The Thacher School | Faculty and Staff Directory

Faculty & Staff Directory

Department

Last Name

Mr. Rubén Salinas
Ms. Rebecca Samuelson Clark

Assistant Director of Alumni Giving

805-640-3201 x297

UCLA - B.A.

Bio

Rebecca graduated from The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles in 2013 and earned her BA from UCLA in 2016. Rebecca spent the next four years on Archer’s advancement team, cultivating a passion for alumni relations and fundraising. Eager to explore a new city and a new cause in 2020, Rebecca joined the philanthropy and outreach team at Santa Barbara Humane where she raised funds to support dogs and cats in need for nearly three years.

As assistant director of alumni giving, Rebecca connects recent Thacher graduates to Casa de Piedra through giving. Rebecca and her husband live in Santa Barbara.
Ms. Marcy Sanchez

Assistant to the Facilities Director, Transportation and Fleet Management

Extension 218
Mr. Sergio Sanchez

Groundskeeper
Mr. Juan Sánchez

Spanish Teacher and Director of Sustainability

UNED Costa Rica - BS
Tufts University - MA
Cornell University - Professional Certificate

Bio

Juan joined the Thacher community in 2013. He has a bachelor's degree in natural resources management from UNED, Costa Rica and a master’s in urban and environmental planning from Tufts University. In 2015 Juan completed a professional certificate in campus sustainability leadership at The University of Vermont and is currently working on a certificate in systems thinking from Cornell University. Juan teaches foreign languages, is the boys varsity soccer team head coach, the director of education for sustainability, and head faculty advisor to the Environmental Action Committee. During his time here, Thacher has been awarded the Green Ribbon School at the Gold and Green Achiever level, the highest honor in campus sustainability in California. Juan lives on campus with his wife, Xena, their daughter, Sierra, and their dog, Asha.
Ms. Jillian Seaton

Assistant Director of Development Operations

805-640-3201 x224

University of Montana - MBA
University of Miami - BA

Bio

Jillian grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts and attended the University of Miami as a first-generation, Pell-eligible college student. Prior to joining Thacher in 2021, Jillian was a western Montanan and boomerang Vermonter: she served as the advancement and admissions operations project manager for Vermont Academy beginning in 2017, spent ten years managing databases and donor prospects for nonprofits including the University of Montana Foundation, and started her career in 2004 as an Art History teacher at Burke Mountain Academy in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Jillian brings her independent school, data analysis, and nonprofit management background to her role as Thacher’s manager of prospect research and assistant director of development operations. Jillian lives in Mira Monte with her husband, Jeff, young daughter, Sistine, and very old Boston terrier, Scout.
Mr. Jeffrey Seely

Assistant Director of the Horse Department Horse and Facilities Manager

Bio

Jeff Seely has spent his life riding, ranching, and flying airplanes. He describes himself as a cowboy and rancher. Jeff hails from Utah, but prior to coming to Thacher, he and his wife, Trinity CdeP 1999, raised their family in Montana. Here at Thacher, he loves “working alongside my wife and putting my foot in a stirrup every day.”
Ms. Bonnie Sharer

Business Office

805-640-3201 x237
Ms. Chiara Sherman

Technology Support Specialist

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University of California Santa Barbara - BS
University of California Santa Barbara - MS
Marine Diving Technology Institute (SBCC) - SCUBA Instructor

Bio

Chiara Spada Sherman was born in Italy and spent a few years in Brazil as a teenager before arriving in Southern California to learn English and finish her studies in Marine Biology. Chiara started her career as a SCUBA Instructor and Divemaster and proceeded to become an outdoor education professional with experience in operations, marketing and research. She is passionate about the Channel Islands National Park, their natural and cultural heritage, and she is proud to have visited, whether on land or underwater, seven out of the eight islands that comprise the Park. Chiara lives in Ventura with her husband, Lee, and sons, Giacomo and Amedeo.
Mr. Luis Simental
Stella Slaughter
Mr. Martin Sosa

Groundskeeper
Mr. Cameron Spaulding

Thacher Wilderness Program Director and Golden Trout Program Director

Bio

Cam Spaulding CdeP 1992 is the Thacher Wilderness Director, and oversees the operations at Golden Trout Camp, where he lives and works during the summers. He teaches English as well and coaches boys lacrosse.
Dr. Russell Spinney

