About ACS

The Administration

Our administration is made up of passionate, experienced school leaders who understand the value of education and the importance of childhood.

Olaf Jorgenson, Head of School

Dr. Olaf Jorgenson joined Almaden Country School in 2008. Before ACS, Dr. Jorgenson served as Headmaster at Hawaii Preparatory Academy.

A Summa Cum Laude graduate in philosophy, English and education from Washington State University, he went on to receive his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University in 1999. In 2010 Dr. Jorgenson was selected as a Klingenstein Fellow by the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York, and was selected in 2011 to return as a Field Instructor for the program, mentoring new administrators across California.

Professionally, Dr. Jorgenson presents annually at educational conferences, has written books on school leadership and science education, publishes in professional journals and local media, and hosts Web seminars and teaching forums. Yet he is equally at home interacting with students in the classroom, where he teaches a Philosophy elective in our Middle School.

"ACS shapes confident, curious, well-adjusted young people," says Dr. Jorgenson, whose own daughter attends ACS. "We have an outstanding, positive faculty and leadership team, delightful children, and incredibly supportive parents … In my experience at schools all over the world, it just doesn’t get any better."

In his free time, he enjoys endurance sports, camping and spending time with his family.

Cecilia Robb, Principal

Cecilia Robb has been part of the ACS community for 26 years. Mrs. Robb has encouraged dynamic learning programs, including the Socratic method of literature study, developed class Web sites and mentored new teachers. In 2005, she and her co-teacher, Mrs. Gay, helped make ACS among the first schools in the state to feature a 1:1 laptop program. Mrs. Robb knows every facet of campus life, through her initial years as a fourth grade teacher, then as a versatile substitute during the years her children were young, and then back to the classroom where she taught fifth and sixth grade before moving into administration.

"One of the joys of working at ACS is the community of teachers, parents and students," she reflects. "The teachers are my friends as well as my colleagues. Little in life is as rewarding as working for the success of individual children."

Mrs. Robb has a B.A. in economics from the University of the Pacific and a Master of Science degree in the Science of Instruction from Drexel University.

When not at school in the classrooms or with her dog Emma under her desk, Mrs. Robb might be out hiking or at home quilting or reading, or perhaps visiting with one of her three children, all ACS alumni.

Gary DeMoss, Assistant Principal

Gary DeMoss, a seasoned veteran of private schools, has lived and taught various elementary school grades in Italy, Romania, Japan and Singapore. As a result of his world travels, one of his professional emphases is multilingual and multicultural education. Additionally, he specializes in the integration of technology into the classroom.

Mr. DeMoss has a B.A. in liberal arts from DePauw University, a certificate of technology in education from UC Berkeley and a certificate of international school leadership from the Principals’ Training Center.

"The thing I love is the incredible sense of community we have at ACS. When you are overseas, you realize how important community is, and you all come together because you are in the same expatriate situation," says Mr. DeMoss. "At ACS we come together around a shared vision of what we want for children. You can feel this energy the moment you walk on campus and see the children and adults interacting."

This father of three enjoys playing golf, performing in a choir and spending time with his family.

Steve Guerrettaz, Chief Financial Officer

Steve Guerrettaz is a veteran of the corporate financial world who has garnered 38 years of financial experience. He spent 17 years in public accounting and 21 years serving as a vice president and CFO of various companies. A California CPA, he is a graduate of San Jose State University with a B.S. degree in accounting.

"ACS is a happy place with great positive energy," observes Mr. Guerrettaz. "Our community is great to work with and I never go home upset about the day’s work. After almost 35 years in the corporate world, that is an amazing statement!"

When he isn’t in his office, he can be found stamp collecting, reading, working marquetry (pictures in wood), or enjoying the company of his three children and their families.

Mary Beth Gay, Director of Technology

Mary Beth Gay has taught high school English, language arts and been a hands-on lab science specialist. She has a B.A. in English from West Chester State College and her M.A. from Purdue University in speech and interpersonal communication. Mrs. Gay is working on a second graduate degree in educational computing at Teachers College of Columbia University, New York.

A real force for positive change at ACS, in 2005 Mrs. Gay helped drive the implementation of the 1:1 laptop program in the Middle School, and leads the introduction of ActivBoard interactive whiteboards and iPads across the grade levels at ACS today.

"I love being in a work environment where we live what we believe and that governs our frame of reference and our motivation," she reflects. "I feel completely supported by my peers and the families at ACS."

The mother of two grown daughters, Mrs. Gay and her husband of 28 years live in Monte Sereno, where she enjoys swimming, hiking, traveling and cooking.

Janet Redding Richardson, Director of Advancement

Janet Redding Richardson brings a wealth of experiences from her years of service in both educational and nonprofit organizations, including San Diego’s Natural History Museum, San Jose State University and Castilleja School of Palo Alto.

Mrs. Richardson has a B.A. in history from Scripps College and a secondary level teaching credential from San Jose State University. Mrs. Richardson has worked in high powered environments and she is enthusiastic about working at ACS.

"I love being able to watch the children grow and develop," she says.

She and her husband share their country property in San Martin with a horse and a cat, as well as various forms of wildlife. She enjoys golf, reading and spending time with her adult son who lives in New York City.

Dave Parker, System Administrator

Dave Parker joined Almaden Country School in 2010 after graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in anthropology. Mr. Parker worked as a lab tech on campus for two years and found he had a knack for technology. A native of San Bruno, he settled in the Bay Area to be close to family, friends and Silicon Valley, the hub of technology.

Mr. Parker is a behind-the-scenes tech guru for ACS and collaborates with the administration team to keep the computers humming, the network at full capacity and the computer lab on the cutting edge.

"I wish I had gone to school here; it's such a great place to be," says Mr. Parker. "It's nice to walk around campus and just see kids being kids."

When he's not tending to technology, Mr. Parker spends as much time outside as possible and especially likes to camp and go bouldering (rock climbing without the ropes).