Our Team
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Sue Belcher (she/her)
Head of School
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Judy Aks, Ph.D. (she/her)
History
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Brian Crawford (he/him)
English, Director of Communications
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Melinda Franke (she/her)
Spanish, Co-Director of Service Learning
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Monica Gartman (she/her)
Spanish, Co-Director of Service Learning
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Julia Grazioli-Keiter (she/her)
Math, Assistant Director of Technology
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Ashleigh Harper (she/her)
Director of Data & Operations
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Hudson Harper (he/him)
Math, Director of Technology, Director of Institutional Research
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George Heinrichs (he/him)
History, Dean of Students, Director of Community Safety
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Kelsey Kovarik (Van Dalfsen), Ph.D. (she/her)
Biology, Director of Admissions
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Nance Leonhardt (she/her)
Director of Student Support, Advisory Program Coordinator
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Christopher Obenchain (he/him)
Director of College Counseling, Academic Dean, GOA Site Director
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Mari O'Meara (she/her)
Humanities, Admissions Associate
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Jon Russell, Ph.D. (he/him)
Director of Community Engagement, Chemistry
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Daniel Wicklund (he/him)
Physics, Math, Director of Facilities
Advisory Board
Kai Bynum, Ph.D. (Advisory Board Chair)
Kai Bynum is the head of school at Lakeside School, an independent coeducational day school in Seattle, Washington. Prior to arriving at Lakeside, Kai was the head of school at Hopkins Schools, an independent school in New Haven, Connecticut; and before Hopkins, he was the director of studies and the director of academic and strategic initiatives at the Roxbury Latin School in Massachusetts. Kai previously worked as an administrator, teacher, coach, and advisor at two other independent schools (the Governor’s Academy and Belmont Hill School), after beginning his teaching career in public schools. He has served as a trustee for the International Boys’ Schools Coalition and for three independent schools, as well as on the board of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools. Kai also lectured at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, where he taught a doctoral course in organizational diagnosis. He earned his bachelor’s in history at the University of Washington, his master’s in literature at Harvard University, his master’s in education at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and his doctorate in education at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ty Cramer
Ty Cramer serves on the University of Washington Foundation Board as the representative of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and is a member of the University of Washington Department of Global Health Leadership Council. An active community volunteer, Ty served four terms on Lakeside School’s Board of Trustees (from 2007-2018), including as chair of the board. Under her leadership, the Lakeside School Board of Trustees approved development of the micro-school concept, and Ty chaired the micro-school subcommittee in its first year. Ty is the cofounder of Heyday Farm on Bainbridge Island, an agro-ecological enterprise that models sustainable financial and environmental farming practices, and she is board member emeritus of the IslandWood Environmental Learning Center. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Maxwell School of Public Administration at Syracuse University and a graduate certificate in global health from the University of Washington. She focused her professional experience on women's health, working as a doula and certified childbirth educator.
Matt Lincecum
Matt Lincecum is the founder and owner of Fremont Brewing Company, a craft brewery among the top 50 largest breweries in the United States with sales along the West Coast and throughout Europe and Japan. He is also a former attorney, former community organizer, and proud father of one DTS graduate and one current student. A proud native Texan and graduate of the University of Texas, Matt earned his law degree from the University of Washington and has called Seattle home for three decades. Through the years, Matt has worked for mayors, environmental groups, law firms, and cabinet makers. Matt served on the board of the Washington Wilderness Coalition, the Washington Beer Commission, the Washington Environmental Council, the American Association of Organic Hop Growers, and the Cascadia Grains Alliance; and he is excited to bring his enthusiasm for learning and the DTS mission to the Advisory Board. When not on land, Matt can often be spotted boating in the Puget Sound, scuba diving around the world, or spear fishing in Hawaii for dinner.
