"Sleepover" by Aoife R. '24
"The Watching" by Finn D. '24
"Geometric Tower" by Devon G. '24
"Window in Window" by Jayden M. '23
TO SEE MORE IMAGES, PLEASE VISIT MA.ORG/ARTS
"Woman" by Elliana E. '24
"Aloha Tea" by Anja K. '23
"Tree" by Quinn S. '23
"Modern Ming" by Sammy L. '24
"Library Jump" by Devon G. '24
35
ALUMNI NOTES
A peek into the lives of MA alumni and upcoming gatherings
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS
36 Taylor Tan '06
42 Rindon Johnson '08
54 Theo St. Francis '13
NEXTGEN TEACHERS
Student Crossroads Fellows Connect with MA Teachers About the Art and Science of Teaching
STUDENT INTERVIEWS
22 Experiential Education with Jon Bretan, Science Faculty by Zac R. '24 24 The Power of Mentorship with Maribel Albarran, Science Faculty and Penn Fellow by Anna H. '24 26 Connecting Across Difference with Ana Anderson, English Faculty by Noa F-L '24
58
THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF AN MA EDUCATION
MA's Annual Report
TRUSTEES
60 Welcoming new members to the MA Board of Trustees
72
COMINGS & GOINGS
Faculty and staff arrivals and departures
EMBRACING
"Bridge Double" by Sophian L. '24
Last year, celebrating our 50th anniversary, we traveled to New York and LA, hosting alumni gatherings, brunches, meet-ups, and reunions. Through it all, I was in awe of how deeply our graduates revered their educational experiences at MA. MA has grown and changed, yet our values and dedication to this learning community remain steadfast. It was a joyous year of celebration, and as we embark on our 51st year, I'm delighted to share this collection of stories and articles that reflect MA's innovations in teaching and learning.
From the Briz e ndine Scholars program, where academic departments bring in outside experts to teach and share, to professional development experiences, MA is committed to continuous innovation of our curriculum and educational model. We are a school where passionate educators can bring their expertise to life. We engage in institutional research and share our findings and best practices with schools nationwide. We believe we can make a difference in the field of education; our impact extends far beyond our campus. From Crossroads to Penn Fellows, we want to inspire future generations of educators and change-makers. We hope you enjoy the varied reflections and experiences you will find on the pages ahead.
Last year was a record-breaking year for our MA Wildcats, as Marin Academy became the first school in Northern California to have both their boys and girls soccer teams win a Regional title in the same season. MA artists created profound works of art, with dance, theater, photography, and sculpture, which you will find spotlighted on the cover and across the pages of this magazine. Our annual report celebrates the generosity of our community, and we are delighted to share news of the completion of our Going Beyond Campaign learn more on page 68. Nearly 250 generous donors enabled Marin Academy to innovate and lead in the many ways our school excels: great teachers and a forward-looking teaching model, a diverse learning community that embraces many voices, and a campus that inspires and connects.
With joy and appreciation,
Marin Academy's long-standing Brizendine Visiting Scholars program supported the science, performing and visual arts departments last spring to bring in outside experts, leaders in their field, and create innovative programming.
In conjunction with MA's 50th anniversary last year, the visual arts department collaborated with ceramic muralist Sophia Othman to create and install an abstract piece connected to the foundational concepts of art—a beautiful and colorful commemoration of the importance of the visual arts at MA.
The science department brought the MA community together to devote a day to climate action by inviting former White House Climate Advisor Molly Kawahata to campus to engage us in conversation. At a keynote assembly, Kawahata spoke of the importance of understanding psychology and neuroscience to affect systemic climate change; she also shared how important it is to care for one's mental health to become an effective climate leader.
Later in the day, the community broke into smaller workshops featuring:
David Ackerly, UC Berkeley, Professor
Kit Baron '01, Farmers Business Network, Head of Data Science
Julia Elkin, Jackie Mandoske, and Phoenix Amenta, Marin County Public Works
Sara Leon Guerrero, One Tam Bee Lab, Community Science Program Assistant
Mikaela Hiatt, Transportation Authority of Marin, Associate Transportation Planner
Kyle Lemle '07, climate change community organizer and consultant
Johanna Nelson '90, Save the Redwoods, Director of Science Conservation
Kanyon Sayers-Rood, steward and educator, Mutsun Valley Tribe, San José, sSteward and eEducator Gretchen Taylor, Environmental Resource Management (ERM), Partner
Damon Tighe, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Curriculum and Training Specialist
Jessica Wolfrom, San Francisco Examiner, Editor and Climate Reporter
In addition, MA physics teacher, Jon Bretan led a workshop on the history of the electrical power grid, and MA history teacher Derek Anderson led a workshop on climate change in the seventeenth century. Fittingly, the day of climate action ended with student presentations to their peers.
The performing arts department was delighted to host a number of workshops. The Theater Department hosted a workshop about roles and race with actor, playwright, journalist, and Fulbright Scholar Dan Hoyle. Dance students worked with five different visiting artists and organizations, including AXIS Dance Company, one of the nation's most acclaimed ensembles of disabled and non-disabled performers, hip hop artist Fredrika Keefer, Bollywood choreographer Enakshi Vyas, yoga instructor Nadia Oka, and choreographer Galen Rogers.
Throughout this milestone year we hosted many events to celebrate our proud history and look ahead to the future. We hope you were able to join us! We kicked off our 50th year celebration with a special student assembly and the first Spirit BBQ of the year.
Impact in the Field: Climate Change was a virtual panel featuring Marin Academy alumni who work in environmental science and justice. Alumni panelists Chiara Arellano '16, Kit Barron '01, Lindsay Dailey '98, Lizzy Elliott '12, Kyle Lemle '07, and Joanna Nelson '90 shared their ecological expertise in specialties like forestry, clean energy solutions, regenerative farming, and food waste reduction. Moderated by Marin Academy faculty Liz Gottlieb and Betsy Muir, this panel was part of the Transdisciplinary Leadership Program's Climate Science to Action course.
We gathered alumni for brunches, happy hours, and a trivia night, including events in New York and LA.
Our Speaker Series event Pathways to Leadership featured MA alumnus Brandon Nicholson ‘01 and MA parents Sarah Friar, Christina Kosmowski, and George Lee who shared the diverse pathways and unique journeys they experienced on their way to leading some of the most exciting and innovative organizations around. Life in the Arts, a virtual panel featuring alumni who are thriving professional artists, included dance artist Maranda Barry '12, DJ Jess Cross '06, visual artist and author Ruby Roth '00, and violinist Albert Yamamoto '15.
The nineteenth annual Conference On Democracy examined various media influence perceptions, beliefs, and actions in our democracy. We had two keynote speaker sessions: "Media, Truth, and the Democratic Ideal" brought together experts—including alumni Eva Galanes-Rosenbaum '01, Kyle Lemle '07, and Lena Felton '13—in a variety of areas of media and activism to explore questions and issues related to media's influence on social justice and democratic ideals. "Digital Media in New Democracies" featured Washington Correspondent Jose Luis Sanz, who discussed how digital news outlets in Central America face constant threats and attacks from authoritarian governments and how these challenges have spurred journalism in the region toward deeper reflection on the best way to protect—or rebuild—democracy.
Our milestone year of events culminated in our 50th Anniversary Celebration under the stars on Championship Field with delicious food and drinks while throwing it back to 1972 with a live performance from Fleetwood Mac cover band Fleetwood Mask.
Our final 50th Celebration was our Alumni Reunion in the MA Circle with food trucks, a field day, and alumni representing all of Marin Academy's five decades of graduates!
Their 9th-grade year was interrupted by the pandemic, and yet the Class of 2023 found the throughlines of the MA culture and throughout their time at MA championed inclusion, flexibility, and bold leadership. This class had a remarkable high school experience and, with that, a tremendous amount of accomplishments to celebrate. The Class of 2023 engaged in wonder, explored ideas, created art, and won championships.
Despite not being able to compete for over a year, they stepped back onto the field, a force to be reckoned with. This year MA accumulated a record number of championships and accolades for their athletic contributions. They began their sophomore year with art and science supplies carefully packed into a box by
their teachers and from those boxes they created masterworks of art and innovated in the sciences.
This group of 102 remarkable young people delivered powerful senior speeches throughout the year. Week after week, they stepped up to the podium and consistently shared poignant experiences, funny stories, and meaningful reflections. This inspiring cohort of students' words painted a portrait of graciousness, resilience, and determination. Our graduates are a spirited collection of inspiring scholars, strong athletes, and artists of vision. Flexible and resilient, these young people have challenged adversity and embraced ambiguity.
To the Class of 2023, we look forward to learning about your future!
In memory of Danielle Plumb Zumbrun '79 and in recognition of her keen appreciation of nature and her sense of responsibility as a caretaker of the earth, this award recognizes outstanding student leadership in the Outings program.
This year's Zumbrun recipient, DEVIKA MENON, has epitomized the way Outings can support and be integrated into IDEQ groups, acting as a student leader on WOC (Women of Color) surf trips to Santa Cruz and year-end picnics at McNear's Beach. As a lover of poetry, Devika brings that same attitude of expansive inclusion and attention to detail to their reading that they bring to the trips they help lead. Their intersectional approach uplifts the knowledge that nature can be a joyous and healing space in which to pursue freedom and community.
The Head's Cup was established in 1987 to honor the centering values of Marin Academy inspired by the school's first Head, William McCluskey. The graduate receiving this cup best exemplifies the ideals of the school while nurturing and demonstrating a deep moral commitment in all that they do. In their relationship with peers, the faculty, and the administration, this student has shown strong attitudes of mind and character.
This year's recipient of the Head's Cup, SARAH BROWN, has demonstrated leadership and a commitment to community that has no bounds. As a scholar, an athlete, a Hum Dev TA, and an Admissions Fellow, she has supported her fellow wildcats, engaged in intellectual discussions, and inspired members of our community. As the leader of the Mental Health Awareness Club, she has connected what she believes in to what she does, providing space for everyone to grow and to find belonging.
