Meet the Element Team

Ms. Novacek has worked with the organization since 2002 and became the Director in February of 2004.  She began working with youth in after-school programs, camps, and athletic coaching at the age of eighteen, and taught in traditional site-based classrooms for ten years.  After resigning to have more time with her two children, she began a tutoring and educational consulting business and worked part-time with Capistrano Unified School District serving home-bound students. Two years after home-schooling her own children through a district independent study program, she discovered Dehesa Charter School.  Appreciating the balance between choice and accountability offered by the school, her children remained enrolled in Dehesa for ten years.  Both children have earned their Bachelor degrees at California Universities.  In addition to an Administrative Credential, Ms. Novacek holds a Master of Arts in Montessori Studies and coaching certificates for Learning Styles, Positive Discipline, Multiple Brain Integration Techniques (mBIT), HeartMath, Autism Movement Therapy, and Servant Leadership.  Ms. Novacek drives the vision of all the world’s a classroom and the belief that the most important thing we can teach children is how (not what) to learn. 

Terri Novacek
Executive Director
tnovacek@myelement.org

Mr. Yung has eighteen years in education.  He has served as a middle school and high school classroom teacher, a Curriculum and Instruction Specialist, a Director of Academic Planning, and has served in various other educational roles.  As a Master Teacher, Mr. Yung served as a mentor to new educators.  Through a grant, he created a school within a school to support at-risk incoming freshmen.  Mr. Yung was also a founding teacher at KIPP Adelante which served at-risk students, many of who became the first in their families to attend college.  In addition, he was on the startup team for National University Virtual High School (NUVHS).  He oversaw the development of over 75 semester courses, many with University of California A-G approval, and led the teaching staff at NUVHS which culminated with NUVHS receiving WASC accreditation.  He began as Director of Academic Planning for Dehesa Charter School in 2006, supporting the educational program which included the analysis and interpretation of local and state assessment data, implementation of new curriculum, and the development of new educational programs.    He has been overseeing the daily operations of CM since it opened in 2013. Since then, the school has expanded to five Resource Centers and a Home Study Program with an enrollment of over 650+ students. 

 Mr. Yung has a Master of Arts in Education, a Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential, a Montessori Administrators Credential and has served as a SDCOE VPSS Course Developer and Instructor, WASC Chair and Visiting Committee Member, and Positive Discipline Parent Educator.

Roland Yung
Chief Operations Officer
ryung@myelement.org

Mr. Miller manages the financial strategy and operations of Community Montessori and Dimensions Charter School with more than 1,600 in ADA, 170 employees, and total revenue for the fiscal year 2016/2017 of $15 million. Mr. Miller is committed to maximizing long-term financial success of the charter schools thus ensuring their ability to continually and  positively affect student achievement and success.

Previously, Mr. Miller was a Senior Financial Analyst at the City of San Juan Capistrano, where he was the City’s acting Procurement Officer, and managed the financial aspects of the City’s capital improvement project in excess of $100 million.   In addition, Mr. Miller assisted in budget preparation and management.

 Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from California State University Fresno and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from the University of California, Irvine.  Mr. Miller has successfully completed the California Association of Business Officials (CASBO) CBO Boot Camp and in August 2018 completed the CABO’s CBO Partner Training program at the San Diego Count.y Office of Education and is currently a candidate for CBO certification.

Doug Miller
Chief Business Officer
dmiller@myelement.org

Mr. Otte graduated from college in South Africa and went on to teach High School there for 4 years. Mr. Otte and his wife then relocated to London, UK where he taught in a variety of schools for three more years. Mr. Otte then left teaching for several years, during which time he relocated to San Diego, CA. After several years working in recruitment, the pull of teaching was too strong to resist. However, Mr. Otte was determined to find something beyond the traditional school model. Mr. Otte’s wife was already working as a Montessori teacher and with her encouragement, he took a job in Fallbrook as an Elementary Assistant/School handyman. Mr. Otte was fortunate enough to get hired at Element Education where he worked as the front desk person and after care supervisor. When the school decided to open an Adolescent Program, Mr. Otte jumped at the chance to complete his AMI Montessori credential at the Farm School in Ohio. Mr. Otte then ran the Adolescent Program at Oak Hill for several years. Mr. Otte has been the Community Montessori School Director since August of 2021.

