Staff + Board of Trustees - Holden High School

Small school, huge staff.

MEET THE VILLAGE

"The opportunity to teach and work at a school like Holden draws gifted, creative, dedicated, and highly skilled teachers and staff. Without exception, they are lifelong learners who lead rich and fulfilling lives and serve as powerful role models for the students at Holden." - Holden Teacher

Holden Directors

Four Co-Directors collectively run the day-to-day operations at Holden. Each Co-Director also teaches, directly connecting Holden’s administration to the learning environment and enabling the school to work in a way that best meets students’ needs. The Co-Directors regularly consult with our core teachers, counseling interns, psychological consultants, Student Council, the Board of Trustees, and the student body about issues affecting the school community to ensure the school achieves its mission.

Kate

Kate teaches academic & elective classes and tutoring, supervises the academic teachers, and is the CFO of Holden. She holds a BA in English focusing on education from SF State University. She is a certified personal trainer and serves on the educational advisory board of UC Theatre concert career pathways. Kate is a founding member of B.O.B., a collective that organizes international punk rock concerts.

Kristin

Kristin graduated from Hamilton College with a BA in Studio Arts and Sociology. She received her MA in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies in 1997 and became a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in 2001. Kristin is Holden’s Director of Admissions and has been a Co-Director since 2000. Outside Holden, she spends time with her family.

Abby

Abby graduated from Holden in 1993. She holds a BA in Humanities with an emphasis in Education from New College of California, an MA in Special Education from San Francisco State University, and a Mild to Moderate Education Specialist Credential. She directs Holden’s Learning Support Program and is a Council for Exceptional Children member.

Jennifer

Jennifer earned a BA in Psychology and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Humboldt State University. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Oregon and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California, with a private practice in Berkeley. Jenn is the Clinical Director and Freshperson Advisor, supervising and training the counselors. She has been at Holden since 2004.

Academic & Transition Staff

Core teachers teach academics and electives at Holden. Our teachers strive to meet the diverse needs of our students with patience, experience, knowledge, compassion, and flexibility. They work with various learning styles and emotional blocks to learning. Staff collaborate to create coursework and structure that fully engage students in learning and self-discovery. Teachers also collaborate with our credentialed learning specialists and licensed psychotherapists.

Katie

Katherine teaches English, math, and chemistry. She also acts as Holden’s college transition counselor. She holds a BA from University of Michigan and a MA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to teaching, she has sung professionally and is a published writer and reviewer.

Wei

Wei teaches Metaphor and Meaning, Ethnic Studies, and Genders and Sexuality. She also helps support Holden's marketing and fundraising efforts. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Connecticut. She is a member of the AmeriCorps Alumni Association and the City Year Alumni Association.

Rikki

Rikki teaches English Composition, Biology, American Sign Language, and electives. She is also a transition counselor. She has a BA in English Language Arts and Anthropology, a Teaching Credential in Secondary English, and an MA in Education from the University of California at Berkeley. Her outside interests include environmental sustainability, health food, and social justice.

Ryan

Ryan teaches Government, Economics, Physical Science, music, and media courses at Holden. He holds a BA in Cinema and Digital Media from UC Davis. He has toured both nationally and internationally as a drummer and guitarist. Ryan spends his free time producing videos, skateboarding, and building guitar amplifiers. He has an extensive record collection and is a self-proclaimed “music nerd.”

Kiersten

Kiersten teaches English Fundamentals, U.S. History, and Geometry. She holds a BA from U.C. Santa Barbara in Psychology and an MA from SF State University in Creative Writing. Kiersten enjoys spending time with her family and friends in her free time, reading and watching or playing baseball.

Amy

Amy is one of Holden's Learning Specialists. She teaches Algebra, Study Skills, and supports Holden students with disabilities. She holds a BA in Liberal Studies with a Multiple Subject Teaching Emphasis from Chapman University and a Mild to Moderate Education Specialist Credential from Saint Mary's College. She is a member of the California Teachers Association. She enjoys nature walks, live music, reading, and traveling.

Libby

Libby teaches World History, Algebra III with Trigonometry, and Spanish. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College and an MFA in Staging Shakespeare from Exeter University. She is also the co-founder and producing Artistic Director of Those Women Productions.

Resource, Exploration, and Support Counselors

Skilled counselors volunteer their time and energy at Holden. Our Resource, Exploration, and Support (RES) counselors have graduated from accredited Master’s programs in clinical psychology and are furthering their training under supervision by licensed psychotherapists. Click here to learn about the Resource, Exploration, and Support Program.

Nora

Nora is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at Holden, supervised by the licensed Clinical Director. She holds a BS in Neuroscience from Brown University and an MA in Counseling Psychology, focusing on Expressive Arts Therapy from the California College of Integral Studies. Her interests include rock climbing, music, dancing, reading, and dogs.

Victoria

Victoria is a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee at Holden, supervised by our clinical director, Jennifer Polse Payne, LMFT, LPCC. She holds a BS in Psychology from St. Mary's College of California and will be earning a MA in Counseling from the Wright Institute. Outside of Holden, Victoria enjoys training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, watching anime, and cats.

