Our Faculty and Staff
We believe that learning proceeds from the creation of trusting relationships and a supportive community. At Edison, it all begins with our teaching staff of twenty-seven faculty members, which includes seventeen teachers; two Licensed Professional Counselors and a Licensed School Counselor, all with master’s degrees; one transition specialist; and administrative and development staff.
- All
- Bridget Connolly
- Cameron Vranizan
- Camie Sharp
- Carrie Lucas
- Chris Adams
- Chris Cooper
- Christy Stauffer
- Colin Livesey
- Craig Busic
- Daniel Keller
- Elizabeth Johnson
- Emma Heyen
- Jesse Cox
- Jill Newman
- Julie Hiefield
- Kathryn Halpin
- Kim Goldman-Kuromi
- Kiwi
- Linda Johnson
- Maggi Bomalaski
- Mary Kate Fellows Russell
- Maureen Manning
- Megan Andreas
- Megan Kahl
- Mike Schwab
- Nellie Richardson
- Neveen Hurd
- Nick Dexter
- Rachel Hansen
- Ross Faulkenberg
- Rowan Wepener
- Shanna Lonnquist
- Sharon Crowland
- Steve Beard
- Tammy Sasaki
- Taylor Hanchulak
- Troy Spetter
- Vanessa Warren
Chris Adams
Accountant
Chris joined Edison as an Accountant in June 2021--just in time for the yearly audit! Chris has worked in accounting for several industries, including transportation, real estate, and industrial. As a parent himself, he was attracted to Edison for the opportunity to contribute to the growth and wellbeing of students. In his free time, Chris enjoys spending time with his children in addition to golfing, reading, watching live shows, and exploring.
Megan Andreas
Teacher
Megan joined the Edison staff in 2022 after graduating from the University of Portland with a Master of Arts in Teaching. She teaches both English and Government. Prior to Edison, she graduated from the University of Dallas with her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Post-graduation, she joined the University of Portland’s Pace Alliance of Catholic Education program (PACE), an alternative degree program that places teachers in Catholic schools while working on their degree work. This program took Megan to Seattle, WA, for her first two years of teaching. There she taught 9-12 grade English, moderated a club, helped to facilitate retreats, and coached lacrosse. While Megan is still young in her teaching career, she is eager to continue to learn from those around her, including her students, and share new perspectives on content development.
Steve Beard
Earth Science
Growing up in Seattle and exploring the natural world encouraged Steve's passion for science and the way things work. He earned a degree in Environmental studies and Latin American studies from Pitzer College in Claremont, California. Steve taught in Los Angeles public schools for seven years, working with students with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Steve was drawn to Edison because of the opportunity to foster relationships with students and teach relevant science content. He enjoys inquiry and making science an engaging process. Steve and his wife are happy to be back in the Northwest, which offers them a great mix of urban and outdoor adventures. He enjoys being with his family, being active outside and helping people get clean drinking water.
Maggi Bomalaski
Math
Maggi joined the Edison staff in 2018, and has taught Algebra 1B, Algebra 2, Algebra 2T, and Economics. Growing up in Idaho, she stayed close to home for her undergrad studies and earned her Bachelor’s degree from Boise State University in Electrical Engineering (Go Broncos!). After 10 years in the workforce, she began volunteering as a math tutor a couple of times per week after work, and quickly realized how much she enjoyed working with youth, and as a bonus, while doing math! Maggi returned to school and earned a Master’s degree in Teaching from Eastern Michigan University. She feels very fortunate to be a part of the Edison community, and when she's off-campus, enjoys playing volleyball, hiking, being a mom, and traveling.
