With more than two decades of experience in school, research, and business environments, Kim leads the KLS middle and upper school.  Most recently, she was the Chief of Academics at US Performance Academy — an online middle-high school for elite athletes. During her career, she has held key leadership roles and led strategic initiatives at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, National Sports Academy, Emergent Academy and LRN.  She has also been a consultant for a diverse set of companies and organizations. Kim holds a B.S. in Physics from Marlboro College, an M.S. in Astrophysics from the University of Arizona, and an M.Ed from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Kim and her husband love traveling, hiking, kayaking and trying to keep up with their four children.

A Fresno native, Andrew is passionate about his mission in life: to enable others in their pursuit of purpose, growth, and self-determination. With experiences as a management consultant, assistant researcher, restaurant waiter, and technical product manager, Andrew is excited to help KLS pioneer a new mastery-based generation of schools. Additionally, Andrew is shamelessly in love with puppies. If he is not busy petting puppies, you can find him composing musical pieces in his apartment, coaching competitors at local fencing gyms, hiking throughout various national parks, and/or eating culinary delicacies all over world.

Brett earned his B.A. in English Literature from DePauw University and his M.A.T from Gonzaga University with a concentration in Secondary Education. Before joining Khan Lab School, Brett spent five years at Tsinghua International School in Beijing, China, where he taught World Literature, AP English Literature, and served as the Head of the English Language Arts Department. During his time at Tsinghua, Brett established a summer reading program and helped develop best standards and practices for argumentative writing. Brett specializes in using literature to explore issues of social justice, most recently using One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich to examine how the disenfranchised can use writing to challenge and change the society they live in. In recent years, Brett and his students have experimented with using new media to tell stories, from podcasts and websites to video games and augmented reality. Brett’s favorite part of being an educator is encouraging students to consider their place in the world, and how they can participate ethically and responsibly as citizens of a plural society.

Needless to say, Brett is an avid reader. He is particularly interested in post-modernist literature and his favorite authors are Kafka, Flannery O'Connor and Donald Barthelme. Outside of class, Brett enjoys exploring new places and parks with his wife Georgia, son Vincent and dog Dahuang.

 

Dan is a lifelong educator who has held leadership positions with every organization he has worked with.  Dan holds an M.S. in Land Resources and a B.A. in Environmental Studies.  He spent 10 years with Outward Bound guiding experiential learning programs focused on social/emotional development.  Dan has organized and safely guided students in wilderness environments for 1000 days.  Dan has been a classroom science and math teacher for the past 20 years at The Harker School and Harvard-Westlake School where he taught students in grades 4-9.  In his leadership roles at these schools he guided traditional science departments towards more experiential, student centered, project based learning through curriculum development and role modeling best practices.  In 2018 Dan co-founded Expedition Academy Santa Cruz, a middle school based on personalized learning, interdisciplinary projects and social emotional learning. He is a 4.0 Schools Essentials Fellow.

Drew first became interested in education reform as a student in Bay Area public schools, leading him to intern as a software developer at Khan Academy in 2012-13. He has been excited to return to the next iteration of Sal Khan’s vision — having seen his own interests morph from education technology to the broader question of what a modern classroom might look like. Drew has volunteered and taught in a variety of educational settings, from a high school in the Italian countryside to a charter school in Cambridge, MA. On a bike trip across America, Drew and six others hosted hands-on STEM Learning Festivals for hundreds of students in Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Utah. At KLS, he draws upon his physics and computer science degrees from MIT. He is currently pursuing an MA/MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Jacob was born and raised in San Francisco and first performed music professionally at 15. After seeking a BA in Music Performance at UCSC, he pursued a MOM at SF State University with an emphasis in Music History. He has toured and recorded with some top artists in the field including Nicki Minaj, Zap Mama and Chris Isaak, scored movies and theater productions. In between performances and recordings, Jacob taught at Universities in US and Canada and helped to design the music curriculum for Waldorf elementary and middle school.  He is passionate about music education and excited to become a member of the Khan Lab School team.