Daniel

Daniel is a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee at Holden, supervised by our clinical director, Jennifer Polse Payne, LMFT, LPCC. He holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Oregon and a Special Education Teaching Credential from Holy Names University. He is currently pursuing his MA in Psychology from CSU East Bay. His outside interests include family trips, bike riding, hiking, sports, and connecting with friends. He is a member of the Wellness Committee for his son's school district, and CAMFT.

Allison

Allison is a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee at Holden, supervised by our clinical director, Jennifer Polse Payne, LMFT, LPCC. She is currently attending CIIS Integral Psychology program and holds a BA in Integral Studies from CIIS as well. She enjoys Disney, crocheting, cooking, taking care of her cats, sewing, making time for a good cup of tea, and steampunk aesthetics.

Operations Staff

Our administrative staff are essential to keeping our program running smoothly

Muhammad

Muhammad joined Holden as our Office Administrator in January 2015. Prior to Holden Muhammad worked in a post-secondary education for over a decade. His experience with operations and administration in an educational setting helps contribute to the overall success of our community at Holden.

Other Staff

Sequoia Barnes is a volunteer who leads a weekly Tabletop Gaming elective for Holden students.

Sequoia

Sequoia Barnes leads a Dungeons and Dragons Role Playing elective. She has studied history while attending Berkeley City College and Diablo Valley College. She enjoys working with dogs and patronizing Berkeley Library West.

Holden Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees at Holden High School supports the school’s mission and the staff’s pursuit of that mission. Concretely, the Board is responsible for 1) Discussing the goals for the year. 2) Reviewing, approving, and monitoring the annual budget. 3) Evaluating the heads of the school. The Board includes two co-directors, parents of Holden High School alumni, and long-term friends and supporters of the Holden Community.

Rachel

Rachel Hannah Fields has three young adult children who attended Holden as teens. In addition to being devoted to Holden, Rachel works as a licensed clinical psychologist at Kaiser Permanente with children and teens who have eating disorders, she has a small private practice for youth who are trans or gender questioning, and writes fiction.

Paul

Paul Barrie is our current Board Chair. Paul is recognized as Holden's first student in 1969. He is a proud Orinda resident and has enjoyed a 30+ career as a video producer, director, editor, and scriptwriter.

Fredi

Fredi Juni serves as the Board's Treasurer, is mom to Holden alum, Dani. She is a calligrapher and mixed media artist. For nearly 30 years, Fredi was a Social Worker who specialized in improving the adoption program for Alameda County.

Anthony

Anthony Fong has called Orinda home for over 23 years. He works as an Associate General Counsel for a publically traded research laboratory. He holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley and J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Kristin

Kristin Lamoureux, a Holden Co-Director, graduated from Hamilton College with a BA in Studio Arts and Sociology. She received her MA in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 1997 and became a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in 2001. Kristin is Holden’s Director of Admissions and has been a Co-Director since 2000.

Kate

Kate graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in English with a focus on education. Kate teaches academic & elective classes and tutoring, supervises the academic teachers and is the CFO of Holden. She serves on the educational advisory board of UC theatre concert career pathways. Kate has been at Holden in various capacities since 1987.

Joseph

Joseph Meyer is a Holden alumni circa 2003. He works as a Union Rep for Admin Workers throughout the UC system. Joseph also worked in the legal field for over 8 years and as a Labor Union Advocate for over 7 years.

Shaun

Shaun Osburn graduated from Holden in 1997. He works in the online education department for the Academy of Art University. Shaun holds a BA in Communications and an AA in Visual Media. He has recorded and toured in several punk rock bands and views his work with Holden as an extension of his punk rock values.

Stacey

Stacey Leanos is the Investor Relations and Fundraising Partner for a venture capital firm based in San Francisco. Her daughter Ren is a 2024 Holden graduate. Stacey was born in and has lived in the East Bay her entire life, including attending Mills College in Oakland, where she received her BA in Business Economics and her MBA in Finance.

Dani

Dani supports Holden's marketing and fundraising efforts on a volunteer basis. She is a Holden alumni and former chair of the Holden board, She has a Bachelor of Social Work from Simmons University and will begin her Masters of Social Work very soon.

Paul Barrie, Board Chair, Holden Alum
Fredi Juni, Board Treasurer, Past Parent
Kristin Lamoureux, Lead Co-Director, Holden High School
Kate Knox, CFO, Holden High School
Anthony Fong, Community Member
Rachel Fields, Past Parent
Joe Meyer, Holden Alum
Shaun Osburn, Holden Alum
Stacey Leanos, Past Parent
Dani Juni Bruyn, Holden Alum

Small school, huge staff.

MEET THE VILLAGE

"The opportunity to teach and work at a school like Holden draws gifted, creative, dedicated, and highly skilled teachers and staff. Without exception, they are lifelong learners who lead rich and fulfilling lives and serve as powerful role models for the students at Holden." - Holden Teacher

Holden Directors

Kate

Kristin

Abby

Jennifer

Academic & Transition Staff

Katie

Wei

Rikki

Ryan

Kiersten

Amy

Libby

Resource, Exploration, and Support Counselors

Nora

Victoria

Daniel

Allison

Operations Staff

Muhammad

Other Staff

Sequoia Barnes is a volunteer who leads a weekly Tabletop Gaming elective for Holden students.

Sequoia

Holden Board of Trustees

Rachel

Paul

Fredi

Anthony

Kristin

Kate

Joseph

Shaun

Stacey

Dani

Testimonials

changing lives since 1969