Earl Otte
School Director
Community Montessori
eotte@myelement.org

Mr. Johnson has been with the organization since 2002 and became the Director of Accountability in July of 2018.  He has a Single Subject Teaching Credential in English and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and is currently completing the Administrative Credential Program through the San Diego County Office of Education.  He has served as a middle school and high school classroom teacher in San Diego schools.  Hired in 2002 as a K-12 Educational Facilitator for Dehesa Charter School, he has since served in roles of Humanities Team member, Regional Manager, and Student Programs Manager.  Mr. Johnson served as WASC self-study coordinator, oversaw all standardized testing, and developed and managed student programs (e.g. Robotics, Mock Trial, Field Trips, Prom).  Mr. Johnson was also responsible for advocating for an establishing a partnership with Project Lead The Way to develop an engineering program for high school students.  He has attended AVID training and has been a WASC Visiting Committee Member.

Paul Johnson
School Director
Dimensions Collaborative School
pjohnson@myelement.org

Ms. Sestina is excited to partner with the Element Education community to improve learning outcomes by empowering students to discover their element. With over 25 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, she began her career in education as an instructional aide with San Diego Unified while attending university. She went on to become a teacher serving students in all grade levels and in various academic settings including independent study charter, special day class, non-public alternative, and general education. After 18 years in the classroom, she was selected to serve as a Teacher on Special Assignment supporting district-wide special education programs, and most recently was the Coordinator of Secondary Special Education with San Marcos Unifed. Ms. Sestina holds a Masters in Education, a Bachelers in Liberal Studies with a minor in Psychology and holds several education credentials and certificates. She is a champion of discovering and nurturing each individual student’s strengths, talents, interests and learning preferences to inspire a lifelong love for learning and a successful transition to life after school. 

Niki Sestina
Director of Student Services
nsestina@myelement.org

Ms. Sihota holds an MBA in Corporate Governance and Global Business, a Juris Doctorate, and a Bachelors in Speech Sciences and Psychology. Her broad experience includes benefits, employee relations, compliance issues, and talent acquisition. She has experience in various industries including education, medical, legal, and tax. Prior to joining Element Education in 2016, Ms. Sihota was a Director of Administration and Human Resources for a medical clinic. She supported the medical center by advising it through its stages of creation, growth, and stabilization. She was responsible for working with the management team in defining and implementing training, recruiting, employee engagement, compliance, workers’ compensation, benefits, and more.  She actively participates in updating and developing policies and procedures for Element and manages all personnel files, HR and safety compliance, and professional development.  Ms. Sihota was an active attorney for over five years in the areas of tax, bankruptcy, family law, and unlawful detainers.  She remains an active member of the California Bar Association.

 

Kiran Sihota
Director of Human Resources
ksihota@myelement.org

  • Abraham Abdelrehim

    TECHNOLOGY MANAGER

  • Victoria Ades

    RESEARCH AND EVALUATION MANAGER

  • Eva Chaidez

    ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST-RESOURCES

  • Carson Goettsch

    MAINTENANCE CUSTODIAN

  • Christina Marchand

    REGISTRAR-ENROLLMENT SPECIALIST

  • Susan Michaels

    EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

  • Pam Morasco

    ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST-SPED

  • Amie Self

    ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST-BUSINESS SERVICES

  • Emily Snow

    REGISTRAR-ENROLLMENT SPECIALIST

  • Marvin Soares

    MAINTENANCE CUSTODIAN

Student Services

  • Niki Sestina

    DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SERVICES

  • Pam Morasco

    ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALISt-OPERATIONS

  • Jennifer Anderson

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Andrea Casado

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Arlene Chousmith

    SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

  • Lynda Cortes

    OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

  • Lauren Donatelli

    SPECIAL EDUCATION MANAGER

  • Lindsey Garcia

    Lindsey Garcia

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Magdelena Franco

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Elizabeth Gonzalez

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

  • Mervat Haridy

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

  • Greg Hawkins

    ACADEMIC COUNSELOR

  • Carly Haynes

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

  • Lois Ingber

    BEHAVIORAL COUNSELOR

  • Catherine Khajavi

    SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGER

  • Tatiana Lawler

    ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY MANAGER

  • Ricardo Loza

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Mikaela Martin

    OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

  • Jenny Martinez

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Andrea Phillips

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

  • Johnny Pontecorvo

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

  • Mamatha Putter

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Brandi Rodrigues

    STUDENT SUPPORT MANAGER
    COMMUNITY MONTESSORI

  • Karina Rodrigues

    SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST

  • Trish Ruppel

    STUDENT SUPPORT MANAGER
    DIMENSIONS COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL

  • Tiffany Sellers

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE AND STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Cheryl States

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

  • Cerrah Vondersaar

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

  • Nicole Warner

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

  • Michelle Watkins

    INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE/STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT