Bios

SHERYL AHRENS

Mrs. Ahrens is a Learning Center Assistant for 6th/7th/8th grade at JM. She grew up in Moraga and attended JM and Campolindo High School. She has undergraduate degrees in English Literature and Spanish Language and Literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Mrs. Ahrens also has a Master’s Degree from San Francisco State University in Broadcast Journalism. Prior to having children, Mrs. Ahrens worked at KGO-TV and in Silicon Valley in the high tech public relations industry.  Mrs. Ahrens has been working for the Moraga School District in Special Education for the past 6 years. She enjoys working with children, traveling with her family and watching her kids sporting events.  

GABY ALVAREZ

Gabriela Alvarez is our school counselor at J.M. Gaby received her teaching credential and masters degree in Education at Stanford University  and served as an intern Spanish teacher for 1 year at James Lick H.S. She was a Spanish and ELL teacher for 3 years at Chatsworth H.S. and a Spanish and Enrollment Coordinator for 1 year at Leadership Public Schools. She later obtained her a masters degree in Counseling at San Francisco State University and was a counseling intern at LPS and Presidio M.S. where she later became the 8th grade counselor. She will help run various programs here at J.M. including the WEB team, SSA, conducting lunch and after school groups, 504 meetings and providing individual academic and emotional support to students who are in need.  For fun Gaby enjoys swimming, going camping and snow boarding in Tahoe and spending time with her family especially her two twin boys.

JIM BILAFER

PATRICK BILL

JULIE CARLSON

 Julie is thrilled to be working at JM as the library media specialist.  She's lived in Moraga for over 20 years and has two sons in college.  Julie has a B.A. in English from UCLA, and an MBA from Santa Clara University.  After college, she taught high school English for the Peace Corps for two years.  She also worked as a investment analyst for over a decade.  In her spare time, she loves to write, garden, and go for walks with her two beagles. 

LESLIE DETTER

This is my tenth year as a teacher.  My teaching experience has been primarily in the Oakland Unified School District, where I taught multiple subjects in grades 3 through 5, 7th grade English, and specialized reading instruction. I live in Walnut Creek with my husband and have two college-aged daughters, as well as three cats and a dog. I am an avid reader and movie-goer, and a novice horse rider.

OLIVIA FLINT

Olivia is excited to be the School Psychologist at Joaquin Moraga. This is her 16th year of working in schools and with children. She taught in Osaka, Japan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Mill Valley.  She has experience doing counseling and psych-educational assessment in schools in Berkeley, San Leandro, and San Ramon. Olivia has worked with children between the ages of two and twenty, and most recently, was a Transitions Counselor at Orion Academy in Moraga. She is passionate about disability rights and making sure that all children are supported and welcomed at school. She loves collaborating with teachers and parents to this end. 

Olivia has a BA in English Literature and Psychology from Smith College, an MS Ed in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently completing her PhD in School Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Olivia lives in Berkeley with her husband and son. She loves reading mysteries and adventure novels, watching comedies, and singing silly songs with her toddler (and anyone else, really). 

JERRY GRUEN

Jerry Gruen teaches Physical Education at JM, and  has led the eighth graders of Joaquin Moraga to Washington D.C. since 1996.  Before coming to Moraga, he taught in the West Contra Costa Unified School District and at Fairmont Private School in Anaheim.  Mr. Gruen received both his Bachelor’s Degree, in Kinesiology, and his Master’s Degree, in Applied Physiology, from Long Beach State University.  His teaching credential was earned at Chapman University.

He enjoys working with his wife, Lisa Gruen, who is a sixth grade Core teacher at JM.  In his free time, Mr. Gruen enjoys coaching, reading, running, and exploring with his family.

LISA GRUEN

Lisa Gruen is a Sixth grade Core teacher at Joaquin Moraga. She is happily married to one of JM’s Physical Education teachers and mother of two sons.  She is an energetic, artistic, and gentle Hawaii-raised woman who is a perfect example that the Aloha spirit can live outside the islands. She focuses on the whole child in her classroom enjoys partnering with parents to nurture her students.

Lisa attended Marymount College and Saint Mary’s College where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Developmental Psychology and Pre-school-8th grade Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.  She has taught first second and sixth grades. In her free time, Mrs.Gruen enjoys nature, photography, travel, volunteerism, and cooking. As long as her family is with her, Mrs.Gruen is happy.

GENEVIEVE HUTTMAN

Genevieve Huttman is a Bay Area native and has been teaching at Moraga for three years. She received her Bachelor’s degree at DePaul University in Chicago and her Education Specialist credential at St.Mary’s. In her free time she enjoys bike rides, reading, art, and spending time by the water. 

