Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School

Jasper Billings ()

B.S., Conservation Resource Studies and Forestry, University of California, Berkeley

Prior to joining the Kirby Faculty in 2011, Mr. Billings taught Biology at Scotts Valley and Aptos High Schools. He has also taught in the Crossroads program for Marin Academy. With his passionate belief in outdoor education, he served that program at Marin Academy as an Outings Leader. Complementing his employment at Kirby, Mr. Billings remains the Boys Varsity Water Polo Coach at Aptos High.

Ed Braunhut ()

B.A., M.A. Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz

Joining Kirby in 2010, Mr. Braunhut also teaches Statistics, Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra at Cabrillo College. He also serves as the Director of the Math Learning Center at Cabrillo and is a reader for the College Board for AP Statistics examinations.

Maria Elena Caballero-Robb ()

Ph.D., Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz, M.F.A.,Creative Writing, University of Michigan, B.A., English, Cornell University

Dr. Caballero-Robb has been a Lecturer in Writing and Literature at University of California, Santa Cruz since 2003 and prior to that at the University of Michigan. She has published scholarly work in Contemporary American Women Poets: An A-Z Guide and in Literary Newsmakers, Vol. 1.

Abigail Christopher ()

B.A., Anthropology and Spanish, University of California Davis

Ms. Christopher served as Practice Coordinator and Fitness Instructor for Bay Area Committed to Kids and as Assistant to the Medical Director of Santa Cruz Women?s Health Center. She is a member of the Bay Area?s Fury Ultimate Frisbee Team, which in 2008 was ranked number one in the United States and won the World Championship.

Alyson Day ()

B.S. Secondary Education in Health Sciences, Brigham Young University

For the ten years prior to joining Kirby's Faculty in 2011, Ms. Day taught in both public and independent school settings at Spring View Junior High School, Hare High Science, and, most recent, six years at the Woodland School. At Woodland, she taught fifth through eighth grade Earth, Life, and Physical Science. She has also extensively volunteered to tutor low-income students at the Stanford Institute and at El Nido, United Way.

Sephy Elizai ()

B.A. Business Administration, Seattle University

Fluent in Spanish, English, Hebrew, and Italian, Mr. Elizai has taught a variety of courses in schools in the United States and Israel, most recent, five years as a Spanish instructor at Mount Madonna School outside of Watsonville. He has taught English with the Ministry of Education and at the Perle Shapira School of English, both in Tel Aviv. In Tel Aviv, he worked as a Drama specialist in a program designed to bridge regional differences and also between Arab and Jewish students. He has been a Jewish educator/tutor/youth leader in a number of schools, currently at temple Beth El in Aptos.

Kathleen Genco ()

B.A., English, University of California, Berkeley

Ms. Genco first came to Kirby in 1997 as a parent volunteer and has continued to serve in various administrative roles. Her affection for teenagers in general, and Kirby students in particular, makes each student feel heard and cared for.

Emily Hose ()

B.A., English and Creative Writing, Sonoma State University

After earning her B.A. in Creative Writing, Ms. Hose continued her education at Sonoma State University, completing a concentration in Literature. She earned her single subject credential in English by working as a student teacher at Elsie Allen High School in Santa Rosa. Ms. Hose was co-captain of the Sonoma State softball team for the 2001 and 2002 seasons, and has coached and directed several softball camps.

Jeff House ()

M.A., English, San Jose State University, B.A., Journalism, Brigham Young University

Mr. House joined the Kirby faculty with over twenty years experience in public and parochial schools. The recipient of several NEH grants, Mr. House has also been recognized by Stanford University and San Jose State for his teaching. As an AP reader and speaker for College Board, he has lectured to teachers in the Western states for over a decade and addressed state and national conventions. A songwriter, he has published in such periodicals as English Journal and Journal of American Culture. In 2005, his text Writing is Dialogue: Teaching Students to Think (and Write) Like Writers was published. He is currently working on a guide to studying literature entitled, Below the Moon: Using Archetypes to Study Literature. A former journalist, Mr. House has advised school publications and guided them to awards from The Los Angeles Times, The National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia School of Journalism, and Quill and Scroll.

