Clarke became the head of school in 2022. With more than 20 years as an educa­tor, Clarke joined Waverly from the San Fran­cisco Friends School (SFFS), where he served as Middle School Head for two years. Clarke brings tremen­dous school lead­er­ship expe­ri­ence. His passion for educa­tion and dedi­ca­tion to creat­ing ways for students to engage authen­ti­cally and invest in their learn­ing has been evident in his role as a history teacher, dean, divi­sion head, water polo coach, and commu­nity volun­teer. Clarke holds a masters degree in comput­ing in educa­tion from Colum­bia Univer­sity and bach­e­lors degrees in history and black studies from the Univer­sity of Cali­for­nia, Santa Barbara. (Email)

Amy is the middle school direc­tor. Amy has an M.F.A. in film and video from Cali­for­nia Insti­tute of the Arts and a B.A. from Univer­sity of Nevada, Las Vegas where she studied English and film. Prior to being the middle school direc­tor, Amy was the middle school dean where she supported student acad­e­mic and social-emotional growth and taught social justice and well­ness as well as the high school film­mak­ing elec­tive. Before coming to Waverly in 2013, she spent seven years at Wild­wood School in West Los Angeles where she was the Admin­is­tra­tive Direc­tor and taught the film elec­tive. She then worked as a consul­tant for Cal/​West Educa­tors, guiding inde­pen­dent school board members through the process of hiring heads of school with a strong commit­ment to promot­ing diver­sity and equity in inde­pen­dent school hiring and reten­tion prac­tices. Amy has two chil­dren, Nola and Kanaan, and two lovable dogs, Bonnie and Katie. (Email)

Ricco is the dean of student life and culture in the middle and high schools. He has a B.S. from Boston Univer­sity, an M.F.A. from Benning­ton College, and has completed doctoral work from Teach­ers College, Colum­bia Univer­sity. In his more than 22 years in educa­tion, Ricco has been a teacher, senior admin­is­tra­tor, college profes­sor, and diver­sity prac­ti­tioner at inde­pen­dent schools and colleges in Boston, New York, and San Fran­cisco. Ricco supports Waverly’s middle and high school students in making the most of their student expe­ri­ences — whether support­ing new clubs or affin­ity groups, finding extra help and study tips, or just assur­ing students have a patient ear when chal­lenges come their way. He part­ners with fami­lies, divi­sion heads, and the student support team (includ­ing a learn­ing special­ist and a school coun­selor) to navi­gate co-curric­u­lar, acad­e­mic, and socio-emotional life. Ricco is a board member at Marin Primary & Middle School and the Cali­for­nia Teacher Devel­op­ment Coop­er­a­tive. Ricco is a writer and published author of a collec­tion of short stories, The Foley Artist (Gaudy Boy, 2019). (Email)

Juli is the busi­ness manager. She has a B.A. in econom­ics from Duke Univer­sity and an M.B.A. from the Ander­son School at Univer­sity of Cali­for­nia, Los Angeles. Juli is excited that her Waverly posi­tion combines her 25 years of oper­a­tional finance expe­ri­ence in the private sector with her passion for volun­teer­ing as a trea­surer for various Pasadena-area non-profits. In her free time, Juli enjoys hiking, trav­el­ing, and explor­ing tasty L.A. restau­rants. (Email)

Elaine has been Waverly’s direc­tor of college coun­sel­ing since 2003. She has a B.A. in psychol­ogy and educa­tion from Cham­i­nade Univer­sity of Honolulu, a Master’s degree in Educa­tional Psychol­ogy from Loyola Mary­mount Univer­sity, and a teach­ing and pupil person­nel creden­tial. Elaine has worked in college coun­sel­ing for over 30 years and still loves being a part of the chal­leng­ing appli­ca­tion process. When she’s not working she enjoys spend­ing time on the beach with her husband and chil­dren as well as visit­ing colleges to stay in tune with the student expe­ri­ence. (Email)

Vella is the assis­tant busi­ness manager and human resources manager, and she manages tuition and fee payments and the flex­i­ble tuition program. Vella received a B.A. in history from Virginia Tech. What Vella enjoys the most about working at Waverly is the commu­nity. She says,​“I have found my home…Waverly is a place where I feel safe, valued, and where I am truly happy to be.” Vella has two daugh­ters at Waverly: Lily in kinder­garten and Hazel in 4th grade. (Email)

Rebecca is the high school administrative assistant.

Cheryl is the assis­tant to the head of school and Board of Trustees. Cheryl has more than 30 years of expe­ri­ence working as an exec­u­tive assis­tant along­side scien­tists, direc­tors, divi­sion chairs, profes­sors, researchers, admin­is­tra­tors, staff, and grad­u­ate students at JPL/NASA and Caltech. Cheryl is dedi­cated and passion­ate about her work. She has said her perfect work envi­ron­ment is a culture of respect, humil­ity, trans­parency, dedi­ca­tion, collab­o­ra­tion, and FUN. Event plan­ning is one of her passions. She has orga­nized several note­wor­thy events. Her favorites were a Noble Prize dinner, annual award banquets, and named profes­sor luncheons. Cheryl volun­teers to help indi­vid­u­als with learn­ing disabil­i­ties. She loves spend­ing time with her grand­son and enjoys music, art, and fabu­lous food. (Email)

Stephanie is our school nurse. After complet­ing her Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Cali­for­nia State Univer­sity, Fuller­ton, she worked as a nurse at St. John’s Hospi­tal in Orange, where she primar­ily worked in labor and deliv­ery. As a Regis­tered Nurse, Stephanie helps support the health of students and staff. (Email)

Amanda is the assis­tant direc­tor of admis­sions. Amanda earned her B.A. in creative writing at the Univer­sity of Redlands and her M.F.A. at Antioch Univer­sity Los Angeles. Her profes­sional history includes wearing many hats in the publish­ing indus­try, includ­ing her ongoing role as book editor and publish­ing house direc­tor for the online publi­ca­tion The Nasiona. Through the stories she publishes and with the authors she works with, her mission is to uplift and amplify the voices of margin­al­ized groups. She is thrilled to be a part of a commu­nity that shares her values and commit­ment to making posi­tive change. When away from the computer, Amanda enjoys reading, listen­ing to live music, and prais­ing her dogs for their effort­less adora­bil­ity. (Email)