Overview

Find Faculty & Staff at Country Day

Below is a list of members of the administration, staff, and faculty at Sacramento Country Day. To locate a Country Day employee, click on the drop-down menus below to search by department or last name. Clicking on a faculty or staff member's name creates an email to that person.

This list must not be used by any person or organization to circularize, or otherwise solicit, the persons included in this list for any purpose, except by the specific permission of Sacramento Country Day School.

Below is a list of members of the administration, staff, and faculty at Sacramento Country Day. To locate a Country Day employee, click on the drop-down menus below to search by department or last name. Clicking on a faculty or staff member’s name creates an email to that person.

This list must not be used by any person or organization to circularize, or otherwise solicit, the persons included in this list for any purpose, except by the specific permission of Sacramento Country Day School.

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Steve Edwards

Steve is the owner/CEO of The Edwards Company, specializing in commercial real estate. Originally from southern California, Steve spent many years in Boston and is a devoted Red Sox fan. He returned to the Sacramento area for college at Sacramento State and has worked in the real estate field for several decades. Steve is a former co-president and vice president of the board of trustees, and he and his wife Cynthia are the parents of a Country Day graduate and a high school student.

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Angela Donlan
Secretary

After growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, and graduating from St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, Angela moved west to attend UC Davis Law. She is an attorney with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, with an expertise in natural resource law. Angela joined the board three years ago, and she and her husband, Rob, have two children at Country Day.

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Loren Kaye
Treasurer

Loren grew up in Del Mar, in north San Diego County, and attended UC San Diego, graduating with a bachelor’s in political science. He is president of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, a think tank affiliated with the California Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Cassie Gilson, have a daughter in the lower school at Country Day.

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Louay Owaidat

Louay is the president of Great Lakes Environmental & Infrastructure and on the board of advisors for CSUS’ College of Engineering and Computer Science. Louay attended high school in Beirut and college in the United States.

Along with his board of trustee service, Louay’s interest in soccer translates into his board membership on the Union FC soccer club, as well as his association with Sac Republic FC. Louay and Maya are the parents of three SCDS students: two graduates and one in middle school.

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Julie Sloat
President

Julie grew up in Sacramento, attended La Sierra High School and CSU Sacramento, and earned a law degree from McGeorge School of Law. She is a veteran of Desert Storm and operated a KC-135 boom for the 940th air refueling reserve unit. Julie’s work experience includes public relations for PG&E, law and public policy for the California Cable TV association, and general counsel for Nationwide Health Plans of California.

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Francis Zhang

Francis was born in Shanghai, China, lived in Philadelphia, and calls Sacramento home. His undergraduate work was in mechanical engineering and his MBA is from Rowan University in New Jersey. He is the president and CEO of Promptar, Ltd., a business based in Elk Grove which involves space technology, particularly for the thermal protection coating of flying objects, and optical components for sensors and electronic systems.

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Kelley Taber ‘84
Past President

After graduating from Sacramento Country Day, Kelley attended Harvard University, where she was captain of the varsity swim team and graduated magna cum laude with a major in East Asian Studies. She returned to California for law school at the University of California, Davis. Kelley is an attorney in private practice specializing in land use and natural resource law.  She is the mother of two baseball players, both SCDS students, and a devoted St. Louis Cardinals fan, as well as a former Little League president.

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Lindsey Sackheim

Born in Portland, Oregon, Lindsey grew up in Northern California and attended the University of Southern California, where she received a bachelor’s in communications. Her successful fundraising skills are evident in her work in the community: she co-created Luxe for Life benefitting the Sacramento Children’s Home and directed the Chip in Fore Charity golf events, which raised funds for local children’s non-profits. Lindsey is a principal in the Catta Verdera Country Club, and her volunteer work for Country Day includes auction chair, parents’ association president, and chairperson of the head search committee. Lindsey and Andrew are the parents of a college student and a high school student.

