I grew up in the desert, in the hot San Bernardino/Rialto area, located an hour east of Los Angeles. After graduating from high school, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia to attend Morehouse College, an all-male historically black liberal arts college. After completing my BA in African American Studies I intended to return to Southern California to work at my high school alma mater. However, intrigued by Branson's Gallard Fellowship and commitment to diversity and community service, I planned to take a one-year detour that has suddenly turned into 18. In addition to working in admissions, I play an active role in our inclusion/diversity initiatives. When I'm not at Branson, I'm spending time with my family and doing ministry in West Oakland. While I strive to be an all-around nice guy, I apologize in advance for the trash-talking alter ego that take over from April to June (aka NBA Playoffs time).GO LAKERS and WARRIORS!

I am a true Northern California girl, whose roots go back six generations in San Francisco! Although my entire family lives in the city, I was raised with my brother in Sonoma County.

If it's sunny outside, you can catch me canoeing, backpacking, or just playing around in the outdoors. Despite my active lifestyle, I do have a passion for California cuisine, especially when it comes to figs, risotto, and chocolate mousse...yum!

As a member of the first graduating class at Sonoma Academy, I hold a special place in my heart for private education and independent schools. After graduating, I continued to give back to SA by teaching a performance class and chaperoning class retreats, while also pursuing my BA in Theatre at Colorado College with a minor in Urban Art.

Once I graduated college and entered the real world, I worked for four years as a recruiter for a summer camp company and directed one of their summer camps in Marin. In my seventh year at Branson, I could not be more thrilled to be a part of this community and work with the students. I look forward to getting to know the new families and supporting you through this exciting process!

Born to a Japanese mother and American father, I spent the first nine years of my childhood in London; the latter half of my childhood was spent in Marin County. I attended The Branson School for high school along with my twin brother, John. After graduating from Branson, I completed my freshman year at Cal but decided to transfer to a school on a little island in the Pacific. I spent the remainder of my undergraduate years earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawai’i in English and Political Science while also competing on the Varsity Sailing Team (go Rainbows!). After completing my bachelor’s degree, I continued to pursue my love of Education by earning a master’s degree in English from Western Washington University, a master in teaching and single subject teaching credential in English from Seattle University, and a master’s degree in Education from UC Davis. In graduate school, I taught college composition courses and was a teaching assistant for a range of undergraduate and graduate Education courses. I also taught middle school English for several years in both Renton and Oakland. I have always had a strong passion for learning and teaching and have been very fortunate to be able to pursue many different avenues within the field of Education.  When not at Branson, I have several hobbies that keep me busy; I share my love of sailing, gardening, our pets, and reading science-fiction and fantasy with my husband. We also spend lots of time with our new family addition, our son, who arrived in October 2018. I am very excited to be part of The Branson Admissions Team and proud to be a Branson alum!