Rod Huston ()

Jefferds Huyck ()

Ph.D., Classics, Harvard University, B.A., Stanford University

Before returning to his hometown of Aptos, Dr. Huyck taught Greek and Latin at Harvard University and at the University of Michigan. He served as American Fellow to the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, a Latin dictionary project based in Munich, and has won prizes for Greek and Latin compositions in prose and verse.

Jordan Johnson ()

M.S., Computer Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A., Computer Science, Indiana University

Mr. Johnson's experience includes teaching computer science at the Latino College Preparatory Academy of the National Hispanic University and serving as a teaching assistant at UC Santa Cruz. He has a passion for singing, with a special interest in close harmony.

Josh Karter ()

Ph.D., Drama, New York University

Before joining the Kirby family, Dr. Karter spent fourteen years as a faculty member and administrator at Trinity College (Hartford, CT.) He taught classes in acting, directing, and dramatic literature, served as Chair of Trinity's Department of Theater and Dance and subsequently as Director of the College's satellite campus in San Francisco. Prior to his years at Trinity, he taught theater at the University of California, Santa Cruz and also coordinated the first-year seminars for UCSC's Porter College. He is a graduate of Amherst College. Coupled with his academic career, Dr. Karter has directed productions for professional theaters both in this country and, during the 1990's, in Russia. In addition to staging Russian-language translations of American plays in Moscow, he sponsored tours by Russian artists in the United States. In 2002, he directed and translated a production of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, featuring a joint cast of American and Russian actors. Since the mid-seventies, when not on the road, he has lived and planted fruit trees in Bonny Doon.

Yakira Rodriguez Landaverry ()

Ph.D., Chemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz,; B.S., Chemistry, UC Santa Cruz

Prior to joining Kirby in 2008, Dr. Landaverry held teaching assistantships in Chemistry at UC Santa Cruz and coordinated the SURF (Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship) Program. Dr. Landaverry also served as a math and science teacher at the Cesar Chavez Middle School in Watsonville. She has published a number of articles and presentations on her work in chemical synthesis.

Mima Lecocq ()

2 B.A.s, University of California,Berkeley, French and Comparative Literature

Ms. Lecocq grew up in a French-speaking household and joined the Kirby faculty in 2005 after teaching French at the Montessori School in Aptos. In addition to her teaching, she has worked extensively in the restaurant business. She was a cook with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley and went on to found Carried Away, a take-out and catering business in Aptos. Ms. Lecocq volunteered to create and continues to supervise the extraordinarily popular and healthy lunch program at Kirby. In its second year, Ms. Lecocq also is the Coordinator of Kirby’s school-wide Community Service Learning Program.

Barbara Leites ()

M.F.A. & B.F.A, Miami University (Ohio)

Ms. Leites has lived in Europe and Mexico, is an independent arts educator workshop leader, and has had an extensive painting career in acrylics. She has been an award-winning participant in over three hundred national and international juried exhibitions and travel shows. She is a signature-elected member of 22 watermedia societies and currently serves as Board member and President/Treasurer of the International Society of Acrylic Painters. Her work has been included in The Artist's Magazine, International Artist, Splash V, The Art of Layering, Best of Watercolor-Composition, Best Abstracts, Creative Watercolor, and the Texas Watercolor Society. She is listed in the Who's Who in American Art and Who's Who in the World. She self-publishes digital gicle? prints of her work on paper and canvas through Ara Fine Art which can be viewed at www.araleites.com.

Drew Lewis ()

B.A., Music Education, Bethany College, B.A., Theology and Leadership, San Jose Christian College

Mr. Lewis has been teaching music at Kirby since 2006. Prior to that he held teaching positions at Aptos High, Aptos Jr. High, and Watsonville High after working as an accompanist for various schools. He also works frequently as a pianist and music director for productions with Cabrillo Stage and other area theater companies. Mr. Lewis holds a California State Teaching credential in music and in 2010 received the Outstanding Music Educator Award for the Central Coast Section of California's Music Educator's Association (CMEA). Currently he is working towards obtaining a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting from California State University, Los Angeles.