Craig Busic
Health Education
Craig has been a part of the Edison community since 1994. He teaches Health and has the enviable job of heading up the Edison Excursions; trips for students that go anywhere from Seattle to Ashland, the Oregon Coast to Central Oregon. He has also been the Academic Director of Edison’s Middle School Summer Program since 2003. Craig has a B.A. in Education from the University of Portland and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. When not at school, Craig enjoys home projects, photography, skiing, traveling to new places and a good game of tennis. He strives in his quest to be a polyglot but sometimes speaks in two different languages at the same time without even realizing it. He has been the Board Chair of the Oregon Adolescent Health Alliance since 2020 which advocates for comprehensive health education and access to health services. He appreciates the fact that Edison focuses on students as individuals and works to develop each student's potential. Past students who return to visit say it all: They are happy to have been a part of Edison, and he is too.
Bridget Connolly
US History & Economics
Bridget teaches U.S. History and World History at Edison. She is a Portland native who attended the University of Oregon and earned her B.A. in History and General Science. After two years with a volunteer corps, Bridget returned to Oregon to study teaching at Lewis & Clark College. Bridget previously worked with middle school students in a program focused on helping them overcome academic and social challenges through building positive relationships. She has also taught literacy classes and GED preparation for adults. Outside the classroom, Bridget enjoys playing soccer and cheering the Thorns and Timbers, racquetball, walking with good friends or her dog, and exploring history through reading and travel. She enjoys teaching at Edison, where the small classes facilitate building strong relationships and encourage both academic and personal growth.
Chris Cooper
Director of Business Operations
Having worked for a number of non-profit organizations, Chris has seen first-hand the positive impact that a dedicated team can have on a student. Serving as the Director of Business Operations at Edison since 2012, Chris graduated with a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC and lived in the south of France for two years while studying at the Université d’Aix-en-Provence. Although Chris loves to travel and is always planning her next trip, closer to home she enjoys cooking for friends and family, learning the tango, designing jewelry, and hiking. She enthusiastically agrees with Oscar Wilde who said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Jesse Cox
Director of Post-secondary Transitions
A proud Edison alumna, Jesse serves as the Director of Post-Secondary Transitions. She has an undergraduate degree in Communications from Southern Oregon University and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from the University of San Diego. Jesse found her passion for leadership as a student at Edison, serving on Student Council and being an active participant in service learning and event planning for the community. As a student with dyslexia and severe anxiety, these activities outside of the classroom showed her she could finally excel and feel confident in school. Before joining Edison, Jesse served as a Student Development Specialist at the University of California, San Diego. She has worked with a wide range of universities and departments ranging from the Office of Students with Disabilities, Residential Life, Admissions, Parent and Family Programs, Student Life, and Orientation, Jesse has a wealth of both professional and first-hand knowledge that will be critical in helping support our students as they transition to life after Edison. In addition to her professional work, Jesse serves on the Board of Directors for the International Dyslexia Association, Oregon Branch. She is a new mom and returned with her family to Oregon in the fall of 2021. She strongly believes she would not be who she is today if not for Edison, and she is thrilled to be home to give back to the community that made it all possible.
Sharon Crowland
Math
Sharon discovered her passion as a math teacher after getting her BS in civil engineering and working as an engineer and project manager for 25 years. During that time, she also spent many hours volunteering in schools and as a soccer and basketball coach. She has also worked as a private math tutor for over 15 years. She has experience working in a variety of classrooms both in public and private schools. Sharon's educational approach involves using engagement, inquiry, and building relationships with her students. Her favorite part about working at Edison is the small class sizes which allow for relationship building with students and being able to focus on individual academic success. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, camping, hiking, traveling, and being in nature with her husband and two children.
Nick Dexter
Counselor & Learning Specialist
Nick has served our students as Edison's full-time counselor since 2005. With his deep interest in assessing and assisting students with complex learning challenges, Nick took on the additional role of Learning Specialist in 2013. He holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College, and a B.A. from Cal State Long Beach. Nick is registered in the State of Oregon as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). His counseling experience includes the Catlin Gabel School and a current and ongoing private practice (where he specializes in working with groups, couples and families). He is also a former elected Board Member of the Oregon Group Psychotherapy Society. Nick's passions outside of school include his family, baseball, ice hockey and the Oregon Coast. He feels that Edison High School represents a unique opportunity to develop personal relationships with each student and strives to support students and their families through consultation, mentorship, individual and group counseling.
