Our Staff

Becky has over 20 years of experience of in education, including teaching, administration, staff development, curriculum development for preschool and young children. She joined the Woodroe Woods staff in 2009 after running her own preschool for four years and became the Director in 2016.
Becky attended Merritt College’s early childhood education program for two years and continues her education through conferences, workshops and online classes. Becky lives in Castro Valley, has been married for over fifteen years and has two sons. She loves working with children and families and is very proud of Woodroe Woods!

Maria’s two sons began attending Woodroe Woods in 1994 and she was recruited a few years later to join the staff. Since then, she was promoted from Administration to Co-Director. Prior to her tenure at Woodroe Woods, Maria worked as Business Manager for an architectural photography firm and a learning resources company.
At Woodroe Woods, you’ll often see her showing prospective parents around the grounds. She is the welcoming face in the office. Maria lives in Castro Valley with her husband, Walt and her dog, Wednesday.

Vanessa serves as the Head of the Elementary Program at Woodroe Woods and is one of the second grade teachers. She has helped create many programs at Woodroe woods such as performing arts, MAD scientist and the extension of the program to include fifth grade. Vanessa began at Woodroe Woods as a camp counselor and afternoon school teacher. She received her BS in Human Development at UC Davis then her teaching credential at CSU Fresno. Proudly, she is part of the Woodroe Woods legacy as her mother, Edie Lee, retired after 24 years as Woodroe Woods co-director. Vanessa is married and has two children.

Masami started working at Woodroe Woods in 2022. Prior to working at Woodroe, Masami worked with pre-k, preschool, and toddler aged children. She earned her BA in Psychology at Hiroshima International University in Japan. Masami was born and raised in Japan. Masami decided to study early childhood education and work with children when she moved to the US in 2014.
She has identical twin daughters and likes organizing, eating, and crafting.

Katrena has worked at Woodroe Woods since 1988. As a high schooler, Katrena worked as a babysitter and earned a certificate in in the Fields of Career with Children from the Regional Occupational Program.
She went on to earn a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Chabot College. She is originally from Louisiana and enjoys her family, singing and dancing.

 Miriam is a mom of four beautiful children and is thrilled to be a Zebra teacher this year. Last school year Miriam was Woodroe’s Outdoor Preschool/Pre-K Teacher and one of the Elementary Afterschool care teachers. Miriam speaks and reads fluently in Spanish which allows her to share the wonderful gift of songs and books in Spanish. Miriam previously taught at a private school in Castro Valley as an Instructional Assistant, primarily working with 2nd graders while also substituting for a variety of grades ranging from TK to 3rd grade. Miriam is furthering her education by taking early childhood development courses at Chabot College starting Fall 2023. In her free time, Miriam enjoys the beautiful coast with her family. She’s a self-described foodie and enjoys trying new things, baking, and event planning.

Joanne began working at Woodroe Woods as a preschool teacher in 2002 after working at Southwest Airlines for five years. She holds an AA in computer graphics but returned to college for early childhood education. She was born in Poland came to the US when she was five years old. She enjoys cooking, crafting and traveling.

Biography coming soon…

Diane had her own family childcare organization in Castro Valley for nineteen years before coming to work at Woodroe Woods in 2016.
She holds an Associate Teaching Certification in Early Childhood Education and is the proud mother of three sons.

Kristen started working with Woodroe last year has been working in education for 15 years, 14 of which has been with the youngest of learners in preschool- kindergarten. Born and raised in San Leandro, Kristen earned her teaching credential from Cal State East Bay. Kristen loves to express her creativeness through class projects, hands-on instruction, and play and feels she has found a second home here at Woodroe. She loves to connect with each student individually and hopes that her enthusiasm for art and music motivates children to find their own passion. In her spare time, you’ll find Kristen looking for hiking paths in the Bay Area, at concerts with her boyfriend, or taking pictures. Every year, Kristen looks forward to sharing her gifts with children as well as being able to witness their journey of growth and discovery.