American University
Barnard College (2)
Bates College
Boston College (3)
Brown University (4)
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (7)
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Colby College
Colgate University
Colorado College (3)
Cornell University
Dartmouth College (2)
Duke University (2)
Georgetown University
Hamilton College
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Macalester College
Middlebury College (2)
New York University (6)
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Occidental College (3)*
Oregon State University
Pitzer College (2)
Pomona College
Princeton University*
Providence College
Rochester Institute of Technology
Santa Clara University
Scripps College (2)
Southern Methodist University
Stanford University
Tufts University (2)
University of British Columbia
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles (2)
University of California, Merced
University of California, San Diego (2)
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder (2)
University of Miami
University of Michigan (3)
University of Notre Dame
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Puget Sound
University of Southern California (2)
University of St Andrews
University of Washington, Seattle Campus
Vanderbilt University (4)
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Washington University in St. Louis (3)
Wellesley College (2)
Wesleyan University (2)
Whitman College
Willamette University
Yale University
* One graduate from the Class of 2022 is attending Princeton University and one is attending Occidental College.
This year started with a literal splash with the opening of our brand-new Aquatic Center! Our water polo and swim teams enjoyed their first season in the MAAC (Marin Academy Aquatic Center), and we've had the opportunity to open the pool to the greater Marin community through our community partnerships.
75% of Marin Academy students competed in at least one season of sport, and the Wildcats amassed an impressive 108 all-league selections across three seasons. Girls golf tee'd off its inaugural season in an impressive fashion, finishing second overall in the BCL-West and making an appearance in the North Coast Section Tournament. The Wildcats earned seven league championships in Girls Tennis, Boys Soccer, Boys Golf, Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse, Boys Swimming, and Girls Swimming. Marin Academy's outstanding student-athletes also took
home 15 North Coast Section Scholastic team awards. Four of our teams made appearances in the North Coast Section Championships, with Girls Volleyball taking home the Division 4 title. History was made once again as our boys and girls soccer teams both won the NorCal Regional Championship, making Marin Academy the first school in Northern California to have both their boys and girls soccer teams win a Regional title in the same season. This year was the fourth consecutive year our girls soccer program competed in the Regional championship, and they finished with their inaugural Regional title. Our boys soccer team was also the first school in Northern California to win a Regional title three times (in just four years, nonetheless).
This remarkable year in Wildcat Athletics was made possible through the incredible dedication of our student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff, and parent volunteers.
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
Girls Tennis, BCL-West Co-League
Champions
Boys Soccer, Undefeated BCL-West
Champions
Boys Golf, Undefeated BCL-West
Champions
Boys Lacrosse, Undefeated BCL-West
Champions
Girls Lacrosse, Undefeated BCL-West
Champions
Boys Swimming, Undefeated BCL-West
Champions
Girls Swimming, Undefeated BCL-West
Champions
NORTH COAST SECTION RUNNER-UP
Boys Water Polo
Boys Soccer
Girls Soccer
NORTH COAST SECTION CHAMPIONS
Girls Volleyball
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
Boys Soccer
Girls Soccer
NORTH COAST SECTION SCHOLASTIC TEAM AWARDS
Girls Golf
Girls Basketball
Girls Volleyball
Girls Water Polo
Baseball
Boys Tennis
Girls Track & Field
Girls Swimming
Boys Swimming
Girls Soccer
Boys Golf
Girls Lacrosse
(3.78 unweighted)
Boys Water Polo (3.73 unweighted)
Boys Soccer (3.71 unweighted)
Boys Lacrosse (3.69 unweighted)
MA faculty and staff engaged in professional development sessions with both Dr. Dena Simmons, an expert on articulating and addressing the crucial intersections between social and emotional learning and racial justice work, and Dr. Claude Steele, a social psychologist and author of Whistling Vivalidi who has conducted a great deal of research and written about navigating stereotype threat and churn in interracial interactions. Both scholars and educators spoke about transforming our pedagogy and facilitating student experiences in a way that creates safe, inclusive, and transformative environments for all students.
During both sessions, employees reflected upon the importance of learning a student's full story so that all students can thrive in a socially diverse community. Dr. Simmons and Dr. Steele challenged faculty and staff to consider how to proactively build trust into pedagogies towards the goal of fostering the safety and belonging of socially minoritized students. In particular, Dr. Steele offered up researched practices for how to systematize building educational spaces that will lead to thriving multicultural communities. MA faculty and staff will continue to reflect on creating and refining student support practices that intentionally eliminate barriers so that we can continue the important work of creating a diverse, thriving, multicultural, and racially integrated community at Marin Academy.
Learning is a lifelong pursuit, reinforcing our natural desire to explore, grow, and help others. Part of what makes Marin Academy such an incredible place to teach and learn is our ongoing commitment to the professional development of our faculty and staff.Dr. Claude Steele Dr. Dena Simmons (left) with Piya Kashyap, MA's Dean of Equity and Inclusion
Let's just admit it; MA is obsessed with teaching and learning. Yes, of course, we're a school, and that's what we do, but at MA, we seriously geek out on pedagogical innovation. Year after year, MA reflects on new ways to support and inspire our faculty and pilot new programs based on the latest education research. Experiential learning, competency-based education, professional development, our Penn Fellowship program, educational technology, and transdisciplinary learning are just a few examples of our devotion to teaching and learning.
When your community is teeming with passionate educators, it's no surprise our students often find their passion in education. We have many alumni who are prominent educational leaders
and innovators, many of whom got their start in our Crossroads program. Crossroads, now in its 22nd year, was founded to address issues of educational equity and the opportunity gap in the San Rafael community. Crossroads also creates opportunities for Marin Academy students to step into leadership roles as tutors and fellows who design and teach classes for middle school students at local San Rafael city schools.
Three Crossroads Fellows from the Class of 2024 interviewed their favorite teachers on exciting aspects of teaching and learning at MA and wrote the following three articles. These students, part of the next generation of teachers, share where their curricular design inspiration comes from.
by Zac R. '24
I have been a Crossroads tutor and fellow for almost all my time at MA. This year, I created and led a music class with the program, where I've been able to explore experiential education with hands-on learning. When teaching my music classes, I'll often play a chord, then have a student copy my finger pattern and play the chord back to me. We sometimes try to play chord progressions or simple songs together. I've learned how hard teaching is and seen how valuable it is for students to learn by doing. Although this is a subject that I've been working on for years, teaching others and remembering how difficult it was for me when I first started learning guitar has inspired me to find teaching strategies to keep it fun.
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) with Jon Bretan has been one of my favorite classes this year. The way Jon connects the information and skills he teaches to everyday
issues and employs experiential learning has been incredibly engaging. In April, he brought in a part of his washing machine from home. He had fixed the machine himself and used this common home appliance to demonstrate a significant problem with our current system of consumerism, where we tend to buy new large home appliances wasting perfectly good electronic components because it's cheaper. Jon's enthusiasm for his work is infectious, and he frames our work together by connecting it to our interests.
Jon and I share a passion for music, and he's taught me how music and the guitar are intrinsically linked to what we are learning about electricity. Jon explained, "The electric guitar is this dynamic instrument that illustrates the concepts we cover in high school physics like Newton's Second Law (F = ma) where force is equal to mass times acceleration and Ohm's Law (V = IR), where V = voltage, I = current, and R = resistance. The story of the guitar is the story of all the electrical components we study in the fall."
In speaking with Jon, I learned why he focuses his class on experimental learning. Often, there's simply no match for the physical experience, especially in STEM fields. Jon shared, "I'll help you make it work and do everything I can to assist you on your journey, but it has to be you doing it—because when you are doing something yourself, that's when the information actually sticks."
Since Jon is my cross-country coach as well, he could also compare it to learning to run cross country, adding, "In any sport, you can't just read about it. You have to go do it. You can read many books about running and walk all of the courses, and you still won't be a runner. That's why learning by 'experience' is so powerful."
About the author Zac R. is an MA senior. He is the Mock Trial team captain, an Admissions Fellow, a Crossroads Fellow, and a Conference on Democracy (COD) leader. He runs cross-country with the MA Wildcats and is also a musician who plays guitar in Advanced Bands.
Often, there's simply no match for the physical experience, especially in STEM fields.
ZAC R. '24
by Anna H. '24
I have been part of Crossroads for two years now, participating in both tutoring and teaching a weekly class for local middle school students as a Crossroads Fellow. Crossroads immediately appealed to me because of my desire to teach others about topics I am interested in and the chance to connect with students from my own middle school, Davidson. It has been challenging to find the balance between creating a fun, engaging lesson while also making it informative, and Crossroads has been incredibly fulfilling and enriching for me.
9th-grade Biology and Environmental Science teacher Maribel Albarran got her start and motivation to become a teacher by being a part of the Crossroads program herself. Initially starting at MA as a science Lab Tech, Maribel quickly became involved in Crossroads as the coordinator and then as a science and math teacher for Aim High, a summer program for middle schoolers.
I started my high school experience during COVID and was full of nerves when I first logged into my 9th-grade Biology class on Zoom. Thankfully, I quickly found I could easily connect with my teacher, Maribel. Her warmth and compassion shone through and felt especially necessary when starting high school and joining a new community during the pandemic. Little did I know that this was her first year teaching at MA.
Wanting to continue her academic journey as a teacher, Maribel found the Penn Fellows program and realized it was the perfect fit for her. MA's 2-year program with the University of Pennsylvania allowed her to continue gaining teaching experience as she earns her Master's degree. The program also offers a lot of support, and Maribel shared she was especially excited to work with "a good mentor that could teach and really push [her]," something she found when paired with long-time science teacher Liz Gottlieb.
During our conversation, Maribel's genuine love for the students she works with was very apparent. Her empathy and desire to teach her students and also to learn from them was
something that really stood out and felt very relevant to my own experiences with Crossroads. We can learn new things every day. Throughout each class as a Fellow, my partners and I work with the students on planning activities that appeal to them, and we often find they end up teaching us.
As a new teacher, Maribel was no stranger to feeling overwhelmed and could relate to worrying about teaching correctly. She clearly felt her mentors and colleagues had a big impact during her first few years of teaching. The piece of advice that Maribel received from Liz in the beginning and then recently passed on to me was simple: "You can just start over the next day—don't be so hard on yourself."
I realized that while I am teaching the kids in Crossroads, it is okay to make mistakes from time to time and to not get into my head about mishaps. This is a learning opportunity for the students and a period of growth for us as "teachers." There will always be something new to learn and improve in. Maribel's journey from Crossroads to being a full-time teacher has shown me that mentorship, perseverance, and confidence are the keys to becoming a great teacher and are things that I can utilize during my time at Crossroads. About
Throughout each class as a Fellow, my partners and I work with the students on planning activities that appeal to them, and we often find they end up teaching us.
