Faculty and Staff Directory

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. 

Russell Spinney is a historian and published author with more than 30 years of teaching experience. A graduate of Colgate University (magna cum laude) with a bachelor’s degree in history, German, and Japanese studies, he went on to earn a master’s degree in German studies from Middlebury College and a PhD in modern German history from Pennsylvania State University. He has also studied and held fellowships at Humboldt University in Berlin, Erfurt University, the USC Shoah Foundation, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies. Russell co-founded and continues to co-facilitate the Emotions Studies Network within the German Studies Association and recently co-authored Feelings Materialized: Emotions, Bodies, and Things in Germany, 1500–1950.

Russell has taught in independent schools, public schools, and universities across the United States and Germany. Russell began his teaching career at his high school alma mater, Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where he taught history and English. He has also lectured at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; taught in Berlin’s public schools; worked with at-risk youth in Baltimore’s public school and juvenile justice systems; and taught U.S. and world history at Santa Fe Prep in New Mexico, where he chaired the history department. At The Thacher School, he chairs the History Department, directs the Marvin Shagam Program for Ethics and Global Citizenship, and teaches world and U.S. history. Beyond the classroom, he coaches JV Boys Soccer, advises student groups, and pursues wide-ranging interests in music, gardening, and the outdoors. Most of all, he treasures time with his wife Nicole, his son Sequoia, and his daughter Maya.