Staff

Clarke Weatherspoon
Clarke is the head of school effective July 1, 2022. With more than 20 years as an educator, Clarke is joining us from the San Francisco Friends School (SFFS), where he has served as Middle School Head for the past 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. (Email)

Molly Geller
Molly (Waverly class of 2002) is the elementary school director. She has a B.A. in theology and religious studies from the University of San Francisco and a teaching credential and a Master of Education degree from Antioch University. As a member of the Waverly community for 25 years, Molly supports and challenges the students by meeting them where they are emotionally, socially, and academically. (Email)

Amy Sloboda
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)

Ralinda Watts
Ralinda is the high school director. She has an M.Ed. from Columbia University and holds a B.S. from California State University, Northridge, also having completed post-baccalaureate research studies at UCLA. With more than 15 years of independent school experience, Ralinda has served as an advisor, teacher, administrator, and mentor, as well as director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She has developed K‑12 identity and social justice curriculum, frameworks, and programs, including a 9th grade seminar course, Intersections of Identity. Ralinda is the founder of the Los Angeles Diversity Directors’ Consortium and is a member of the board of trustees at Children’s Community School. She is a writer, thought leader, and speaker, contributing to numerous publications. (Email)

Marsille Reed
Marsille is the director of enrollment management. He holds a B.A. in political science from Loyola University New Orleans. Prior to joining Waverly, Marsille served as Interim Director of Communications and Marketing at Drew School in San Francisco and as Associate Director of Admission at Mark Day School in San Rafael. As Director of Student Services at Breakthrough Minneapolis at Blake (Minneapolis, MN), he was responsible for student recruitment. Throughout, he has coached youth, middle school, and varsity sports – football, basketball, and girls lacrosse. (Email)

Juli Khoe
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)

Carolyn Hom
Carolyn, development director, has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Southern California. She has worked in development, marketing, and public relations for more than 35 years and has led fund-raising work with an array of independent schools. Carolyn and her husband are Pasadena residents who enjoy travel and trying out the region’s many and varied restaurants. Their son, who attended area independent schools, lives and works in Dallas. (Email)

Elaine Lass
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)

Carlos Aldaco
Carlos is the assistant facilities manager and Waverly’s campus super power. His work has been a key to daily life at school since he joined the staff in 2012. Carlos is a craftsman, applying skills as a technician, painter, plumber, electrician, carpenter, and space problem solver. He fixes anything that needs it and makes major improvements, too, including remodeling of the art studio, reconfiguration of many offices and classrooms, and installation of the patio surface at the high school. He is unflappable and meets all deadlines, even the unreasonable ones. When he’s not keeping Waverly running, Carlos enjoys camping with his friends and family.

Vella Cagle
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)

Danny Caldera
Danny is the facilities manager. Danny brings over 18 years of facilities experience to Waverly including custodial and facilities management at Marymount University, Mount Saint Mary’s College, and other local property management firms. (Email)

Jackie Dator
Jackie is the business office assistant. With a background primarily in healthcare and experience in clerical, customer service, and finance, Jackie is excited to make the transition into education. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jackie has a love for art, music, and travel. She enjoys hiking through forests all while taking pictures of its beauty on her camera, but she also finds peace in just sitting somewhere quiet with a good book to read. And as a foodie at heart, she loves to find and experience new eats, whether in the area, or while out traveling. (Email)

Joseph Dennis
Joseph is the athletic director for the middle and high schools and teaches math in the middle school. He has a B.S. in integrated mathematics and a minor in mathematics from Ohio University. Joseph has been an experiential learning coordinator, integrating physical education to the curriculum, and has also served as an affinity group facilitator. With respect to athletics, Joseph has previous experience as a Division 1 collegiate student-athlete and coach in wrestling, and has also coached middle school football. He is excited about bringing experiential P.E. opportunities to the high school including hiking, hula hoop, strength conditioning, and more. Joseph is passionate about nature preservation and environmentalism, and is looking forward to bringing that to the forefront in his work with high school students. (Email)

Lindsay Freund
Lindsay is the advancement associate and provides full-time support for both our admissions and development offices. Lindsay has a B.A. in psychology with a minor in art from Metropolitan State University of Denver and comes to us with over fifteen years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with a demonstrated track record of providing detailed and organized attention to small institutions such as ours. Lindsay has a love of animals (especially elephants), hiking, nature, and plant-based cooking. Lindsay keeps very busy with a 1st grader who is enrolled at Waverly. (Email)

Cheryl Gause
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 Gutierrez
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)

Michael Jaffe
Michael serves as the registrar and high school curriculum coordinator, in addition to teaching high school English. He holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in English from The University of California, Berkeley. He is a beloved educator, who prides himself on helping students move past binary ways of thinking and inquiry, therefore strengthening their abilities to question and push back against systems of power. A native Angeleno, he now lives in Pasadena with his wife and their two children. (Email)

Amanda Lopez
Amanda is the elementary school administrative assistant and receptionist. 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)

Christine Matos
Christine is the high school administrative assistant and service-learning coordinator. Christine is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, where she earned her degree in child and adolescent development. She has worked on numerous projects and campaigns at the intersection of marketing, technology, and customer relations. Christine has cultivated meaningful volunteer opportunities with organizations such as The Midnight Mission, Homeboy Industries, and is looking forward to forging new partnerships for our students to engage in. In her spare time, she enjoys party planning, camping, painting, and loves embarking on new adventures with her partner and her dog! (Email)

Aaron Rodgers
Aaron is the middle school assistant and database coordinator. They bring to Waverly a broad range of experiences in information technology, donor databases, customer service, and after school and summer camp programs in progressive school settings. Aaron has lived all over Los Angeles and still has more to explore. In their free time, they love to hike and camp. (Email)