POST-HIGH SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Controller
- Executive Director of the Nonprofit Disability Services Provider, Integrated Community Services
Abby Yim has served as Executive Director of the nonprofit disability services provider, Integrated Community Services, since August 2015. Abby also currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee of Service Providers to the Golden Gate Regional Center and Chair of their Legislative Committee, along with being a board member at STAR Academy and an Advisory Board Member to Disability Rights Advocates.
Abby has a passion for connecting the sectors in her advocacy and disability justice work, drawing from her experience working in investment banking, anti-poverty and gender equity.
Abby is currently working on diversity and inclusion projects with companies across the Bay Area to promote hiring people with disabilities in career-oriented work while building out social enterprise opportunities at ICS through their garden program and cafe.
Abby is a Marin native, received her degree in Disability Studies and English from UC Berkeley and currently lives in Berkeley within walking distance to her favorite cafes and bookstores.
Job Titles:
- Speech Language Pathologist
Alonna received her B.A. in Psychology and a specialty certification in Collaborative Autism Training and Support from Sonoma State University. After working for a variety of local organizations supporting educational and social cognitive growth for neurodiverse children, she returned to academia and earned her M.S. in Speech Language Pathology from California State University, East Bay. Alonna also holds a 200 hour wellness and yoga teaching certification in the Breathe for Change methodology, which focuses on mindfulness and social emotional learning for children and adolescents. She believes speech and language services should be functional, meaningful, and individually tailored to match the unique profile of each student. When she is not at Star, you'll find Alonna biking and hiking around beautiful Marin and escaping to the Sierras for camp and ski adventures.
Job Titles:
- Post - High School Coordinator
Alysha has been in the world of education since 2014. She double majored in Cultural Anthropology and Religions Traditions at UC Santa Barbara. After working for UC Santa Barbara in the academic support and counseling departments for four years, Alysha moved home to Sonoma County to peruse her teaching credential. Alysha earned her Education Specialist Credential at Sonoma State University and worked for the Sonoma County Office of Education for 4 years before joining the Star team. Alysha worked in our high school as the Transition Living Skills teacher, then became the Transition Counselor for the high School working with students and families on transition planning. Alysha is now Star Academy's Post High School Coordinator.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Marketing Manager
With a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from UC Davis, and an extensive background in marketing, Anna knew she would be a great fit for the Star Board. She is knowledgeable and passionate about her work, and brings that expertise to her work with Star.
A native of Marin, she is an Account Executive at a Communications firm in San Francisco, and spends time enjoying all the Bay Area has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Controller for Summit Engineering
Ashleigh is currently the Controller for Summit Engineering in Santa Rosa. She earned her MBA from UC Davis in 2019 while working for Sonoma Raceway. She is very excited to be stepping into the Treasurer role this year and becoming more involved with the school.
In her free time, she pursues her hobbies are reading and hiking.
Job Titles:
- Communications Consultant
Barry Mohn owns and operates Speak and Write, a corporate-training company providing workshops in communication skills. As a consultant, he leads programs in business and technical writing, presentation skills, and meeting facilitation for his clients in high-tech, financial services, bio-tech, and more. He has traveled the world delivering programs and trained with over 100 Fortune 500 companies.
Barry's daughter, Ila, is currently an 8th grader at Star Academy. After a long road seeking the right fit for her schooling, Ila began at Star in 6th grade. She immediately connected with her teachers and classmates, and her growth and attitude in school soared. She feels understood and at home at Star. Barry is honored to serve on the Board and does so with gratitude for all the school provides.
Job Titles:
- Speech Language Pathologist
Beth Gonzalez-Karcs, a San Francisco native, has worked as an SLP for the past 24 years. She has worked at Star since 2005. She is passionate about helping her high school students with their communication, social skills, graduation speeches, and preparing students for their future through supporting lessons that promote transition/soft skills. She currently lives in Sonoma County and has embraced the country life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, walking her three dogs and Zumba!
