mtatsui@cwcsilverlake.org

A So Cal native and UCLA grad, Dr. Maureen knew she wanted to become an educator after her experiences as an assistant director at UCLA’s Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment (S.P.A.C.E.) program, where she counseled students at Marshall High School. It was through her work in the SPACE program and in UCLA’s Community Programs Office that Maureen became passionate about issues of educational inequality and social justice.

Dr. Maureen joined Teach for America (TfA) and taught summer school in the Bronx, New York. In the fall of that year, she was assigned to teach 2nd grade at Dickison elementary school in Compton, CA, where she continued teaching for nine more years. While in Compton, Maureen served multiple leadership and teacher training roles.

Dr. Maureen earned her M.A. degree in elementary education and her multiple subjects credential from Loyola Marymount University. She completed her Ph.D. in education from Claremont Graduate University.

For many years, she has been a hula practitioner, learning, studying, and performing traditional and modern forms of Hawaiian dance and chant. In her free time, she loves cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband Tim and their son Max (though not necessarily in that order).

Learn more about Dr. Maureen’s favorite things here!

emily.beecher@cwcsilverlake.org

In her 15+ years in education, Ms. Emily has worked in classrooms from TK to 8th Grade. She is dedicated to creating a safe and connected environment for students, families, and staff.

While earning her B.A. in English Language and Literature from Whittier College, Ms. Emily served as an elementary literacy tutor and there cemented her longstanding commitment to education. Before becoming a teacher, Ms. Emily worked for BookEnds, facilitating student-led book drives to build classroom libraries, but she could not escape the desire for her own classroom. Ms. Emily received her masters of education and teaching credential from UCLA. During that time, she also found her home here at CWC Silver Lake.

As a CWC SL Founding Staff member, Ms. Emily helped build the staff and student culture we know and continue to develop today. She has led our 2nd Grade and 5th Grade teams, facilitating learning through a constructivist approach with an eye on socially-just practices and real-world application. Passionate about people and potential, Ms. Emily is excited to promote growth and belonging by working to ensure that all students, families, and staff, are seen and heard.

Learn more about Ms. Emily’s favorite things here!

itzel.ceniceros@cwcsilverlake.org

Bio coming soon!

Learn more about Ms. Itzel’s favorite things here!

patrice.dodd@cwcsilverlake.org

A native of Los Angeles, Patrice Dodd knew she wanted to pursue a career in education since she was in 2nd grade. Patrice attended CSU-Long Beach (Go Beach!), where she received her Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Studies (Elementary Education).  Before becoming a teacher, Patrice worked two years as an Instructional Aide. In 2015, Patrice continued her education at CSU-Long Beach, earning her CA Education Specialist Preliminary Credential simultaneously while serving as a middle school RSP teacher with Green Dot Public Schools (GDPS).  While working with GDPS for six years, Patrice held multiple leadership roles, serving on the Instructional Leadership Team as the Special Education Department Chair, a Grade Level Lead and a Site Rep for the Teacher Union.  In 2020, Patrice received her CA Education Specialist Level II Credential and earned her M.A in Special Education from CSU-Dominguez Hills (Go Toros!). She focused her thesis on Co-Teaching, specifically, co-teachers’ preferences on co-teaching models and best practices for collaboration in co-taught classrooms.  Interested in furthering her knowledge in secondary education, in 2021, Patrice joined RBUSD, where she enjoyed teaching 9th grade and 11th grade high school English in Redondo Beach, CA. Being a lifelong learner, in 2021, Patrice returned back to CSU-Dominguez Hills in the Fall to pursue earning an Administrative Credential.  While in the School Leadership (Admin) Program at CSU-Dominguez Hills, Patrice led teachers, educators and other stakeholders to become culturally responsive towards students, in an effort to increase student attendance and improve student achievement through socio-emotional learning methodologies.
 
When not at school, you can almost always find Patrice poolside.  Patrice is an artistic swimming coach and has been for many moons.  During her free time, Patrice loves spending time with her husband and fur babies. She also enjoys traveling, taking road trips, going to Disneyland, dancing, watching movies, cooking and spending time at the beach.

Learn more about Ms. Patrice’s favorite things here!

james.boganey@cwcsilverlake.org

James Boganey brings 15 years of experience in providing transformational instruction and leadership to the most vulnerable communities in Newark, New Jersey and in his hometown of Los Angeles, California. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University in the City of New York and his M.A. in Educational Leadership from Seton Hall in New Jersey. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Education Leadership at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining CWC SLM, James served as a teacher (4^th-8^th Grades), Technology/STEM Coordinator, Math Interventionist, Dean, and Vice Principal at both charter and district schools on both coasts.

James’s love for teaching is rooted in an aspiration to support students in discovering the value in education, helping them to uncover their purpose in life, giving students the tools and confidence to disrupt unjust systems and to advocate for themselves, their communities, and the world. He is committed to the reimagination of education as an instrument for progress.

Outside of school, you can find James hiking in the mountains of Pasadena, laying out on the sands of Manhattan Beach, tackling the stairs in Culver City, or singing his heart out at karaoke in DTLA. 

justine.yoon@cwcsilverlake.org

Bio coming soon!

rome.jenkins@cwcsilverlake.org

Bio coming soon!

Email coming soon!

My name is Allan Laird and I am so happy to be joining the team at Citizens of the World Silver Lake, as the Director of Special Education. I would like students to call me Mr. Allan. I began my professional career in the paper industry, but was unable to find value and meaning in that work, so I returned to school in 1999 to complete my bachelor’s degree. At that point, all I knew is that I wanted to help people move forward. It was during a psychology class titled Theories of Learning that I realized a connection between psychology and education. I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and Education from Ottawa University in 2002, and then graduated with a Master’s of Arts in Education from National Louis University in 2004. During the next few years, I obtained my licenses to teach Regular Education: grades 1-6, and Special Education: ages 6-21. 

Throughout my teaching career, I began working as a special education teacher with elementary and middle-school school students. Eventually, I joined the team at The Alliance School of Milwaukee, as a high school special education teacher. Additionally, I returned to Ottawa University as an adjunct instructor, for close to a decade. While at Ottawa, I taught psychology and adult education courses to non-traditional adult students. Eventually, I was asked to take the position of Teacher-in-Charge at Alliance. During my first year as the school leader at Alliance, the superintendent asked me to obtain my administrative license, so I enrolled in an administrative and leadership program at Alverno College in Milwaukee, where I graduated with a Master’s of Arts in Administrative Leadership in 2019. At Alverno, I also obtained my Principal and Director of Instruction licenses. 

I believe that a successful classroom consists of clear expectations and goals, and the appropriate methods to meet those goals. Careful preparation for instruction is essential, as is the flexibility to meet the unique needs of each of our students. I also strongly believe that applying restorative principles throughout the school community can help prevent and mitigate harm, thereby purposefully creating a direct focus on education.

stacy.panfilo@cwcsilverlake.org 

Ms. Stacy’s Favorite Things 

paola.urbina@cwcsilverlake.org

Bio coming soon!

paola.urbina@cwcsilverlake.org

Bio coming soon!

trenton.graham@cwcsilverlake.org

milton.gomez@cwcsilverlake.org

Bio coming soon!

mariela.pascual@cwcsilverlake.org

Ms. Mariela’s Favorite Things