Mina Marmol ()

B.A., Humanities, Scripps College, Claremont

Mina Marmol has taught at Kirby since 2000. As a Fine Arts major at Scripps College, she explored ceramics, painting, fabric surface design, installation and mixed media sculpture. Her current mediums are ceramics and mixed media sculpture. Ms. Marmol has taught papermaking, ceramics, science illustration, drawing, 2D and 3D Art and is certified as a textile and surface designer. As an art teacher, she has developed curricula addressing topics related to African, Asian, and Latin American cultures. Ms. Marmol is a native Spanish speaker and has taught all levels of Spanish from middle school to Advanced Placement. She has worked in the fields of online education, educational research and translation. The Healing Arts is another interest of Ms. Marmol’s. She is a certified Hypnotherapist and Energy practitioner. She has lived and traveled in Central and South America as well as Asia. Other interests include kayaking, SUP, cooking and spending time with her dog, Bugsy.

Carolina Martinez ()

M.A., Education, University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A., Latin American Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz

For eight years, Ms. Martinez was a teacher for, and the coordinator of, the Spanish for Spanish Speakers Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She then devoted a number of years to teaching UCSC Oakes College Core Course, "Values and Change in a Diverse Society." As an undergraduate, she attended the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Ms. Martinez has also been active in conflict resolution work and is a Board member of the Fund for Nonviolence.

Rhoxanne Morris ()

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, San Jose State University (with a Minor in Mechanical Design/Mathematics

Prior to joining Kirby, Ms. Morris was a Teaching Assistant at Cabrillo College for Algebra and Pre-Algebra courses and tutored all levels of students from remedial math to Differential Equations.

Kirstin Olsen ()

B.A., English, Princeton University

Ms. Olsen is the author of twelve books, including a companion to Lord of the Flies, a history of eighteenth-century English daily life, a Jane Austen cookbook, and the two highly acclaimed literary encyclopedias All Things Shakespeareand All Things Austen. She is currently at work on a multi-volume encyclopedia of Charles Dickens's world. Ms. Olsen has taught Latin, history, and English at a variety of educational levels.

Melody Overstreet

Erik Perkins ()

M.S. & B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Delaware

Mr. Perkins received his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on computer networks. While in graduate school he served as an IT administrator, during which time his academic interests included network routing, genetic algorithms, statistics, and distributed computer simulations. Mr. Perkins has worked as a hardware designer, software programmer, computer network engineer, and speech recognition consultant. Some of his accomplishments include a patent for improved motion detection, an internship at XEROX PARC, and fifteen years of ultimate frisbee as a player and coach. Mr. Perkins' current hobbies include chess, ultimate frisbee, disc golf, physics, acoustic guitar, and spending time with his wife and daughters.

Joe Poirot ()

M.A., English, University of Montana, B.A., English Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz

Since joining the faculty in 1996, Mr. Poirot has taught English, P.E. and Creative Writing and has coached basketball and cross-country teams. Mr. Poirot's literary interests include both classical and contemporary works. He also enjoys surfing and exploring the Sierras during the summer.

Beth Pettengill Riley ()

M.A., Physical Education/Dance Specialization, Stanford University, B.A., English Literature, Colorado College

Ms. Riley has over thirty years experience as a teacher of wellness, yoga, dance and movement at Mount Madonna School, UC Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College, Santa Barbara Graduate Institute and, most recently, at the Castilleja School. She danced as a member of Tandy Beal & Co. for over ten years. She received the Good Times award for "Best Yoga Teacher in Santa Cruz" and loves to hike, garden and spend time with her two daughters, husband, and big fluffy dog.

Christopher Roads ()

M.A., Educational Studies/Physics Education, Ohio State University, B.S., Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Pennsylvania State University

Leaving his career as an industrial engineer, Mr. Roads began teaching science to students in 1994. As Online Instruction Coordinator for the UC College Prep Online program, he developed methods, training, and a suite of tools to effectively deliver online instruction to underserved students throughout California. While with UCSC, Mr Roads taught AP and college prep physics courses, co-designed online course content and hired and mentored online instructors. In previous years, Mr. Roads led his school's Science Olympiad team and Junior Engineers to state competitions and coached mountain biking and baseball teams. Mr. Roads is currently purusing an M.A. in Educational Leadership and Administration from San Jose State University.

