Our Team

Calling all of our people to the well

We are building a non-profit culture we won’t need to heal from

The brilliance behind The Teaching Well’s work is our people.

Our staff is made up entirely of former teachers, school, district and non-profit leaders. We understand the complexity and challenges inherent in school and non-profit environments and work intentionally to build the services we needed to have stayed in the profession. Collectively we hold over 100 years of experience serving as educators, facilitators, coaches, strategists and healers.

The Teaching Well is guided by a multi-faceted Board of Directors that offer their time, expertise, and resources to support the fiscal solvency and strategic oversight of the organization.

Learn more about our team:

Staff

Board of Directors

Our Team

Executive Director (she/her/sis)
A paradigm shifting leader and Restorative Practitioner, Lindsey is the embodiment of Angela Davis’ statement, “we must always attempt to lift as we climb.” Leading through genuine relationships and humor, Lindsey has an unmatched ability to see others’ innate gifts and reflect them back in ways that make room for each Teaching Well staff member and client to show up as their most favorite selves in service to their students, communities, and loved ones. A former teacher, school administrator, and district leader, she is highly skilled in navigating complex systems, with an eye towards strategic change management and communication cascades. Lindsey believes that in order to reach collective liberation, we must find ways to sustain adults in our schools to ensure trauma-sensitive continuity of care. With her fierce advocacy for folks on the margins, she builds human-centered, anti-racist systems to inform strong adult school climates. The daughter of two educators, Lindsey is a #HellaBay, Black and Indigenous “Panther Cub,” who fights with the strength of her ancestors behind her for the liberation of her own children and young people everywhere.

Director Of Development (she/her)
Often described as a ‘Yogi, who sweats the details,’ Alia embodies the perfect balance of healer meets taskmaster— equally obsessed with execution, managing details and systems as much as she is with centering relationships, connections, and everyday mindfulness. As the Director of Development, she puts structure, organization and care into our development systems as we grow and expand our impact in schools. Her eye for systems and strategy help us stay focused on our goals of expanding access to wellness in our communities.
A former educator, camp counselor, and lifelong student, Alia acts as a powerful conduit in helping others embrace their authenticity, see their gifts, and unlock their full potential. As a recovering perfectionist, Alia is reframing what it means to be a boss lady and “good Asian American” daughter. She embraces leading both upfront and behind the scenes, while giving herself permission to take up just as much space for herself, as she holds for others. Her adaptability and organizational skills, combined with her training in yoga, reiki, meditation, and mindfulness enable her to bring an artful balance of compassion and efficiency into every aspect of her work.
As a beloved Tita, God Auntie, dedicated partner, and loyal friend, you can usually find Alia soaking up nature, laughing with family, or communing over a good meal. She STAYS READY… to dance, speak up, or celebrate, and you can always count on her to uplift and energize you no matter what the day brings.

Deputy Director (she/her/ella)
Marisol is an anchor of organizational effectiveness with mountain energy that exudes strength and steadiness. As a former school leader, Marisol offers a unique perspective on how to support the transformation of school ecosystems toward human-centered policies and practices in ways that promote educator wellness and sustainability. At the Teaching Well, Marisol ensures our team is well-resourced with the tools needed to best serve our clients. Her impeccable foresight and resourceful and strategic approaches, helps those in and outside of the education field understand the direct correlation between adult wellness and organizational success. A dedicated wife and mother of 3, Marisol lovingly brings her Mama Bear energy to her work and our team. She is our “Jefa por Vida!”

Director of Innovation (she/her/ella)
Rebecca is a multi-talented facilitator, storyteller, community builder and strategist that loves to inspire and innovate. She hails from a long line of educators from both sides of her ancestry in the two countries she calls home, the US and Costa Rica. Rebecca is not only a lifelong learner and experienced teacher, she is a proud founder of two bilingual schools in Los Angeles as well as an education entrepreneur that has successfully launched youth learning and educator professional development programs around the globe. As the Director of Innovation at The Teaching Well, Rebecca gets to use her creative genius to invent new ways to proliferate and deepen the work that our team does, with the goal of supporting even more educators across the nation. She is masterful at cultivating community and finds joy in crafting life-changing immersive experiences for curious adventurers around the world. As a mama of two active teenagers, you can usually find Rebecca on the go around SoCal from basketball games to violin concerts, but you know those passports stay in heavy rotation as well!

