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Administration

All-School Administration

School Directors

Rio Grande Campus Administrative Staff
Primavera Campus Administrative Staff
Rio Grande Facilities Staff

Khotso Khabele, Executive Director

k.khabele@khabele.org

I grew up in Lesotho, Southern Africa and came to Austin at age 12. I graduated from U.T. with a B.A. in Economics. After college and a lot of soul-searching, I began teaching Social Studies and Science. During my time as a teacher, I discovered my love for developing learning environments. Soon after this time I had a profound awakening about my unique commitment to education which prompted the emergence of our School. After founding Khabele, I continued to teach and eventually moved into the Director position. I have led the school from being a tiny experiment in education with nine students to more than 400 students with two campuses. My main intention is to create and maintain a positive school culture in which students, parents, and faculty members connect with the community and rediscover their love of learning. My most recent accomplishment is beginning a new Ph.D. program in which I will be pursuing a doctorate in Human and Organizational Development.

Moya Khabele, Advancement & Admissions Director

m.khabele@khabele.org

I graduated from the University of Texas with a B.B.A. in International Business and and a B.A. Spanish Language. I began my career in education as a high school Spanish teacher and eventually helped to found the Khabele School. At Khabele, I am responsible for marketing, recruiting, admissions, public relations, program management, major projects, and fundraising. I spearheaded the state accreditation process, oversaw the acquisition and remodeling of all four school buildings and the studio, as well as managing our major gifts program. I am also an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and a visiting accreditation team member for the Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools.

Amy Nylund, Director of Communications

a.nylund@khabele.org

My love affair with words and writing began as a young child, and led me to an English degree from Southwestern University. My entire professional life has revolved around connecting people with books and words, in places like bookstores, non-profit organizations, and book publishers. It is such a delight to now be channeling this passion into a school that I cherish so much. My goal is to help people feel a true connection to one another and to our school through our various communications channels. I see such a bright future ahead for this community. My son is in the Early Elementary class, and my daughter is in the Primary program.

 

Julie McClure, Finance, Human Resources, & International Program Director

j.mcclure@khabele.org

I graduated in 2003 from The University of Texas with a BBA in Finance, and I am a Certified Financial Planner. My previous experience includes serving as a Financial Advisor for Ameriprise and as a Portfolio Manager for Austin Asset Management.

Since October of 2006, I have served as the Director of Finance for the Khabele School.  I have created, developed, and currently manage the school’s financial systems including the accounting, tax, and human resources departments. I am experienced in developing non-profits and small businesses, retirement plans and benefits, as well as multi-year budgets and investments.

I also manage the International Studies program for the school and have facilitated student travel opportunities to South and Central America, Europe, and Africa. In addition to my work at the Khabele School, I also work as an investment manager for Equistar, a local, boutique wealth management and financial advisory firm.  I intend to build and maintain a small group of clients in order to provide a high level of personalized attention.

In my free time I like to take advantage of what Austin has to offer including listening to live music, running outside, visiting with friends, and riding horses.  I also enjoy traveling.  My travels have included most of South and Central America and Europe.

Scott Dubois, Technical Director

s.dubois@khabele.org

Since graduating from the University of Texas in 2003, my professional path has led me to jobs in non-profit administration, web-design, education, and landscape design. As Khabele’s technical director, I’m able to combine all of my experience to ensure creative, effective, and appropriate use of technology for internal and external communications. To that end, I also design a majority of our electronic and printed materials.

In addition to my duties as Technical Director, I am lucky enough to be the gardening teacher for the Primavera Campus. I have been gardening in Austin for more than six years, and am the former owner of Urban Homestead, an edible and native plant landscaping company and a certified Permaculture designer. My gardening classes focus on cultivating ecoliteracy, good nutrition, mindfulness, and persistence.

I love our school because of the freedom it gives teachers to integrate a variety of teaching methods to suit the needs of each student, and because of the importance it places on children understanding their place in the universe.

Jennifer Tyson, Primavera Director

j.tyson@khabele.org

My love for education began as a child, witnessing my mother teaching second grade, and later becoming an Elementary school principal. My dad was a chaplain in the Army, and still serves the military by running a spiritual retreat center in Lampasas, Texas. I experienced many cultures growing up, as well as many schools. I had the great pleasure of not only living all over the United States, but also spending four years in Germany, where I attended an International Baccalaureate high school in Frankfurt. I started my college life at Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C. as a Woman’s Studies major, and graduated from St. Edward’s University with a degree in Psychology.