Ross Faulkenberg
Teacher
Ross joined the Edison community in 2019 as an Orton-Gillingham trained linguistics tutor. In 2010, he graduated from Portland State University with a degree in English and Creative Writing. For ten years he worked as a piano technician with Classic Pianos in southeast Portland and spent the following three years as a music educator with the local non-profit Ethos Music Center. He has volunteered with many local organizations such as Write Around Portland, Lines For Life, IRCO, and serves as the board president for Decoding Dyslexia Oregon. Ross’ teaching philosophy is built around equity, inclusion, and accessibility. His work as an educator is guided by culturally responsive practices and universal design for learning. Ross completed his Masters of Special Education at Portland State University in Spring 2021. He is originally from Plainfield, Indiana or as some like to call it, “corn country.”
Mary Kate Fellows Russell
English
A proud Edison alumna, Kate teaches English III and I here at her alma mater. She has an undergraduate degree in Political Theory from The College of Wooster and two Master's degrees in Special Education from American University and Vanderbilt University, one centered on an arts-based approach to LD education and the other on educational research related to High Incident Special Education. She taught at a public school prior to joining Edison, and is a self-proclaimed Shakespeare geek. Kate has dyslexia and ADHD: this gives her a special ability to relate to her students and to serve as a positive role model while teaching the essential skills needed to thrive as an adult with a learning difference.
Kim Goldman-Kuromi
Teacher
Kim is incredibly excited to be teaching English II here at Edison. Kim received her undergraduate degree in English with a focus in Teaching Language Arts from Cal Poly Humboldt in 2016. The following year she began teaching as a Teaching Fellow for AmeriCorps before transitioning into various educator roles focused on social-emotional education and behavior intervention. As a former struggling student, understanding behavior as a means of communication has been a key interest of her teacher research. After looping with the same group of students from 2019-2021 and witnessing the new normal of her post-online learning classroom. She returned to school to receive her Master's in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College. Social justice is the cornerstone of Kim's whole child approach to teaching that centers identity, community, joy, and equity in her classroom. When not forcing her family to practice her lesson plans, she can be found causing chaos in her Dungeons and Dragons party or starting a new art project in the middle of a different one.
Kathryn Halpin
English
Kassie teaches English at Edison; instructs writing, reading, and math in our summer program; works with Link Crew on our new student orientation; and is also our service learning coordinator. She graduated from California State University, Fresno with a B.A. in English, where she did extensive graduate work in composition and literature, contributed to the first Graduate English Colloquium, and tutored at the writing center. She has a teaching credential from National University in secondary English and language arts, with an emphasis in cross-cultural academic development, and graduated suma cum laude from Oregon State University’s Master of Education program with an emphasis on diverse and special needs populations. Prior to Edison, Kassie worked extensively with second-language learners, students with learning differences, and at-risk youth in California, Hawaii, and Oregon. Kassie feels that every student has boundless potential and she delights in helping students achieve academic success and personal pleasure through learning. Kassie enjoys spending time with her children and family, yoga, scuba diving, performing arts, photography and travel.
Taylor Hanchulak
Receptionist/Data Entry Assistant
Taylor started their Edison journey alongside students returning to campus after a year of remote classes in February 2021. Before Edison, they managed a busy Portland kitchen where they learned the value of strong community. They earned their bachelor’s degree in Arts & Letters studying conflict resolution, restorative justice, and communication at Portland State University. Taylor was drawn to Edison’s student-centered model, which resembles in many ways the core values presented in the study and practice of restorative justice. They believe developing dynamic relationships and good-faith communication are the foundation of both a safe learning environment and a strong community and are grateful for finding both in Edison. Beyond their work in development at the front desk at the Satellite Campus, Taylor enjoys cooking, reading, and playing table-top games with their friends.
Rachel Hansen
Biology & Art
Edison High School welcomed Rachel as a science teacher in 2015. After growing up in Seattle, Rachel left her Husky roots (but not her love for Seattle) and attended the University of Oregon. She graduated with a BS in Exercise and Movement Science. After 3 years in the corporate sector, Rachel returned to school to obtain a MAT at Pacific University with a focus on Secondary Education in Biology and Health. She took a hiatus from teaching to raise her three children, and became an avid volunteer in schools and youth ministry. During this time Rachel became a passionate advocate for students with dyslexia and ADHD. She has first-hand experience with the diversity of learning differences from her experiences with her own 3 children, two of whom have Dyslexia and/or ADHD. Rachel is passionate about creating relationships with students and making science curriculum relevant to everyday life. Outside of school, Rachel loves traveling, playing and coaching soccer, running, hiking, reading, doing art projects, and watching and rooting for her Ducks during football season!
Emma Heyen
Counselor
Emma is thrilled to be joining the Edison community as a counselor.Originally from Kansas, she earned her undergraduate degree in International Studies and Sociology from Taylor University in Indiana in 2015. Following graduation, she left her Midwest roots to teach Oral English at a university in China. Emma moved to Portland in the fall of 2017 and worked in various roles supporting adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She received her Master of Social Work degree in June 2022 and has spent the last two years developing skills in individual and group counseling within the school environment. Emma believes that a student’s success in school is rooted in safe and consistent relationships, and her goal is to support students in uncovering and trusting their inherent and unique knowledge, strengths, and gifts. Outside of working with adolescents, her passions include traveling, hiking, backpacking, paddle boarding, playing guitar, playing sports, playing board games, and doing it all with her partner.
Julie Hiefield
Linguistics
Julie earned a Master’s in Education Policy and Administration from the University of Oregon in 1987 and as well as in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College in 1989. She began her career teaching Social Studies at Jefferson High School in Portland. As a teacher in Portland, California, and the Washington D.C. area she realized she was ill-equipped to support the literacy skills of struggling students. Upon returning to Oregon in 2001 she was introduced to the Orton-Gillingham approach and began training that would enable her to support students with learning differences. She is a member of the Orton-Gillingham Academy and the International Dyslexia Association. In addition to working at Edison, Julie works with students at public and private K-12 schools in the Portland area and with adults at Portland Community College.
Neveen Hurd
Director of Communications and Strategic Project Management
Before joining Edison in 2018, Neveen worked at a law firm specializing in helping people obtain Social Security Disability benefits. This gave her great insight into what it means to be an advocate and serve a diverse community. She is looking forward to using this experience at Edison as the Executive Assistant to the President. Originally from Boulder, CO, Neveen earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado. After graduating, she moved to Philadelphia where she met her husband, Peter, a Portland native. The two of them moved to North Portland in 2015. In her free time she enjoys traveling with her family, gardening, and creating handmade pottery.
Elizabeth Johnson
Director of Literacy Instruction
Elizabeth started teaching reading at Edison in 2011. She has a Master of Education with a focus in Adolescent Literacy. Elizabeth is a Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy and is a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist of the International Dyslexia Association. She is also trained in the Slingerland approach for teaching groups. Elizabeth has raised three children with learning differences. She became interested in Orton-Gillingham because one of her daughters has dyslexia. Two of her daughters attended Edison, giving Elizabeth additional insight into how to teach our students. Elizabeth is a native of Louisiana and has her BS in Home Economics from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. After graduation, she worked at the University of Texas Office of Admissions and became interested in the field of education. When she isn’t in the classroom, you can find her knitting, walking, practicing yoga, reading, gardening, and taking care of the environment; she is a Master Recycler and holds a Sustainable Building Advisor Certificate.
Linda Johnson
Dean of Student Services
Linda is our Dean of Student Services, and we are thrilled to have her on our staff at Edison High School. She graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining the Edison staff in 2007, Linda was very busy raising her three children. Today, she enjoys working full-time at Edison and making sure our office operations run smoothly. Outside of work, Linda enjoys working out, traveling, hiking, golf, and playing on multiple soccer teams.
Megan Kahl
Sign Language
Megan is excited to be a part of Edison High School and joined the team in 2019. She grew up in Southern California, where she discovered her love of ASL at the early age of 12. She immersed herself in ASL books and the Deaf community in her neighborhood. Megan went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in ASL-English Interpretation from Columbia College in Chicago. She is passionate about teaching others while learning more every day and found her place at Edison. Away from work, Megan enjoys yoga, golf, and spending time with her husband and their 90lb chocolate lab Ramsey.
Daniel Keller
Principal
Daniel joined Edison High School in 2011 and for over a decade taught Senior Seminar, Algebra, Toastmasters, and occasionally biking. In 2022, Dan became the Principal. Prior to joining Edison, in 2007 Daniel earned a B.A. from the University of Oregon's School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management in concert with graduating from the university’s Clark Honors College. After graduation, Daniel worked for a school year as an Academic Success Coach with InsideTrack in Portland. His work with students focused on developing good study habits; developing balance among work, family, and school priorities; and professional goal setting. He then departed for Honduras with the Peace Corps, where he served two years as a teacher, baseball coach, and planning consultant alongside his wonderful wife, Emily (a JHS faculty member), with whom he has two children, Michael and Elijah. Shortly after beginning work at Edison, he began pursuing a masters in special education at Portland State University, and he holds an M.S. in Special Education. His passions beyond teaching include hiking, mountaineering, cycling, tinkering, reading, and spending time with family. Daniel has happily found a home at Edison, where he is able to realize his passion for educating each student as a unique learner.
Colin Livesey
Dean of Students & Mathematics
Colin has been teaching Mathematics at Edison since 2004 and became Dean of Students in 2018. He earned a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University, and spent the years before coming to Edison as an experiential educator for Outward Bound, a sea kayak builder, and a laboratory research assistant. His interests include kayaking, skiing, woodworking, swing dancing and Ultimate Frisbee. When Colin is not busy encouraging students to push past their math limits or make better decisions at school, he feels fortunate to be able to share these interests with his students through the elective program. What Colin likes best about Edison is the close-knit community and the opportunity to watch and guide students as they develop into passionate and unique young adults.
Shanna Lonnquist
Physics
Shanna joined the Edison staff as a science teacher in 2016. A Portland native, Shanna attended Oregon State University and graduated with a BS in General Science. She went on to earn her Masters of Arts in Teaching at Lewis and Clark. Shanna taught middle school science for 8 years in the Lake Oswego and Beaverton districts, before taking a leave to raise her own two children. Shanna loves kids of all ages and is excited to be back in a science classroom where she can make science meaningful, and establish relationships with students. Outside of school, Shanna enjoys cooking, reading, working out, pilates, travel, and spending time with her family.
Carrie Lucas
Counselor & Art Therapist
Carrie received her B.A. from George Mason University with a major in Art History. She then decided to combine her interest in psychology and art by studying Art Therapy at Eastern Virginia Medical School, After moving to Portland in 2004, Carrie worked for a variety of social service organizations helping individuals experiencing houselessness, mental health, and daily living issues. She decided to pursue her passion for working with adolescents by earning her M.Ed in School Counseling from Lewis and Clark College and immediately joined the Edison family in 2011. She teaches the summer "Transition Tools" class to help freshmen make a smooth transition from middle school to high school. Always looking for current best practices to implement in her counseling work, Carrie partnered with researchers at the University of Oregon to implement a curriculum-based intervention for girls with learning differences and a mindfulness skills-building class. Working with Edison students, teachers, and families allows her to focus on her strongest passions: adolescent academic, social, and personal development.
Maureen Manning
Drama & English / Technology Specialist
As an English and Drama teacher at Edison, Maureen loves helping students to build confidence in expressing themselves. A graduate of Eastern Montana College (now MSU, Billings) with a BSEd in Secondary English, she went on to earn her Masters of Education at Lesley University, focusing on integrating the creative arts into the curriculum. After many years of teaching children’s theatre, traveling the world, handling reptiles, and otherwise avoiding a full-time job, Maureen began at Edison as a substitute teacher in 1996 and slowly worked her way up to a full-time position. Outside of school, she keeps busy with backpacking, snowshoeing, tap dancing, practicing yoga, and spending her summers working with the Young People's Theatre Project, a Portland area children's theatre.