ANNA H. '24
"The same qualities I want in students, willing to have your mind changed, you need as a teacher too" was one of the valuable pieces of advice from my English teacher Ana Anderson. I chose to become a Crossroads Fellow because I enjoy teaching and connecting with different kinds of people. Last year while teaching a cooking class in the MA kitchen, we found the middle school students we were teaching contributed their own ideas about what they wanted to make, and in the end, they were teaching the teachers new decorating techniques. This is just one of the lessons I've learned from my Crossroads experience that was reinforced when interviewing Ana.
Through my experience in Crossroads and MA's interdisciplinary ideology, I had the chance to interview Ana about what it's like to teach a new set of students each year and gain insights into how she is able to connect with all the different types of students she teaches. When I asked about this, she replied, "Make sure
students know that you care about who they are and how they learn." I was immediately reminded of how Ana starts every class with a check-in question to get us warmed up and engaged. Ana makes sure to look you in the eye and let you know that you're being heard. I started doing check-in questions during my classes through Crossroads. Over time I saw my students come out of their shells and found they were more willing to tell me stories or details about their lives.
I have greatly appreciated having Ana Anderson as my English teacher for the past two years. She does a great job of connecting individually with each of her students and catering to their specific needs. This year especially, I have noticed my English class blossoming with discussions as nearly every student is deeply engaged and shares multiple times each class. This successful class dynamic is credited to her. I have learned from her how important it is to really get to know and listen to your students before teaching them.
This year I taught a wellness and mindfulness class at Crossroads, hoping to teach the students about stress management and healthy habits. Teaching this class has been a way for me to
share what I have learned but also has been an outlet for us to relax and dedicate time to self-care. When I employed some of these powerful connection techniques, I found I was able to really get to know some really cool middle school students.
It's also important to acknowledge the difficult parts of teaching, something that both Ana and I have experienced in our separate work environments, such as when the students aren't listening or when you struggle to connect with someone who is very different from yourself. Sometimes students learn differently or have totally different interests. When I questioned Ana about this, she replied, "I have something to learn about everyone." Being a good teacher isn't only about teaching but also about learning. Ana reflected that varying opinions promote stronger discussions and deeper insights that benefit the class and also teach the teacher too.
About the author
Along with being a Crossroads fellow, Noa F-L. is quite active at MA. She participates in Admissions Fellows, the Human Development program, and is also a captain of MA's Girls Varsity Volleyball and Basketball teams. Noa has a passion for challenging herself in the classroom and teaching.
Being a good teacher isn't only about teaching but also about learning.
NOA F.-L. '24
MAintegrates technology throughout our curriculum, allowing students to utilize it in various ways. Our goal is to graduate digitally-literate students who can use technology as a valuable tool for learning. We have expanded our staff to include an educational technologist to promote technology that supports excellent teaching and learning and inspire, encourage, and support faculty with creative and interdisciplinary technology projects.
During one such opportunity, students partnered with the City of San Rafael in their Transdisciplinary Leadership Program (TLP) The Future of Cities class. They used human-centered design to create prototypes to improve the City's new data portal. The portal consisted of citywide performance dashboards to share with the community, and its design was geared more towards data experts than the general public.
As an extension of their work in that class, MA students chose to continue their work with the City in their senior projects. They were tasked with determining the right metrics to expand the City data available to the public and foster a more collaborative environment in San Rafael, including improvements in explanations of data and clearer examples of data application. Making the data more accessible to the public would further the City's desired outcomes, including increasing public trust,
enabling partnerships with researchers and nonprofits , evaluating the impact of policies and programs, helping the City achieve its strategic goals , and improving its services.
Following their critical analysis of the relevance and comprehension of the existing portal, the students surveyed the public on Nextdoor to measure how the public prefers to interact with data and how they
interpret visuals. They used the online prototyping tool Figma to build new dashboard user interface prototypes, engaged users in usability testing, and observed how they interacted with each version. They then presented their findings and suggestions for improvements to the portal back to the City of San Rafael.
At the completion of their project, the students received amazing feedback from their technology and community partners. When Figma learned about the prototype the students created using their product, they were impressed and planned to use it as one of their project examples. After reviewing the research from this project, the City of San Rafael took the deliverables back to their internal design team and offered the students an internship on the spot.
Additionally, these seniors exhibited their findings to the MA community in their Designing Technology End-ofYear workshop. MA's end-of-year, or culminating, projects are inter- and transdisciplinary, experiential programs that are designed to target the academic goals and represent the deeply held values of Marin Academy that run through our philosophy, mission statement, and strategic vision. Students spend three days leading and engaging with their peers for a meaningful conclusion to each school year.
Workshop participants were introduced to user testing, where real users interact with a product and give their feedback on how it performs and the process developers use to design the visual interfaces and interactive elements of apps and websites. Attendees were invited to participate in hands-on learning in user testing by playing a gaming platform of their choice and discussing the game's user experience with the rest of the group.
MA faculty member, Bijani Mizell, led a workshop for staff and faculty on how to support our students in the different experiences and identity factors they bring to the classroom. During the session, titled "Identity, Empathy, Community: Connecting Ourselves and Our Students in an Effective, Inclusive Learning Environment," participants shared effective teaching practices, offered feedback and collaborated on concrete strategies, and examined the ways in which their identities and positionalities impact the learning environments they create. Topics included fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and flexible learning environment; cultivating affirming spaces for our students to feel safe and free; and establishing a learning environment that promotes the physical, social, and emotional safety of our students.
Many other MA teachers are bringing innovative technologies into the classroom. All our math classes use some ed tech; for example, most use the online graphic calculator Desmos to help strengthen ideas and obtain visuals to back up written work. Students in our Marin Academy Research Collaborative are doing realworld work with tools such as Python and R as they help their research sponsors do real science, and our Learning Services team has a suite of tools they encourage students to use to make learning more accessible. Our Design Lab connects students across disciplines to a wide array of digital fabrication tools to bring abstract ideas into the real world, and we have a new digital drawing class this school year. Additionally, last year's Conference on Democracy focused on investigating the digital age and how it intersects with democracy. In the spring of 2024, we will incorporate a new Digital Technology and Society class into the curriculum, which will push students to deeply and critically explore these topics.
One of our goals is how to incorporate AI into the classroom so it is used responsibly. According to Director of Technology, Kyle Vitale , "With the rise of AI tools such as ChatGPT and DALL-E, students now have access to powerful and unprecedented ways to create written and visual content. At MA we want students to understand how to leverage these tools as well as their impact on society, be it positive or negative."
Marin Academy is in the process of developing technology competencies and standards and determining how to implement them into the curriculum in a systematic way. We will examine what technology skills teachers need and the competencies we want students to have. We will continue to embrace the usage of innovative technology in the classroom as we push the boundaries of educational excellence.
Science Teacher and Department Chair Ellie Beyers participated in an ongoing professional development training through California Teacher Development Collaborative (CATDC). The series, Leveraging Our Learning for More Effective Coaching and Mentoring with Jennifer Liu and Julie Strong equips teachers with the skills to facilitate meaningful and productive mentoring while building authentic, everlasting relationships with fellow educators.
"Coaching and mentoring, central to my work at MA, are incredibly rewarding, and I am always looking for ways to hone my skills in facilitating meaningful coaching conversations," says Beyers. "What makes this training different is the ongoing nature of the workshop with a cohort of educators from other independent schools and the extensive time to put into practice the techniques we are learning. This training will directly support my work as a teacher, advisor, department chair, and colleague. I am learning new strategies and tools for facilitating meaningful conversations to help colleagues and students reach their professional or educational goals. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I feel energized and motivated to continue to put the skills I'm learning into practice."
Coaching and mentoring, central to my work at MA, are incredibly rewarding, and I am always looking for ways to hone my skills in facilitating meaningful coaching conversations.
ELLIE BEYERS, SCIENCE TEACHER AND DEPARTMENT CHAIR
The very best part of my job is meeting all of you—our alumni— because you're genuinely cool and damn impressive.
I know that I'm not just serving an alumni community—because we alumni are not a monolith, and we adamantly defy generalization. As the Director of Alumni Relations, I get to serve a few thousand extremely interesting individuals!
And our ways to engage are as unique as the individuals in our community, with opportunities that can custom-fit you.
Here are just some examples, plus my ratings of how great they each are:
You're ready to smash the RSVP button for all of our upcoming alumni events: 10/10, Let's party!
You're curious about mentorship and ways to help out current students: 10/10, Your involvement makes a huge impact for our high schoolers!
You're a strategic thinker and want to join the Alumni Board: 10/10, Our community is the juicy puzzle your brain craves!
You keep up through e-newsletters and connect with classmates through our social media groups: 10/10, Participating when and how you can is what matters most!
There's no right way to be alumni.
This year, show up when and in whatever ways feel good for you. But do show up! Because the Marin Academy alumni community needs the fullness of all its individuals: your opinions, your interests, your oddities. These unique-to-you specificities are what make our community great—and they're also what make my job so much fun.
Ariel Craft '07 Director of Alumni RelationsP.S. Long-time Dean of Students Lynne Hansen has joined our office as Assistant Director of Alumni Relations. Lynne and I can't wait to connect with you this year, including at our on-campus Reunion on Saturday, May 18 ! Drop us a note at alumni@ma.org.
Zoë Brunelle '04
Milton Dimas '15
Brian Goldman '03
Candace Hamilton '00
Becca Hurwitz '14
Jason Lee '07
Preston McCaskill '01
Scott Mollett '99
Brittany Ouyang '07
Jesse Roselin '95
Holden Sperling '07
Peter Tempel '76
Lisa Tsubouchi '06
Brandy Varnado '05
Adrian West '93
Eric Wiesen '93
Stephanie Yee '04
Taylor Tan '06 has come full circle at Marin Academy in ways he never predicted.
After graduating, Taylor headed to the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in Conservation and Resource Studies, specifically focused on California fisheries. His first year in college, Taylor didn't participate in anything MA-related—but that year would prove to be an outlier. He got a phone call asking him to return to Marin Academy as Assistant Track Coach for the 2007-2008 school year. Taylor accepted and, two days a week, he drove across the bridge to coach students, some of whom had been his schoolmates just two years earlier.
After graduation, Taylor started substitute teaching at Marin Academy and, only a year later, he was approached about a full-time teaching position in the Math Department, with one surreal hurdle between him and the job: being interviewed for a teaching position by his own former teachers.
After a successful, if admittedly stressful, interview, Taylor's former teachers became his colleagues. He's taught everything from Algebra 2 and Statistics to Pre-Calculus at Marin Academy. Initially, Taylor felt his math career was something he simply stumbled into, and he was sure that someday he'd make the switch to science. Much to his surprise, he fell in love with teaching math.
