Meet the Team

Meet our team
School Leadership

Jesús Urdiales
Principal, Grades TK-5
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jesus.urdiales@cwcmarvista.org
It is an honor to have been selected as the Principal of CWC Mar Vista for the Gateway/Pico sites (grades TK-5). I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with strong and dedicated people whose focus is providing high-quality instruction and social-emotional learning to students from diverse backgrounds.
Prior to coming to CWC Mar Vista, I held both Principal and Assistant Principal positions in charter schools and school districts in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. I am extremely excited about joining a team that believes in facilitating rigorous project-based learning opportunities for students. I am also inspired by the school’s commitment to nurturing confident and responsible citizens of the world.

Jake Tamte
Principal, Grades 6-8
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A Minnesota native, Jake received his B.S. in Elementary Education from Minnesota State University of Moorhead before moving to California to begin his teaching career in 2000. Over the years, Jake worked in a variety of school types throughout Southern California.
In 2013, Jake earned his master’s degree in education in Instructional Leadership from Mount Saint Mary’s College and shortly after joined CWC Silver Lake. Jake began his work at CWC SL as a lead teacher and then began to work as academic coach. He was CWC SL TK-5’s Assistant Principal of Special Education for several years. Jake is proud to work at CWC, where he gets to communicate, collaborate, and learn with and from an amazing community.
When outside of the school setting Jake enjoys surfing, playing basketball, skating, and spending time with his family at the beach, local museums, a movie theater, and at home.

Esther Choi
Assistant Principal, Grades TK-5
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Bio coming soon!

Paola Torres
Manager of Student Culture
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Erin Baker
Director of SEL and School Counselor
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Bio coming soon!

Barrett Warden
6th Grade Lead Teacher and Dean of Student Culture
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barrett.warden@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!

Laura Cavera
Director of Special Education
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Laura was adopted from South Korea as a child and grew up in Indiana with two brothers, a sister, and multiple foster siblings. She moved to Los Angeles in January of 2020. Aside from teaching, Laura loves photography, cooking, gardening, and music. There have been many trials and errors in learning proper care of the native plant life of California but finds the long growing season luxurious. She is enjoying finding new hobbies and opportunities that LA has to offer and is excited to be in such a diverse and culturally rich city.
Operations + Office

Lisandra Flores
Regional Director of Operations
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Bio coming soon!

Daysi Bautista
School Operations Manager, Gateway Campus
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daysi.bautista@cwcmarvista.org
In 2009, Daysi received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Sociology with a minor in Spanish. After graduation, she found a job as an academic tutor with a company that offered free tutoring services under The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It was as a tutor that she developed a passion for educational empowerment and high academic achievement. To further grow professionally and use her leadership skills, in 2011 she became a supervisor with another tutoring organization in the Supplemental Educational Services (SES) sector.
Daysi is highly organized and a dedicated individual who sets high goals with an uplifting attitude. In her spare time she enjoys camping, hiking, trying out new places to eat, and loves to play soccer.
She is always happy to lend a hand! And to accomplish a goal…“we must be swift as the coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire…mysterious as the dark side of the moon!”

Rasheed Anthony
School Operations Manager, Ivy Campus
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charles.anthony@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!

Victor Bautista
Data Coordinator
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victor.bautista@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!

Kemberly Zacarias
Community Coordinator, Grades TK-5
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kemberly.zacarias@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!

Ana Valenzuela
Community Coordinator, Grades 6-8
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ana.valenzuela@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!

Daniel Curtis
Office Associate, Grades 6-8
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Stephanie Fong
Office Associate, Grades 6-8
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stephanie.fong@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!

Michael Majors
Student Culture Manager
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michael.majors@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!

Ashley Narcisse
Office Associate
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ashley.narcisse@cwcmarvista.org
Bio coming soon!
Teaching Teams
Lead Teachers – TK-5

Eva Peñuelas
Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Lead Teacher

Allison Near
Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Sofia Naseem
Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Amy Knutson
Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Suzanne Nagata
1st Grade Lead Teacher

Hannah Zajac
1st Grade Lead Teacher

Melissa Leon
1st Grade Lead Teacher

Natasha Andreani-Vargas
2nd Grade Lead Teacher

Kylie Walulak
2nd Grade Lead Teacher

Heidi Cousley
2nd Grade Lead Teacher

Kelechi Ukoha
3rd Grade Lead Teacher

Emily Ruiz
3rd Grade Lead Teacher

Tanitra Flenaugh
4th Grade Lead Teacher

Kaitlyn Williamson
4th Grade Lead Teacher

Elyse Sherman
4th Grade Lead Teacher

Karen Duenas
5th Grade Lead Teacher

Rebecca Jean
5th Grade Lead Teacher

Emily Jones
5th Grade Lead Teacher
Lead Teachers – 6-8

Mandy Smith
6th Grade Lead - ELA and Social Studies

James Pike
7th & 8th Math and Science

Valerie Greenan
7th Grade - ELA/Science

Kathrine Stanfill
7th & 8th Social Studies & 8th ELA

Sheri Hazelton
7th & 8th Grade Math

Teaching Associates

Erin Funk
Teaching Associate

Alicia Hernandez
Teaching Associate, TK-5

Jesenia Lopez
Teaching Associate

Samantha Paredes
Teaching Associate

Kevin Perla
Teaching Associate

Ilaria Schlitz
Teaching Associate

Cindy Yepez-Vega
Teaching Associate
Specials Teachers

Lisa Larry
Art Teacher

Maria Velasco
Multicultural Studies (Spanish)

Michael Samela
PE Teacher, Middle School