Bruce brings to Star a background is technology and product management. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an MBA From UCLA. He began my career designing computer chips in Silicon Valley. For the past twenty years, he has worked in the money management industry creating software tools to help manage risk.
He was born in San Francisco, grew up in Berkeley, and currently lives in Orinda with his family and two cats. His son is in the 12th grade at Star, and our daughter is in Boston pursuing a career in audio journalism.
He spends as much time as possible on the water sailing. He also enjoys hiking, skiing, baking, cooking, and performing magic!
For the past 20 years, Cameron has practiced tax law in the Office of Chief Counsel, IRS. While she has spent most of her legal career working for the federal government, once it became clear she had a child with special needs, she began educating herself to become a legal advocate for her daughter who is now a thriving student at Star Academy. Through her experience as an attorney with a special needs child, she gained invaluable experience and perspective resulting in a clear inner call to support and advocate for children and families with unique needs. She loves making a difference in the lives of families. She looks forward to continuing this experience as a member of the Star Academy board.
When not working or volunteering with various organizations including Sonoma Charter School and her church, she loves spending time with her husband and three daughters. Her hobbies include watching her children dance ballet, gardening, hiking and practicing yoga.
Cathie grew up in Great Falls, Virginia where she was raised by a neruo-psychologist and a physicist. Put them together and what do you get? An OT of course! She is a mom of an awesome 7 year old redhead named Ben and loves the outdoors and traveling with her family. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 1991 followed by extensive training to include SIPT certified, Perceptual Enrichment Program, Therapeutic Listening, Interactive Metronome, Masgutova Reflex Integration, HandWriting Without Tears to name a few. She loves working at Star because of the amazing staff, wonderful families and rockin' kids.
Job Titles:
- Speech Language Pathologist
Christina earned her Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from California State University, Sacramento. She is particularly interested in utilizing a variety of methodologies and modalities to incorporate a therapeutic and learning experience. She feels lucky to be able to closely collaborate with other professionals and involves families to provide a holistic approach to treatment. Outside of Star, Christina enjoys traveling, walking her hound dog, snowboarding, hiking, camping, and exploring new restaurants with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Director of Curriculum & Instruction
- Education Specialist
Claudia is a credentialed Education Specialist with a master's degree in special education and 16 years of experience as a Learning Specialist for students in grades 4-12. Her past administrative work experience includes Academic Dean and Vice Principal. She is deeply knowledgeable and passionate about her work, and is warm, enthusiastic, and highly detail oriented and organized. In her role at Star, she oversees the curriculum and academic program, evaluates and mentor teachers, handles student discipline issues, manages student and teacher scheduling and organizes professional development for the staff, and oversees case management for all privately-placed students. Outside of work, Claudia is a triathlete and competes at both the local and national level.
Originally from Upstate New York Danielle has called the Bay Area home for the past 22 years. Danielle joined Star with over 13 years of office management experience. She enjoys all the area has to offer such as the beautiful beaches, vast hiking trails and stellar views. She loves going on walks with her rescue dog Frasier, whom she adores. She is also a certified Spin Instructor.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Director of Student Accessibility
Dr. Stormy Miller is the Director of Student Accessibility and Psychological Services (SAS) at the College of Marin (COM). She earned her Doctorate of Education with a concentration in Postsecondary Education/Community College Leadership from San Diego State University and has a Bachelor's and Master's in Social Work from The University of Alabama. Prior to assuming her role at COM, Stormy worked in Disability Support Programs and Services at the San Diego Community College District and has more than 13 years experience in the field of disability in the community college and non-profit setting. She serves as a California Community College Chancellor's Office Regional Coordinator of Disability Support Programs and Services, and is a member of the California Association of Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED) and American Association of University Women (AAUW). Stormy is the Past Board President and current Board Vice President for Star Academy. Stormy is a huge Alabama fan (roll tide!), foodie at heart, and loves to travel as much as possible.