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Billy Downing ‘98

Billy Downing is a proud Sacramento native who attended Sacramento Country Day School and Jesuit. After high school, Billy obtained his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and his graduate degree from the University of San Francisco before returning back home. His extensive non-profit board experience includes working with Wind Youth Services, Positive Coaching Alliance, San Juan Education Foundation, and the YMCA of Superior California. Billy and his wife Jessaca have two children, Costa and Korina, and live in Sierra Oaks.

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Lee Mahla

Lee has spent time in many parts of the United States: she was born in New York, grew up in Greendale, WI, and Easton, PA, attended Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, and has lived in Chapel Hill, NC, and Los Angeles. Lee is a realtor with Coldwell Banker, as well as the owner of RightSize Your Move, a senior move management company. Lee and her husband Chip’s two children both attended SCDS.

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Patrice Ratinoff

Patrice was raised in Los Angeles and graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in business administration and accounting. She moved north after her apartment was declared off limits following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Patrice’s career path has taken her from an accountant with Ernst & Young to marketing and sales at Tiffany & Co., and Baume and Mercier.

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Emily Stephenson

Emily was born in San Francisco and graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a bachelor’s in sociology and a double minor in European history and physics/biology. She is retired from her position as a senior executive producer at the Intel Corporation and currently is the managing director of Stephenson Medical Consulting, Inc. She and her husband, Topher, have a son in lower school.

Faculty & Staff

Barbara Johnson
Assistant to the Head of Middle School

Faculty & Staff

Valerie Adelsheim
Assistant to the Head of School

B.S., University of Minnesota

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Faculty & Staff

Amanda Ashdown
Fourth Grade

B.S., Baptist Bible College

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Faculty & Staff

Jane Batarseh
World Language Department Chair
High School Latin

B.A., Principia College; M.A., California State University, Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Jane Stroup Bauman
Director of College Counseling
High School English

B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz; M.A., Georgetown University

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Faculty & Staff

Elena Rodriguez Bennett
Lower School Music

B.A., Cornell University; M.Div., Yale University (Divinity School); M.A. California State University, Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Brian Billings
Middle School Latin

B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara

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Faculty & Staff

Lonna Bloedau
International Student Coordinator

B.A., California State University Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Cameron Bohn
Third Grade

B.A., University of Colorado; B.S., Montana State University

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Faculty & Staff

Edward Bolman
Sixth Grade
Middle School Mathematics Department Chair
Middle School Dean of Student Life & Student Council Advisor

B.A., California State University, San Francisco

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Faculty & Staff

Kelley Brown
Learning Specialist

B.A., Loyola Marymount University; M.A., St. Mary’s College

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Faculty & Staff

Aleitha Burns
Sixth Grade, Middle School Science Department Coordinator

B.S., State University of New York

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Faculty & Staff

Marisa Christie
Assistant to the Head of Middle School

B.A., University of California, Berkeley

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Faculty & Staff

Victoria Conner
High School Chemistry

B.A., Mt. Holyoke College; M.S., Pace University; J.D., Widener University School of Law

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Faculty & Staff

Alexis Covey
Second Grade

B.A., Skidmore College

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Faculty & Staff

Bill Crabb
Middle School History

B.A., M.A., California State University, Chico

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Faculty & Staff

Andy Cunningham
Middle and High School Art

B.A., Menlo College; M.A. Hunter College

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Faculty & Staff

Richard Day
High School French

B.A., University of Maryland, College Park; M.A., University of California, Berkeley

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Faculty & Staff

Julie Didion
Middle and High School Ceramics & Sculpture

B.A., California State University, Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Emily Eustace
Middle School English

B.A., New York University; M.A., Notre Dame of Maryland

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Faculty & Staff

Barbara Fackenthall Tash
Pre-Kindergarten

Early Children Education Certificate, Sacramento City College

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Faculty & Staff

Patricia Fels
High School English
Newspaper Advisor

B.A., M.A., Stanford University

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Faculty & Staff

Damany Fisher
High School History

B.A., University of California, Davis; PhD, University of California, Berkeley

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Faculty & Staff

Tucker Foehl
Assistant Head of School

B.A., Wesleyan University; M.A., M.Phil. Yale University

(916) 481-8811 x352
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Faculty & Staff

