCB in 2007 titled Educating for Sustainability: Principles and Projects that Build Ecological Literacy. In 2009, Karen presented Social Justice in Action: Proof and Practice at the Progressive Educators Network conference in Washington, DC. In 2011 she presented SDA: Support, Development and Assessment of Teachers at PEN. In 2004, Karen was awarded the Fulbright Memorial Fund and traveled to Japan with a contingent of 200 American teachers. She also had the privilege of leading a group of fifteen BHS students to Costa Rica, to take part in sustainability work through Ecology Project International. Recently, Karen attended the Project Zero Institute at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she furthered her expertise in the Teaching for Understanding model in practice at Park Day.
Karen is the mother of two Park alums, Celeste ('99) and Spenser ('02).
Born and raised in Oakland, Kate is a Park Day Alum and parent to two current Park Day Students. She credits her experience at Park Day for cultivating her love of teaching and learning, and inspiring her to pursue a career in education. Kate was a teacher in Brooklyn and Oakland for many years before becoming a principal at an Oakland charter school she helped to establish. She currently works in Oakland Unified School District coaching principals and leaders on school improvement. Kate holds a BA from Columbia University, and Masters degrees in both teaching and educational leadership.
Job Titles:
- Aging 's Executive Director
Kevin Prindiville is Justice in Aging's Executive Director. He is a nationally recognized expert on Medicare and Medicaid policy and has served as counsel in several class action lawsuits protecting low-income senior's access to public benefits. Since becoming Executive Director in 2013, Kevin has helped to double the size of the organization's revenue and staff.
Kevin has a long history of developing partnerships and directing strategic advocacy efforts. The author of numerous articles, reports and briefs, he frequently testifies before legislators, presents at national conferences and works closely with both federal and state regulatory agencies. He also is quoted often in national and California media. Kevin is on the Board of Directors of the American Society on Aging. Kevin was selected as a Next Avenue's "Influencer in Aging" in 2017. In 2019, Kevin was named to California's Master Plan for Aging Staeholder Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining Justice in Aging, Prindiville worked as a staff attorney at the Pennsylvania Health Law Project in Philadelphia where he represented low-income individuals having trouble obtaining health care. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the University of California, San Diego. Kevin is admitted to the California Bar.
Lauren was born and raised in the Bay Area, and went north to Chico State University where she graduated with a BA in French and a BS in Computer Animation. During college, she studied abroad for a year at Université Paris 8, Saint Denis in France. While in France, she had the amazing opportunity to care for and teach English to young children. Ultimately she decided to pursue a career in education and is currently enrolled in a Masters in Education and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential program through the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI). In her free time Lauren likes to study languages, do art projects, and cuddle her cats.
Lauren Kerr, a long-time Oakland resident, is a community trustee, and parent to a 2012 Park Day graduate. She's a creative director at Apple, and an Apple University Associate. Lauren has worked as a creative and writer in advertising for more than 30 years, including Publicis, McCann, Target Corporation, Gap, Inc., Banana Republic, Walmart, and more. She earned a B.A. in History at UC Berkeley, and an M.A. in Creative Writing at San Francisco State. Lauren mentors diverse young advertising talent through the Marcus Gordon Project, and also serves on the board of Chapter 510, a made-in-Oakland youth writing and publishing center.
Originally from San Diego, Lisa has been an Oakland resident for over two decades, and a member of the Park Day community since 2018. She is a professional painter who has taught art in the Bay Area for over 16 years, in independent school as well as through the Museum of Children's Art in Oakland. She holds a BFA in studio art from Mills College and an MA in art and art education from the Teachers College in New York. Lisa started making art when she was about three years old with her grandparents, both of whom were artists. She believes in the power of the arts to transform, to inspire, to imagine, to bring people together, and in the words of Toni Cade Bambara to "make the revolution irresistible."
When Lisa isn't painting or teaching art she is spending time with her family, including her son, hiking, cooking, gardening, and dancing. She has enjoyed the study of African Brazilian and Haitian dance for 20 years.
Job Titles:
- High School Transition Counselor / Admissions Team
Margaret joined the Park Day School staff in 2016 and brings more than two decades of experience working as a teacher and senior administrator in public and private schools in New York City and San Francisco. Formerly the Assistant Head of School, Margaret is now the High School Transition Counselor and also works in Admissions at Park Day School. Before joining PDS, she worked for 12 years at Children's Day School in San Francisco, most recently holding the role of Early Childhood Program Director where she served on the senior administrative team, led the early childhood program staff, ran parent education and and professional development initiatives, participated on the board, and collaborated with staff and families to meet student needs. Margaret brings to Park Day deep passion for partnering with families, progressive and child-centered education, a commitment to social justice, and dedication to helping children see that one little person can make a difference in the world. She holds an M.S. Ed in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education and earned her bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington. Margaret lives a few blocks from the house where she grew up in Oakland with her husband, Noah, and two children, Zach (PDS class of 2023) and Sebastian (PDS class of 2027). When she's not at school, Margaret enjoys yoga, walking, reading, cheering the Warriors, and leading tadpole-finding expeditions in the hills of Berkeley and Oakland.