Jaime has been in the field of education since 2000 and has been a member of the Star community since 2011. She holds a M.A in Learning and Instruction, and a Learning Specialist credential from the University of San Francisco. Jaime has worked as a special education teacher in both private and public schools, as well as privately with families, supporting children and teens with unique learning, social, and behavioral needs. Jaime's comprehensive background and experience give her valuable insight into complex learning profiles to truly understand the needs of unique learners and their overall fit for our program. Outside of Star, Jaime's two children keep her very active in the world of competitive youth volleyball. In her free time, she enjoys listening to live music, being anywhere on the water, singing and dancing in her kitchen while cooking, and traveling to competitions with her daughters' volleyball teams.
Jane received her masters in occupational therapy from Dominican University. She has worked for many years with people with varying developmental disabilities, but has found the perfect setting in the non-public school environment of Star Academy. She loves working in a multidisciplinary program because it affords a wonderful opportunity for collaboration and the ability to provide therapy to students in the clinic, classroom and community enhances skill building and generalization. When not working at Star, Jane loves to hike, travel, garden and spend time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Business Office Assistant
Jessica comes to us from the hospitality industry. After graduating UC Davis, she worked as a paralegal at a law firm but decided to change directions and attend the former California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She worked her way through culinary school as an HR assistant where she honed her administrative skills which complemented her culinary skills. As many people forget, it takes more than just great cooking to successfully run a cafe or catering company. Jessica returned to Marin as a married mother of two (Olivia and Evan). Making another life change, she now focuses on applying her financial and administrative skills here at Star Academy where she is excited to support this wonderful community.
Job Titles:
- Speech - Language Pathologist
- Assistive Technology Coordinator
Kati Skulski M.S.-CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist and Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist has provided consultative AT Services at Star since 2016. Kati received her B.S. in Psychology from Humboldt State University, and earned her M.S. in Communicative Disorders from Cal State East Bay. Outside of Star, Kati works with a variety of schools and organizations as a private contractor and with her non-profit organization, The Nika Project. Kati is originally from Maryland and lives with her husband and two cats in Oakland. In her downtime, she enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, and music.
Job Titles:
- Emotional Wellness Counselor
Lani has worked in school settings as a school counselor; providing academic and social/emotional support to students in grades K-12 for over ten years. Lani has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential with a specialization in School Counseling from Sonoma State University. In her role as a school counselor she worked with students 1:1, in small groups and classroom settings. Lani enjoys exploring new places, hiking, cooking and spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Communication Coordinator
Lisa worked for Marin County schools for five years, then left education for almost 10 years to work in the world of cheese. She's thrilled to be back around kids - especially the kids of Star. She grew up in Utah and moved to the Bay Area after earning her bachelor's degree in communication from Southern Utah University. She spends her springs, summers and (most) falls living for the San Francisco Giants and spends the winters counting down to Spring Training.
Job Titles:
- Structured Literacy Specialist
Since earning his Multi-Subject teaching credential in 2012, Lou has been working in classrooms in West Contra Costa, Oakland and Marin Counties. His professional focus, since 2016 has been on Literacy and providing intervention level reading support to general education students. In 2016 he joined a district-wide Language Arts advisory team at Novato Unified researching, evaluating and selecting Language Arts curriculum to be used throughout the district. For the past year Lou moved out of the classroom and into a Reading Intervention specialist position where he provided intensive reading support to struggling students.
Maggie originally hails from Los Angeles but is happy to call the Bay Area her home after living in Naples, Italy, for four years. In 2002 she earned her BA in anthropology from UC Santa Cruz and went on to work in a business management office that served minor Hollywood celebrities. Her husband, Phil, joined the Navy in 2010 and for the next seven years they lived in and traveled through all kinds of fascinating places. In 2017 they moved back to the USA, bringing with them their favorite souvenir, baby Faye. Maggie enjoys reading, drawing, cooking, and, like every good Californian, hiking. In her spare time she writes and illustrates children's books. She's thrilled to be a part of the Star Academy staff.