Gretchen Fogelstrom
Fifth Grade

B.A., Oregon State University; M.A., University of Oregon; M.S. School for International Training

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Hannah Frank
Accounts Payable and Purchasing

A.A., American River College

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Faculty & Staff

Brian Frishman
Theater Director
Middle and High School Drama

B.A., California State University,Sonoma; M.F.A., University of California, Los Angeles; Teaching Certificate, University of California, San Diego

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Faculty & Staff

Aggie Geminder
Second Grade Assistant

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Faculty & Staff

Sarah Gerber
First Grade

B.A., Pitzer College

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Faculty & Staff

Jane Gillette
Second Grade

B.S., Georgetown University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

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Faculty & Staff

Sue Goodwin Lorens
Kindergarten

B.A., Millikin University

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Faculty & Staff

Cade Grunst
Middle School Science

B.S., University of California, Davis

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Faculty & Staff

Anthony Hagmann
Middle School English

B.A., Columbia College

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Faculty & Staff

Eric Hennion
Middle School French

Université Charles de Gaulle

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Faculty & Staff

Jason Hinojosa
High School English Department Chair
High School English

B.A., St. John’s College; MFA, University of Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop

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Jay Holman
Director of the Physical Plant

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Faculty & Staff

Patricia Jacobsen
High School Mathematics
High School Dean of Student Life

B.A., New York University; M.Ed., Harvard University

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Faculty & Staff

Hadley Keefe
Director of Admission

B.A., Providence College

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Faculty & Staff

Felecia Keys
Lower School Music
Grades 5-12 Orchestra, Chamber Music, Choir

B.A., Patten University; M.S., California State University, Chico

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Faculty & Staff

Jason Kreps
Physical Education

B.A., California State University, Sacramento

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Joy Pangilinan Kronemeyer
Director of After School Enrichment & Summer Programs

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Faculty & Staff

Chris Kuipers
Middle & High School History Department Chair
Middle School History
College Counselor

B.A., Amherst College; M.Ed., Harvard University

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Dhinesh Kumar
Custodian

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Faculty & Staff

Kathryn LaComb
Middle School English

B.A., St. Lawrence University; M.Ed., Harvard University

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Faculty & Staff

Liz Leavy
High School Art History

B.A., Wesleyan University; M.A. University of California, Berkeley

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Faculty & Staff

Rick Lewkowitz
High School Mock Trial

B.A., Santa Clara University; J.D., McGeorge School of Law

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Matt Liedtke
Bus Driver/Utility Worker

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Faculty & Staff

Pamela Livesey
Fourth Grade

B.S., University of Georgia

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Faculty & Staff

Sandy Lyon
Head of Middle School

B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.Ed., University of La Verne

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Faculty & Staff

Glenn Mangold
High School Calculus
High School Physics

B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.A., University of California, Santa Barbara; California Teaching Credential

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Faculty & Staff

Donna Manning
Pre-Kindergarten

B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara

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Faculty & Staff

Kristi Mathisen
Third Grade

B.A., California State University, Northridge; M.Ed, California State University, Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Joanne Melinson
Middle and High School Librarian
Literary Magazine Advisor

B.A., La Salle University

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Faculty & Staff

Chris Millsback
High School Mathematics Department Chair
High School Mathematics & Microeconomics

B.A., Wesleyan University

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Faculty & Staff

Lindsay Mitchell Vayner
Middle School Spanish

B.A., University of Missouri; M.A., University of California, Davis

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Faculty & Staff

Laura Steele Monahan
Middle School Mathematics

B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz

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Faculty & Staff

Michelle Myers
Physical Education Department Coordinator, PK-12th grade

B.S., California State University, Sacramento

mmyers[remove-this-and-replace-with-at]saccds.org
Faculty & Staff

Patricia Naylor
World Language, Lower School French

B.P.A., University of Arizona

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Faculty & Staff

Susan Gorton Nellis
High School History

B.A., Whittier College; Teaching Credential, University of California, Davis

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Julie Nelson
Director of Communications
Webmaster

