Bios

Ms. Julie M. Lane (Director) Ms. Lane joined New Vista School in the spring of 2008. Her background in program development has been highly rewarding and successful. During her eighteen years in education, she has spent twelve of those years in private education. Previous to her position at New Vista School, Ms. Lane developed and oversaw the resource program at Lutheran High School of Orange County and developed a resource program for St. Paul Lutheran School in Orange.

Ms. Lane is a fourth generation southern Californian - growing up in Tustin. She earned a Bachelor of Music from CSU Fullerton and a Master of Music from the University of Redlands. After enjoying a successful career as a professional harpist and after the birth of her two daughters, she decided to follow a new passion - teaching students with special needs. She received a Master of Arts in Special Education from Chapman University along with three California teaching credentials. Since that time she has completed her California resource specialist certification and her preliminary administrative credential.

In an effort to continue to gain new knowledge and refine her expertise, Ms. Lane is currently pursuing her Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy at Pepperdine University. She is currently a member of the council for Exceptional Children, Chadd, Learning Disabilities Association, and Orton International Society. She is the receipient of the Carol Gray Award and has been listed as One of American’s Most Influential Teachers.

Ms. Lane is an active advocate for students with special needs. She lectures regularly at regional, district, state, and national conferences including the California Association of Private School Organizations and the National Lutheran Educators Conference. She has also consulted with parochial and private schools throughout the country in the development of special needs programs.

Her two daughters are constantly the focal point of her life, and she has been blessed by the young women they have become. Outside of spending time with her girls, she enjoys time with friends and family, gardening, camping, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and simply being in the mountains.

Mr. John Bowen (Social studies, Lead Teacher and Faculty Advisor to the Student Leadership Team) Mr. Bowen has taught Government, Economics, United States and World History, at both the Middle and High School levels. His education includes a Single Subject teaching credential in Social Studies and a Master of Arts in Human Behavior from National University. Previous to his educational training, Mr. Bowen earned Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix. He is currently pursuing a special education credential and plans to have it completed by the end of the 2008.

Mr. Bowen has been married for thirteen years to his wife Natalie, and also has two beautiful daughters. In his spare time he enjoys reading, going to the beach, and spending time with his family. Mr. Bowen also plays the acoustic and bass guitar, and has performed with his wife, along with other musicians, throughout Orange County. Mr. Bowen believes that it is important to define your passion in life and is quick to share his favorite quote “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined” -Henry David Thoreau

Mrs. Claire Camaya (Reading Program Specialist) Mrs. Camaya has a Bachelors of Arts in both English Literature and Women’s Studies from UC Irvine and a Masters of Arts in Cross-Categorical Special Education from the University of Phoenix. She has worked in the field of reading for over nine years. Prior to New Vista School, she was a consultant and trainer at the Reading and Language Center in Newport Beach for six years. Mrs. Camaya was also employed at Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes center in Newport Beach for three years.

Mrs. Camaya was born in the Philippines and grew up in southern California. She has lived in Orange County for twelve years. She has been married for seven years and has two sons. Her top priorities include spending time with her family and friends and making sure her sons are provided with wonderful experiences. When she is not devoting her time to her family and her job, Mrs. Camaya enjoys vacationing, reading, and her new-found passion for gardening. She and her family are also big Laker fans. As a life-long student, Mrs. Camaya looks forward to continuing her education in curriculum and instruction, specializing in language arts. She also looks forward to the collaborative learning and teaching experiences that lie ahead at New Vista School.

Dr. Linda Glass (Science) Dr. Glass received her Bachelor’s of Science in biology from the University of Toledo. She worked for several years as a lab technician in labs which combine the sciences of biology and psychology. She continued her education at Sierra University receiving her Masters of Art and a Doctorate of Philosophy in psychology. Dr. Glass received her Marriage, Family and Child license working in a local domestic violence program for ten years. With a desire to teach in the classroom, Dr. Glass returned to school and attended educational courses focusing on physics, chemistry, and biology at UC Irvine. She attended additional seminars in educational science while volunteering at the Irvine School District’s Science Fair Events. Before coming to New Vista, Dr. Glass assisted in the special education department in the Irvine Unified School District and taught at the UC Irvine Farm School.
She has experience working with students in special education as well as students who are gifted. She has been trained in Mel Levine’s School’s Attuned. Dr. Glass is currently pursuing her California Single Subject Credential with an emphasis in biology through CSU Fullerton and the Orange County Department of Education.

Mrs. Susan Knoll (Teacher Assistant) Susan Knoll possesses a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Multi-subject Teaching Credential. She has extensive experience working in special education classrooms with moderate to severe special needs students. She also possesses a background working with several behavior modification strategies including ABA, Discrete Trials and IBI. Susan has a four year old, Ethan, who has autism. She is very active in the autism community and participates as a Board Member to the Community Advisory Committee which consists of special education staff and parent representatives from Saddleback and Laguna Unified. Ms. Knoll also continues her education by attending seminars offered by Regional Center, UCP, Future Horizons and others. She was featured as a guest speaker at a department wide meeting at the Orange County Department of Education on her experience in the IAC (Interagency Assessment Center) program. Last November, Susan was featured on a television program called Spotlight on Education on Autism. Featured in the program are Dr. Pauline Filipek, Pediatric Neurologist and Director at ForOCKids (a conglomerate of UCI Neurodevelopment Center and CHOC), William Habermehl, Superintendent of Schools, John Zeimantz, Early Start Training and Standards at Regional Center of Orange County, and Andrea Walker who heads up the S.U.C.S.E.S.S. project at the OCDE which provides training opportunities for educators and parents.