Julie started working for Woodroe Woods back in 2001 as an on-call teacher. When her youngest daughter started Kindergarten, she signed on for a full-time permanent position. Prior to teaching, Julie worked in the pediatrics field for many years and teaching at Woodroe allowed her to continue to work with children and be available to her own children at the same time.
Julie loves the beach and the Redwoods and enjoys spending as much of her time as she can relaxing, hiking and exploring.  Julie has an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Development. Her passion to teach, have fun, be silly, read children’s books, engage with music of all varieties, enjoy the outdoors, be creative with art, and practice yoga with her class allows her to connect with and recognize each child for their unique abilities and positive characteristics they all possess.

Elli joins Woodroe Woods as a pre-kindergarten float teacher. Previously at another preschool for 6 years, Elli has her Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development and brings to Woodroe her love of creativity and teaching. In her spare time Elli enjoys spend time outside and can be found creating art projects and collages.

Biography coming soon…

Biography coming soon…

After obtaining a BA in Human Development with an emphasis in Child Development, Jessica began teaching at Woodroe Woods in 2003. She is married with three children all of whom have attended Woodroe Woods. Jessica is very proud to be a part of these teachers and considers her co-workers her second family.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Megan brings her love of nature into the classroom. She pursued her education at UCB with a degree in Gender and Women’s Studies. She also holds an AA in Spanish from Chabot College and Early Childhood Teaching qualifications from Merritt College. Megan has worked at Woodroe Woods since 2019

Kristie has worked with children for over ten years. After graduating from SJSU with a degree in Child and Adolescent Development, Kristie worked at the SJSU preschool as well as a corporate based childcare center. Kristie then joined a nationwide nonprofit organization that specialized in providing quality care in communities. She then joined Woodroe Woods in 2018.

Rose has been working with children and in education since 1999. She started off working for Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) for the Autism Resource Center(ARC), then opened up her own private large licensed daycare, followed by working for Castro Valley Unified,(CVUSD) which led her to Our Lady of Grace School,(OLG) and found her dream position in Kindergarten at Woodroe Woods. Her hobbies include spending time with her friends, family(married for 19 years have 2 daughters), rescue pets and cruising in her 1948 & 1952 Chevy cars.

The 2023-2024 school year is Lea’s second year with Woodroe Woods though she has been teaching for 25 years in various roles; preschool, special education, and an after school reading program. Having taught 1st grade for the last 10 years, Lea loves the growth she sees in her students every year. Lea has been happily married for 40 years and has two adult sons. In her spare time, Lea enjoys cooking, camping, and taking family trips.

Vanessa serves as the Head of the Elementary Program at Woodroe Woods and is one of the second grade teachers. She has helped create many programs at Woodroe woods such as performing arts, MAD scientist and the extension of the program to include fifth grade. Vanessa began at Woodroe Woods as a camp counselor and afternoon school teacher. She received her BS in Human Development at UC Davis then her teaching credential at CSU Fresno. Proudly, she is part of the Woodroe Woods legacy as her mother, Edie Lee, retired after 24 years as Woodroe Woods co-director. Vanessa is married and has two children.

Who’s that lady doing cartwheels on the playground? Why, it’s Teacher Carlene! Carlene has over a decade of teaching experience and another decade of gymnastics coaching under her belt. She has been an elementary teacher at Woodroe since 2018. Carlene loves joking and laughing with the kids. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she spent her college years at San Diego State, and then received her teaching credential from San Francisco State University. If you see Carlene, feel free to say hi and share any baking recipes, especially if they involve chocolate.

Biography coming soon…

Beginning in 2004, Donna began working at Woodroe Woods in the after school program. She is a mom of four and grandmother too. Donna was active in her children’s school activities. She enjoys working with the gardens at Woodroe Woods as well as many after school projects.

AnnaMarie has been around kids her entire life starting with her mom’s licenses daycare/home preschool. She is now attending Chabot College working toward an associate degree for early childhood education. Anna enjoys working with kids and her hobbies include art, crochet, and welding. On the weekends she enjoys beach trips and car cruises in her families vintage cars.

Biography coming soon…

Biography coming soon…