Board of Directors

Founder
& Board President

Maggie is one of the founders of TCPS and re-joined the Board in 2018. She earned her BA at Sweetbriar College in Virginia and American University in Washington DC. In 1969, she began teaching. Her years in early childhood education drew her into researching school readiness and becoming trained as a Gesell developmental evaluator. Later she did graduate work in education at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California. Forty plus years of teaching consistently offered her new challenges and great joy. Maggie says that many of the most valuable lessons she has learned in life have come from children, from her own son and countless others.

Board Vice-President
Board Treasurer

Danielle has served on the TCPS Board of Directors since 2015. She has over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance and is currently the Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Make-A-Wish San Diego. Prior to this role, she was the Chief Financial Officer at the San Diego LGBT Community Center where she spent 13 years. She holds a Masters of Business Administration in Financial Management from National University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Accountancy. She has been involved in political and community activism since 1994, when she co-founded the non-profit collective Revolution Rising in Los Angeles. Danielle and her husband Luis have a daughter enrolled at TCPS.

Board
Secretary

Matt Dennison has served on the TCPS Board of Directors since 2017. Matt is a native of San Diego, born and raised, and the father of a current TCPS student. He is a successful mortgage professional in San Diego, for the past 12+ years, during which time he has personally assisted thousands of clients with their home financing needs. A graduate of San Jose State University, he brings 18 years of professional experience ranging from Sales, Marketing & Communications, Finance & Budgeting, and Business Development. Matt and his family are ecstatic with the community they’ve found at TCPS, and with the incredible growth they’ve seen in their child at TCPS. When not at work or serving the TCPS board, he is an avid seeker of live music, travel, camping, and pretty much anything having to do with the great outdoors.

Founder
& Board Member

Sherry is not only one of the founders of TCPS, but was also the Head of School from 2016 – 18 and the middle school Language Arts Teacher for over 30 years. Sherry has a B.S. in Special Education, as well as Elementary Education from Miami University, Oxford Ohio. She also served on the Committee for Primary Assessment and Curriculum Development in Ohio. Sherry is the founding board member of Women’s Empowerment International, whose mission is to provide micro-credit loans to women living in poverty.

Board
Member

Paul joined the TCPS Board in the fall of 2016. He is the Executive Director of GRID Alternatives-San Diego, a non-profit organization that trains and leads teams of community volunteers to install solar electric systems for families with limited resources. Paul’s non-profit experience began in the early 1990s, when he helped evaluate a rural electrification project in Guatemala. After receiving a master’s degree in international relations from U.C. San Diego, Paul worked in public health along the U.S.-Mexico border, human trafficking prevention, fundraising for an anthropology museum, and – his most challenging position yet – a short stint as a stay-at-home father. Paul and his wife Tiffany have four children- two currently enrolled at TCPS and two TCPS graduates.

Board
Member

Hans joined the TCPS Board in the summer of 2019. Hans is currently the Curriculum Coordinator and Middle School Design Director for Adam J. Lewis Academy. Previously he was at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad where he served as an English teacher, Academic Dean, Middle School Head and Athletics Director, as well as at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT, the American Language Institute in Lisbon, Portugal, The Montessori School in Wilton, CT, and the King School in Stamford, CT. Hans received his B.A. in English from Dartmouth College and his M.Ed. from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD. He has also completed a Klingenstein Summer Fellowship at Columbia University and Montessori Teaching Certification with Association Montessori Internationale in San Diego and Amsterdam. In his free time he enjoys physical challenges, deep work, travel, and fun-loving play.

Board
Member

Amy joined the board of TCPS in 2021. She has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and is a physician. Since moving to San Diego in 2001 she has worked in urgent care, as a medical writer and as a parachute rigger, and currently holds two world records in large formation skydiving. She and her husband Bill live in San Diego and have two children at TCPS. Amy has been an active volunteer at TCPS and regularly works in the library, at fundraising events such as book sales, and with new parent outreach. She looks forward to helping TCPS grow and chart a course ahead in the post-pandemic world.

Board
Member

Alfie offers a unique blend of academic expertise and real-world experience. Originally from North Carolina and living there for most of his life, he is currently the Head of Upper School at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, CA. For 17 years Alfie thrived in the world of information technology, wearing multiple hats as a programmer, analyst, and project manager at both IBM and Truist Bank. Fueled by the desire to make a lasting impact, he started teaching computer science at the high school level and continues to do so even in his current role. Alfie graduated from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, received an MBA from North Carolina Central University, and an EdS in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida.

Board
Member

Greg has been a part of the TCPS community for over ten years and is proud to now be serving as a member of the Board of Directors. A San Diego native, Greg graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.S. degree in Finance. For more than 12 years he has worked as an accountant at Sempra, a Fortune 500 energy infrastructure company, serving in various roles including technical accounting, financial reporting and risk management. Greg lives in Ocean Beach with his family including his wife. Rachel Szalay, who currently serves as TCPS Assistant Head of School, and their four children, two of whom attend TCPS and their twin boys who are in pre-school. When not spending time with family, Greg is an avid surfer and also enjoys coaching their son’s baseball team.

Head of School
& Grade 8 History Teacher

Donny became Head of School and joined the Board in 2018. Donny has a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of Kansas, a B.A. in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, along with a Single Subject Teaching Credential. Donny is a strong believer in life-long learning and recognizes the importance of being enthusiastic about education. He has Web Design and Graphic Design Certificates from the University of California, San Diego. He has been a part of the TCPS family since 2001. As Head of School, he is excited to be able to continue to teach in the classroom as the Grade 8 history teacher.