Jason Bush is an experienced educator in the fields of Spanish language teaching, Latin American Studies, and Theatre History.  After receiving his BA in Theater from University of California, Los Angeles, and his MA in Theatre Studies from California State University, Northridge, Jason decided to explore Latin American cultures during his Ph.D studies in Theatre History and Performance Studies at The Ohio State University.  At Ohio State, Jason conducted extensive ethnographic research on Peruvian indigenous performance on the global stage. In the process of living and working in Peru, Jason became proficient in written and spoken Spanish. While writing his dissertation Jason decided to try his hand at teaching Spanish and he absolutely fell in love with language teaching.  He has extensive classroom experience teaching Middle School and High School Spanish at Basis Independent School, Stratford School and university level Spanish at The Ohio State University and San Jose State University. In addition, Jason has developed a specialized expertise in individualized instruction in Spanish, tailoring a personalized educational experience that draws on students’ interests and preferred learning styles at AJ Tutoring, Fusion Academy, and Tilden Preparatory School.  He is currently continuing his education by finishing his MA in Spanish at San Jose State University with a specialization in second language acquisition and applied linguistics. His favorite part of teaching language is helping provide students with the tools in order to express themselves in new ways, communicate to new groups of people, and explore cultures in different parts of the world.

Originally from a small town in Wisconsin, Jessica graduated from college in Minnesota and then her adventurous spirit brought her West.  First to Portland, Oregon, then to Santa Barbara, and finally to the Bay Area. While in Portland, Jessica volunteered for a year of service as part of the AmeriCorps program which then led to pursuing her Masters degree in Public Health at Portland State University. After working in program development and implementing community-based programs in the non-profit public health sector for several years Jessica eventually settled in the Bay Area. It was here that Jessica decided to shift her career and pursue a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. While gaining the clinical experience required for obtaining licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) Jessica discovered her interest in working with children and families by working in several different schools from San Francisco to San Jose and in between. Jessica finds school-based mental health services to be a particularly effective way to connect with children, adolescents, and families in order to promote a holistic approach to supporting students.

Jessica has provided school-based counseling support for the past six years and in 2016 became a licensed MFT. In addition to her time at KLS Jessica works as a therapist in private practice where she sees children, adolescents, and adults. Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, cooking, traveling, reading, hiking, cheering on the Green Bay Packers, and exploring all of the amazing food and experiences the Bay Area has to offer.

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A graduate of the Florida State University, Julia earned her bachelor’s in biological studies with a focus in computational biology and botany. Her undergraduate research included field work in the Apalachicola National Forest studying herpetofauna and writing models to investigate interspecies evolution. Coming from a family of educators, Julia has always had a passion for education and giving back to the community. After college, she served with AmeriCorps in Washington, D.C. for Kid Power, an after-school program serving Title I Schools, writing science curriculum and overseeing the middle school programs. In her spare time, Julia is an avid road cyclist, lover of the outdoors, and is enjoying exploring her new home on the West Coast. 

Born and raised in the heart of San Francisco, Leo is excited to lead the Middle School Integrated Science program. Having taught overseas for the past decade, his educational experience includes leading hands-on inquiry programs in collaboration with GEMS at the Lawrence Hall of Science and the MAD Science Program. He combines his passion for Molecular & Cell Biology as an undergrad at UC Berkeley with his research through Neuroscience whenever possible while in the classroom. After receiving his Masters in Urban Education at the University of Southern California he quickly transitioned to leading flip-learning, AP, IB, and STE(A)M initiatives at various International Schools throughout Taiwan. He has served as a K-12 classroom teacher, student advisor, technology coordinator, Google Educator, and Department Head. His favorite lessons are those where students’ exhaust their imagination and driven by their curiosity. If not in the classroom, one can often find Leo cycling or running through trailheads in the Bay Area or dabbling in gastronomy. 

Melissa helps students make giant leaps in learning by maximizing student engagement and ownership of the learning process. While earning her master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Florida, Melissa gained a keen interest in blended learning and technology. Her research into educational technology led her to complete a pilot internship with Florida Virtual School and become a counselor for UF’s Digital Kids Tech Camp. Upon graduating, Melissa returned to her hometown of Tampa, FL where she taught for seven years in Title 1 elementary schools. Melissa began her career as a second grade teacher for predominantly low-income students, the majority of whom spoke English as a second language. She researched and incorporated alternative teaching methods, such as inductive teaching and project-based learning, to continually encourage critical thinking and discussion in the classroom. After two years, she transferred to Dunbar Elementary, an inner-city magnet school focused on medical and scientific exploration. Melissa taught second grade and gifted Math and Science before eventually becoming a fifth grade Math and Science instructor. In this role, Melissa challenged students to learn through engagement in authentic and open-ended problems they are likely to face in the future. This problem-based, student-centered approach to teaching and learning fostered 100% active participation and mastery of standards. Melissa recently spent a year in the Philippines, where she had the opportunity to learn more about her heritage and assist in opening a school for children in rural Leyte. When Melissa isn't learning something new with students, she enjoys playing the ukulele, going on adventures, and winning at board games. She is most excited about collaborating with students in her day-to-day work. 