I never lost my love for learning, and I feel very grateful for all of my life experiences, which have definitely had an impact on what Primavera has become. I was raised to truly value the importance of community, and I wanted to create a school where not only were the children nurtured and adored, but so were the parents! I see Primavera as an extension of one’s own family, and I feel honored we get to be involved in helping parents raise their children.

Eric Mann, High School Director

e.mann@khabele.org

After graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I moved to Tempe, Arizona. Out west, I felt compelled, truly compelled, to be a teacher. I started teaching at a charter school for visual and performing arts in downtown Phoenix. Several years into my teaching career, I was inspired to learn and do more mathematics. I embarked on a Masters program at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. At the Space Institute, I worked as a Research Assistant, building prototype software for sorting and visualizing data from jet engine tests. I also studied topics and problems from mechanics (physics), functional analysis, and number theory. After graduate school, I worked as a computer engineer for National Instruments in Austin. While troubleshooting, developing, and marketing software, it became abundantly clear my heart had already been won by math and teaching. All of which led me here. At Khabele, I teach high school mathematics, and I serve as the High School Director. Over the years of teaching at Khabele, I have entertained a few side projects. I developed software tools and curriculum for high school math and science teachers with Education Service Center Region XIII. I also worked for an online curriculum and learning company called Thinkwell. Recently, I have been at work on a paper with a mathematician from Argentina on a new pedagogical approach to high school algebra and geometry. Last but not least, I have been leaving math in sidewalk chalk in public places and keeping a blog about it. I love to read: fiction, nonfiction, sci-fi, classics, and even comic books. Most importantly, I love our school’s mission, our community, and I love creating opportunities for people to learn. As people, we seem to have more power than we know. I love the magic of honoring agreements—in doing so we honor people and their power.

Jason Daniel, Middle School Director

j.daniel@khabele.org

From a young age, I had the desire to become a teacher. Some of my most formative experiences occurred in the woods of Colorado at a summer camp. There I learned my love of the outdoors and respect for nature. For college, I attended the University of Oklahoma where I received my Bachelors of Science in Science Education. Directly after graduation, I moved to Colorado to work at an Outdoor Education Center. I then moved back to Oklahoma and began teaching high school Physics. After teaching in the public school system, I decided to go back to school and get my Masters in Science Education. Besides teaching, I have:  sky dived from over 11,000 feet; climbed eight “14′ers” in Colorado; lived in Germany for two months during high school; and worked as a bellman and a ballroom/swing dance instructor. This year, my sixth at Khabele, I will continue my role as the primary Middle School Science teacher. In addition to teaching classes, I am also the Director of the Middle School. This is a position that I hold with great honor. It was with great pride that I took the reigns of the Middle School program and I am proud to work with such a great team and phenomenal students.  It is so amazing to get up every morning and come to my dream job.

Georgie Georgákis, Director of Operations

g.georgakis@khabele.org

Ever since graduating from the University of Texas in 1994 with a B.S. in Applied Learning and Development, I have been immersed in the world of education. I started out as a public school elementary teacher in AISD and Del Valle ISD. I was fortunate enough to stay home with my kids in their earliest years, and then went back to work part-time, teaching preschool at Westlake United Methodist. After that, I homeschooled my oldest son for a year, and then became the Lower School Director (in charge of Kinder through 5th grade) at Oakmont School. Finally, in 2004, I founded “Austin Home Base” (now called AHB Community School) – a non-profit private school for Kindergarten through 5th grade. I was the director of AHB from 2004 to 2009, at which point, I decided to pass the baton and take a breather. Since then, I have stayed actively involved at AHB in many ways and have recommitted myself to some community service projects, including work with Meals on Wheels, the Hope Food Pantry, and the Care Communities.

I feel truly inspired by the philosophy and community at the Khabele School, and I feel honored to be a part of the team. My job here involves many facets, including administrative policies and communication, calendar management, group project management, and acting as a liaison to PACT – Khabele’s parent association. If I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you, I look forward to the opportunity.

Melissa Andrews, Director of Curriculum

m.andrews@khabele.org

In each of my endeavors as a dancer, scholar, ethnographic videographer, community organizer, teacher and choreographer, I strive to make connections in ways of thinking and perceiving. I have taught for more than ten years for at least 1000 students, and consider it my life calling. In college I studied Philosophy and Anthropology, and received a Masters in Dance and American Popular History. I have been teaching at Khabele since 2005, and I oversee the academic curriculum, manage the Independent Learning Program and Senior Projects Program, and the AP Program.

