Administration & Staff

Sarah Ostermueller comes to us after five years at the Fay School in Southborough, MA, where she served as the Head of Upper School (grades 7-9), overseeing a program of 270 students, including 150 boarding students. 

Sarah holds a BA in Biology and Women’s Studies from Colby College, an MA in Teaching from the College of New Jersey as well as a certificate in Advanced Graduate Study in school leadership from the University of New England. Prior to her time at Fay, Sarah has held various faculty and leadership roles at the Greens Farms Academy in CT, Northfield Mount Hermon School in MA, the Hun School of Princeton in NJ, and St. Mary’s School in NC. Throughout her career, she has taught mathematics and science as well as coached softball, lacrosse, and field hockey. In 2001 she was named Field Hockey Coach of the Year after coaching the team in back-to-back state championship wins! 

Sarah writes, “I am excited to join the Sacramento Country Day School community as the next Head of Middle School. When I visited campus, I was impressed by the expertise and dedication of the faculty and the curiosity and openness of the students. It is clear that Country Day is dedicated to its mission to inspire and engage students and that it is committed to honoring and celebrating its diverse community. I can’t wait to move to California this summer and start leading the amazing Middle School in the fall.”

Taratip Adams serves as one of Country Day’s Learning Specialists for middle and high school. She works closely with students to help them reach their fullest potential, as well as partners with teachers and families to provide instructional strategies that work best for their learners. 

Prior to her big move to California in 2016, she worked in Illinois as a 5th grade teacher. She was a member of the IEP team and also partnered with local schools to bring in 1-to-1 technology for all middle school students. She was the head of the 5th grade science department, bringing more hands-on learning into the classroom. Before coming to Country Day in the spring of 2019, she served as a classroom teacher at Charles Armstrong School, a Bay Area school for students with learning differences. 

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Western Illinois University and will soon earn her Master’s in Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies. She also has endorsements in Middle School Education, Social Science, and Language Arts. 

Her mother is her biggest role model and is grateful to have experienced living in Thailand for seven years, where she learned to cook and live like the locals.

“Food is what brings people together and my mother always tells people that if you want to make someone happy, bring them some of my Pad Thai!” she says.

Tara’s current hobbies include cooking, rock climbing, or binge watching one of her favorite reality TV shows. 

B.S., University of Minnesota

Juli Devincenzi is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) who brings valuable experience as an HR leader in the world of education. She started her career in 1991 with Kaiser Foundation Hospital as a recruiter and eight years later she transitioned into school HR management. As a department of one, Juli managed all facets of HR, including payroll and benefits, systems for legal compliance, and high-level strategic planning. Now, with over 30 years of experience, she has developed expertise in employee relations, employee handbook creation and reviews, performance management, investigations, trial preparation, and successful defense in court. As a Sr. Human Resource Consultant, Juli supports organizations through her expert advisement on a wide array of HR issues and works closely with leadership to navigate everything from the establishment of day-to-day best practices to large and complex HR challenges.

Rachelle Doyle has served as the Director of Advancement for Sacramento Country Day School since 2018. She provides leadership for all fundraising, alumni, and board of trustees relations. With her team, she oversees planning for the school’s fundraising efforts, including the annual Country Day Fund, capital campaign, endowment, alumni giving, grants, special projects, and planned giving. Rachelle works on providing strategic direction for all aspects of Country Day’s Advancement. 

Before coming to Country Day in 2018, Rachelle served as a Director of Development for Sacramento Waldorf School. Prior to that, she worked for 10 years in marketing and advertising. 

Rachelle earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media Communications from California State University, Sacramento, Masters degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University, and a Fundraising and Development Certificate from U.C. Davis. 

Rachelle is dedicated to making a positive impact: at Country Day, in her home, in Sacramento, and in the world. She loves philanthropy and building relationships and brings passion to her work. 

Pablo Morales comes to us from Omaha, Nebraska where he taught French and Spanish for two years. Learning and teaching world languages is his passion. He received his B.A. in Education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in French and English as a Second Language (ELL/ESL). He grew up in the town where Kool-Aid was invented, home to the world’s largest Kool-Aid stand.

Whenever he’s not teaching, Pablo likes Pokémon cards (looking to battle?), longboarding, coding/programming, and traveling. He plans to travel to South Korea with other educators in 2022 to learn how to become a better teacher by observing South Korean classrooms. 

Alicia Perla brings a wealth of academic excellence to this position. In volunteer positions, Alicia has worked closely with Breaththrough Sacramento and with the College Counselors at Country Day. As a parent of two Country Day students, Alicia understands and believes in our mission and our strength of community. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University, a J.D. from The University of Michigan, and a College Admission and Career Planning Certificate from the University of California, Berkeley. Alicia also serves on the Board of Directors of ScholarMatch, a community-based organization helping high-achieving, underrepresented students apply to and attend college.

Dr. Pam Peters, a certified life coach, parenting consultant, and teacher with over thirty years of experience working with students and corporate and non-profit organizations, including 11 years with Country Day from 1998 to 2009, is returning to our campus in the role of part-time Middle and High School counselor.

Adie Renteria is one of Country Day School’s Learning Specialists. She works to support students and teachers throughout the lower school. She is responsible for overseeing AimsWeb testing, writing learning profiles for students who need extra accommodations, meeting with teachers and parents to develop learning plans for students, and working with students one-on-one and in small groups. 

Before coming to Country Day School in 2019, she worked at Trevor Day School in New York City as the K-2 Learning Specialist where she helped the lower school faculty review and modify the literacy curriculum, monitored assessments, and worked with students in small groups and one-on-one as a Reading Recovery Teacher. She had a private tutoring practice for students of all ages and has previous experience as a First Grade Teacher. 

Adie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature from Princeton University with a certificate in Latin American Studies. The best part of her college experience was working with the award-winning poets, C.K. Williams and Paul Muldoon, in the Creative Writing Department, and the Argentinean author, Ricardo Piglia, in the Spanish Department to translate the work of the Argentinian poet, Alejandra Pizarnik, for her senior thesis. 

Adie had always dreamed of becoming a teacher so she joined the New York City Teaching Fellows as soon as she graduated from Princeton and spent two years teaching at an inner-city school in the South Bronx. She earned a Master of Science in Childhood Education from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York and a Master of Education with a specialization in Literacy from Bank Street College of Education in New York City. 

Adie’s current hobbies include indoor cycling, yoga, baking, reading, and biking along the American River with her family. 
 

Grace is a Country Day alum (and lifer!). She graduated in 2016 and went on to attend the University of San Diego. They graduated with a degree in History.

Michael Unti has taught Computer Science, Robotics, and Ethics for 10 years. He holds a Master’s Degree from Boston College, as well as a Bachelor’s from Saint Bonaventure University and is working towards a Master’s in STEM Education at NC State University. He enjoys traveling and has studied abroad at Oxford University, England, as well as the Colegio de Espana in Salamanca, Spain.  

B.A., University of the Pacific

Emily Wilson is excited to continue her work as Associate Director of Admission and help new families learn more about Sacramento Country Day. Emily has a strong public relations and communications background and is an experienced community member with children in all three divisions. In her spare time, Emily loves to read.