Heidi Schindler ()

M.A., Counseling Psychology, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, B.A., History of Religion, UC Santa Cruz

Ms. Schindler is currently completing her requirements to receive her license as a counseling therapist, and has served as a children?s grief counselor with Hospice of Santa Cruz. She is a certified hypnotherapist, yoga instructor, and massage therapist, and she has had extensive experience teaching yoga, capoeira, and dance, with an emphasis in making classes fun and accessible.

Maura Smith ()

M.A.T., English, Boston College, B.A., American Literature and Italian Literature, UC Santa Cruz

In addition to the University of Santa Cruz, Ms. Smith studied at the Universita di Venezia, focusing on Dante and 20th century Italian literature. She began teaching at Kirby in 1997. In her spare time she enjoys gardening and cooking with her husband and spending quality time with her Bull Terrier, Chloe.

MarNae Taylor ()

B.F.A., Theater (Minor, Music), Utah State University, B.A., Studio Art, Principia College

After college graduation, Ms. Taylor taught theater and music in Salt Lake City, directing several musicals. She then spent several years traveling, first to Alabama, and then to Korea, where she taught English language. From Korea she moved to Louisiana, where she taught music, speech, and fine arts in grades K-12. Pursuing her own love for acting, she has played lead in such varied productions as All's Well that Ends Well, High Spirits, and Clue. Most recently she performed in the Scotts Valley Community Theatre producton of Oliver and the lead role in the Actors Theatre production of How I Learned to Drive. She received several best actress awards in Army Community Theatre competitions and is currently active in local improvisation and community theatre groups.

Susana Terrell ()

M.A., Humanities, San Francisco State University

Ms. Terrell is a figurative painter and printmaker with a special interest in drawing. Her work, which has been exhibited nationally, is based on the metaphoric nature of life experiences and often incorporates appropriations and collage. At UCSC she completed the Fifth Year Graduate Program in Visual Art and earned a Graduate Certificate in Art Education. She is credentialed in art for grades K-12 and in art and the humanities at the community college level. Her teaching experience includes UCSC, UC Extension, Cabrillo College, The Children's Art Center, and Spectra. Ms. Terrell received an "Excellence in Teaching" Award from the University of California Santa Cruz Academic Senate Committee on Teaching in 2005.

Gary Young ()

M.F.A., English, University of California, Irvine, B.A. from UC Santa Cruz

Mr. Young is a poet and artist whose honors include grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Vogelstein Foundation, and the California Arts Council. He has received a Pushcart Prize, twice won fellowship grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and his book of poems, The Dream of a Moral Life, won the the James D. Phelan Award. He is the author of several other collections of poetry including Hands, Wherever I Looked, Days, and Braver Deeds, which won the Peregrine Smith Poetry Prize and No Other Life which won the William Carlos Williams Award of the Poetry Society of America. His most recent book is Pleasure. He is the co-editor of The Geography of Home: California's Poetry of Place, and has produced a series of artist's books, most notably Nine Days: New York, A Throw of the Dice, Bear Flag Republic: Prose Poems and Poetics from California and My Place Here Below. His poems have appeared in such magazines as Poetry, Antaeus, The American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, and The Nation. His print work is represented in numerous collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Getty Center for the Arts, and special collections libraries throughout the country.

Kristen Atkins ()

M.S., Health Education, Southern Connecticut University, B.S. in Physical Anthropology, University of California, Davis

In addition to her role as Learning Support Advisor at Kirby, Ms. Atkins concurrently works at Chartwell School as Outreach Director and teaches a class for math instructors at California State University at Monterey Bay. Her twenty five years experience includes extensive literacy and learning consulting and professional development work in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties.

Lis Bensley ()

M.A., Education, San Jose State, B.A, English and Psychology, Trinity College (Hartford); College Counseling Certificate, University of California, Los Angeles

Ms. Bensley’s career spans multiple arenas. Her professional writing experience includes reporting for the New York Times, and as a Senior Writer/Editor for Oncology Times and MEDICA: Women Practicing Medicine. She taught writing for 10 years, and has been working with college-bound students since 2005 tutoring, providing resume and essay guidance and teaching ACT, SAT and PSAT preparation workshops. Ms Bensley has also completed the UCLA College Counseling Certificate Program. She is a parent of a 2003 Kirby graduate.