Mikki taught 9-12 grade English for 24 years at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino.  Her classes included Speech and Debate, English Language Learners, and Advanced Placement English.  At Monta Vista she founded programs such as the New Student Support Program, Art and Literature Course, and the Life Skills Summer Training. She joined Khan Lab School for two years as Level 4 and Level 5 Advisor and as Upper School Administrative Assistant.  For two years she ventured to Oxford Day Academy in East Palo Alto as their Founding High School English Instructor and Staff Coordinator.  She is grateful to return to Khan Lab School to continue to challenge and widen her practice, and to support the growth of the school community.  Her work history demonstrates consistent passion for education, innovative creativity, and giving the underdog a voice.

In addition to working for students, Mikki enjoys reading, hiking, laughing with friends, and hanging out with her three children who continually grow love and wisdom in her life.

Patrick holds a BFA from the School of Art/Design, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and a Masters in Digital Media and Learning from the School of Education, University of San Francisco.  Before becoming a teacher, Patrick was in the digital visual effects and animation business, and has earned production credits on twenty-eight feature films.  He has taught sculpting and high-end computer graphics at the college level, digital arts to high school and middle school students, and fine arts and Make/maker projects to both middle and lower school kids.  Project-based learning has been at the core of his entire teaching experience, and he greatly values the benefits of having students draw as much as possible. Patrick is an avid photographer, and a fine artist who uses both traditional and digital media.  He has a life-long interest in science and natural history, and has most recently been studying the life-cycles of local north bay salmon species and their watershed habitats.  He and his wife enjoy spending time with their cat.

Shannon is a Bay Area native who has dedicated her  teaching career to early childhood education, working in a variety of settings primarily with children ages 3 to 8 years old.  She earned her BA in Liberal Studies and completed her Multiple Subject Credential coursework at San Jose State University. During her tenure with the Diocese of San Jose, Shannon was certificated in Blended Learning through Santa Clara University’s Academy of Blended Learning.  She helped to implement, manage, and produce a school-wide theater arts program as well as direct annual musicals in her classroom. Shannon is beyond excited to be a part of the KLS team and looks forward to collaborating, designing and implementing instruction, and sharing favorite picture books with her class.  When not creating engaging learning experiences for her students, Shannon enjoys gardening, cooking, catching comedy shows and theatrical productions with her family, supporting her daughter on both the stage and soccer field, and collecting smashed pennies and two-dollar bills.

Theresa joined KLS in 2018 as the Head of Communications with a 14-year track-record in deploying impactful marketing strategies and developing lasting brands for startups and schools. She earned her master’s degree in Global Communications from the American University of Paris and also brings over a 5 years of leadership in admissions and higher education marketing.

Theresa led global outreach strategy for Stanford University's undergraduate admissions office while also directing marketing strategy for a medical-device startup (Lift Labs, creators of Liftware). Most recently she served as Director of Open Enrollment for Singularity University where she launched a new education program for executives on the future of learning. Theresa is passionate about education, diversity, and community and in her spare time continues to design experiences and advise brand strategy for startups and nonprofits. Theresa and her husband both grew up in the Bay Area and on the weekends enjoy taking their son on local adventures such as the zoo, steam train, museums, and hiking in the redwoods. As the daughter of two teachers, Theresa is thrilled to be part of a community dedicated to student-focused learning.

With a lifelong passion for teaching and education, Tooba is excited to be a part of KLS. She received her Bachelor’s in Business and Information Technology (BBIT) followed by her Masters in Business and Economics from University of Reading (U.K). Her Masters dissertation was on “Competition in the Airline Industry: International Airline Alliances and Low Cost Carriers”, where she did an extensive research by using various mathematical and statistical modeling techniques and tools such as E-views and SPSS to prove her hypothesis. She was also part of “UK Women Entrepreneurship Project” which empowers and supports women entrepreneurs throughout the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining KLS, Tooba worked in UK’s leading private schools for 11+ years, thus bringing a wealth of UK’s educational practices to KLS. Tooba has worked as a lecturer for A-levels (High School) in Business and Economics. She was also involved in teaching Pre-calculus and Calculus courses in mathematics. Aside from work, Tooba enjoys cooking, baked, and spending time with her two kids.