Job Titles:
- Athletic Director & K - 5 Physical Education Teacher
Marisa joined the Park Day School community in 2019. She is passionate about mentoring and teaching students and athletes to help them achieve their goals. She is currently working on her Single Subject Physical Education credential at Touro University in Vallejo, CA. Prior to Park Day, she was a substitute teacher for Vallejo Unified School District. She is proud to now call the east bay home where she referees high school basketball and also coaches for the Golden State Warriors Jr. NBA camps.
Michelle was born in Irumagawa, Honshu, Japan and moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts when she was three years old, later moving with her parents to Northern California. From Japan to Cape Cod to the East Bay, through her exposure to a wide variety of cultures and experiences, she enveloped the concept of E Pluribus Unum (many uniting into one), the axle from which her teaching philosophy and curriculum stem. Teaching is her route to help build cultural bridges of understanding for young minds to traverse while they are developing empathy and learning to embrace diversity. Michelle attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications and later completed the multi-subject credentialing program at San Francisco State. Through the program, Teachers of Color in Independent Schools, Michelle taught at The Hamlin School for Girls in San Francisco, and later, The East Bay Sierra School (currently Prospect Sierra) before coming to Park Day in 1992. During her sabbatical year at Park, Michelle was accepted for a research fellowship with the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance Project in Montgomery, Alabama. There she wrote literary reviews for classroom and professional development material, published articles, led classroom workshops, and made presentations at southern universities. Michelle has been trained as a teacher consultant for UC Berkeley's Bay Area Writing Project, and brings this program to teachers in Oakland through workshops, and students during the summer through BAWP's Young Writer's Camp. Michelle has two sons, Alessio and Nolan, the latter a PDS alum. Michelle enjoys beading, reading, nature, photography and digital art, attending plays, scrapbooking and writing.
Job Titles:
- Middle School Music Teacher
Born in Chiapas, México, Miguel Martinez studied Music Education and Transversal Flute from the University of Science and Art in Chiapas and La Universidad Veracruzana with trained in Kodaly and Dalcroze and he has his Orff Schulwerk music certification by the San Francisco Orff International Levels. He has intensive experience teaching multicultural music from pre-school to the post-graduate level in Mexico, Cuba, and the US. Miguel has been a guest clinician for the AOSA (American Orff-Schulwerk Association), CMEA (California Music Education Association) and The OUSD (Oakland Unified District). He has been a music teacher and multicultural arts educator in the Bay Area since 2004. Miguel was a music teacher specialist for Young Imagination Youth in Arts, teaching students ranging from kindergarten through high school throughout the Bay Area. Miguel worked at Escuela Bilingue Internacional for many years developing an IB (International Baccalaureate) music curriculum. He is the founding director of Corazon Sur, a Mexican-Caribbean fusion ensemble, and is co-director of Balamcoatl, a collaborative project focused on diffusing the vibrant music and dance traditions of the indigenous people of México. Miguel stays busy in the San Francisco Bay Area's Latin music scene, playing Afro-Caribbean Music and Latin Jazz with Internationally renowned musicians. In 2009 he was selected by the Santana Milagro Foundation to be on the Voces del Cambio show on the Discovery Channel in which he shared his insight on how to utilize music as an instrument for newcomer children from Latin America to integrate into their new community. In the same year, he was awarded the best Latin Jazz Flautist of The Year for the Latin Jazz Corner. Besides his busy musical career as a composer, musician, and educator, Miguel enjoys cooking, traveling, and hiking with his daughter Ollin. Miguel joined Park Day School in 2018.
Monica earned her Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential through the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute and holds a Bachelor Degree in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz. Prior to joining Park Day School in 2020, Monica taught 1st and 2nd Grade for 8 years at private schools in the Bay Area. Prior to that, she was an outdoor educator for grades K-12 at AstroCamp, the Presidio Native Plant Nursery, and UCSC Arboretum. She also has 8 years of experience growing native plants for habitat restoration and leading volunteer programs. When she is not teaching, Monica enjoys spending time camping with her family, growing food and tending her garden, and connecting with friends in parks around the bay.
