ADVISORY BOARD

St. Mark Community Preschool is governed by a volunteer advisory board, which reports to the Session of St. Mark Presbyterian Church. Most advisory board members are parents of past or current students. The board is currently comprised of the following individuals:

Dana Flood, Advisory Board Chair
A graduate of Loyola Marymount University and a certified financial planner, Dana worked as a Sales Manager for John Hancock prior to staying home with her children. Dana has served as a deacon at St. Mark Presbyterian Church. Her hobbies include tennis, volleyball, skiing and tournament poker. She has been married to her husband Brian since 1994 and all three of their children, Tyler, Adam and Allison, have attended St. Mark Community Preschool.

Anne Christensen, Treasurer
Anne has served as advisory board chair and treasurer of St. Mark Community Preschool since 1999. She is also the grandmother of a former Preschool student. During her career, Anne worked as a controller for several small companies. Now semi-retired, she currently runs a small bookkeeping service. Anne has been a member of St. Mark Presbyterian Church, where she has served as treasurer, a deacon and an elder, for more than 30 years. She currently sings in the church’s choir.

Karen Carboni
Karen graduated from The University of Oregon and then worked as a corporate event planner in New York City prior to being a stay-at-home mom. Karen is a member of St. Mark Presbyterian Church and is very active in The Junior League of Orange County, currently serving on their Board of Directors. She and her husband, Zack, have three sons, two of whom are current students at St. Mark Community Preschool.       

Shari Ciko
A graduate of California State University, Fullerton (B.A.) and Pepperdine University (M.B.A.), Shari is president of the Dow’s Daughters Stock Club. She serves on the board of directors for the Children’s Bureau, and is also involved with a variety of other organizations benefiting children, including Discovery Science Center and the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Her son and daughter, Baron and Sterling, are graduates of St. Mark Community Preschool.

Lauren Froman
Lauren attended Indiana University where she received a BA in Marketing.  In 2006, she and her husband relocated to California from Chicago, and became members of St. Mark Presbyterian Church in 2007. She teaches Sunday School at St. Mark, serves on the FCAT Commission, and will soon serve as a church elder. Her son, Jacob, attends St. Mark Community Preschool, and her other son, Ian is eagerly awaiting his turn.

Karen Green
Karen earned a B.A. degree in Art History from Occidental College and worked in the fields of advertising and fashion design prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom. She and her husband, Scott, have three children: Madeleine, Cooper and Brady, all graduates of St. Mark Community Preschool.   Karen has been a member of St. Mark Presbyterian Church for more than 15 years and has enjoyed serving  on the preschool advisory board since 2002. 

Nikki Wood
A native of Orange County, Nikki attended UC Santa Barbara, where she earned a B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis in child development. For ten years, she worked for an executive search firm, placing executive-level sales managers in the technical field. Members of St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Nikki and her husband David have three children, Paige, Caroline and Matthew, who are all alumni  of the school.   She is also actively involved with Eastbluff Elementary School. 

DIRECTOR AND TEACHERS

Mrs. Hornbuckle (Mary) is the Preschool Director.  She has been employed by the preschool since 1978, first as teacher of the three-year-old class.  She became the Director in 1988, while serving on the Costa Mesa City Council and as Mayor. She left that position in 1996, and in 2005 she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Coast Community College District.  She has a Nursery School Certificate from Orange Coast College, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management from Southern California College/Vanguard University.  She and her husband, Jerry, have two daughters, Shelley Chretin and Amy Simko, who helped at the preschool as teenagers, and four grandchildren who are all St. Mark Preschool graduates. 

Ms. Parise (Gina) Ms. Parise is the lead teacher in Room 1.  She has worked with young children since 2002 as a nanny, assistant teacher, teacher, and private tutor. She has a BA degree from the University of Michigan, an Early Childhood Education certificate and Administration certificate from Orange Coast College, and she is enrolled at Chapman University for a Special Education Teacher Credential. She lives in Irvine.

Mrs. Garcia (Micaela) is the assistant in the younger threes room (Room 1).  She joined our staff in November, 2007 and helped us with the move to our new facility.  She is acquiring her Early Childhood Education units at Orange Coast College, and has attended architectural school. She helps with child care on Sundays at the church, and lives in Fountain Valley with her husband Andy. 

Mrs. Wyer (Stacy) is the teacher in the three-year-old room, Room 2 and has been employed by the preschool since the fall of 2000.  She is a favorite with all the children on Sundays when she works for the church in the toddler and infant rooms.  She received her AA degree and Early Childhood Education certificate from Orange Coast College.  She lives in Costa Mesa with her husband Howie and baby Lilyann, born in 2009.

Miss Salgado-Rico (Veronica) Miss Salgado is the assistant teacher in Room 2. She joined our staff in 2010, bringing her experience working with young children.  She has her Early Childhood Education certificate from Orange Coast College and is working towards her AA degree. She lives in Riverside.

Mrs. Walker (Dianne) is the teacher in the four-year-old room, Room 3.  She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton, and a Masters Degree in ECE, as well as Special Ed Credential Units.  She taught 3rd grade and special ed, then owned and operated a child care facility in Irvine for 4½ years.  She returned to Orange Coast College, where her higher education began, to renew her skills in Early Childhood Education.  She joined our staff in 2006.  She is the mother of three grown children and she lives in Irvine with her husband, Christopher.

Ms. Martinez (Cristina) is the assistant teacher in Room 3.  She has been a substitute here and has provided child care for the church for several years.  She has a double Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Long Beach in Human and Child Development and in Business Administration, Accountancy.  She lives in Huntington Beach.

Ms. Carsrud (Jenni) joined our staff in the fall of 2007, and after helping us make the move to our new campus, teaches the older four-year-old class (youngest Pre-K) in Room 4.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Child Development and a Master of Science in Education from California State University, Fullerton.   Her previous teaching experience was at St. Anne’s School in Laguna Niguel.  She is a reading and literacy tutor and lives in Mission Viejo.

Mrs. Wood (Stephanie) is the assistant teacher in the older fours room.  She helped us move when she joined our staff in November, 2007.  She has completed 12 units of Early Childhood Education at Orange Coast College for a certificate in ECE.  She has experience in child care through her church and through working at a summer camp for disadvantaged children.  She lives in Tustin with her husband David.   
 
Ms. Schirmer (Elizabeth) was first employed at the preschool in the spring of 2009 as a substitute teacher for Mrs. Buffa, then for Mrs. Wyer (Room 2) in the fall of 2009.  She is now the teacher in Room 5.  She earned her ECE units from Irvine Valley College and is continuing her education in early childhood teaching.  She has 11 years of experience teaching preschool at all levels, including operating her own day care in Northern California for a time.  She lives in Laguna Niguel. 

Ms. Reynolds (Laura) assists in Room 5.  She first came to the preschool in the fall of 2010 as a substitute, then moved into the assistant position.  She also teaches Adult Education classes in the evening.  She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and a Master of Science degree in Instructional Leadership, emphasizing Curriculum and Instruction.  She is the mother of four children and lives in Huntington Beach.