Taylor's teaching style is influenced by his own time as an MA student. He values a combination of direct instruction and encouraging questions, with plenty of time for students to explore on their own.
He spends very little time standing at the front of the room talking at his students. "It's my job to help shepherd students to the correct understanding and pathways toward problem-solving. I'm interested in having students learn those problemsolving techniques," he says.
It makes sense that Taylor remains a constant presence at MA because, as a student, he was a quintessential MA kid. In addition to loving his Environmental Science and Oceanography classes, Taylor played bass and helped start an MA funk/soul band, was on the Cross Country and Track teams, and cherished his time spent on Wilderness Quests.
Taylor acknowledges that Marin Academy has changed a bit over time. Buildings have come and gone, or their use has changed. He may be a little nostalgic for the old computer labs, but he's a big fan of the new cafeteria. Through the changes, Taylor appreciates that the core values he remembers from his time at Marin Academy remain the same: quality student-teacher interaction and experiential learning.
Taylor now co-leads the Wilderness Quest program. He's proud of the questing ritual's recent evolutions and says it feels good to uphold a tradition that's been ongoing for 38 years while innovating and improving on its legacy format. He's equally enthusiastic about opportunities within the Math Department to integrate courses of study, creating a path for all students to reach Calculus as seniors when, in the past, not all students were eligible by 12th-grade. He knows some students will ultimately decide not to take Calculus, but the equity of opportunity and choice is what matters to Taylor.
Taylor's journey has been so full circle that he has now taught the high school-aged children of his own former teachers, Liz Gottlieb and Pilar Góngora, who were both pregnant while he was a student. And what about Track, the thing that brought him back to Marin Academy in 2007? Well, Taylor has coached 15 incredible seasons, and served as the Head Coach for five years before passing the baton to fellow Math Teacher and Penn Fellow, Anya Strum.
It's my job to help shepherd students to the correct understanding and pathways toward problem-solving. I'm interested in having students learn those problem-solving techniques.
TAYLOR TAN'06 Taylor Tan '06 speaking at the 2022 Marin Academy graduation ceremony
Peter Tempel writes, "On behalf of MA's 'founding decade' from 1972 to 1979, a talented group of students and teachers who forged the way for a new kind of high school: in May, 80 of us gathered. Some of us hadn't seen each other since MA! But we've stayed in touch for 50 years. It was as if we had never left."
Ellen Haller says, "I'm thoroughly enjoying my retirement phase-of-life, after working for 30 years as a psychiatrist on the full-time UCSF School of Medicine faculty. Now, my days are spent happily playing pickleball or ice hockey, going on long bike rides all over the beautiful Bay Area, doing strength classes, attending fun educational and cultural events, traveling with my wife, cheering on the career of my professional magician son in New York City (DanielRoyMagic.com), and caring for my elderly parents. Life is good!"
Alexander Brebner reports, "I am living in Brooklyn, New York and taking a break from fulltime work as a creative director with a month in Maine, personal creative projects, and enjoying a preview of retirement, which remains on the far horizon for now. I'm planning a practice as a creative consultant and 'design therapist' to help people launch new ventures or take a step back and evaluate existing ones. I am so glad I did not miss the 1970s group gathering and the Reunion on campus in May."
Deb Ballantyne happily shares, "I live in New Hampshire with my wife. We are celebrating 35 years together this summer. I work as the legal editor for a healthcare risk management best practice think-tank. We live in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, and our home in the woods backs up to the Cocheco River. It reminds me of many fond memories of backpacking while at MA."
On behalf of MA's 'founding decade' from 1972 to 1979, a talented group of students and teachers who forged the way for a new kind of high school: in May, 80 of us gathered. Some of us hadn't seen each other since MA! But we've stayed in touch for 50 years. It was as if we had never left.
PETER TEMPEL '76
To keep up with Rindon Johnson '08, you have to move quickly.
On a given day, he might be in New York or Berlin, teaching at UCLA, or installing an art show in Spain, Switzerland, or Shanghai. As an artist who "makes whatever suits at the time," the mediums may change—but his work has "the slipperiness of language" at its heart.
Rindon's love of art and language can be traced back to his time at MA. "Marin Academy was very formative for me," he says, shouting out Visual Arts Department faculty Anne Maurice and Katharine Boyd as influential teachers during his high school years.
As an artist, Rindon works in mediums as disparate as cow leather, video games, and poetry, but he is always deeply observing the world around him. "Most of my work is interested in the ecological world—in particular, the climate crisis and how vast the climate crisis is—how it has permeated every part of our lives. And then, of course, that doubles over into capital accumulation and market and, in particular, value and how we make value out of things, which swings back into language. Calling something ends up giving it value," he says.
Rindon often works in collaboration with people whose technical expertise informs his work. In The Bells Pursuing One Another , an immersive video game, the player sees through the eyes of a whale, complete with the whale's natural center blindspot, which creates a fuzzy barrier. Sound becomes a crucial tool for the player, just as it is for real whales.
The player must navigate the unforgiving waters while attempting to hunt a giant squid.
While the natural world is regularly an influence, Rindon also creates work about the human-built world. He was with friend Trevor Cohen '08 looking up at the Transamerica Pyramid one day when Rindon, a transgender man, suddenly realized, "Whoa, that's the Transamerica building. I'm a trans American. That's the Transamerica building—that's mine!" From there, Rindon created a sculpture, a simplification of the Transamerica Pyramid itself, using old-growth redwood from the Bay Area to make the piece.
While Rindon's trans identity was a crucial part of that piece, he says it's not always front and center in his work. "It's similar to my race. It's similar to the weather. It's just the ambient stuff happening around. I can't deny it, but it's just there."
When Rindon sets a goal, odds are he'll achieve it. From publishing books to envisioning international art shows, he's a hands-on multi-hyphenate creator whose strong roots at Marin Academy have served him well in his fastpaced and multifaceted career. Rindon credits Marin Academy for the educational benefits of its signature block schedule and the depth of immersion in each course that it offers.
So where in the world can you find Rindon next? He doesn't stay in any one spot for too long "so I don't get bored," he says. His five-year-old daughter reaps the benefits of his love for adventure, too. It's safe to say no one is bored in that home, wherever that home is at the time.
Learn more about Rindon Johnson '08 and his work: rinjohnson.com
Most of my work is interested in the ecological world—in particular, the climate crisis and how vast the climate crisis is—how it has permeated every part of our lives.
RINDON JOHNSON '08
Mark Battat tells us, "It's been another fun year in the desert filled with a lot of winter activities, a nice cool spring, and a wonderful summer filled with travel activities with pals near and far—and my fourth year of leading a seniors cycling group every Saturday from November to April."
Karen Hyde Edgerly writes, "After 20 years as a high school chemistry teacher, I returned to my passion of silversmithing and have been a full-time silversmith for 12 years now. I sell my work in Colorado (where I live), Washington, Wisconsin, and in California where my work is at the ACCI Gallery in Berkeley. I have fond memories of the jewelry-making class at MA, in the small room in the old dorm building. As empty nesters, my husband and I spend our free time skiing and biking."
Anne Chaitin shares, "After six years, I gave my two-weeks-notice at my job. A corporate buyout made it no fun anymore. It will be weird looking for work again."
Sig-Britt (Siggy) Ivey says, "I am currently learning Shamanism with the Four Winds Society and practicing at the Evo Spa in Mill Valley, as well as accepting private clients in Fairfax. As a certified diet counselor, massage therapist, and aesthetician, I take a holistic approach to health and beauty and bring my clients to a deep place of relaxation where true healing can take place."
Simon Forder reports, "Living in Alameda these days... I love the island. Keeping active: rock climbing again (started at MA) and running. Kids have grown up so fast, and college applications are starting! Just for kicks, I started an MBA program during COVID and have one quarter left until I graduate. You're never too old to get back into school. I am still working in the biotech industry and running West Coast operations for an East Coast engineering and construction company. We were just bought by Berkshire Hathaway, so I now work for Warren Buffet. I think, one day, we may all work for him. I thank MA for an early Career Day—kudos, in memory, Barney Stout, MA Biology Teacher—when Herb Boyer of Genentech spoke about the 'new' world of biotech that put me on this path."
S AVE THE D ATE
S AVE THE D ATE
Saturday, May 18, 2024
ON-CAMPUS REUNION
The Circle at Marin Academy
1600 Mission Avenue San Rafael
NEIL S. LANE '87 passed away on November 2, 2022, surrounded by family and close friends. Neil cherished the lifelong friendships he maintained with his Marin Academy classmates and teachers. He is survived by his wife Lindy May, former wife Amalia Lane, mother Betsy Bryant, sons Tomas and Felipe Lane, stepdaughters Mineko Hasegawa and Toshiko Hasegawa, and two granddaughters. He will be missed.
Katie Berryhill says, "After years of being an adjunct faculty member at four to five colleges, I'm delighted to have been hired as a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, California, starting in Fall 2023! My husband and I continue to operate our business, Berryhill Computer Forensics, Inc. Our son will be starting his final year at UC Davis in the fall, majoring in aerospace and mechanical engineering, after spending the summer as an engineering intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Our daughter just finished her first year as a fashion design major at the University of Cincinnati."
GREG "KAZ" KENNETH '88 , devoted husband, father, and lifelong adventurer died suddenly on June 25, 2022. His zest for life and adventurer's credo brought people together wherever he went. "Greg squeezed more out of his time on this earth than most will who live twice as long. If you were lucky, you got to come along for the ride." Greg was preceded in death by his parents and sister-in-law. He is survived by his wife Laurie, daughter Taylor, brother Dan, sister Molly '90, extended family, and beloved dog Cleo.
Natira McDermott tells us, "I'm living in Manhattan with my husband Mike and daughter Kate. After moving to New York City after college—and living here for 28 years!—we just bought a house in Nyack, New York and are moving there. For work, I have a coaching practice that's focused on bravery and public speaking."
Deborah Brown says, "I've been living in London with my family and working for the National Health Service for the past 17 years. Lately, my passion has returned to stained glass, which brings back fond memories of an MA Minicourse where I picked up my first stained glass techniques so many years ago."
Karmela Cleary shares, "I'm living in Larkspur with my husband Greg, sons Anthony (17) and Marco (15), and dog Justice (4). I've been having so much fun reconnecting with my MA family recently! In April, I met Meghan Levin '92 and Caitlyn Toropova '92 in the city for dinner and a walk around the Palace of Fine Arts. Then, a few weeks ago, I enjoyed picking strawberries at Katie Warfield '92's farm with Tenaya Lafore '92 and Russ Scarola '92 and his family. What a treat! I can't wait for more adventures with my dear old friends!"