Jill Newman
Counselor
Jill Newman’s experience has been in school counseling and special education. She earned her Master of Arts in Educational Counseling degree from the University of San Francisco and special education, elementary education, and administrative credentials from Sacramento State University. Most of her career has been spent in California at the high school level. In 2019, she was a high school and college counselor for an international school in Taiwan, then decided to live out her dream of living in the Pacific Northwest in 2021 and came to Portland. Last year she worked at a public high school in Salem, Oregon. Jill has a son who attends Linfield University and another son who lives in Austin, Texas. Hiking, traveling, beach combing, improv comedy, and spending time with her family and friends and two cats, Kona and Kahlúa, are just a few of the activities Jill enjoys. She is excited to be part of the Edison High School family and cannot wait to meet our students and families!
Nellie Richardson
Linguistics
Nellie earned a bachelor's degree with double majors in Psychology and Biblical & Theological studies from Multnomah University in 2014. She then entered the field of education advising freshmen at her alma mater and continued on to work for Portland Public Schools (PPS), where she realized many students were not receiving the literacy help they needed in the traditional school setting. In 2021, she took Orton-Gillingham classes at Edison with Elizabeth Johnson with the goal of being better equipped to help students succeed in high school and beyond. In her years since graduating, she’s never worked in such a caring, thoughtful, and inclusive environment as Edison. When not at school, you can find Nellie at Bipartisan Café with a friend or at the park with her kindergartener and toddler in tow. Nellie is bi-racial, and in the near future she hopes to teach literacy virtually to her relatives at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana, where there are very few educational resources.
Tammy Sasaki
Office Manager
Tammy joined us in 2013 as the Development Associate and became Office Manager in 2018. From day one she has found Edison to be an exceptional family of wonderful co-workers, students and parents who are all focused on “making a difference.” Prior to Edison, she spent 8 years as an Executive Assistant at a non-profit pediatric clinic, specializing in children with developmental delays. Having a child with ASD also gives Tammy a personal understanding of children with learning differences. Originally an East Coast native, she moved here in 1993 and loves it. Tammy and her husband enjoy trying new restaurants in Portland, running, spending time with the family and playing Ultimate Frisbee.
Mike Schwab
President
Mike Schwab, an accomplished leader in the Portland non-profit community, joined Edison In January 2020. Mike comes to us from LifeWorks NW (a leading Portland nonprofit providing mental health, addiction, and prevention services) where he has served as Director of Development for the last five years. Mike has a long development career in education working for high schools and universities including Jesuit High School, Notre Dame High School, Saint Xavier University, and the University of Portland. In addition, he served in fundraising roles at the Providence Child Center Foundation and Catholic Charities. Mike being a graduate, former employee, and current parent of Jesuit High School has first-hand knowledge of the unique partnership that Edison has with Jesuit and is familiar with the powerful work that Edison High School does with kids with learning differences. Mike enjoys volunteering in the community and has served as a member of the Hydrocephalus Association Board of Directors, the Grotto Board of Directors, and the Providence Federal Credit Union Board of Directors. He remains involved with the St. John Fisher Parish Finance Committee. He also volunteers as a head baseball coach in Raleigh Hills Little League. Mike shares that his favorite activity though is spending time with his wife, three kids, and labradoodle.
Camie Sharp
Linguistics Teacher
Camie joined the Edison team in 2019. In 2016 after one of her three children was diagnosed with dyslexia and she became active in the dyslexia community and organizations such as the International Dyslexia Association and Decoding Dyslexia. Through these organizations, she met Edison’s very own Elizabeth Johnson. Soon after she began tutoring students with dyslexia and working to become Orton-Gillingham certified. Her favorite part of Edison is that the teachers aim to see the whole student and highlight their strengths while working with their learning difficulties. She loves getting to know the students and encouraging them as they improve their reading and writing skills and become confident in themselves as high school students. She earned her BA in History Teaching in 1998 and considers herself a life-long student. And, while she enjoys exploring Oregon and adventuring with her family, she is always most happy just sitting and reading a good book.
