Our Staff

Megan McLean
Primary Grades Teacher
Meg graduated from Sonoma State University with a BA in Psychology. She has extensive experience working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers as a Preschool Director and teacher for 15 years. As she worked with children and families, she began identifying children who needed the extra support or services. In 2015, she went back to school to obtain her MA degree and credential in Early Childhood Special Education, Mild/Moderate,  with added authorization in Autism. She loves spending time with her family and her cat, Olivia, as well as reading and exercising.

Anie Cooper
Elementary Teacher
Anie graduated from CSU Fullerton with a B.S. in Child and Adolescent Development and an M.A. in Education. She holds Multiple Subject and Special Education credentials. Anie has worked at Mardan since 2005, starting as a teaching assistant while going to school to earn her teaching credentials. Her favorite thing about teaching at Mardan is the opportunity to teach children with different needs and figure out the best and most effective ways to help them learn. She is a wife and the mother of two energetic and loving little girls.

Antoinette Bergstedt
Elementary Teacher

Bio pending.

Zach Stein
Middle School Teacher
Zach graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2014. He started working at Mardan after graduating and fell in love with the school and the students. Since joining the Mardan family he attended California State University Fullerton where he earned his Special Education credentials and Masters in Special Education. In his free time, Zach enjoys playing sports, watching movies, and going to the beach.

Jon Farmer
Middle School Teacher
Jon loves teaching middle school students and feels that he is custom built for the job. As a younger man, he faced many personal challenges and hurdles in his educational experiences, and these have helped to deepen his compassion and commitment to his students. He has earned degrees in a variety of fields (A.A. in Horticulture, B.A. in Sociology, M.S. & Clear Credential in Special Education), and tries to impart his love of learning and life, and his curiosity to all of his students.

Patty Devlin
High School Teacher
Patty loves teaching whether it’s swim lessons, writing, history or English as a second language. She earned her credential from CSULB with a focus on science, the arts, and special education. When she’s at home, she enjoys swimming, solving puzzles and movies with her family.

Josh Huber
High School Teacher
Josh moved from the Midwest to Southern California in 1999.  He married in 2006 and has two daughters and a son.  He has a B.A. from California State University – Dominguez Hills, majoring in Sociology, minor in Psychology.  He has a Masters in Special Education from National University in Costa Mesa.  Josh has also been a coach for over 30 years, and loves to watch college and high school sports.

Robert Nguyen
High School Teacher
Robert spent most of his youth in Vietnam. He obtained a B.A. in Special Education from the University of Nebraska. He has worked at Mardan since 1987 and besides enjoying the dedication and wonderful team work of all the staff, Robert loves the satisfaction of working with students who need extra attention because of their disabilities. Robert has a wife and two grown sons. Outside of Mardan, he enjoys playing tennis, playing the keyboard and singing, and practicing martial arts.

Tristan Tenerowicz
Teaching Assistant
Tristan was born and raised in Massachusetts, and just recently moved to Southern California.  He holds a B.A. and M.A. in History from UMass-Amherst, where he studied 20th century banking and finance history. In his spare time, Tristan enjoys working on fitness and tinkering with his modular synthesizer.

Carlene Dietz
Floating Teacher
Bio coming soon.

Sheila Tseng
Testing Coordinator
Sheila obtained her M.S. in Special Education at Indiana University – Bloomington and has worked at Mardan since 2001. She believes that working with students is very meaningful and rewarding as she sees them grow and improve! Her favorite hobbies include biking and going to bookstores on weekends with her family.

Bonnie Erick
Librarian
Bonnie majored in English Literature at a small, liberal-arts college in the Los Angeles area. She and her husband are both second-generation native Californians: he bleeds Dodger blue, and she wishes she could spend more time at the beach. Mardan became an integral part of their lives in 1991 when they enrolled their son. A few years later, after Bonnie volunteered some hours in the library, David hired her! She feels it’s a joy to work with Mardan’s fabulous students, and if she were a speed-reader, she would devour all the books THEY recommend to HER!

Ashley Grampp
Speech & Language Pathologist
Ashley is excited to be a part of the Mardan School team. Prior to joining Mardan, she worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist at a private practice. Ashley received her Bachelor’s degree from California State University Fullerton, and Master’s degree from Chapman University. Outside of work, Ashley loves to spend time with her husband, new daughter, and two dogs. They enjoy watching sports, spending time with friends and family, and relaxing at home.

Peter Candela
Marriage & Family Therapist
Bio coming soon.

Kerrie Rowe
Occupational Therapist
Bio coming soon.

David Eisenman
Founder and Executive Director Emeritus
David is a native of Southern California and the Founder of Mardan. He received his Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from USC and is a member of the University Cardinal and Gold. He holds a Lifetime Teaching Credential from the state of California. He looks forward to challenges and opportunities ahead. Fight on!

Terrie Gero-Smead
Director of Finance & HR
Terrie attended UC Santa Barbara and has a B.A. in Business Economics. She is a certified public accountant and, since 1991, has loved working with the staff at Mardan to make a difference in the lives of students and their families. She has a husband, and three adult children; a daughter and two sons. She also has two loveable rescue dogs and three cuddly rescue cats. When not working, she loves spending time with her family and friends, gardening, reading, playing with the animals, and spending time at the beach. She is also involved in special needs sports.

Eunice Lee
Administrative Coordinator
Eunice is an Orange County native who graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in English Literature (GO BRUINS!). Mardan was intended to be a temporary first post-college job but she loved the people and mission so much she ended up staying. She feels grateful to be able to work with such a wonderful community of students, families, and fellow staff. When not at Mardan, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, trying out new restaurants, and researching her next travel destination.

Allison Lockwood
Accounting/Business Support
Allison has a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  She has worked in various Accounting jobs since she graduated.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and vacationing with her husband and two boys.

Richard Schnetzer
Coordinator of Business Services

Richard has worked more than 40 years with the Mardan in various capacities. He continues to assist part-time as Coordinator of Business Services. He is Past-President and Founder of the Childs-pace Foundation in Costa Mesa, a California State Department of Education funded child-care program serving children in low-income families with working parents. Active in special education policy groups and organizations throughout the State, Richard serves on the California Department of Education Special Education Personnel Qualifications Workgroup. Richard is also a Member Emeritus of the Board for The Institute for Effective Education. Twice a President of the California Association of Special Education Schools (CAPSES), he continues to consult to the association’s Government Affairs Committee.

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