We are a specialized group of seasoned professional educators and therapists who service students in diverse academic programs and settings throughout the Bay Area.  In addition, many of us are also parents of exceptional needs students. We know professionally and personally about working with students, we believe that in order to do an exemplary job, the education and experience of our staff needs to be commensurate to the task. As such all of our staff members have a minimum of a Master’s degree in Education, Special Education or related field.   

Pinnacle has a reputation and affinity for going to great lengths to ensure our students learn and keep improving. Each instructor has distinctive attributes that bring a diversity of knowledge, experience, and methods to help your child meet their academic and personal educational goals. 

Ultimately, since we service the entire K-12 academic subject range, our innovative and professional staff has the ability to grow with your child from elementary through high school and beyond.

Below are brief bio’s of some of our staff that are accessible to each of our students:

Anne:  Has over 19 years of Special Education teaching experience including Leadership and Directorial positions. Anne has earned her Masters degree in Special Education, along with her Mild/Moderate Special Education, and Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. She has worked in a variety of settings from elementary to high school, as well as with students with severe needs that require residential placement. She has an exemplary performance record in facilitating elementary to high school education for high-risk youth.

Maureen:  Has a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy. She is also holds a license from the California Board of Occupational Therapists. Maureen has been in the field for 20 years and is a Dysphasia Clinical Specialist, a Therapeutic Seating and Positioning Clinical Specialist and is certified in the Interactive Metronome Program.  She has extensive experience in both clinical and educational settings developing special needs programs for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Maribel: Is a Resource Specialist with her Masters degree in Special Education and has her credential for working with students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities. Maribel possesses a dual degree Bachelor’s in Psychology and Spanish. She has over 7yrs experience working with children that have autism.

Lynn: Has her Masters degree in Special Education, and a Bachelors in Speech Pathology and Audiology. She holds a Learning Handicapped Specialist, and Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. Lynn is a Resource Specialist with over 10 years of experience. She is currently pursuing her licensing as a Speech and Language Pathologist.

Nicole: Holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in Speech Pathology. Nicole brings a wide array of clinical and educational experience through her work and graduate programs. She is adept in assessment and early intervention for students with social skills needs and likes developing speech clubs. 

Kelli: Is a Resource Specialist with her Masters degree in Education, and a Mild/Moderate Learning Handicapped Credential. She has taught in SDC classrooms and has over 17 years of experience. Kelli is one of our Special Services Coordinators.  

Wess: A former clinical director of occupational therapy, Wess is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 12 years of experience.  He has worked with infants and children in both school and clinical settings. Wess is a regular guest lecturer for the San Jose State University Student Occupational Therapy Association, and is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT).

Suzanne: Has her Masters Degree in Education, and a CA credential as a teacher for the visually impaired.  She is an advocate for her students, and modifies curriculum as needed for students to achieve their potential.

Sarah: Is a Resource Specialist working with students in grades K-8.  She has a Masters in Learning and Instruction and a Mild/ Moderate Special Education Teaching Credential. She likes working with at risk youth.

Tim:  Holds his law degree from Stanford, in addition he also holds a Masters Degree in Education and Mathematics; as well as a minor in Physics. Tim taught high school math for several years in Missouri as well as India and Southern Africa. He strives to have students develop their critical thinking skills.  He operates mathleague.org, and his focus is on bringing extracurricular math competitions and opportunities to underprivileged communities at the local and national levels.  

Marsha: Has over 25 years of experience teaching experience as a Resource Specialist with at risk youth. Marsha has worked in several school districts within the Bay Area, but also has taught abroad in Latin America. She also holds her Masters degree in Special Education as well as her Teaching Credential in Special Education. Marsha has taken numerous seminars on learning disabilities and behavior modification to help students with the social emotional side of learning as well.

Deborah: A vision specialist with her Masters degree in Education as well as her teaching credential in Special Education. She has tremendous experience assessing and providing specialized techniques to aid visually impaired students.

Sunny: Is our Director of Special Education and Charter Services. She has a Masters in Special Education and Specialist Instruction Credential. Sunny has been a Regional Director overseeing Special Education services throughout Northern California. She has mentored several Special Education teachers. In addition to this she has been a SDC teacher and a Resource Specialist. Sunny interfaces with school administration and helps with compliance issues, and helps oversee the Pinnacle staff to ensure that students are receiving the services they need in a timely and appropriate manner.

Jacqueline: Has her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and has a Mild/Moderate Teaching Credential. She’s been an Adjunct Professor at National University, and is currently pursuing a single subject Life Science/Biology Credential.

Marisa: Professional working career encompassing 10 years of experience working with autistic spectrum students. Included in her teaching philosophy; she believes in supporting the educational, as well as, personal well-being of children and families. She holds her Masters degree in Counseling, and has her School Counseling/ Pupil Personnel Services Credential. She is currently pursuing her BCBA certification. 

Moira: Has worked in a variety of educational and clinical settings.  She has a Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology. Her experience has enabled her to garner significant progress and growth from students learning necessary skills for success both in school and socially. Moira is bilingual and speaks Japanese

Affiliates:

Brad: Has a Ph.D., is a Licensed Educational Psychologist, Licensed Psychologist, and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) with over 17 years of experience in the educational field.  Prior to his psychological career, Brad was a classroom teacher for social studies and language arts.  Although Brad runs his private practice, he works with Pinnacle by providing psycho-educational assessments and counseling services.

Linda: Is a Licensed Educational Psychologist and also has her PH.D. Linda has over 25 years of experience and is able to assess student’s social-emotional, and cognitive functional levels. Although Linda runs her own private practice, she works with Pinnacle by providing bilingual psycho-educational assessments.

Leslie: Has a Masters in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology, and has been in the field for over 10 years. She holds a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Psychology and has many years of experience in the educational setting working with at risk youth.

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