AARON JORGENSEN

Aaron Jorgensen is the Assistant Principal at Joaquin Moraga.  Prior to JM, Aaron was an educational leader and district administrator in the Berkeley Unified School District.  He also served as a middle school math lead teacher in Berkeley.  He attended UC Berkeley for his undergraduate degree in Economics and graduate degree in Educational Leadership.  Go Bears!  

He began his teaching career in Oregon prior to returning to the Bay Area.  He loves working with intermediate school students and being a part of this critical time in their life and looks forward to working with the Joaquin Moraga staff, students, and families. In his spare time he enjoys running, baking, cooking, and experiencing new outdoor activities with his family.  He lives in El Sobrante with his wife, Lindsey, and their two sons.

HARVEY KAMIAN

Mr. Kamian absolutely loves teaching math at JM! He has been teaching math at JM since the year 2000. Mr. Kamian loves the fun fact that he and JM were both born in 1967. Passionate about student learning, he firmly believes that every student can be successful in math with patience, effort, persistence, and organization. Mr. Kamian employs a wide variety of teaching methods to meet the educational needs of a vast array of learning styles and abilities. In their spare time, Mr. Kamian and his wife enjoy travel, sports, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. 

JESSICA MCDEVITT

Jessica McDevitt has  been teaching history at JM since 2014. Prior to teaching at JM, she taught history and economics in private Bay Area high schools and did her student teaching in the International Baccalaureate program at Berkeley High. She earned her masters in American history and her Single Subject Teaching Credential at San Francisco State University and majored in English and history at the Claremont Colleges in Southern California (Pitzer). Ms. McDevitt enjoys teaching students how to improve their reading comprehension and how to think, write and present clearly. Her classes explore connections between the history they are studying and current events. She has two teens at home, so it’s non-stop adolescent exposure for her right now! She loves to travel and enjoy water activities, gardening, tennis and piano. 

LESLIE MULDOON

Mrs. Muldoon is a Canadian who has made her way to California and loves the weather.  Mrs. Muldoon has a goal to create meaningful connections with all of the students she interacts with.  She has worked at both Rheem and JM in the Moraga School District.  In her spare time, you can find Mrs. Muldoon and her husband cheering on their children at various sporting events and theater performances.  You may also spot her walking around town with her dog Moose.  Mrs. Muldoon is also an avid reader who loves discussing all things books.

LEANN NIXDORFF

Leann Nixdorff has enjoyed teaching in Moraga for many years.  After spending 21 years at Camino Pablo in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, this will be her 5th year teaching 6th grade core at JM.  Helping students develop and cultivate a love of learning is a passion for Leann.  In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family including her twin 8th graders, rooting for the Oakland As, and taking advantage of living in the beautiful bay area.

MARIE OLSON

Marie is a speech therapist at JM and LP. She holds a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from NYU and a Masters in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Cal State East Bay.  Before becoming a speech therapist, she worked as a teacher and a journalist and editor in New York and the Bay Area, and she became certified as a yoga instructor. When her oldest child was born with congenital deafness, she decided to change careers and start helping children and adults with communication impairments. She lives in Orinda with her husband, their 3 children ages 11, 9 and 2, and a rather interesting cat.  In her spare time, she likes to cook, hike, read, listen to music and go to her kids' soccer games.

DEBBIE STANDRING

Mrs. Standring teaches 6th grade and 7th grade Science at JM.  Mrs. Standring attended the University of California, Davis and majored in Biological Sciences. She grew up in Walnut Creek and went to high school in Oregon. Mrs. Standring lives in Moraga with her husband, Eric. They have three children. In her spare time, Mrs. Standring watches lots of volleyball, as well as other sports, she enjoys her garden and traveling. She loves all her great JM students!

ROBERT TODD

MICHAELA TONDI

Michaela Tondi has been a science teacher at JM for three years.  After completing her undergraduate degree in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz, she continued there for another year to earn her Masters in Science Education. She enjoys learning and teaching about marine ecosystems and conservation biology. Ms.Tondi lives in Berkeley and loves swimming, yoga, hiking and visiting her family in San Diego.

VIRGINIA VU

KERRY WARMBOE

Kerry Warmboe has always had a passion for history; she is delighted to be able to teach both 7th grade World History and 8th grade US History at JM. Kerry grew up on the Central Coast. She received her BA from UC Santa Cruz. Go banana slugs! Then earned her teaching credential at Sonoma State University.  In her free time she enjoys traveling, reading, working on sewing projects, and of course watching Giants games.

CAITLIN WIRE