Abbie Zands
Mount Madonna School Parent, Member at Large
- B.A., International Commerce, San Diego State University
- Entrepeneur
- First-generation American
- Father of Mount Madonna School students Amelie and Noa
Ann Goewert, Ph.D.
Head of School, Mount Madonna School Trustee, Executive Council
- Ph.D., Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- M.Sc., Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, Iowa State University
- B.Sc., Biology, Saint Louis University
- Certificate of School Management and Leadership, in process, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education
Daniel Nanas (’07)
Alumni, Member at Large
- B.A., Sociology, University of California, Davis
- Google program manager with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and the social impact of AI
Donna Brinton
Parent, Member at Large
- Senior Director and Business Program Lead at Driscoll’s
- Background in finance, business strategy, and program management
- Degree in Corporate Financial Management
Jodi Grass
Member at Large
Jodi Grass has worked at Oak Grove School and the Krishnamurti Foundation of America in different capacities since 2005. Currently, Jodi is in her tenth year as Head of OGS. In her words, “I don’t feel as though I ‘work’ at Oak Grove. I spend my days here out of a deep devotion to the Intent of the school as originally shared by Krishnamurti in 1975.”
Before Oak Grove, Jodi worked for several nonprofits, community organizations, as well as K-12 schools and a community college. She has also served on the boards of three nonprofit organizations and two schools over the past 33 years. Jodi has taught students of all ages through community education agencies that provided compensatory content to local public schools. Just before joining Oak Grove in 2005, Jodi was the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization that provided information technologies through NGOs in developing countries. Jodi holds a B.A. in Politics from UC Santa Cruz and completed graduate coursework in Human Development at Pacific Oaks University.
Kevict Yen, B.A.
Vice President, Mount Madonna School Executive Council, Parent
- B.A. Physics, University of California, Berkeley
- Co-founder and Owner of Hyperthreads, Inc.
- Owner and Creative Director at ID Art, Inc.
- Fluent in Mandarin Chinese
- Avid cyclist, motorcyclist, guitarist
- Parent of Mount Madonna School students Lucy and Marlowe
- Owner of one dog and five goats
Larry England
Member at Large
- TBA
Marissa Kannan, J.D.
Secretary, Mount Madonna School Executive Council, Parent
- Doctor of Law (J.D.), Southwestern University School of Law
- B.A., Economics, University of Southern California
- Mother of two Mount Madonna School preschoolers whom she shares with her husband PV
- Former real estate attorney in Southern California
- Active member of the Junior League
- Loves animals and trains horses in jumping and dressage
- Enjoys traveling with her family, especially to Hawaii and Mexico
Nicole Tervalon, Ph.D.
Mount Madonna School Faculty, Alumni Parent
“My passion has always been teaching. Not only do I like the challenge of inspiring students, but the thrill of seeing someone grasp a difficult concept they have been working on is extremely satisfying. I am very excited about teaching at Mount Madonna School because it blends so many strengths I feel are essential for the most effective teaching/learning experience. The small class size, beautiful environment, supportive community, and up-to-date facilities all allow educating to be the focus of each day.”
Joined Mount Madonna School in 2004
Rajendra Ronald Bingham
Treasurer, Mount Madonna School Finance Committee
- San Jose State Studies in Business & Finance, Computer Science, Industrial Arts, Literature, and Psychology
- Financial Analyst, IBM General Products Division
- Software Engineer, IBM Silicon Valley Laboratories, Software Division
- Creator of four patents
- Chief Financial Officer, Mount Madonna Center
- Member, Board of Directors, Mount Madonna Center, 1998‐present
- Joined Mount Madonna School in 2004
Sarada Judith Diffenbaugh, Ph.D.
President, Trustee, Mount Madonna School Executive Council, Former Mount Madonna School Head of School
- Ph.D., Education with an emphasis in Design and Development of
- Education Programs, and dissertation on Moral Education, Minor in Psychology, Stanford University
- M.A., San Jose State University, Education
- State of California Lifetime Multiple Subject California Teaching Credential
- Reading Specialist Credential
- B.A., Religious Studies and Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Instructor, Mount Madonna Center yoga program
- Founding Member of Mount Madonna Center resident community
- Parent of Mount Madonna School alumni Suresh (’92) and PK (’95)
- Joined Mount Madonna School in 1979
Shanmagum Nagarajan (Nags)
Member at Large
Nagarajan is the recipient of the ‘IT People leadership award’ by NDTV and DNA magazine.
Prior to co-founding [24]7 in 2000, Nags co-founded Business Evolution (BEI), an integrated customer interaction technology company. He also served in various senior management positions in companies such as COMSYS, Churchill Insurance Company Ltd. and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
Nagarajan, ’Nags,’ is a co-founder of [24]7.ai and has been instrumental in building the [24]7.ai culture. In his current role as Chief People Officer, his main focus is to recruit and develop the top talent for [24]7.ai’s global, 10,000+ person organization, and to ensure that the company values of respect, transparency, ownership, results, and teamwork are integral in how we operate our business. Before co-founding [24]7.ai, he co-founded Business Evolution Inc., a leader in integrated CRM Solutions for the eCommerce market, in Princeton, New Jersey. He has served on several leadership committees like the NASSCOM’s Executive Committee and is a frequently-invited guest speaker to many leading business schools around the world. Nags began his career in IT with Tata Consultancy Services and later held various technical and senior management positions in the US, Europe, and India at companies such as Comsys Technical Services, Churchill Insurance Company. Nags has a Master’s Degree in computer applications from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore and a degree in statistics from Loyola College, Chennai.
Warren Sampson
Parent, Member at Large
- B.A. in Business Management Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Sr. Director of Corporate Strategy & Technology, S. Martinelli & Co., Watsonville
- Serves on the Audit Committee of Watsonville Wetlands Watch
- Served on the finance committee at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County from 2017 – 2024
- Parent of Mount Madonna School student Simone
New Board Member Appointments
Emeritus Board Members
Ralph A. Wolff, J.D.
Past President and Executive Director of WASC