Noah is the parent of a Park Day School second grader and two little ones who have not yet reached school age. He is also a graduate of Park Day School (1990!). Professionally, Noah is a Risk Management Attorney at the law firm of Fenwick & West LLP, where he represents the firm on a wide variety of risk management, legal ethics and conflicts-of-interest matters. Previously, Noah worked in private practice representing lawyers and law firms on matters of risk management, legal ethics, and legal malpractice. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and U.C. Berkeley School of Law.
Paul has over two decades of experience in education and has been a member of the Park Day School community since 2019. His professional philosophy is based on the constructivist teaching model. He is a relational teacher and seeks to provide connection for students, drawing on promoting the growth mindset and implementing the Responsive Classroom model. His teaching has a strong emphasis on integrating science and outdoor education with literacy, social studies, and mathematics. Paul rigorously utilizes professional development to find the best practices to reach and teach all of his students and to make all students feel included. He applies strands from various methodologies in his classroom, such as Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD), and the Daily Five. He has incorporated service-learning projects for the environment into the classroom curriculum. Paul believes that It is vital for all children to know that we are all part of the community and that we must all give service to the community. His Master of Arts degree from San Francisco State is in Education, with a special emphasis on multicultural education, and his thesis was "Student Video Production in an Urban Classroom: Effects on Language Arts Skills and Family Involvement" (2003). Paul also earned a Clear, CLAD Multiple Subject Credential from San Francisco State. His Bachelor of Arts degree is in Social Sciences from UC Berkeley with a minor in Ethnic Studies. He also has a background in film and video production, which include co-producing an award-winning documentary. Paul has great interest in using video as an educational tool. He currently lives in Berkeley with his wife and two children.
Job Titles:
- Sixth Grade Humanities Teacher
Originally from Oakland, Rachel has a BA from Wesleyan University focusing on gender and ethnicity in a post-colonial context. Trained at Mills College, her philosophy of teaching has been shaped by her own experiences in Bay Area progressive communities, including Park Day School since 2005. Rachel strives to help the next generation understand the world critically, find their voices, and become citizens that support and transform their communities. Rachel has worked with students from the third grade to the twelfth, and is partial to the middle schooler's combination of openness and sense of humor. Outside of teaching, Rachel can also be found walking her Shiba Inu around the Dimond district or at Jordan park with her toddler. As an artist, she uses calligraphy, paper cutting, and embroidery to express herself and her vision of social justice.
A Berkeley native, Sara is deeply rooted in the Bay Area. She joined the Park Day team in 2019, prior to which she taught fourth grade and middle school math at Oakland Hebrew Day School for eight years, and worked in special education in Berkeley Unified School District. She got her BA in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and her Teaching Credential and Masters Degree in Education from Mills College, focusing on how high achieving math students respond to challenge. In her teaching, she cares deeply about social emotional learning, perspective taking, and developing strong growth mindsets. In her free time she loves to make art, go to comedy shows, take nature breaks, and sing around campfires in the redwoods with her friends.
Sara holds a Masters Degree in teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, and a graduate-level certificate in educational therapy from Holy Names University. Before joining Park Day in 2015, she was a classroom teacher for seven years, including one spent in Japan. She has taught grades 2-4 as a self-contained classroom teacher, and has been a reading support teacher for third-graders. Additionally, she has worked as an intervention tutor while completing her educational therapy studies. She has training in Orton-Gillingham, Slingerland, and Lindamood Bell structured reading methodologies. Sara is an 80% employee here at Park Day School. Outside of her professional life, Sara likes to spend time with her husband and two daughters, take long runs on trails, and play fetch with her furry pup, Millie.
Born and raised on the coast in the Pacific Northwest, Sarah graduated with her Bachelors of Arts degree in 2001 from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Feeling pulled to make a choice between teaching and psychology, she chose psychology and graduated in 2007 from John F. Kennedy University with her Masters degree in Counseling Psychology-Holistic (integrating body, mind, spirit, and culture). She provided individual, couples, family and child therapy before before getting hired as an Inclusion Facilitator (one-on-one aide). In this role she was able to fuse together the two areas she loved: teaching and holistic psychology. During that time she also assisted in the classroom as well as substitute taught. Sarah has been working in both private and public schools since 2002 and has been at Park Day School since 2014.
In her free time Sarah enjoys crafting (knitting, crocheting, quilting, making necklaces and hair accessories), going to concerts, and supporting local sports teams at games (go A's)! She especially enjoys spending time with family and friends, and visiting Washington and the ocean as much as possible.
Scott is an Oakland native who loves being a part of the Park Day community. Prior to joining Park Day, Scott worked as an after school teacher in Oakland public schools and as a professional musician. He is passionate about empathy, equity, and seeing students realize their potential as learners and as people. He looks forward to working alongside both staff and families to ensure that all students achieve their goals. When not on campus, Scott can be seen on a bandstand either behind a drum set or a microphone, entertaining crowds across the Bay Area and beyond.