Chair of the History Department, History Teacher

Pennsylvania State University - PhD
Middlebury College - MA
Colgate University - BA

Bio

Russell is a professional historian and published author with over 25 years of teaching experience. He hails from New York City and spent most of his childhood growing up in rural north-central Pennsylvania. Russell graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in history, German and Japanese studies - magna cum laude. He earned his master’s degree from Middlebury College in German studies and his PhD in modern German history from Pennsylvania State University with additional academic work at the Humboldt University in Berlin, fellowships at Erfurt University, Germany, the USC Shoah Foundation in LA, and the US Holocaust Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies in Washington, DC. Professionally, he continues to co-facilitate the Emotions Studies Network that he founded within the German Studies Association and publish his research on emotions and politics in modern German history, including a recently co-authored book, Feelings Materialized: Emotions, Bodies, and Things in Germany, 1500-1950.

Russell started teaching history and English at his high school alma mater, Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. He has also lectured at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, taught in the Berlin German public school system, worked with at-risk youth in the Baltimore public school and juvenile justice systems, taught US and world history at Santa Fe Prep in Santa Fe, NM, where he chaired their history department. At Thacher, Russell is the chair of the history department and director of the Marvin Shagam Program for Ethics and Global Citizenship, and teaches the ninth grade world history and junior Honors US history courses. He also serves as an academic advisor for sophomores, coaches soccer, oversees The Asian Student Society (TASS), mycology club, and Model UN club, co-advises the school’s journalism program, and offers xBlocks in journalism, German language, Japanese culture, and other areas of historical expertise. In his free time, Russell loves gardening, singing, playing guitar, biking, hiking, camping, almost any sport, and spending time with his wife Nicole, son Sequoia, and daughter Maya.
Ms. Trinity Sudweeks Seely

Director of the Horse Program

Bio

After her graduation from Thacher (CdeP 1999), Trinity attended Utah Valley University on a cross-country scholarship and majored in music. She has also enjoyed a successful career as a country music touring and recording artist.
Mr. Tim Sullivan

Dean of Faculty, English Teacher, Upper School Dorm Head

Princeton University - AB
Middlebury College - MA

Bio

As a member of the English department faculty, Tim fully embraces Thacher's essential spirit of adventure; for him, sharing that spirit takes place in all facets of Thacher life. Tim arrived at Thacher in 2013 after eight years teaching, coaching, and working in development at his high school alma mater, Loyola Blakefield, an all-boys Jesuit day school just outside Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating from Princeton in 2005, Tim continued his studies (and met his wife, Courtney) at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English, from which he graduated in 2010 with a master's degree. In addition to working in the English department at Thacher, Tim coaches varsity boys' lacrosse, is the dorm head for Upper School, and serves as an advisor to senior boys.
Ms. Jonnie Sutter

Director of Annual Giving and Parent Relations

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Bio

Jonnie joined Thacher in 2024 and oversees the Thacher Annual Fund. Her fundraising experience has included nonpartisan civic engagement, healthcare and independent schools. Prior to joining Thacher she served as the Director of Advancement and External Affairs for St. George’s Episcopal School in New Orleans. Jonnie is a native of Mena, Arkansas, and a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a BA in Journalism. She and her family bring with them warm, friendly Southern hospitality. Jonnie lives in Ojai with her husband, two children, and their corgis.
Dr. Jonathan Swift

Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy Teacher and Director of the Thacher Observatory

University of California, Berkeley - PhD
University of California, Los Angeles - BS

Bio

Jon was born in New York but grew up surfing and playing sports in North County, San Diego. His first loves are poetry and music. However, Jon’s fascination with the natural world led him to the intellectual frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics, where he has published his research in several areas of specialization, including cosmology, star formation, exoplanets, and astronomical instrumentation. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA with a BS in physics, and earned an MA and a PhD in astronomy & astrophysics from UC Berkeley. At Thacher, Jon redesigned and renovated the campus observatory which now includes a fully automated, research-grade telescope. In addition to directing the observatory and maintaining a vibrant research program where students are able to participate in relevant astronomical research, Jon teaches astronomy, physics, mathematics, and data science.

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