Evelyn Brown ()

B.A., Philosophy, UCSC

Ms. Brown studied philosophy with an emphasis in logic at UCSC. After earning her degree, she worked in the front office of a Santa Cruz pediatric dental office for three years before joining Kirby in 2010. She is an avid knitter and loves to spend whatever free time she has playing with her toddler.

Abigail Christopher ()

B.A., Anthropology and Spanish, University of California Davis

Ms. Christopher served as Practice Coordinator and Fitness Instructor for Bay Area Committed to Kids and as Assistant to the Medical Director of Santa Cruz Women?s Health Center. She is a member of the Bay Area?s Fury Ultimate Frisbee Team, which in 2008 was ranked number one in the United States and won the World Championship.

Stephenie Dekking ()

A.A., Cabrillo College

Ms. Dekking joined the Kirby administrative team after many years at the University of California, Santa Cruz Extension as a Program Assistant in the Arts and Humanities Department, handling the Fine Arts and Writing Programs. Along with remodeling her house, her passions include adventure racing, running, and spending time with her beloved dog and cat.

Emily Hose ()

B.A., English and Creative Writing, Sonoma State University

After earning her B.A. in Creative Writing, Ms. Hose continued her education at Sonoma State University, completing a concentration in Literature. She earned her single subject credential in English by working as a student teacher at Elsie Allen High School in Santa Rosa. Ms. Hose was co-captain of the Sonoma State softball team for the 2001 and 2002 seasons, and has coached and directed several softball camps.

Laura Hull ()

B.A., Business Concentration in Accounting, San Jose State University

Ms. Hull joined Kirby in 2007, prior to which she worked for a bookkeeping service that handled Kirby's account along with several other businesses. After traveling with the inaugural Kirby group to Tanzania in 2008, she has a new found love of travel. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family and her two dogs.

Christy Hutton ()

M.A., Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCSC; B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UCSC

Ms. Hutton joined the GBK faculty in 2006, after six years of laboratory research at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she also worked on pedagogical methods with the UCSC Academic Senate Committee on Teaching. She also served as a teaching assistant at UCSC for courses in Biochemistry and Eukaryotic Molecular Biology. Ms. Hutton published an abstract for her work in structural biology with Brookhaven National Labs, along with her work on transcription factors in the periodical, Genes and Development. Since joining Kirby, Ms. Hutton has served as a classroom teacher in Biology and Life Science and as Kirby's interim Director of Admissions.

Josh Karter ()

Ph.D., Drama, New York University

Before joining the Kirby family, Dr. Karter spent fourteen years as a faculty member and administrator at Trinity College (Hartford, CT.) He taught classes in acting, directing, and dramatic literature, served as Chair of Trinity's Department of Theater and Dance and subsequently as Director of the College's satellite campus in San Francisco. Prior to his years at Trinity, he taught theater at the University of California, Santa Cruz and also coordinated the first-year seminars for UCSC's Porter College. He is a graduate of Amherst College. Coupled with his academic career, Dr. Karter has directed productions for professional theaters both in this country and, during the 1990's, in Russia. In addition to staging Russian-language translations of American plays in Moscow, he sponsored tours by Russian artists in the United States. In 2002, he directed and translated a production of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, featuring a joint cast of American and Russian actors. Since the mid-seventies, when not on the road, he has lived and planted fruit trees in Bonny Doon.

Drew Lewis ()

B.A., Music Education, Bethany College, B.A., Theology and Leadership, San Jose Christian College

Mr. Lewis has been teaching music at Kirby since 2006. Prior to that he held teaching positions at Aptos High, Aptos Jr. High, and Watsonville High after working as an accompanist for various schools. He also works frequently as a pianist and music director for productions with Cabrillo Stage and other area theater companies. Mr. Lewis holds a California State Teaching credential in music and in 2010 received the Outstanding Music Educator Award for the Central Coast Section of California's Music Educator's Association (CMEA). Currently he is working towards obtaining a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting from California State University, Los Angeles.

Carolina Martinez ()

M.A., Education, University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A., Latin American Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz

For eight years, Ms. Martinez was a teacher for, and the coordinator of, the Spanish for Spanish Speakers Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She then devoted a number of years to teaching UCSC Oakes College Core Course, "Values and Change in a Diverse Society." As an undergraduate, she attended the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Ms. Martinez has also been active in conflict resolution work and is a Board member of the Fund for Nonviolence.