Lisa Dubuque, Dean of Students, College Counselor, & Registrar

l.dubuque@khabele.org

Thanks to one wonderful English teacher in Minnesota, I discovered the career path that would keep me happy and challenged in my work place for the rest of my life. I earned my Bachelor of Art with a major in English Literature and a Minor in Secondary Education. I filled up my free time volunteering at various schools in Fort Collins and mentoring at-risk youth. After an entertaining and challenging stint of teaching public school in Colorado, I made my way to Texas to teach at a private school. Soon after arriving, I was presented with the opportunity of working at Khabele and have been here since. I believe that all teens deserve individualized attention, and I spend much of my time giving that to each student at Khabele. I wear many hats at Khabele, including Dean of Students, College Counselor and Registrar and hail as the general go-to girl for any of your Khabele related needs. I am currently pursuing a certificate in college counseling from UCLA to better assist our students in their post-secondary goals.

Jessie Bartholome, Fundraising & Events Coordinator

j.bartholome@khabele.org

I spent the first 18 years of my life living on the campus of a small nonprofit school called Chinquapin in Houston, which contributed to my interest in learning, community, and personal growth. After studying French and Art at The University of Texas in Austin, and spending a year in Paris teaching English, I set out to find a community like Chinquapin here in Austin. It took two years, but after a bit of programming work and a 6 month development/admissions internship at Chinquapin, I saw an ad for a French teacher at The Khabele School in downtown Austin. While I hadn’t considered teaching French, I decided to stop by the school to see if they needed help in other areas. By September, I began assisting Khotso with his communication and scheduling, and soon stepped in to help Moya in the development office by filling the position of Fundraising Coordinator. It has been an exciting semester of learning for me, and I look forward to expanding that knowledge while getting to know our community even better.

Margaret Rittenhouse, Financial Coordinator

m.rittenhouse@khabele.org

More about Margaret coming soon.

Roggie Baer, Marketing & Partnerships

r.baer@khabele.org

I enjoy cultivating partnerships with others who share an interest in Khabele. These partnerships come from local and diverse civic organizations, community-based nonprofits and other relevant organizations, as well as current and prospective parents and families. I maintain active participation in local business, professional, and education organizations to build and enrich our community relationships. I have 25 years of experience and passion for events and fundraising. I have faith in the world, and I enjoy helping others discover hidden talent, sharing my discoveries, and facilitating promotion with good old-fashioned hard work. My daughter is a Middle School student at Khabele.

Denise Cole, Front Desk Manager

d.cole@khabele.org

I moved to Austin six years ago from New Orleans (there was some bad weather that drove my family west). After working in IT for many years I decided it was time for a change, and discovered The Khabele School. I have worked at several small private schools previously, and I love working around kids and being part of such an amazing school. I am happy to be back in a school environment and enjoy all the challenges and warmth that being part of Khabele brings.

Mandy Spinks, Office Manager

m.spinks@khabele.org

More about Mandy coming soon.

Marc Lionetti, School Counselor

m.lionetti@khabele.org

I received my undergraduate degree in Music Education from Northwestern University, and spent the following few years touring around the country performing at colleges with an a cappella singing group. Eventually, I grew weary of traveling (and the fact that there wasn’t much good vegetarian food to be found on the road), and settled down to become a full-time music teacher at a small progressive high school near San Francisco called The Athenian School. After eight years of directing the choral program at Athenian, I felt an inner calling to interact with students as a counselor in addition to as a teacher. That calling ultimately led me to the Educational Psychology department at the University of Texas at Austin, where I received a Masters of Education in Counselor Education. I began serving as Khabele’s school counselor in 2009. These days, in addition to counseling and directing the chorus at Khabele, I regularly perform around town as lead guitarist and backup singer with The Lost Pines, a bluegrass/Americana band. I also teach a weekly Kundalini yoga class at Yoga Yoga, and have a daily yoga & meditation practice.

Jote Khalsa, Operations Manager

j.khalsa@khabele.org

I first experienced Primavera when my daughter was 3 years old and joined Rachel and Marianne’s Primary class. I was blown away by how present and loving they were with her, and I’ve been falling more and more in love with Primavera ever since then. I was thrilled to join Primavera last summer as a staff member, and even more thrilled that Fiona got to rejoin her Primavera friends this year, now in the Upper Elementary class. My son, Liam, is an 8th grader, now in his third year at Khabele.