Scott Porter writes, "I am living in San Rafael, working from home full-time for almost four years at Oracle. I lead public relations for their construction and engineering, food and beverage, and hospitality industries. On the side, I help out with social media and photography for the tap room Tam Commons on 4th Street. Many of you may remember it as the old pool hall! Come on down for a pint."
Caitlyn Toropova says, "I am happy to be coming back to Marin! I will be teaching science at Cathedral School for Boys in San Francisco and living in Fairfax with my son. Hope to see some MA faces around town."
Thessaly Lerner tells us, "After being trapped in Atlanta during the pandy, I launched a narrative podcast studio and now have four exciting limited series for you: 1. American Prankster: Wavy Gravy's Life Story, 2. The Best Day of My Life: Patch Adams' Journey to the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination, 3. Tune Tales, a musical-story pod for kids, and 4. Disorganized Crime: Smuggler's Daughter, the secret history of Marin's pot smugglers, which I'm developing into a TV series. All four podcasts are available at RainbowValentine. com, plus I have a new voiceover website (ThessalyVO.com), am currently on Peacock's TV's kid's show Ultimate Fighting Words, and still play music as The Ukulady. Let's collaborate! To The Downfall of Evil!"
Stained
Sunjya Schweig reports, "Excited that our son Kiva graduated from MA in June 2023. He is the eighth person in our family to graduate from MA! We are happily resettled in Lucas Valley after a few different moves. Staying quite busy with my medical practice, the California Center for Functional Medicine (CCFMed. com). Ready to be an empty nester or free bird, depending on who you talk to. Curious and excited—and a little nervous—for what the next phase of life brings."
Eric Wiesen notes, "My family and I are enjoying the receding pandemic and the accelerating passage of time. Kids are growing up too quickly: 12 and 10 now, and into many of the same artistic activities as their parents at those ages. We've engaged in less "revenge travel" than most of our peers this year—but we did take our kids to Rome in May, where we learned to be gladiators and ate an obscene amount of pasta carbonara. As a long-serving member of MA's Alumni Board, I enjoy having an ongoing commitment to the school and am excited about the many developments happening at MA. As always, being back in Marin provides serendipitous opportunities to reconnect with old classmates and friends, at official MA events or just around town."
Christopher Cooper sends us this poignant quote by Hau, "I heard what you said // I felt your heart // I honor you."
Scott Kaiser tells us, "I live in Marin and, this year, finished building a house next door to my parents in Sleepy Hollow. I'm a pediatric orthopedic surgeon practicing in Oakland, taking care of young athletes with sports injuries, children with broken bones, and children with neuromuscular and genetic differences from all over Northern California. Every time I drive by MA, I still smile—and my closest friends are still my friends from high school."
Jesse Roselin shares, "This spring has been filled with lots of kids' stuff—little league games in Mill Valley, a Matilda performance in San Anselmo, and ski trips (and a resulting broken leg). I've been traveling more for work with Pacific Preparatory School and have been meeting lots of educators around the country. This summer, we traveled to Japan for a month to introduce the kids to culture outside the Marin 'bubble.'"
Mike Wheeler writes, "Sometimes it is hard to remember what joys and concerns filled my days at Marin Academy back in the early 1990s. I'm such an adult now! My three kids are growing up fast... my oldest is already headed to high school next year! I am happy to still live in San Rafael and see my old friends from high school around town. I've had quite a professional adventure over the past five years: I left a good job in government affairs for a solar development company to run government affairs for a cannabis company after California legalized it in 2016. That meant long drives up to Mendocino and lots of moments on outdoor cannabis grows, asking myself, 'Is this my job?' I gave that dream life up when Biden was elected to run federal relations for a renewable hydrogen developer and spent two years lobbying Congress to pass significant climate legislation. Thank goodness they succeeded in August 2022! My company is expanding into international renewable hydrogen exports, and I've been focused on export policy lately. I still love all my classmates and remember the good times when I hosted our 20th reunion at my house. Guess what? 30 is not far away!"
Adam Jaffe shares, "I have transitioned from tennis to pickleball, winning gold in my first singles pickleball tournament. Just hosted a guys' weekend in Indian Wells for Marin Academy friends, including Brian DeCloux '96, David Scott '96, David Sokolosky '96, and Jay Shaffer '96."
Andrea Dunlap writes, "I've been having a great time learning about fire ecology for my new job as Creative Director for an autonomous firefighting helicopter company, digging into my past life as a naturalist (yay, senior year Independent Study!). And, of course, enjoying the bike commute because it's only a couple miles from home...where we host coffee garden parties for the public, because what good's a garden that isn't shared? Also, having fun being a mama to our 8-year-old and visiting Arwen O'Reilly Griffith '97 whenever she makes it back here from Australia, or Jennifer Bernstein '97, or Annie O'Connor '97 for the sad occasion of Brendan O'Connor '97's celebration of life—an event which was, in fact, both sad and joyful."
Caroline Olney tells us, "I have been living in Portland for five years now and loving it! I work as a nurse practitioner in palliative care, and my husband is a neurologist at a nearby hospital. Our kids are in 3rd- and 6th-grades. Thankfully, it feels like we have finally caught up on our lost COVID years. We are heading to Europe for our first international trip!"
Brighid Dwyer says, "I've worked at the University of Pennsylvania now for a year as Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This spring, I was honored to deliver the graduation speech for the College of Liberal and Professional Studies."
Arwen O'Reilly Griffith tells us, "I'm currently living in Australia in a small coastal town near Wollongong and loving the warm ocean and rainforest walks with kids and dogs. I miss my sister Meara O'Reilly '00 and bestie Andrea Dunlap '97 dearly but enjoy their company on visits home. I'm almost done with a Master's in Library Science and am hoping to be supporting my community at a local public library soon! My husband Saul Griffith is doing great work for climate, convincing governments that electrification is the future—read his book Electrify to learn more!"
Julia Schipper shares, "After living in Tanzania for many years, my family had to evacuate during COVID but have happily settled in Vienna, Austria, where I work with the UN on the prevention of sexual misconduct. I have two kids and regularly keep in touch with many classmates."
Savala (Hester) Nolan shares, "I'm very happy to be working on my second book, an essay collection interrogating how women and girls are socialized to be good, soon to be published by HarperCollins."
Chris Corporandy writes, "It's been a minute since I was last on stage, and I do miss it—don't worry, I shall return!—but I continue to do a good amount of dialect coaching and teaching. Since 2022, I've been International Admissions Counselor at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, a wonderful AICAD independent art and design college in a wonderful city. And yes, that's an 'in' for graduating MA artists and designers—please feel free to get in touch! It gives me the opportunity to travel quite a bit, and this year, I'll be in India, South Korea, Turkey (just missing Anna Wronsky '99, sadly!), and around Canada. My amazing wife Sarah Clare Corporandy co-founded and co-produces at Detroit Public Theatre, which has done remarkably well in a very short amount of time, and our 9-year-old son Miles is a hilarious, curmudgeonly, rhythmically gifted, highly skeptical, eloquent little goofball. I recently had the lovely opportunity to take him up to MA, show him around, and gawk at all the upgrades myself. I see my Detroit-mate Rosie Sharp '98, a highly respected artist and art critic, but not quite as often as I should. We got to visit Jacob Fenston '98 and family last summer in DC. I chat every now and then with Chris Korman '98, who is much better about reaching out than I am. Please feel free to follow his lead and lure me out of my extroverted but still somehow reclusive shell."
Adam Gothelf says, "I live with my wife Chrissy and our 6-year-old daughter Reese in San Francisco. When not out running in the Marin Headlands, on a family bike ride, or playing soccer, we're usually up in Tahoe. I most recently co-founded and sold Disclosures.io and continue to work broadly in real estate and tech. Reese and I also recently launched a cookie business: 100MileCookie.com"
Sara Kamins reports, "As a family of three, we decided to move from our little home in San Francisco overlooking the Golden Gate to spend some time in Israel, near my husband's family. We settled in Haifa with a new view of the Mediterranean Sea. We also welcomed our baby girl Aviv a few months later. Our son Tal is now almost five-years-old. And I am now working in venture capital investing in climate tech, after finishing up 15 years in clean energy policy for California."
Marin Academy creates opportunities to connect with your fellow alumni and the Marin Academy community based on shared interests, geographic regions, identity intersections, and professional affiliations!
To explore current ways to engage, visit ma.org/alumni
To receive invitations to upcoming events or to suggest a new alumni program or alumni affinity group, email us at alumni@ma.org
Jacob Bloomfield-Misrach writes, "It has been great rebuilding roots in the Bay Area. 18 years in New York City wore me out! But my family and I are loving the Bay. My 5-year-old is starting music lessons in Berkeley... MA rock band, look out! I've discovered an amazing film community in the area, and have been lucky enough to work on some incredible films. Being a film composer and sound designer is a lot more fun than I had expected. We now have five studios in Berkeley!"
Mara Plotkin tells us, "After an exciting career performing throughout North America as a professional symphony orchestral clarinetist and music professor for ten years, I found myself at the big transition point that so many of us faced at the beginning of 2020. While the world was turned upside down, amidst the pausing of many industries, including music, I took courses in real estate and neurolinguistic programming and got my real estate license in the state of California. I have been working as a realtor at Red Oak Realty ever since, focusing on East Bay residential homes, working with both buyers and sellers and haven't looked back! (Though I still enjoy performing with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra once per quarter.) It has been rewarding to help a diverse group of clients, from first-time home buyers to those buying and selling investment properties, working with vendors and landscapers that specialize in droughtresistant gardens, to helping people move into the next chapter of retirement. 'Authentic, savvy, ethical, and compassionate' are some qualities my real estate clients have noted they seek in their realtor, and that's what I provide to all of my clients. After having lived in five East Bay cities and San Francisco, I have a feel for the diversity of each city and neighborhood. I am excited to work with MA alums and to learn what your unique vision is for your lifestyle and next home."
Jessica Dell'Era Nussbaum shares, "I'm beginning my second year as the Rabbi of Temple Shalom in Medford, Massachusetts where I'm active in the interfaith clergy association. My spouse Leah Nussbaum and I are loving the Boston area and beginning the hunt for a house to buy!"
Ryan Giesen tells us, "I live in Fairfax, California with my wife, 5-year-old son, and baby girl. I recently celebrated my 15th year at Autodesk as a Director of Analytics."