Susan has taught second grade at Park Day School since 2004. She grew up in southern California, and received her Bachelors as a double major from U.C.L.A. in Psychology and Asian American Studies. After teaching English to elementary and middle school children in Japan, she earned her California multi-subject teaching credential and M.E.D. from U.C. Berkeley through U.C.B's Developmental Teacher Education program. She is a teacher consultant for the Bay Area Writing Project, has co-coordinated BAWP Young Writers Camps, and enjoys spending summers teaching writing to enthusiastic Young Writers. She has also participated as a fellow with the Agency by Design Fellowship in Oakland.
Job Titles:
- Business Office Controller
Terri was born and raised in Maryland, attended college in Pennsylvania, and settled in the Bay Area many years ago. She comes to Park Day School with more than six years of experience as an elementary school Garden Educator. Terri piloted the Garden Education program that is now in place at 10 schools in her prior district. She helped develop and implement curriculum for K-5 students with an emphasis on NGSS in the garden. Some of her favorite parts of being an educator are making connections with the students, providing lessons that embrace all types of learning styles, and being a positive influence in the lives of her students. She looks forward to teaching creative, engaging lessons and collaborating with grade-level teachers to provide cross-curricular connections for the students.
One of Terri's favorite garden activities is harvesting from the garden and cooking with students. She believes that if students learn where their food comes from, understand the process to grow and care for plants, and take part in cooking what they grow, then they will enjoy eating healthy foods.
During the pandemic, Terri felt a need to connect with her community and to get people outside and gardening. She started a plant and seed swap for neighbors to stop by and trade or start their own gardening adventure. In addition to the swap, she has an Instagram page where communities can resource gardening tips and connect. Terri hopes to build on the plant swap and create a crop swap to provide mutual aid for the underserved in her community.
Terri enjoys gardening, cooking, community building, creating mixed media artwork, and gathering with friends and family. Terri and her husband Terry have two sons, five chickens, a dog and a cat.
Tiffany is a Park Day parent to Callum, a rising 7th grader. Her consulting business, Oaktown Strategy, focuses on using the tools of consumer insights and human-centered design to inform strategic decision making. She primarily works with mission-driven consumer brands such as Impossible Foods, Good Eggs, Burton Snowboards, and Cora Feminine Care. Prior to starting Oaktown, Tiffany ran innovation, insights, and mission for Plum Organics, an organic baby food company most famous for pioneering baby food in spouted "squeezy" pouches.
Tiffany is an erstwhile musician, intermittent runner, enthusiastic if mediocre baker and a lover of trees and sunshine. She and her family live less than a mile from Park Day and are very grateful to be able to ride bikes to and from campus.
Job Titles:
- Registrar / Office Associate
Victoria is an Oakland native who joined Park Day in 2014. Victoria has over 15 years working in education, partnering with children and their families. Prior to working at Park Day, Victoria worked as a preschool teacher at, The Child Day Schools in San Ramon. She also worked as an after school teacher for a non-profit program called Ala Costa Center, where she worked with children and teens with developmental disabilities. Victoria attended California State of the East Bay, and earned her degree in Human Development. Victoria loves spending her weekends in the outdoors with her daughter and husband, swimming, hiking and biking! Victoria is also a foodie, and loves all things from the 80's and 90's.
Whitney joins the Park Day Community as the Middle School PE teacher, and she could not be more excited about it. Physical activity and sports are something she is passionate about. She loves helping students find ways of moving that they enjoy, and helping them feel confident and comfortable in their bodies.
Whitney has lived in the Bay Area since 2016, teaching at Katherine Delmar Burke School and the Hamlin School. Before that, she lived in New York, where she worked at The Dalton School, played a lot of sports, and ate ton of pizza by the slice. She holds a Masters in Education from Durham University, and attended undergrad at Williams College, where she was a 2-sport athlete in Lacrosse and Field Hockey. She still plays both those sports regularly, as well as flag football and pickup soccer. Whitney also loves to hike, camp, read, do jigsaw puzzles, watch lots of sports, and spend time with her dog Murphy.
Yesenia (Yessy) was born and raised in Oakland. She is a first generation graduate, and majored in Child and adolescent development at San Francisco State University. Yessy's passion for childcare started when she was 15 and began by babysitting for nieces and nephews. When she started college, she discovered that she had a passion for education and helping children develop. Yessy has worked at Steve and Kate summer camp for 4 years as a camp counselor. She started at Park Day School in 2021.
Yessy loves drawing and doing word searches. She has a side hobby/small business selling crafts made with a cricut machine, art made by resin, invitations, and chip bag favors.