B.A., Portland State University

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Faculty & Staff

Ines Ochoa
World Language, Lower School Spanish

B.A., University of California, Davis; Teaching Credential, Chapman University

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Faculty & Staff

Kurt Pearsall
Director of Middle School Bands

B.A., M.M., California State University, Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Maya Pelle
Middle School Spanish

B.A., University of California, Davis; Teaching Credential, St. Mary’s College

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Kristi Peoro
Assistant to the Head of Lower School

B.A., San Jose State University

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Faculty & Staff

Maura Ryan (‘02) Perotti
First Grade

B.S. Santa Clara University; M.A., Santa Clara University | Gifted and Talented Education Certified

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Faculty & Staff

William Petchauer
Chief Financial Officer/Business Manager

B.A., Albion College; MBA, San Jose State University

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Faculty & Staff

Latonia Pitts
First Grade Assistant

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Faculty & Staff

Patricia Portillo
High School Spanish

B.A., University of California, Irvine; M.A., University of California, Riverside; PhD, Temple University

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Sanjesh Prasad
Custodian

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Faculty & Staff

Bob Ratcliff
Director of High School Bands
AP Music Theory

B.M., University of North Texas; M.A., Washington State University

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Faculty & Staff

Pat Reynolds
Life Skills Counselor

B.S., Cleveland State University; M.Ed., Cleveland State University

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Rudi Rose
Human Resources and Payroll Manager

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Sue Ryan
Lower School Librarian

B.A., Cardinal Stritch College; M.S., California State University, Fullerton

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Denise Santos
Lower School Physical Education

B.A., Sacramento State University

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Faculty & Staff

Denise Scruggs
Middle School Mathematics

B.A., Saint Leo College (FL); M.S., Old Dominion University (VA)

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Faculty & Staff

Julie Shanks
Lower School Arts

B.S., California State University, Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Sarah Song
Kindergarten

B.A., California State University, Sacramento

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Melissa Strong
Assistant Middle and High School Librarian

Faculty & Staff

Elissa Thomas
High School Computer Science and Mathematics

B.S., Arizona State University; M.S., Arizona State University

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Faculty & Staff

Lee Thomsen
Head of School

B.A., Harvard University; M.A., Johns Hopkins University

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Faculty & Staff

Brittany Torretta
Pre-Kindergarten

B.A., California State University, Chico; M.A., University of Phoenix

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Christy Vail
Head of Lower School

B.A., California State University San Francisco

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Dana Vargo
Associate Director of Admission

B.A., University of the Pacific; M.A., University of the Pacific

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Faculty & Staff

Matt Vargo
Athletic Director

B.A., University of the Pacific

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Faculty & Staff

Valerie Velo
Assistant to the Head of High School
Assistant to the Athletic Director

B.A., California State University, Sacramento

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Faculty & Staff

Brooke Wells
Head of High School

B.A., Haverford College; M.Ed Michigan State University

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Amy Nelson Wells ’98
Director of the Annual Fund
Alumni Coordinator

B.S., University of California, Berkeley; M.S., University of California, Davis

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Carol Wessels
Controller

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Faculty & Staff

Kellie Whited
Middle and High School Science Department Chair
High School Biology
Nutrition elective

B.S., Ph.D, University of California, Davis

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Faculty & Staff

Doug Whited
Middle School Science

B.A., University of California, Davis

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Erica Wilson
Administrative Assistant/Receptionist

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Faculty & Staff

Carolyn Woolf
Director of Advancement

B.A., California State University, Chico; M.A, Indiana University

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Faculty & Staff

Tom Wroten ’99
Director of Technology

B.F.A., Chapman University

(916) 481-8811 x202
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Faculty & Staff

John Yu
Fifth Grade

B.S., University of Delaware

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