Aaron Mandel writes, "I moved back to my hometown of El Cerrito a few years ago with my wife Charley and, now, our two kids, Meadow and Shiloh. I'm the Camp Director at Camp Tawonga, and I've loved having some of my classmates up for family camps and having their kids up as campers. I've also enjoyed employing more recent MA alumni as summer staff!"
Martin Benes shares, "I continue to be a coach, working with cross-country skiers and trail runners, though I'm now running a small business as well! I started a small private coaching and personal training business, working with clients in California and around the world. Having fun and learning a ton."
Sarah Janoff-Brinn says, "I live in Marin with my husband and our two daughters, Nora (5) and Sophie (2). I have spent the last four years as the School Counselor at Marin Academy, and it's been so wonderful to return to campus as an employee! I left MA at the end of the most recent school year and am returning to my full-time psychotherapy private practice."
Ben Amen tells us, "I was promoted at Lucid Motors after 1.5 years with the company; I joined the Field Service Engineering team as an Escalation Specialist, supporting technical operations in the service centers of the Southern California region."
Zoë Brunelle My 6-yearold daughter Evie and I had a great visit to the Bay in June! It was a wonderful reunion of friends (and their kids!), including Jhani Amabile '04, Nicky Blaufarb '04, Lauren Patz '04, Victoria Shepard '04, Eliza Singer '04, Allie Sack '04 and Andrew Nourafshan '03. Later in the summer, we traveled to Italy for an epic vacation to celebrate former Head of School Bodie Brizendine's retirement with Ryan Hall '94 , rising 9th Grader Calvin '27, and the rest of the family.
Lisa Tsubouchi says, "I continue to enjoy self-employed life as a wedding planner and floral designer. I'm excited to be helping Matt Bedrick '08 and his fiancée Amanda Breen plan their 2024 wedding! Check out my website (SachiAndMaja. com) or follow me on Instagram: @sachiandmaja"
Taylor Tan shares, "I'm now somehow the third longest-tenured member of the MA Math Department. I've taught the daughters of our former teachers and my current colleagues, Pilar Góngora and Liz Gottlieb, and look to the day I get to teach my classmates' children. Along with fellow alum Leslie Beach '04, among others, I help to shepherd the Wilderness Quest program. Stop by campus to say 'hello' and have lunch if you're in the area!"
Noah Belkin feels, "Very blessed to still be in touch with many close friends from our time at MA: a hodgepodge crew of comedian filmmakers, educators, hoteliers, doctors, lawyers, and techies."
Ariel Craft shares, "When I'm not doing 'Director of Alumni Relations stuff' at Marin Academy, I'm doing 'mom stuff' in Berkeley with my toddler Chava."
Bart Jackson tells us, "I recently moved to Washington, DC where I work remotely doing communications and policy for the San Francisco-based rooftop solar company Sunrun. Work brings me back to the Bay Area and Sacramento regularly. In February, my wife Hannah and I welcomed a little girl, Evelyn, into the world. She's tons of fun!"
Brittany Ouyang says, "My husband Andrew and I welcomed our daughter Rowan Wai-Si O'Reilly on October 26, 2023. I live in Mill Valley, where I'm enjoying introducing my husband and baby to my old high school haunts."
Theo St. Francis '13 doesn't like taking shortcuts. He believes in understanding the fundamentals of how things work, not skipping right to the solution. It's a good quality for an aerospace engineer.
As a student at Marin Academy, Theo loved the Outings Program. He watched his brother Adrian St. Francis '09 go through MA before him and knew that backpacking was in his future. In his 9th-grade year at MA alone, Theo went backpacking four times. "I got a very good kind of exposure to all the natural world has to offer and the way that you can dissect it."
After graduating from Marin Academy, Theo went to study mechanical engineering at MIT. But just one week into his first year, Theo's plans were interrupted by a serious spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Theo was told that whatever mobility he'd gain back would be achieved in the first two years after his injury and, after that, he shouldn't expect improvement.
Through a rigorous Pilates-based approach and the application of his scientific curiosities to human biomechanics, Theo increased his own mobility beyond that two-year mark and has innovated techniques for paralysis recovery. Theo published the book From the Ground Up: A Human-Powered Framework for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery in 2020 with his business partner Stephanie Comella. Theo refers to those he works with who have spinal cord injuries as "SCI athletes" because, he says, "the process of recovery from a spinal cord injury is kind of like being an athlete all the time."
Theo now hosts pop-up workshops based on his book and has even designed hand controls that can operate rudder pedals, making it possible for someone to fly a plane using only their hands. He recognizes the natural alignments in engineering and SCI recovery, "unlocking possibilities through hardware for those with reduced mobility, with myself as Test Subject #1."
Theo ultimately returned to MIT to pursue his bachelor's degree five years after his injury, and his area of interest shifted—to aerospace engineering. Through an internship with Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA, Theo built hardware for a rocket that recently made it beyond the border of space (100 kilometers). After graduating from MIT this year, Theo will soon begin his Ph.D. studies in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech.
Theo's graduate focus will be "microgravity fluids" which, much like his earlier interest in mechanical engineering, partly harkens back to the science of the human body.
"Fluids do weird things when there's no gravitational force, floating around and forming huge drops and sticking to walls. In the context of aerospace, 'fluids' could be propulsion engineering, designing the pipes and valves through which chemical fuels flow, or gas pressurization systems for satellites that visit Saturn or beyond... or it could be for environmental control and life-support for human spaceflight. Humans are fluid creatures."
Theo muses that he is always looking to forge connections between his work in SCI recovery and aerospace engineering. "Those who are most able on earth are not necessarily the most able in space," he says, "and if you think about designing a crew capsule for use in microgravity, many of the same kinds of human-factors crop up as when designing inclusive spaces here
on Earth—how people move in three dimensions, which knobs or cabinets should be most available, how to design for safe and intuitive operation in low light."
And you have to wonder, when someone works in aerospace, if they'd like to travel to space one day. For Theo, the answer is an enthusiastic "yes," although he says that's not what drives him. "Everyone who goes comes back and talks about how perspective-changing it is. We didn't really understand the fragility of the earth until we left it, looked back on it, and saw how delicate and small it is. I'm excited for what the upcoming era of human spaceflight will do for technology development, for off-world discovery, and for inspiring the next generation just as the Apollo Program did for our parents."
Learn more about Theo St. Francis '13 and his work: theostfrancis.com
The process of recovery from a spinal cord injury is kind of like being an athlete all the time.THEO ST. FRANCIS '13 Theo St. Francis '13 with Sophie Goemens and Jesse Adler, schoolmates from MIT's Class of 2017 Theo St. Francis '13 machining the copper pintle injector for a rocket engine fired to 2,500 pounds of thrust in the Mojave Desert, 2022
Anna Bischoff shares, "I got married in October 2022 to a Southern California native, and now have a new last name: Spring. Olivia Godsey '08 stood by my side at the wedding, singing Disney songs, and was in charge of all wine purchases. I'm now transitioning to a new career in dog training and enjoying married life living in Altadena, California with two big dogs, two tabby cats, two fish, and two mature avocado trees."
Max Meyers says, "I'm still writing computer programs in Oakland, where I'm reasonably confident that I have at least a few more good years before the singularity arrives and takes my job."
Emma Stubbs reports, "I'm still living on a houseboat in Sausalito with my husband George, dog Howard, and spankin' new baby Boone! We took last year away from work to live on a sailboat in the Caribbean. Now we are back in the Bay Area figuring out how to be parents."
Reilly Brock writes, "I currently live in West Berkeley with my girlfriend of five years. After six years of marketing at two mission-driven startups (Imperfect Foods and Ridwell), I recently started a freelance practice helping companies with their content marketing, messaging, and storytelling. It's been a fun change of pace so far. You can learn more about my work at ReillyBrock.com. I also write fun weekly articles about pop culture, movies, marketing, and more for my blog, which you can read at WrylyReilly.substack.com. I remain in close touch with many of my '08 friends, including Matt Rowett '08 and Anthony Lynch '08, who also live locally."
Natasha Zouves tells us, "After completing the Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford, I am now a cable news anchor and investigative correspondent at a network called NewsNation. I miss California, but I'm so honored to host my own three-hour, live national interview show called Prime."
Aki Gormezano reports, "I finished my Ph.D. in social-personality psychology at Queen's University in October 2022! I'm now doing a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I'm doing a mix of research focused on sexuality, psychology, and health."
Rebecca Haumann writes, "Last fall, I launched my professional organizing business in Portland, Oregon: In Harmony Organizing! Check it out: InHarmonyOrganizing.com"
Patrick Ebke tells us, "I currently live in Chicago with my Doberman Augie, working as an athletic trainer for the Windy City Bulls, a G League affiliate for the Chicago Bulls."
Cora Wyent excitedly shares, "2022 was a big year! My wife Emily and I got married last June, and we bought a house in Los Angeles last October. I finished up my Ph.D. in Physics and started a new job as the Director of Research at Rewiring America, a non-profit focused on electrifying everything in our homes and communities."
Timmy Stabler says, "I just moved back to San Francisco after five years in New York City! I am touring with fellow alum Maia Sinaiko '13's band Sour Widows and beginning my path toward history teaching."
Dear Members of our Marin Academy Community:
MA has always been an educational institute that understands that teaching and learning, curricula, and pedological best practices are constantly evolving. It's an agile and innovative school, a place where administrators, teachers, and students are deeply invested in adapting and growing to meet the needs of young learners in a rapidly changing world.
I've seen this up close as a long-tenured trustee, as a community member, and as a parent. My three MA students, all quite different, tried on new experiences and not only gained knowledge but also became strategic partners in their own learning. Not only was their education transformative but they also participated in transforming education.
This edition of NEXUS magazine is all about teaching and learning. How MA supports professional development and develops the next generation of educators. It looks into the future of education at Marin Academy and beyond.
This year's Annual Report reflects our community's ongoing efforts to transform education. Every gift at every level impacts our exceptional faculty and helps us constantly build upon best practices in pedagogy. Please join me in celebrating the incredible commitment of our community.
I want to express my thanks to our outgoing members of the Board of Trustees: Ari Blum '94, Lisa Hauswirth, Rachel Kernodle, Jason Lee '07, Marie Lyons, David Riley, and Ed Sarti. Our entire MA community appreciates their outstanding commitment and dedication to the School. Please join me in welcoming our newest Board members!
Thank you for all you do to support Marin Academy.