Lead Facilitator (she/her)
Jill is a tenacious visionary, teacher, and coach. She is highly skilled at organizing systems and structures that facilitate empowering learning opportunities for both clients and members of our team. Forever a teacher, Jill creates and holds space in ways that invite growth, healing, and accountability, which set the foundation for dreaming and productivity to co-exist. She does this while offering multiple pathways and modalities toward healing and liberation. Always reflective of how she shows up as a white woman, Jill is a trusted co-conspirator in dismantling white-supremacist culture, shifting ways of learning toward collective liberation, and social responsibility. More than a colleague, Jill is a loving mama, dedicated partner and dear friend, who truly sees people just as they are and finds the lifelong learners and leaders in all of us.

Lead Facilitator (she/her/hers)
What would happen if you mixed a fairy, cowgirl, and warrior princess – you’d get Salina Mae, of course! Salina Mae is a passionate and creative healer who advocates for the equity and wellness of all. She is gifted in building creative, inspired, and socially woke trainings and curricula that lead to action in the areas of mindfulness, social justice, and systems change. Salina Mae, a former educator and current Mindfulness coach, creates beauty and ceremony in all things, and will have you feeling like you just left a wellness retreat at the end of any meeting or learning opportunity she facilitates. Salina Mae is a loud and proud queer, Chicana woman and is our resident “Rich Auntie” who always makes sure we play and rest, just as hard as we work.

Lead Facilitator (she/her/ella)
Lupe is a gifted facilitator, teacher, and artesana who possesses a grounding energy of love and transformation. As a former teacher and Instructional Coach, she has experienced first hand both the challenges and joys that come with working in schools. These experiences along with her own journey as a student have fueled her passion and commitment to systemic change and educational justice that is human-centered. While Lupe may initially come off as quiet and mysterious, when she speaks you ought to listen because she is a powerful change-maker who inspires with her innate ability to envision a better future. She empowers others to live according to their highest values and one of her greatest gifts is her ability to create space for others to reflect and take action with integrity. She coaches not by providing answers but by posing meaningful questions that lead to people realizing they already have everything they need within themselves.

Lead Facilitator (she/her)
Brittany Rush is our resident facilitation freedom dreamer, closet graphic artist, and unwavering community caregiver. She has committed her entire professional journey to ensuring equitable outcomes and inclusive learning environments become realities for students and educators of color. Brittany has served in school communities as a teacher, Dean, Principal, DEI Director at the District level, Parent and champion for equity. She believes in the power of partnerships between students, teachers, families and communities in creating new realities for an empowered tomorrow. Whether it is in the role that she plays in schools, the space that she holds as a coach and facilitator, in the mothering of her own two daughters, or as the Pastor of her own congregation, Brittany is a soothing balm that provides care as medicine. Her ability to listen deeply and empathetically has translated into spiritual and emotional liberation for her community, uplifting all so that they can heal and thrive.

Clinical Therapist
(she/her)
If “Cool as a cucumber” was a person that would be Erika. She brings the chill, calm, and go-with-the-flow healing to The Teaching Well’s clinical team—best yet she does it with a sense of humor and a smile. Erika’s approach to therapy leads with care and compassion. She came into the work to provide radical healing that meets people where they are at and uplifts and honors diverse ways of being.
Serving as an active mental health provider and educator in schools for the last 10 years, Erika holds a deep and intimate knowledge of what it means to be boots-on-the-ground for educators and is able to hold her clients through the unique set of challenges and complexities inherent in a school setting. On weekdays she splits her time between The Teaching Well’s clinical care program and valiantly supporting students and educators in a Richmond, CA based school. On weekends you can find her decompressing by watching sports or moving her body, chilling with her partner and nephews, or showering her loved ones with baked goods.

