Our Faculty & Staff
Saklan maintains outstanding and enthusiastic classroom and specialist teachers across the grade levels. We hand pick teachers who value the Saklan mission and philosophy, and who also motivate and engage students in a love of learning.
Combined, our teachers and specialists showcase an average of 17 years in education, several with advanced degrees. A common trait that you’ll find amongst every Saklan teacher is their warm and nurturing personality, and a true love of teaching. We hope you spend time getting to know us better.
Head of School
Hans Peter Metzger
- M.Ed. Worcester State College, Massachusetts
- B. Ed. University of Western Ontario, Canada
- B. A. in History, University of Waterloo, Canada
Director of Admissions
Melissa Zippin
• B.S. in Psychology, UC Davis
Office Manager and Assistant to Head
Emoke Veres
• B.S. in Business Administration, CSU East Bay
Business Manager
Maria Puckett
• B.S. in Business Administration, CSU Stanislaus
• MBA, Moscow University
Office Assistant/Extended Day Teacher
Joelle Coggins
• AA Diablo Valley College (pending)
Facilities Manager
Javier Yacarini
Pre-K Head Teacher
Karen Catanzarite
• B.A. University of San Francisco
• CRED San Francisco State University
Pre-K Teacher
Amanda Smith
• B.A. CSU East Bay
Kindergarten Teacher
Amy Burnett
• B.A. UC Santa Cruz
• M.A./CRED Dominican College
First Grade Teacher
Maria Puno
• B.A. in Psychology in the Philippines
• Master Teacher Permit (pending) - ECE Professional Development Plan, Diablo Valley College
Second Grade Teacher
Carol Schofield
Lower School Head Teacher
• B.A. UC Berkeley
• Graduate Study and Teaching CRED, UC Berkeley
Third Grade Teacher
Catherine Corso
• B.S. Eastern Connecticut State University
Fourth Grade Teacher
Kristen Seed
• B.S. University of Dayton
Fifth Grade Teacher
Sharon Reichow
• Bachelor of Music/Ed., Southern Illinois University
• California Teaching CRED, CSU Los Angeles
Middle School Dean/Humanities
Extended Day and Summer Camp Director
Kim Parks
• B.A. and Teaching CRED, San Francisco State University
Middle School Humanities/Language Arts
Sam Prestianni
• B.A. English/Writing, University of Maryland – cum laude
Middle School Science Teacher/Science Specialist
Vickie Obenchain
• B.S. Elon University
• M.A. Montclair State University
Middle School Math Teacher
Saul Zippin
• B.A. UC Berkeley
Music Specialist
Grace Chaffey
• B.M. Butler University, Certificate of Music Studies University of Sydney
• M.A. Music Ed. Boston University (2012)
Spanish Specialist
Lourdes Unanua
• B.A. in Education, Universite de Vincennes, Paris VIII
• M.A. in Comparative Literature, San Francisco State University
Art Specialist
Mark Batongbacal
• B.A. in Art, San Francisco State University
• Teaching CRED, St. Mary's College
Physical Education Specialist
Christian Crabtree
• B.S. in Kinesiology, CSU Hayward