With gratitude,
Paul Levitan (Jacqui ' 16, Jonathan ' 20, and Josh ' 25) Chair, MA Board of Trustees
ARCHANA (ARCHIE) CHATTHA and her husband, Vijay Chattha, enjoy a full, multi-generational home life in Novato and are the parents of Amrik '25, Taj, and Jaia. Archie received her degree from the University of Southern California, and she continues her involvement through collaborations with the Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism. Archie started her career at Sony in family entertainment and is currently a partner at VSC, catalyzing founders, ideas, and investments. She is a community organizer, hosts several hallmark cultural events across the Bay Area, and remains active with the V Foundation for Cancer Research and the National League of Young Men. When not in Marin, find her waving peace signs in the fields of Healdsburg or shakas on the shores of Hawaii.
WYETH GOODENOUGH is the Chief Customer Officer at Ironclad, a software company based in San Francisco. Before Ironclad, he spent seven years at Salesforce as a Vice President of Customer Success and Strategic Technology Partnerships. Wyeth holds a BA in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. He resides in Ross, California, with his wife, Sarah Rafanelli, and his sporty daughters, Sadie '26, Reese, and Ellis. Sadie is a very happy three-sport athlete at Marin Academy, competing in cross country, soccer, and lacrosse. When not at work or spending time with his family, Wyeth enjoys running, mountain biking, golf, tennis, and pretty much anything outside. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and attended the Albuquerque Academy.
MAXWELL HAYMAN '05 is a Marin Academy graduate, as are his siblings, Wyatt Hayman '07 and Hailey Hayman '10. After graduating from MA, Maxwell received his BA in Political Science from Northwestern University. Maxwell co-founded Rimeto, an enterprise software company acquired by Slack in 2020. He subsequently led a product team at Slack/Salesforce. Maxwell began his career at Boston Consulting Group and has since worked in the tech industry, including Facebook. He and his wife, Lindsay, live in Mill Valley with their young son.
ED MCDERMOTT is the Managing Partner of Spring Tide Partners, a private investment firm. Prior to founding Spring Tide Partners in 2015, Ed was a managing partner of SPO Partners & Co. Ed received his B.A. from Williams College and his M.B.A. from Stanford. He is involved in several non-profit organizations, including serving on the board of the American Federation for Children and the BASIC Fund, an organization providing scholarships to students from low-income families. He is a former trustee of the San Francisco Foundation and a former board chair of the Stanford GSB Trust and San Francisco School Volunteers. Ed and his wife, Betsy, live in Ross along with their three daughters, two of whom are current students at MA.
STEPHANIE NOTOWICH is the parent of Maddie Crowe '17, Davis Crowe '19, and Margot Notowich '26. She and her husband Lee are residents of Ross. Stephanie earned her degree from Pace University and serves as a Vice President at Dodge & Cox. She has been an active Annual Fund volunteer for MA.
BRITTANY OUYANG '07 graduated from Marin Academy in 2007 and went on to complete her BA at Vassar College and MBA at UC Irvine's Merage School of Business. She currently leads brand and influencer marketing for Cruise, an autonomous vehicle company. Prior to that, she worked in fashion and consumer products. She lives in Mill Valley with her husband Andrew and daughter Rowan and also serves on the MA Alumni Board.
KEVIN REES (faculty) is a member of the Math Department and has taught courses from Advanced Algebra I through Advanced Topics in Calculus during his time at MA. Since his second year at MA, he has co-led a ninth-grade Minicourse, Exploring Marin, which involves students in hiking, kayaking, and surfing while focusing on environmental service and the micro-climates and ecosystems of Marin County. Kevin has also served as the 9th-grade Dean. He received an AB from Colgate University in Math and History and an MS in Mathematical Sciences (with a focus on Statistics) from Clemson University. Before coming to Marin Academy, Kevin taught at the Hill School, the American School in London, and the International School in Luxembourg. Kevin, his wife, a 4th-grade teacher, and their two children live in Novato. Kevin enjoys mountain and road biking, hiking, and surfing. In the summers, he and his family return to the Finger Lakes region of New York.
CATARINA SCHWAB and her husband, Andy Schwab, are residents of San Francisco and are the parents of Felicity '26. Catarina attended Phillips Exeter Academy and received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University. She serves as Class President for her PEA Class of 1992 and as a Board Member for the Princeton Women's Network of NorCal. Over her 25+ year career, Catarina has held investing, operating, and entrepreneurial roles across a variety of sectors, from investment banking, venture capital, technology, retail, nonprofit, and social impact. Most recently, she was the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of NPX. She is currently pursuing a lifelong dream of studying photography at the Academy of Art University and brainstorming ideas for future endeavors with her Summit Junto cohort. Catarina served on the Board of Trustees for the Katherine Delmar Burke School from 2016-2022.
Paul Levitan (Chair)
Mandy Tachiki (Vice-Chair)
Robert Brown (Vice-Chair)
Travis Brownley (Head of School)
Marisa Gomez (Faculty)
Kevin Rees (Faculty)
Emily Brakebill
Tad Buchanan
Sara Byrne
Archana (Archie) Chattha
David Corey
Brighid Dwyer '97
Jessica Eisler
Wyeth Goodenough
Lorri Hamilton
Durbin
Maxwell Hayman '05
Erica Hunt (MAPA President)
Christina Kosmowski
Ed McDermott
Scott Mollett '99
Stephanie Notowich
Brittany Ouyang '07
Florencia Parada
Isaura Resendiz
Ali Rezaian '89
Catarina Schwab
Sigurd Strack
Spencer Wang
* Represents gifts for current operations only and does not include any gifts for capital improvements or endowment.
ANAYANSI ARANDA-YEE, Spanish Teacher
For 26 years at MA, Anayansi gave her students the gift of her respect and her high expectations. Quite serious about standards in the classroom, she held the same value outside of the classroom. We thank her for her dedication to our students and her recognition that all experiences matter in a child's education. Her perspective, life wisdom, and deep care for this school made a difference that we will not forget.
MICHAEL CUPP, Director of Facilities, Safety, and Operations
In his short time at MA, Michael significantly advanced the school's Emergency Operations Plan, Aquatic Center Operations, and a host of other campus improvements. We wish him luck in his future career.
ASHLEY DAON, Assistant Director of Advancement Operations and Donor Relations
Ashley moved to be closer to her family after five years at MA. She was an integral part of the advancement team as she supported our annual fund, campaign, and special gift efforts. Ashley was central in making sure donor information was accurately captured and donors were thanked in a timely manner. We wish her well in her next role.
WHITNEY DAVIDSON, History Teacher
Whitney is returning to the East Coast after four years at MA. Her fellow history teachers describe her as a role model for seeing the humanity and brilliance in kids who are sometimes hard to love right away and her incredible dedication to her students, including demanding to chaperone prom. She helped our community process current events by holding space and offering ways to think about them in a historical framework. She will clearly be missed.
HANNAH
Hannah was a member of the English department for three years, where she taught English and senior electives. Hannah also taught Ethnic Studies, coached cross country, and was a faculty advisor to the Asian Student Organization. She inspired students and colleagues alike with her creativity in lesson design and expertise in the teaching of writing.
After four years in her triumphant return to MA as our school counselor, Sarah has decided to return to private practice where she will have the flexibility to spend more time with her family. We will miss Sarah's dedication to and work with our students. She has also been an invaluable resource to the adults in our community as we all strive to support our students in the best way possible. We wish Sarah all the best.
When Joanna passed a student on the MA campus, they always greeted her with enthusiasm, and every staff and faculty member she passed was similarly excited to see her. They would stop and chat, checking in about something MA-related or laughing about a funny moment. She will no doubt continue to make a difference in the Sonoma County Office of Education community, and she has all of us rooting for her.
KEVIN QUINN, Math Teacher
Kevin was a popular speaker in the MA community, as evidenced by the Class of 2023's choice to have him speak at graduation. When something needed to be said, Kevin was the one to say it. Whether he was telling a student to hold the mic closer at Lit Fest or speaking up about changes in the English department, his clear voice has left our community stronger. He inspired many of us at MA to speak from the heart.
JANIECE RICHARD, Director of Advancement
Janiece has decided to return to LA and has accepted an offer to be Director of Development at Crossroads School in Santa Monica. In her nearly two years, Janiece has brought intention, energy, skill, and wisdom to Advancement at MA. She arrived at a critical time in MA's Going Beyond campaign and has worked tirelessly to bring it across the finish line. Equally important, Janiece's humor and "can do" attitude made our work fun. We wish her well in her next chapter.
MINDY
Mindy departed MA to work in admissions at the college level. We thank her for her work in overseeing our college counseling department.
FRESCA VARAGNOLO '19, Crossroads Campus Coordinator
Fresca returned to her alma mater to work as the Crossroads Campus Coordinator. She will attend UC Berkeley in the fall as a global studies major. We wish her much success.
The call of family—parents, children, and grandchildren—is strong, and KaTrina returned to Minnesota at the end of the school year.
KaTrina's accomplishments are too vast to list in their entirety here. She is most proud of shepherding and supporting Competency Based Education at MA, which has meant the development of transdisciplinary learning, our 5 competencies, and the commitment to equity and justice in education. We stand nationally as a school whose expertise is sought out by those wishing to engage in excellence. An extraordinary educator, a deeply valued colleague and thought partner, and a leader in education, KaTrina will be deeply missed.
It's that time of year wherein we not only prepare to welcome new members of our community but also pause to say goodbye to those who have served us so well. We send them off with our gratitude for all they have done for MA. With great appreciation we bid farewell to the following faculty and staff:
LINDSAY ECKERT, Associate Director of Learning Services
With profound sadness we share the news of the passing of our Associate Director of Learning Services, Lindsay Eckert. Lindsay battled cancer for two years, and through it all she was strong and full of hope, kindness, and pure love for everyone around her.
Lindsay flourished at MA from day one with her astounding ability to listen deeply and support all students. If you were lucky enough to work with Lindsay, you know how much time, care, and compassion she put into all aspects of her work. Lindsay loved this school and working with our students and our families, and she leaves an incredible impact on the MA community. We hope you will join us in remembering and honoring Lindsay. She will be missed immensely.
Before joining the Marin Academy community, Tyren served as a Cluster Dean at Phillips Academy, in which he supported 245 students and 58 faculty house counselors and advisors as they ensured the health and well-being of the students in their care.
Tyren also taught 9th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade English courses and coached football, junior varsity basketball, and track and field during his tenure at Andover. As an Assistant Dean of Students at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, Tyren partnered with program coordinators to create healthy systems of care for students. Believing that learning and growing happen in the classroom and beyond, Tyren has also worked in boarding schools in Connecticut and New Hampshire. Tyren is a proud alumnus of Choate Rosemary Hall, Kenyon College, and Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English. He enjoys spending time with his family; his basenji, Simba; exercising; running; cycling; strumming guitar; and exploring new restaurants and coffee shops.