Maribeth holds a master's degree in Recreation Therapy (SF State) as well as Occupational Therapy (Samuel Merritt University). She completed her OT internship with both the San Francisco Unified School District and Albany School District, has worked in private pediatric practices, and has worked at Star Academy in the role of OT since 2014. She loves Star Academy for its small, nurturing, collaborative and creative environment and amazing students. In her free time Maribeth loves being active in the outdoors - camping, hiking, backpacking, skiing and paddle boarding.
Marina graduated with her Master's in Social Clinical Psychology from New College of San Francisco and has over 20 years experience in mental health counseling with youth and families in the Bay Area. Marina taught Psychology classes through City College of San Francisco, and her last job before coming to Star Academy was as an Educationally Related Mental Heath Services counselor at a SFUSD public high school. Marina has worked at Star Academy since 2019, lives and grew up in San Francisco, and has a beloved Corgi dog named Smores. She is the mom of two teenagers, one bound for college this year.
Job Titles:
- Speech Language Pathologist
Nicole earned her Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Eastern New Mexico University, as well as a Graduate Degree from Florida Institute of Technology to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Nicole is passionate about integrating multi-modalities into her speech and language sessions and believes each student's learning profile and personality benefit from diverse teaching approaches. Nicole is also an Autism Fitness Specialist and volunteers at a Pulmonary Rehabilitation clinic for patients with chronic lung illnesses. She spends her free time horse-back riding, swimming, talking about her dachshund (Pawter), reading and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Technology Executive & Transformational Leader
Rajashree leads product development at Quizlet, the leading consumer learning platform with the mission to help people learn and make students everywhere unstoppable. Prior to Quizlet, she has held key engineering leadership roles at Intuit, PayPal, Synopsys and Intel. Rajashree is known for building purpose-driven engineering teams with customer-first thinking and an inclusive culture to deliver innovative products at scale.
Rajashree is passionate about the power of education to transform lives and is delighted to support the mission of understanding differences and expanding opportunities for students with special learning needs.
Sheila has been immensely enjoying her work as the Head of School at Star since January of 2016. She holds a M.A. in Education and an Education Specialist credential, in addition to being an R.N. Prior to her time at Star, Sheila spent 9 years as an administrator of a K-8 school, overseeing all aspects of school operations and directing the Special Education program at her site. Sheila's background includes over 20 years of business, education, and healthcare management. Teaching and working with neurodiverse students from ages 8 through 22 is the culmination of her professional and educational goals and one of her greatest joys. A long-time resident of Sonoma County, Sheila enjoys the rugged beauty, hiking trails and the cooler temperatures in Marin!
Stephanie has completed five years at Lindamood-Bell® Learning Processes® supporting struggling students with Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, cognitive impairment and other learning differences. She has taught reading, writing and math in both individual and group settings. Stephanie has utilized her degrees in Psychology and Communications by supporting her students in building independence with challenging emotional/social interactions. She comes from the world of banking and finance, but switched to Education in seek of a more fulfilling experience. She considers this choice one of the best she has ever made.
Susan has worked in development and fundraising for more than 30 years and currently serves on the board of Development Executives Roundtable. She loves being part of the Star community, working beside staff and families who are dedicated to the success of our students. She has two adult children living in New York and she and her husband enjoy their "empty nest" along with their dog, Memphis. She loves travel, reading, movies, being outdoors and relaxing with friends and family.
Hi my name is Teresa. I was born in Mexico and grew up in California. I'm the mother of four amazing kids and I'm happily married to Pablo. I started at Star Academy in 2021. Previous to that, I stayed home raising my kids. Now God gives me this opportunity to work in a place where I grow daily just like this kids, where nothing stops them from achieving their goals.
Wyatt began his journey at Star Academy in 2005. He earned his MFA in Writing in 1999 and loves putting his passion for writing into practice as a member of the Multisensory Language Arts Team. He has taught high school Language Arts, Creative Writing, and Literary Magazine classes. A publish short story writer and essayist, Wyatt facilitated the inaugural issue of Star Academy's Shining Star Literary Magazine in 2022. Wyatt enjoys hiking and travel, reading, and especially playing games of all kinds.