Lead Facilitator (she/her)
Lena is a dedicated educational leader who possesses a calm and patient demeanor that allows for a compassionate approach when engaging with others. As an empathetic listener, she strives to nurture the mind, body and soul of those she works with to empower them in recognizing and leveraging their gifts to thrive in order to meet their professional and personal aspirations. Lena has passionately served in school communities for over 20 years as a teacher, instructional coach, administrator, and director of a teacher residency program. Throughout her journey, Lena has been driven to create inclusive and supportive environments that fosters the transformative power in education. She holds tight to the belief of the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” and that village must embody positive health and wellness to thrive.

Executive Mindful Support Specialist (she/her)
Natalya is a self-proclaimed shadow worker who welcomes deep conversations that lead to opportunities for growth, connection, and liberation. Her grounding presence evokes a calm sturdiness that creates a trustworthy landing space. She was born and raised on Ohlone Land (East Oakland) as the proud granddaughter of Afro-Puerto Rican and Taino immigrants. Spending many summers in the Caribbean, Natalya developed a love for travel and adventure at a young age. Prior to working in education, Natalya worked in immigration law and served families seeking Asylum, U-visa, VAWA, and DACA status. As a former English and Ethnic Studies educator and school administrator, Natalya has worked in K-12 education for over 10 years with the belief that school communities have the potential to transform systemic trauma through the affirmation of our identities and collective legacies. Skilled at creating vision boards and detailed goal manifestations, Natalya believes that our mind is our greatest gift and that each of us has the power to create our reality. When not collaborating with her teammates, you can find Natalya reading tarot, cooking and dancing with her daughter, listening to all kinds of music with her husband, binging reality tv with her two Huskies, or planning her next adventure.

Clinical Therapist
Bio coming soon...

Executive Mindful Support Specialist (he/him)
Marc Anthony is a healer and garden tender, cloaked as an educator. His ancestors were cultivators of the land as well as entrepreneurs, and through their teachings, they passed down the wisdom of holding reverence for the land while serving its people. Marc Anthony is a “warrior in a garden”, holding the fierce energy of liberation, abundance and connection for his community while also grounding them in containment, growth and peace. As a youth and family advocate it is Marc Anthony’s passion to support and uplift people in a holistic way. During his time as a public school teacher, he focused directly on the cultivation of young black males at the middle school level. Marc Anthony’s mission is to create safe spaces filled with joy and empathy. He has actively lived out this purpose serving as a role model for other young brothers while leading radical healing camps and mentoring incarcerated youth. Marc Anthony believes that when we create conditions for the soil to be fertile, the seeds can grow abundantly and nourish communities for generations. He is excited to mentor and coach educators who work with our future generations and share the holistic tools and practices that center our sacred future.

Mindful Support Specialist (they/them)
Bong is a dynamic musical and visual artist whose presence is like medicine to all who witness them. After serving Bay Area youth and schools as an art teacher for 8 years, Bong now works with The Teaching Well by helping adults deeply and bravely explore personal wellness and healing techniques. Bong invites others to approach sustainability in ways that are attuned with, and sensitive to, the specific needs of the individuals and communities being served. Bong is a gifted space holder who seamlessly infuses their musical, artistic, and somatic gifts in their educator coaching and facilitation practices. Bong’s brilliant mind and soulful artistry helps ensure the Teaching Well’s content aesthetic synergistically melds form, function, and human-centeredness. Although Bong’s genuine humility would never let them admit it, at the Teaching Well we lovingly refer to them as Royalty because their encapsulating presence and gifts invites reverence.

Senior Operations Manager
(she/her/ella)
Often referred to as “Momma Emii” throughout her lifetime, Emily brings that big mothering energy to The Teaching Well as the Senior Operations Manager – she helps to run our whole life! She creates a safe space to all those she supports, offering laughter, kindness, deep listening, warmth, and empathy.
Emily has over 10 years of school experience working in both the front office and in the classroom, serving as a Spanish teacher as well as a community liaison and operations leader for charter schools across California. One of her mentees likened her to a sunflower, because she follows the light and channels that energy into all that she touches. As a Queer Latina, Emily wants all educators–those in the classroom as well as those in support or office roles–to see their value and feel their value and know that they are critical to the work of education.