Mrs. Sarah Kugelberg (Art) Sarah Kugelberg recently joined New Vista School as resident art teacher. Sarah received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education and her California Teaching Credential from CSU Fullerton. She has experience working as an art therapist for a non-profit organization teaching art to special needs students. It is here she discovered her passion for teaching art to students with learning differences. Mrs. Kugelberg looks forward to building New Vista’s visual art program, curating student shows and cultivating creative expression and self- identity in her students.

Mrs. Kugelberg was born and raised in Long Beach California and currently lives in the city of Cypress with her husband, Danny. Danny is the youth pastor at Cypress Church. Together they spend most of their spare time mentoring adolescents. Mrs. Kugelberg not only teaches art, but also is an artist herself. She has experience with various media, but enjoys drawing and painting the most. Mrs. Kugelberg likes to combine her passion for people and her love of travel. She finds joy in helping others who are disadvantaged and marginalized. She spent a portion of last summer living in Ecuador’s Amazon rain forest with an indigenous tribe building houses. She has also traveled to New Orleans to help with the Katrina relief efforts. Mrs. Kugelberg attended and graduated from clown school in Georgia. She can be found using her clown education to cheer people up in hospitals and nursing homes.

Ms. Lisa Mason (Administrative Assistant) Ms. Mason graduated from CSU Fullerton with a Bachelor of Science in Human Services. Her professional background is in banking, credit reporting and real estate administration. In addition to her professional corporate background, she has work experience in education. She taught 1^st and 4^th grade at Calvary Chapel Academy in Yorba Linda, was a substitute teacher in the public schools and worked in the Regional Occupational Program Career Development Department. While she was at Calvary Chapel, the OC Register sponsored an essay contest and out of 133 schools who participated, her 4^th graders swept the awards taking 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place. Ms. Mason has two adult sons, Fred and David. Her youngest son, David, is 19 and has been diagnosed Asperger Syndrome. David and his mom are currently working through the transition process from high school to employment. In her spare time Ms. Mason is a drummer and is presently looking for a new band to join.

Mrs. Shannon Payne (Teacher Assistant) Mrs. Payne is a candidate for a Master of Education in Reading degree at Chapman University. Additionally, she holds a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential and a Bachelor of Art in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Multiple Subjects and a concentration in Music from Chapman. Mrs. Payne has been working in the teaching field for nearly ten years as a private tutor and district employee for several southern California school districts. These opportunities have provided her with significant experiences while teaching reading in one-on-one and small group settings. At New Vista, Mrs. Payne works in the Reading Center under the direction of Mrs. Camaya; implementing instructional strategies to boost comprehension and critical thinking.

Ms. Wendy Oberman (Math) Ms. Oberman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business with a concentration in accounting from CSU Fullerton. During several years as a volunteer in a local elementary school, she realized her passion for teaching. Having had the opportunity to stay home and raise her sons, she returned to CSUF to obtain an educational specialist credential with an emphasis in mild/ moderate special education. In addition to completing her student teaching in a special education setting, Ms. Oberman spent thirty hours in a practicum at Seastar School for Neuroeducation which is a private school that serves students who have autism, brain injuries, or other neurological disabilities. She worked with high school students in life skills and transition opportunities.

During her volunteer hours she has assisted in carnival fundraisers, holiday boutiques, and yearbook preparation. Ms. Oberman spent many years as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America working directly with scout members. She enjoyed working with other Boy Scout leaders in order to offer an effective program where they had fun but also learned how to be leaders and how to give back to their communities through such activities as blood drives, food drives, beach cleanups, trail building, and other community projects.

Ms. Oberman teaches math classes ranging from middle school math through pre-calculus.

Mrs. Kimberly O’Brien (Social Skills Instructor) Mrs. O’Brien is a Texas native. She earned her Bachelors of Science degree in psychology from Texas A & M University and a Master of Art in Teaching from Trinity University. She holds California credentials in mild to moderate and moderate to serve disabilities. Over the past five years Mrs. O’Brien has taught students with cognitive disabilities and autism at the high school and post-high school level both in Texas and in California. Having completed her course work for her Educational Doctorate in Special Education from Texas Tech University, she has returned to California to be with her husband, Matthew, and to work on her dissertation: Teacher Perceptions and Knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis. Mrs. O’Brien plans to complete her doctorate in August 2009. She has been a member of such prestigious groups as the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society.

Her professional responsibilities have included the development of functional academics for students with cognitive disabilities and autism, instruction in teaching students personal management, behavior, and social skills. Mrs. O’Brien has successfully employed and used the principals of Applied Behavior Analysis to decrease difficult behaviors, improve student behaviors through the use of a reinforcement schedule, and positive behavior support.

During her free time she enjoys exercising, reading, sewing, crocheting, and gathering new information on autism.

Mrs. Juhi Sharma (Middle School Life Skills/Transition Teacher) Mrs. Sharma holds a Master of Arts in Special Education from CSU, San Marcos. She also holds four other credentials Moderate/ Severe, Mild- Moderate, Multiple Subject and a Single Subject credential in Home Economics. She is trained in Intensive Behavior Instruction (IBI) and ABA. Previous to joining the New Vista staff, she worked for the Capistrano Unified School District as an IBI Specialist for children who had been indentified on the autism spectrum. Prior to her career in education, Mrs. Sharma was a software engineer for Lucent Technologies.

Ms. Marilyn Turney (English) Ms. Turney has fourteen years teaching experience and has taught in three states. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Art Education from the University of Illinois, with graduate work in clinical psychology. She holds three California Teaching Credentials: English (K-12), Mild-Moderate, and a Moderate-Severe credential. She has taught grades 6-12 in regular and special education, as well as progressive and alternative education programs.

When not actively involved in education, Ms Turney was employed in the art industry as either a high end art gallery director or as brokering high-end art throughout the United States. She is herself, a published writer, poet, and corporate writer.