Administration

Jessie Elliot

Founder & Administrative Director, She/Her
A Bay Area native, Jessie attended New York University, studied abroad in Europe, and settled into a production job at a magazine publishing company in Manhattan. 

​Jessie graduated from Rudolf Steiner College in 2011 and founded GBS in 2013 with Abbie Coburn and Justine Costerouse. Her daughter attends Golden Bridges and her son attends San Francisco Waldorf School.  

Erica Aren

Senior Administrator & Handwork Support, She/Her
A mid-westerner at heart, but Bay Area proud since 2003, Erica has spent her career leading educational programs and social justice initiatives, working particularly within youth leadership and the Jewish community.

Erica’s undergraduate in psychology, and graduate studies in Education and Jewish service-learning allowed her to examine experiential education through the lens of equity and social justice.

Erica began working at GBS in 2020, joining two of her children. She has a third future student at home.

​​Heather Fields

​Faculty Chair, She/Her
Heather was born and raised on the East Coast and attended Tulane University in New Orleans. Over the last twenty years, Heather has taught a wide array of students ranging from preschoolers to adults in both private and public schools both in the US and abroad.

​Since completing her MA in Waldorf Education in 2009, Heather has taught in Waldorf schools in California, England, and Hawaii.

Adam Marquart

​Director of Operations, He/Him
Originally from Portland, Oregon, and later moving to the Bay Area, Adam ended up spending much of his life in Seattle, Washington, before returning to his chosen home city, San Francisco, over a decade ago. 

Leveraging years of experience developing and growing teams at the forefront of the business and technology sectors, Adam is energized to be a part of the Golden Bridges staff, as we grow our school. 
​Adam's daughter attends Golden Bridges. 

Faculty and Staff

Jess Buslach

Preschool Teacher, She/Her
Coming soon...

Lanie Allpress

Preschool Teacher, She/Her
Lainie was born in Annapolis, MD and grew up in Newport, RI. She attended Rhode Island College for Early Childhood training. While there, she also taught preschool at a Waldorf-inspired school before moving to San Francisco in 2012. She then was a nanny in the Bay Area for four years. Lainie graduated in 2019 from the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training which she did alongside working in the nursery at SF Waldorf. Lainie, who joined GBS in 2019, is thrilled to be a part of this amazing community!

Melanie Kidd

Kindergarten Teacher, She/Her
Though Melanie was born in the Bay Area, she enjoyed a childhood spent in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho.  She studied at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for five years honing her skills in fine art painting and sculpture, while dabbling in welding, bronze casting and print making.
She brings to Golden Bridges a love of working with young children. Melanie has been a kindergarten teacher at GBS since 2018.

Lauren Cesca

Kindergarten Teacher, She/Her
​Lauren is from the Sacramento Valley of California and attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for her B.S. degree in printing management and graphic design. Wanting a change of career that felt service-oriented and creative, she found Waldorf education and fell in love with early childhood. After graduating from Rudolf Steiner College in 2011, Lauren taught in both New Mexico and Iowa before returning to California. She has been a kindergarten teacher at GBS since 2014 and welcomed her first child in 2018.

Lesley MacDonald

Kindergarten Teacher, She/Her
​Lesley grew up near Yosemite National Park and attended the University of California Santa Cruz, majoring in Theatre. After college, Lesley came upon Waldorf education and received her grades training certificate at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks. From there, Lesley taught at the Davis Waldorf School, taking her class from 1st-4th grade. Life brought Lesley to San Francisco where she found GBS and has taught in both aftercare and Kindergarten since 2017.  ​

Nicholas Barter

Kindergarten Teacher, He/Him
Nicholas was born and raised in the Mojave Desert of Southern California where he traveled extensively with his family of educators and artists. After graduating from Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks where he studied Early Childhood Education, Consciousness Studies and Biodynamic Agricultural, he went on to teach at Waldorf schools throughout California, Hawaii and England. Nicholas brings a passion for nature, art, craft and gardening to his dedication of the healthy growth and development of each child.

