Dedicated, supportive, committed
Molly Huffman joined CDS as Head of School in 2010 with more than 20 years of distinguished experience in preschool, elementary and middle school education, including particular expertise in curriculum and teacher development. Prior to joining CDS, Molly was Head of School at The Children’s School in La Jolla, California for nine years. While Head at The Children’s School, Molly secured the school’s first long-term lease of its site and completed its first significant upgrade of school facilities. Molly previously served as Head of School at the Touchstone School in Lake Oswego, Oregon and Assistant Head and Division Head at the French American International School in Portland, Oregon. A graduate of Scripps College with a B.A. in history and international relations, Molly also holds an M.P.A. in public and educational administration from Lewis & Clark College and has teaching and administrative credentials from the State of Oregon. Molly comes from a family of educators: her great-grandfather was superintendent of the Portland public schools and her mother was Vice Provost of Oregon Health Sciences University. She has two adult children, Michael, who owns a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, and Brooke, who is a lawyer in Austin, Texas.
Academic Program
Rebecca Kroll, Assistant Head of School, joined CDS in 2005 after completing the graduate level Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs. Previously, she taught fifth grade with Teach for America in Long Beach, CA and also served as the Academic Program Coordinator for the "I Have a Dream Foundation" in San Francisco. Rebecca has a B.A. in English literature from the University of Texas, Austin and speaks Spanish. In her free time she enjoys photography, reading, travel and studying U.S. History.
Josée Mayette, Middle School Head, joined CDS in 2008 after serving as the Middle School Head at Chinese American International School for three years and as a middle school social studies teacher for six years. Josée received her Masters of Education in administration from San Francisco State University and her Bachelor of Education in teaching from the University of Manitoba. She has particular expertise in curriculum development, teacher recruitment and differentiated instruction.
Margaret Piskitel, Preschool Program Director, joined CDS in 2004 as a preschool head teacher with experience teaching in public and private schools in and around New York City. She completed her master's degree in early childhood education at Bank Street College of Education and earned her bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington; Margaret is trained in the Responsive Classroom and in All Kinds of Minds.
Kerry Parker, Registrar, joined CDS in the spring of 2008. Prior to joining CDS, Kerry was the Executive Assistant and Program and Volunteer Coordinator at The Redwoods, a retirement facility in Mill Valley. She has also worked as the Executive Assistant to the Head Pastor at Calvary Presbyterian Church in
Elsa Townsend,
Extended Day Program
Dan Larson, Extended Program Director, worked at a youth and community center in South Central L.A. as the center’s Program Director before moving to San Francisco to join CDS in 2007. Dan speaks Spanish and brings to CDS a strong background in youth development, staff management and program implementation. Dan has a B.A. in political science and international relations from Washington University and is a graduate of the International Institute in Madrid, Spain. He is an avid baseball fan and player, and enjoys hiking.
Ryan Lambert, PM Receptionist & Extended Program Administrative Assistant, joined CDS in 2006. Ryan was an actor and singer in television and film during his teenage years and currently is a singer/musician with a Bay Area indie rock band. Ryan has worked as an office manager for several years and has taught drama classes at an elementary school. His son is a student at Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts in New York. Ryan is an avid reader and his favorite author is Haruki Murakami.
Admission
Diane Larrabee, Director of Admission, joined CDS in 2005. Diane has a B.A. in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She was a commercial litigator for ten years before leaving the practice of law to pursue nonprofit interests. Diane has served as a trustee for several nonprofits, including Compass Community Services and Town School for Boys, where she chaired the diversity committee for four years. Diane enjoys cooking, writing and reading.
Amanda Richard, Assistant Director of Admission, joined CDS in 2006. Amanda worked in the CDS administration from 1993-95, has been a CDS parent since 1998, served as a PTTA officer and has participated in countless CDS events as a volunteer. She received her B.A. in psychology from
Development & Communication
Marion Quinones, Director of Development,
served on the CDS Board of Trustees and as President of the Parent-Teacher-Trustee-Administrator
Association before joining the administration in June 2004. She earned
her bachelor's degree in history and communication from Stanford University
and attended law school at UCLA. She practiced law for ten years in San
Francisco, and her daughters Laurel (CDS '12), Sarah (CDS '15) and Cecilia (CDS '20) Quinones
attend CDS. Marion enjoys family time, triathlons and keeping up with
"The New Yorker" as much as possible.
Kara Diaz, Head's Assistant & Development Coordinator, comes to CDS from the Muscular Dystrophy Association where she was the Fundraising Coordinator. Prior to that she worked as the Development Associate at the Tides Foundation. She is currently completing a BS in business administration at San Francisco State University. In her free time she likes to paint, travel and work on building her makeup business.
Mary DeNardo, Director of Communication, joined CDS in 2003. Mary has an M.F.A. in creative writing from San Francisco State University and a B.S. in human and community development from the University of Illinois. In addition to her work at CDS, she teaches poetry to senior citizens at the Bernal Library, and recently completed a pastry apprencticeship in Brooklyn, New York. In her free time she can be found at the Giants game.
Finance & Operations
Bonnie Whitler, Director of Finance and Operations, comes to CDS from Windrush School, where she was the Director of Finance and Operations for 16 years. Prior to Windrush, she worked as the Finance Director at Planned Parenthood of Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino. Bonnie has a son who is currently a substitute teacher for the Oakland Unified School District. She has a BA from Antioch University, is a long time board member of the Richmond Emergency Food Pantry, and in her free time enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
Amanda Urena, Controller, joined CDS in 2009 with over 20 years of accounting experience, including at Price Waterhouse Coopers, several start-up companies and small businesses. Amanda has a B.A. in accounting from Adelphi University and an M.A. in counseling psychology from John F. Kennedy University. In her spare time, Amanda studies psychology and human behavior, is an avid reader, enjoys dancing, hiking, meditation, and is learning to play the keyboard.
Irene Phillips, Staff Accountant, joined CDS in 2007 with over 25 years of experience in accounting and finance with banks and mortgage companies. She holds a B.S. in management from St. Scholastica’s College in the Philippines.
Rico Tan, IT Director, received his education in business and computer science at the Indonesian Business Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia. Prior to joining CDS in 2009, Rico worked for a number of years in the technology departments at HellerEhrman and 3Com Corporation. Rico loves to travel and is an accomplished photographer and, of course, likes all things electronic. He and his wife recently welcomed their second child.
Jhony Guzman, Technology Assistant, brings design and software experience to CDS. Prior to CDS he worked with non-profits, artists and restaurants as a freelance graphic designer. He received a degree in Graphic Design at the Academy of Art University and is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii. In his free time he enjoys making music, videos, print ads and t-shirts, and his annual trip home to Hawaii.
Jake Fishman, Facilities Manager, joined CDS in 2000 to help maintain the school's one-acre grounds. He is a licensed building contractor and a Spanish speaker with a B.F.A. in painting and sculpture from San Francisco Art Institute. When he's not caring for CDS facilities, Jake enjoys sailing, painting and crafting original stained glass artwork.