Clara rejoins the Marin Academy community as a Spanish 1 and 2 teacher. Prior to her time at MA, Clara taught Spanish language and literature to Heritage Speakers of Spanish in Hayward and beginning Spanish at independent schools in San Francisco. Her pedagogy includes experiential, culturally centered, social justice-oriented, hands-on learning. Clara grew up living in both the United States and Mexico, where she developed a passion for the Spanish language, as well as for traditional cultures of the world. She earned her B.A. in International Literature and Linguistics from the University of California, San Diego, and her M.A. in International
and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco, where her thesis concentrated on theater use in the language arts classroom. When not teaching or studying, Clara can be found training in Cuban dance with Arenas Dance Company, gardening, practicing yoga and meditation, and spending time with her two kittens.
Jon taught economics to both undergraduate and graduate students at Purdue University before joining MA. Upon receipt of his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan, Jon was on the faculty at Purdue University. He was also a Senior Economist at the President's Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton administration, the director of the Economy Program at the Public Policy Institute of California, and a Founder at the economic forecasting firm Beacon Economics. He was an NSF Fellow at the Census Bureau and an Economist with the Federal Trade Commission. More recently, Jon founded the National Economic Education Delegation (NEED), where he remains the Executive Director. When Jon isn't teaching or giving a talk, he can be found eating vegan food, on his bicycle most anywhere in Marin, or reading nonfiction on the boat where he lives with his 15-year-old son.
Hayden is the Director of Facilities, Safety, and Operations. Having studied theater and fine arts at Webster University in St. Louis, Hayden came to San Francisco to realize his performance ambitions before segueing into theatrical set and prop building. Since then, Hayden
While each of the people leaving us is irreplaceable, we are excited to welcome new faculty and staff who will help us build the next generation of MA graduates.
Joining us in 2023-24 are:
has worked in all phases of construction as a furniture designer and builder, residential design/build contractor, and commercial construction project manager for diverse organizations and companies, including Spirit Rock and Google. Hayden lives in Mill Valley with his wife Katie, with whom he shares a deep love of learning, travel, and adventurous cooking, especially with their extended (mostly) local family.
Maggie is expanding her role in the Marin Academy community this year, where she is entering her third year as the head coach of the JV volleyball team. Prior to joining the MA community, Maggie worked as an office receptionist and administrator in San Rafael. Maggie is originally from the Bay Area; she currently resides in Corte Madera and has previously lived in San Francisco, Oakland, San Anselmo, and Napa. She earned her associate's degree from the College of Marin in 2020 and is currently taking a break from pursuing an upper-level degree in Sports Psychology. Outside of Marin Academy, you can most likely find Maggie reading a book, spending time with her partner and her cat, or coaching her youth club volleyball team.
Zoë has been teaching Spanish and English since 2006. While helping to develop a new world language program and teaching Spanish classes in Brookline, Massachusetts, Zoë completed a threesummer M.A. program via California State University, Sacramento, and studied with professors in Arequipa, Perú, Valladolid, Spain, and Antigua, Guatemala. Zoe has worked with organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the National SEED Project to create daily opportunities for both youth and adults to engage in dialogue and strengthen relationships and understanding. Zoë loves long-distance hiking and bikepacking, birdwatching, knitting, baking vegan treats, traveling with her tent and sidekick pup, Panela, and can often be found searching on the side of a trail for all creatures, large and small.
Prior to joining MA, Christine was the History-Social Science Discipline Lead at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, where she taught US history, Asian American Studies, and economics. She started her teaching career at Punahou School in Honolulu, teaching American Studies and math. Christine earned a B.S. in Economics, Business, and Urban Studies from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Ed. in Private School Leadership from the University of Hawaii. On the weekends, you can find her going to farmers' markets, hiking flat, shady trails, and eating clam chowder in Half Moon Bay.
Devon is a seventh-year educator serving in the English department. She has taught English and English Language Development in both middle and high school settings. Devon received her B.A. in Language Studies and Anthropology from The University of California at Santa Cruz. She earned her M.A. in Teaching, an English credential, and a Bilingual Authorization from Santa Clara University in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Before pursuing her career in education, Devon followed her passion for archaeology, participating in several archaeological digs in Italy and Ireland, where she was a field supervisor. She helped develop and served as Project Manager for the Bilingual/Biliterate Instruction for Bilingual Youth (BBILY) Grant at Santa Clara University. Devon is a founding member of the Anti-Racist Collective of Bilingual Educators. When she isn't curled up with a good book and her cat, she enjoys climbing, running, birding, listening to political podcasts, crafting, and baking. Devon is bilingual and bicultural.
Before joining Marin Academy, Jamie worked for San Mateo County in their Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Program as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, serving highly traumatized youth and families from a diverse population. Jamie has worked in school-based and community-based settings and specializes in youth and mental health. She is bilingual in Spanish and passionate about inclusivity and social justice. Jamie is a mother to two young daughters, Lola Mar and Mila Shae, who keep her on her toes and who put a smile on her face. Jamie loves to explore the world, learn from other cultures, and spend time in nature; the beach is her happy place.
Prior to Marin Academy, Dre has worked as a health and wellness educator, learning specialist, Queer Student Union leader, social justice educator, registrar, and DBA at various independent schools since 2004. They are originally from Philadelphia and are a first-generation college student. Dre attended Community College of Philadelphia and Temple University, where they studied Behavioral Sciences, Art Education, and Studio Art. After moving to California in 2004, Dre got their M.A. degree in Human Development with a concentration in social change from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena. Dre currently resides in Sonoma County with their partner, three children, and dog. They love painting, reading, listening to music, and hiking in nature.
Lynn comes to MA from her work as Director of College Counseling and a dorm parent at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. She also taught mathematics and history and served as the College Advisor at Madison Country Day School in Wisconsin. Lynn spent 2011-
13 in Kazakhstan, teaching world religions and mathematics at Nazarbayev University and serving as a college counselor at QSI International School of Astana. She enjoys spending time with her family and cats, reading, baking, and performing and visual arts. She has two grown children: Noah teaches mathematics at The Proof School in San Francisco, and Emrys is a senior studying visual arts at SMFA-Tufts University. Her husband is a political scientist who recently retired from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lynn earned B.A. degrees from Harvard (Music) and the University of Washington (History) and M.A. degrees from Yale (Religion) and Temple University (Religious Studies).
Harrison joins MA from The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut, where he was the Assistant Head of School and Dean of Academics. He also worked at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT, where he chaired the History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies Department and was Associate Director in the Kravis Center for Excellence in Teaching. Harrison earned his B.A. at the University of Virginia as a history major and his M.A. in American History through Pace University’s partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute. A selfdescribed "history nerd," Harrison is excited to be a member of the US history team. He enjoys being outside with his two dogs, Nala and Bruiser, spending time with family and friends, and cheering on Arsenal in the Premier League (Come on, You Gunners!).
Before embarking on this new adventure with MA, Gabriela worked as the Office Manager for Onyx Medical while attending the College of Marin, where she studied Criminal Justice. Gabriela is from Marin County, where she attended San Pedro Elementary, Davidson Middle School, and graduated in 2003 from San Rafael High. Outside of work, Gabriela enjoys spending time with her two teenage children, her family, and friends. When she is not keeping busy with her children and niece or organizing her planner, you can find her exploring her new neighborhood in Larkspur, watching Dateline, listening to music, enjoying time on the beach, or making a list of places she would love to visit.
Prior to joining our community, Maximiliano served as a Humanities Educator at the Geffen Academy at UCLA. He began his career teaching in schools within the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his B.A. in Spanish from the University of San Francisco and his M.A.T. as a graduate of the Multicultural Urban Secondary English (MUSE) program from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a trained facilitator of the national Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) project, leading seminars for faculty, staff, families, and students towards acknowledging systems of oppression, power, and privilege in educational institutions with the explicit goal of cultivating greater equity and diversity in the classroom. Maximiliano is a 2009 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellow after intensively studying the works of Dante's Divina Commedia in Siena, Italy. He is a fan of good food, great coffee, bicycling uphill, and corgi heeler pups.
MIYA MATSUISHI,
Miya recently graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a B.A. in Ethnic Studies. While earning her degree, she served as the Education Coordinator for the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, where she developed curriculum related to local histories of slavery and resistance. Miya has previously held positions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and San Rafael-based non-profit Next Generation Scholars. She loves good books and bad movies. Outside of school, you can find her tinkering with her SPAM fried rice recipe, tending to her eighteen-year-old chihuahua, or wandering the aisles of Green Apple Books.
Before joining Marin Academy, Emily taught the sciences, English, journalism, and Spanish at several secondary schools and universities in California and Texas. She is a biologist and has been a science journalist for many years. Emily earned her B.A. in English and doctorate in biological sciences at The University of Texas at Austin before completing a postdoc at the University of California, San Francisco. She writes hiking and health columns for the Marin IJ and has authored several books. Emily is a parent to three sons: one just graduated in math and CS from UC Berkeley, one is beginning his junior year there, and one is starting his senior year of high school. When she’s not teaching or writing, Emily is often wandering around outdoors, mostly looking for snakes but willing to enjoy lizard and bird sightings as well, especially hummingbirds.
DERRICK
Prior to joining MA, Derrick worked as a Research Analyst at AccessLex Institute, where he supported projects that focused on providing support to prospective law school applicants from marginalized backgrounds. Derrick earned his B.S.E. in Environmental Health from Tufts University, where he was a member of STEM Ambassadors, a minority-focused group that created and presented interactive science presentations to middle and high school students in the Greater Boston area. Derrick is passionate about the histories of liberation movements worldwide, focusing on the African Diaspora and the Global South. Outside of school, Derrick enjoys reading, going to the gym, playing sports, enjoying good food, and watching his New York sports teams play.
Every year MA welcomes two fellows from the Penn Graduate School of Education ISTR program. Penn Fellows receive a Master's Degree in education while completing a teaching fellowship and are partnered with mentors from the Marin Academy faculty.
TO SEE MORE IMAGES, PLEASE VISIT MA.ORG/ARTS
Marin Academy students marry art and science, explore the meaning of space and place, and bring their visions to life through creativity and the latest technology.
Many voices are welcomed and encouraged at MA, allowing our students to cultivate the tools they need to live their lives fully, and the inspiration to contribute as compassionate citizens of the world.
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