Tara Rye

Substitute Teacher, She/Her
Tara grew up in Seattle. She studied art & history of art at UC Berkeley and has an M.A. in education from Columbia University. Through a multitude of teaching experiences, Tara has always believed that there is no single approach for all children. She strives to gain insight of each of her students as unique individuals to help them discover and explore their interests and preserve their curiosity. Tara enjoys working with parents and supporting the parent-child journey. Tara has keen interests in the healing arts, equity & equality, plant medicine, sculpture, taking trips near and far, and living in kinship with mother earth. 

Shirene Massarweh

Grades Teacher, She/Her
Shirene grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. After getting her degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oregon, she moved back to San Francisco.  She began working at Golden Bridges in 2016 and in addition to teaching Kindergarten, she has managed our aftercare program. Shirene completed her Grades teacher training at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training in 2019.  She is so grateful to be part of this beautiful community. 

Ali Wells

Grades Teacher, She/Her
Ali was born and raised in Oakland and attended a small liberal arts college in upstate New York where she got to spend a lot of time outdoors. There she discovered her passions for gardening, teaching, traveling, and learning about other cultures' way of life.  After graduating with a B.A. in Psychology and a Masters in General and Special Education she found herself moving to Oaxaca, Mexico to teach English and experience a new culture. She joined our faculty as a grades teacher in 2019. 

​Justine Costerouse

Founder & Grades Teacher, She/Her
Justine was born in San Francisco and is the third generation of her family to live in the Mission District. Before becoming a Waldorf teacher, Justine studied philosophy and was a homeopathic practitioner.  She completed her course work at Rudolf Steiner College in 2008 with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education. Before starting GBS in 2012, she worked at the San Francisco Waldorf School for ten years in early childhood. She loves to dance more than anything and is frequently in performances around the city. 

Jaimee Rungsitiyakorn

Grades Teacher, She/Her
​Jaimee was born and raised in San Francisco. She earned a B.A. from Mills College in Creative Writing and she completed her Waldorf teacher training in Grades at Rudolf Steiner College in San Francisco.  She has one daughter who attends the San Francisco Waldorf School, where Jaimee worked in the the after-school and the parenting programs, and one daughter at Urban High School.  Jaimee joined GBS in 2014 and has taught Preschool, Kindergarten, and Grades. 

Katherine Delafkaran

Grades Teacher, She/Her
Katherine grew up in Orange County and is a Waldorf graduate herself. After attending SF State and earning a degree in viola performance, Katherine received her teacher training in Grades at the Rudolf Steiner College in San Francisco in 2015. Katherine joined GBS in 2015 as a Grades teacher and she also leads the Grades program and faculty in music and singing.

Jenna Frank

Farmer & Outdoor Educator, She/Her
​Jenna grew up in Massachusetts. She graduated from Skidmore College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and International Affairs. During her time at Skidmore she drew much inspiration from mentors, professors, and peers who helped guide her path to environmental education. At Skidmore and post-grad, she discovered a passion for hiking and backpacking in the Adirondack mountains. She has had the privilege of traveling and farming throughout Latin America, working alongside and collaborating with many inspiring women to support the wellbeing of communities. She is so grateful to get to spend each day in an urban oasis, building a relationship with the land and sharing meaningful experiences with curious children. Jenna joined GBS in 2017.

Maria Prieto Díaz

Spanish Teacher, She/Her
Maria grew up in Spain. After graduating with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Education, life brought her to San Francisco, where she's been since 2011. She enjoys the diversity of this city, and the opportunities that being in a multicultural environment have for her family. She loves exploring, traveling, and is passionate about language learning. Maria is dedicated to nurturing personal and emotional growth in her students, and to help them reach their full potential. ​She joined GBS faculty in 2019. 