Crystal Ondo
Crystal Ondo is the vice president of corporate affairs at Donuts Inc., a top-level domain name registry, where she currently manages regulatory issues and drives business changes for Donuts, its subsidiaries, and its partners. Previously, Crystal was assistant general counsel, supporting all aspects of the company’s legal functions. Before joining Donuts Inc., Crystal was an associate in the business group at Perkins Coie LLP. A member of the Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alumni Board since 2012, she served as alumni board president from June 2015 to June 2017, during which she served a concurrent term on the Lakeside School Board of Trustees. As a trustee, Crystal served on three committees: schools; development and communications; and the micro-school subcommittee, which supported the creation of The Downtown School. Crystal received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Boston College Law School.
Artemios “Tim” Panos
Artemios “Tim” Panos, is a Principal of Panos Properties LLC, a closely held investment company with interests in commercial real estate, public securities, and private equity. Prior to this, Tim was an investment banker for Lehman Brothers in New York. He was vice president in the Global Leveraged Finance Group, arranging growth and acquisition financings for leveraged companies and financial sponsors. Tim holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in economics and philosophy from Trinity College. He also completed the General Course at the London School of Economics. Tim is the current chair of the Board of Trustees of Lakeside School. He has served as a trustee since 2018, previously chairing the Assets and Development & Communications committees. He is a past president of the Lakeside Alumni Board. In addition, he has served as a trustee of the Bush School, where he was a member of the Finance Committee and Campus Master Planning Task Force, as well as chair of the Investment Committee.
Dr. Lelach Rave
Lelach Rave is a pediatrician and a parent of a founding member of the 9th-grade class of The Downtown School. She is a primary care pediatrician with The Everett Clinic, and previously practiced hospital-based medicine. Lelach has served on the board of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and currently co-chairs their legislative committee, working on issues of child health in Olympia. Lelach also advocates for child welfare by serving on the provider advisory committee of the Apple Health Foster Care program. Other board involvements include serving on the Board of Directors of WithinReach and the parent advisory board of Camp Kesem at University of Washington. Lelach received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and her medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
Birage Tandon
Birage Tandon is Assistant Head of School and Chief Financial Officer at Lakeside School. She also serves as Chief Financial Officer for The Downtown School. Birage has worked at Lakeside School for 10 years and was part of the small team of Lakeside administrators and trustees who created the vision and business plan for a new micro-school that became The Downtown School. Birage was born and educated in India, where she received an MBA from the University of Delhi and started her career in corporate finance at Xerox Corporation. After a couple of inter-continental moves, she has lived in the Seattle area for the last 22 years, 16 of which she has spent working in independent schools. She has served on various school accreditation teams with the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS). She currently serves as board member and chair of the finance committee at Recovery Café and has previously served as board member at the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools.
Ed Taylor, Ph.D.
Ed Taylor is vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs at the University of Washington where he oversees educational opportunities that deepen and enrich the undergraduate experience. He is a professor in the UW’s College of Education, and his research, writing, and teaching center on moral dimensions of education and integrative education, and leadership in education and social justice. He is also a faculty member of the Academy for Contemplative and Ethical Leadership, which is part of the Mind and Life Institute. Ed earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Washington, and he holds a master’s degree in psychology and bachelor’s degrees in sociology and in psychology from Gonzaga University. Active in the community, Ed served three terms on Lakeside School’s Board of Trustees, from June 2009 through June 2018, is a founding board member of Rainier Scholars, and on the board of the Seattle Foundation. He also serves on the boards of Gonzaga University, College Spark Washington, and Rwanda Girls Initiative.
Kimberly A. Zaidberg
Kimberly A. Zaidberg has been the head of Seattle Country Day School since July, 2018. Since this time, she has launched a new-teacher training program and an electives program in the middle school, introduced a band program for grades 4–8, and created an associate and junior associate teacher program in the lower school. At present, Kimberly is leading a multi-year strategic plan to attract and retain families and faculty of color in the SCDS community and has advanced inquiry-based and DEI-focused learning for the gifted children the school serves. Kimberly has more than 25 years of experience in education. She began her career teaching English and history at her alma mater, on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She then served as the principal of two girls’ middle schools in New York City. Before coming to Seattle, Kimberly was the head of an independent school in the Hudson Valley of New York that served children from pre-K through 12th grade. She received a B.A. in sociology from Oberlin College and a master’s degree in education (curriculum and teaching) from Teachers College, Columbia University.