Meet the Team

Meet our team

School Leadership

Jesús Urdiales

Principal, Grades TK-5

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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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jake.tamte@cwcmarvista.org

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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esther.choi@cwcmarvista.org

Bio coming soon!

Paola Torres

Manager of Student Culture

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paola.torres@cwcmarvista.org

Bio coming soon!

Erin Baker

Director of SEL and School Counselor

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erin.baker@cwcmarvista.org

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.cavera@cwcmarvista.org

Laura Cavera brings over 17 years of experience leading and providing special education services, having previously served as Senior Program Administrator for the nonprofit organization, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, along with Nonpublic School Coordinator and Compliance Specialist for Indianapolis Public Schools. She attended Ball State University and is licensed for Severe and Profound Disabilities and Mild Disabilities with specialties in Emotional Disturbance, Deaf/Hearing Impairment, and Autism. Laura has served as chair of multiple committees such as the Diversity–Equity–Inclusion Taskforce, Safety Committee, and Training Committee.

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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lflores@cwclosangeles.org

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!”