Troy Spetter
Director of Educational Technology
Dr. Troy Spetter is a graduate of Oregon public schools and has over 25 years of experience in technology for business and education, here in the United States and Internationally. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, an M.B.A. with a minor in Technology Management, an Education Specialist (magna cum laude), and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (magna cum laude). His contributions to past teams have resulted in several certification programs now in the Georgia Technical College System, and a standardized training program responsible for the deployment of the first V22 Osprey squadron with the Marine Corp. He is a published research author and a U.S. Army veteran decorated by the president during Desert Storm. In his free time, Troy enjoys drawing, scale model building, computer games, and classic cars. Troy and his wife Glenda have two adult children in college and an energetic Labrador / Beagle mix named LouLou.
Christy Stauffer
Math
Christy is excited to join our math team after 10 years with Portland and Clackamas Community Colleges. She graduated from Lehigh University with a B.S. Environmental Science. Christy continued her education at Utah State where she earned her M.S. in Resource Management and an M.A.T. with Basic and Advanced Math endorsements from George Fox. Before falling love with classroom teaching, she worked as an educational park ranger in Utah, California, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Oregon. In her free time, she enjoys concerts, dancing, nerdy board games, reading, and spending time outside (especially in a hammock or on the water).
Cameron Vranizan
Teacher
Cameron joined the Edison staff in 2022, teaching math and Earth Science. He graduated with a degree in Secondary Education Mathematics from the University of Oregon. After graduating in 2012, Cameron traveled and taught English in Ecuador, China, Spain, and Colombia. He then obtained his Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland in 2017 and taught math for four years in rural communities around Oregon. In joining Edison, Cameron returns to his hometown of Portland, where he enjoys such hobbies as playing basketball, crying over the Blazers, exploring the wilderness, reading, drawing, and talking to his cat.
Vanessa Warren
Linguistics Teacher
Vanessa joined the Edison team in October of 2019. She teaches individual students in the Orton-Gillingham approach. She is passionate about helping students with dyslexia since discovering that two of her own children were diagnosed with dyslexia. She began to learn as much as she could about dyslexia nine years ago, when her first child was diagnosed with dyslexia. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from the University of Virginia, and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Tufts University. After working as a veterinarian for many years, in 2018 she began courses and started her journey to becoming an Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. She believes in the Orton-Gillingham approach because it is based on science, another passion of hers, and is amazingly similar to the way doctors approach medical cases, with respect to individualized treatment and response to treatment. This year she has begun training to apply the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching mathematics (Multisensory Math) to students. Her favorite thing about Edison is interacting with the students and making sure they know how amazing they are and how many gifts and strengths they have. She is also a current member of the International Dyslexia Association, and Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, and numerous animal-related organizations.
Rowan Wepener
Biology and Earth Science
Rowan joined the Edison staff as a Biology/Earth Science teacher in 2019. She graduated from the University of Salford in the UK with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, then from the University of Manchester with a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, and is currently working towards her Masters in Special Education through Eastern Oregon University. Rowan taught Biology and Science for 16 years, in both public and private schools in the UK and South Africa, serving students with a diverse range of abilities and backgrounds. She appreciates that the small class sizes at Edison will allow her to focus on establishing strong relationships and delivering individualized instruction to her students. Rowan’s passions outside the classroom include reading, baking, and spending time with her two children and husband while they explore the Pacific Northwest.
Kiwi
Kiwi is a 6-pound miniature poodle and comes to school on most Fridays with Ms. Halpin. She has passed puppy, basic, intermediate, and advanced obedience training, the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, therapy dog training, and the Therapy Dog Test. Kiwi began working at Edison in 2016, and has also done support work for ASD events, support groups, and in childcare programs.