Gloria Muruato ()

B.A., University of San Francisco

In the years subsequent to her time at USF, where she received a campus award for Community Service, she has devoted her life to continuing service to a variety of communities, including Kirby. Over the years (her daughter will be a senior in 2011-2012), she has served in various capacities for our Parents Association and has volunteered for time behind the desk in our lobby.

Nancy Ondrejka ()

Administrative Credential, Santa Clara University; M.A., International Studies, Goddard College; Teaching Credential with Environmental Studies Emphasis, San Jose State University; B.S., Urban Design, California Polytechnic

Before joining the Kirby community in 2010, Ms. Ondrejka spent the previous decade as Principal of Capitola and Foothill Elementary Schools. Her earlier career path included teaching at the San Lorenzo Elementary School, where she also served as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and a number of stints as an Urban Planner and Designer, including work for the City of Watsonville.

Erik Perkins ()

M.S. & B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Delaware

Mr. Perkins received his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on computer networks. While in graduate school he served as an IT administrator, during which time his academic interests included network routing, genetic algorithms, statistics, and distributed computer simulations. Mr. Perkins has worked as a hardware designer, software programmer, computer network engineer, and speech recognition consultant. Some of his accomplishments include a patent for improved motion detection, an internship at XEROX PARC, and fifteen years of ultimate frisbee as a player and coach. Mr. Perkins' current hobbies include chess, ultimate frisbee, disc golf, physics, acoustic guitar, and spending time with his wife and daughters.

Joe Poirot ()

M.A., English, University of Montana, B.A., English Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz

Since joining the faculty in 1996, Mr. Poirot has taught English, P.E. and Creative Writing and has coached basketball and cross-country teams. Mr. Poirot's literary interests include both classical and contemporary works. He also enjoys surfing and exploring the Sierras during the summer.

Faith Reid ()

M.A., Counseling Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies. B.A., Psychology, University of Michigan

Before joining the Kirby Administration in 2011, Ms. Reid has served in a variety of clinical settings: Riviera East Valley pavilion in San Jose, the Process Therapy Institute in Los Gatos, the California Pacific Medical Center and Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco, the Women's Recovery Association in Burlingame. As an undergraduate, she served at the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center on campus and was also a Peer Counselor. She is also a certified massage therapist.

Christopher Roads ()

M.A., Educational Studies/Physics Education, Ohio State University, B.S., Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Pennsylvania State University

Leaving his career as an industrial engineer, Mr. Roads began teaching science to students in 1994. As Online Instruction Coordinator for the UC College Prep Online program, he developed methods, training, and a suite of tools to effectively deliver online instruction to underserved students throughout California. While with UCSC, Mr Roads taught AP and college prep physics courses, co-designed online course content and hired and mentored online instructors. In previous years, Mr. Roads led his school's Science Olympiad team and Junior Engineers to state competitions and coached mountain biking and baseball teams. Mr. Roads is currently purusing an M.A. in Educational Leadership and Administration from San Jose State University.

Maura Smith ()

M.A.T., English, Boston College, B.A., American Literature and Italian Literature, UC Santa Cruz

In addition to the University of Santa Cruz, Ms. Smith studied at the Universita di Venezia, focusing on Dante and 20th century Italian literature. She began teaching at Kirby in 1997. In her spare time she enjoys gardening and cooking with her husband and spending quality time with her Bull Terrier, Chloe.

Linda Sullivan ()

B.A., Math Ed., Merrimack College, North Andover, MA

Ms. Sullivan has served as Kirby's Business Manager since 2002. She was a math teacher in a "former life." Her son's attendance at UCSC inspired her family's move to the Santa Cruz area, and she is thankful to have landed in this community.

Jolie Witten-Hannah ()

B.A. Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz

Before joining Kirby's administrative team in 2011, Ms. Witten-Hannah served as Event Coordinator for the Kennolyn Conference Center in Soquel, as Marketing/Communications Specialist for Bell Microproducts, and as Program Coordinator for Granite Construction. She graduated from Georgiana Bruce Kirby in the Class of 2000.