I am honored to work with such a dedicated team of educators and administrators, and my goal is to streamline the operations on the Primavera campus in order to provide families with a smooth and positive experience. We’ve made great strides this year, and I look forward to continuing this work in the years to come. Before joining Primavera, I supported our family business, Environs Architectural Millwork, with my husband Matt. Outside of work life I am a passionate baker, photographer, farmer’s market supporter and baseball fan. Go Rangers!

Kerry Joyce, Finance Manager

k.joyce@khabele.org

I am, and always have been, a numbers person. At one of my first jobs as a bank teller, I would recognize my customers by their account numbers instead of their names—that usually didn’t go over well! After receiving my accounting degree from Northeastern University, I worked as an accountant for a number of years before becoming a software engineer. This work eventually brought me to Texas where I left the corporate world to become a Licensed Massage Therapist, enjoy my hobbies with ceramics and painting, and to start my family.

When my boys got a little older I began looking for a school. As soon as I set foot on the Primavera campus I knew that we belonged here. I was immediately impressed at the passion, love, and creativity that I saw from the staff and from the families, too. Upon enrollment I became an involved parent, volunteering in the classroom and on various committees. I am now proud to be a member of the Primavera Administrative team as I get to be even closer to the people who are making such a difference in my children’s lives while supporting the other families who make this community so wonderful.

Krista Phillips, Campus Administrator and Grantwriter

k.phillips@khabele.org

I am so honored to be a part of the beautiful Primavera/Khabele family! I recently joined the administrative team, after 11 years of teaching in Reggio Emilia and Montessori classrooms. I am excited about this new role, and see it as a way to serve the community in a deeper way — connecting with families, collaborating with teachers, and partnering with children in their love of learning and creative expression. When I worked in the classroom, my intention was to encourage children to inquire further, follow their passions, and find joy in the creative learning process. I still have that intention, and it’s applied to each member of this community.

I am also a Certified YogaKids Teacher. I was inspired to earn this yoga certification after seeing the positive results that came from incorporating yoga, breath awareness and relaxation techniques into the classroom experience. My children’s yoga classes are deeply rooted in community and joy, and we conclude each class with the mantra, “Peace in my thoughts, peace in my words, peace in my heart.”

Jodi Egerton, Special Projects

j.egerton@khabele.org

More about Jodi coming soon.

Paige Pozzi, Elementary Coordinator

p.pozzi@khabele.org

After graduating from St. Edward’s University with a B.A. in Writing, I lived and worked in Grand Teton National Park, and in later Boulder, Colorado, before the cold weather got to me and I just had to return to Austin and Barton Springs (I’m a Texas gal, born and raised). Upon my return, I worked for a non-profit that served migrant farmworkers. I am drawn to service work, but quickly realized that it is important for me to see the people I am helping. Thus began my journey as a Montessori Guide. My five years as an assistant in an elementary classroom got me curious enough to go to Loyola College in Maryland in 2005, where I received my AMI Elementary Certification (ages 6–12) as well as a Masters Degree in Education. I was a lead guide in elementary classrooms for six more years. In June 2011, my husband Arthur and I welcomed our first child into the world. I adore my role as mama to our daughter, Ila. I also look forward to my other new role at Primavera and am eager to support the guides, parents and children from “behind the scenes.”

It is a gift to work with the folks here at Primavera, and to imagine how my daughter will one day get to flourish in these walls. I admire and am inspired by each one of my colleagues—not for just their unflinching devotion to peaceful communication, but also for their earnest dedication to what is very best for the children and families. Fostering the growth of this school is a truly collaborative effort, and it is my joy to work with the staff, the families, and, of course, the children.

Salvador Flores, Rio Grande Building & Custodial Services

Since 2005, I have served as the general go-to guy for everything that has to do with the facility and the grounds. I have managed to keep everything beautiful and organized through the addition of the middle school building, the new studio, and Building 4 at 807 Rio Grande. I also do all of the gardening and landscaping for the school grounds.

Mark Lewis, Rio Grande Transportation & Maintenance

m.lewis@khabele.org

More about Mark coming soon.

Jerome Whitmore, Rio Grande Cafe Manager

j.whitmore@khabele.org

More about Jerome coming soon.

Maria Flores, Rio Grande Housekeeping Services

More about Maria coming soon.