Mel Buslach

Camp Director & Farmer, They/Them
Born and raised in Seattle, Mel studied publishing arts and photography in college. They left Seattle and eventually put down roots in California after three years traveling the globe. Mel lived and worked on a farm in Northern California and it was here their passion for botany and farm life deepened. After three years on the farm they moved to Oakland and began teaching elementary, middle and high school gardening classes, as well as climate change education in several SFUSD schools. Mel began working at Golden Bridges in 2019. As a queer, nonbinary, white person and as an educator, Mel has made it their personal responsibility to unlearn white supremacy, to center People Of Color, to practice anti-racism, and work to dismantle interlocking systems of domination and oppression. When they don’t have their hands in the dirt, Mel enjoys spending time in queer community and eating delicious vegan food. 

Chimay Posovac

Arts and Crafts,
Aftercare Manager, She/Her
Chimay was born and raised in Woodstock, NY. While completing Waldorf teacher training in Early Childhood, she worked at the San Francisco Waldorf School in the aftercare and parent/child program. Chimay spent two years in Alexandria, Virginia at the Potomac Crescent Waldorf School teaching in the Kindergarten and Preschool. Waldorf education inspires Chimay because of its integration of arts, nature, spirituality and its emphasis on community. ​​​​ Chimay has been a teacher at GBS since 2017.

Edith Szendrey

Music Teacher, She/Her
Canadian born violinist and violist Edith founded the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival Junior Strings Program in 2013, the SD Festival Junior Program with Chee Yun Kim and friends in 2017 and is on faculty at the Pacific Music Institute.  Of Hungarian roots, she holds a Bachelors degree in Music from the University of British Columbia. Edith taught for 16 years at the East Bay Waldorf School, was the music director for 9 years at the Greenwood School and has 2 years of Waldorf teacher training from BAWTT. 

She has performed with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the San Francisco Choral Society and the Arlekin String Quartet. She has worked with the Marin Symphony, Berkeley Symphony and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. She has performed with Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, and recorded with jazz trombonist Wayne Wallace.  Edith also enjoys exploring nature with her children, walking her dogs at dawn, swimming under the stars, and hiking with her camera.

Rhonda Rungsitiyakorn

Handwork Teacher, She/Her
Rhonda was born and raised in Boston.  As a high school volunteer in a first grade classroom, she was inspired to work with children and planned to pursue a career in elementary school education.  Instead, her life’s journey led her to a nursing career, where she always worked with adult patients. Since retiring from a thirty-year nursing career, the lifelong dream of working with children has been fulfilled at GBS. The children bring her immense joy –– she is honored to be part of the Golden Bridges community, teaching handwork since 2017. Rhonda also teaches knitting and crocheting to adults at Sharon Art Studio in San Francisco.

Stephanie Blair

Arts and Crafts Teacher,
Aftercare Teacher, She/Her
Stephanie grew up outside of Philadelphia and Houston, before moving out to San Francisco in 2007 to study Fashion Design at the Art Institute of California. After a few different jobs sewing cases for technology devices, making flower arrangements for a florist and event planning weddings, she fell into GBS in 2017. Starting with aftercare at Dandelion Preschool before moving to aftercare for the grades in 2019 and then teaching arts and crafts, she moves around the school wherever she is needed. Her first child arrived in 2021. ​

Clare Simmons

Music Teacher, She/Her
Clare grew up in Oxford, studied music at university and moved to the United States in 2001. She has taught music in public and private schools in the UK and US, and was the middle school music teacher at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula before having children. Clare's two sons attend Golden Bridges. Her family enjoys music, camping, morris dancing and riding our bikes. 
​

Jon Ferrer

​School Chef & ​Hike Support, He/Him
Jon was born and raised in San Francisco, a graduate of Junipero Serra High School, and the California Culinary Academy. For over a decade he honed his skills throughout many kitchens in the Bay Area, and for the last several years ran his own catering company after putting the business on hiatus to travel abroad with his wife JoAnn. Jonathan loves to spend time outdoors with his family and enjoys cooking for loved ones. Jon has been at GBS since 2018.