Faculty & Staff

Mrs. Alcocer was practically a lifer at Santa Catalina, starting in the first grade and graduating in 1975. After a career in retail and a stint with the Junior League of Monterey County, she returned to Catalina to run the Bookstore in 2012. She holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Southern California. She enjoys gardening, decorating, and college football.

I enjoy the Bookstore and bringing in fun Catalina gear. Watching the students come in and get excited about the new products makes my day!

Ms. Atkinson joined Catalina in 2019 as the director of Summer at Santa Catalina. She has spent more than a decade empowering girls in a summer camp setting, including as founding director of Camp Lantern Creek, an all-girls sleepaway camp in her home state of Texas. She is a former facilitator and trainer for the Embody Love Movement, which empowered girls and women to celebrate their inner beauty through experiential learning around body image and self-love. Ms. Atkinson is also a registered yoga teacher and Reiki practitioner. She holds a B.A. in anthropology from Trinity University. She loves hiking, exploring national parks, and doing anything beach-related. She is a member of the resident faculty.

I love guiding girls to learn to fail well, access their internal self-worth, and feel confident and empowered in their bodies.

Mrs. Browne has led the admission team at Santa Catalina School since 2009. Prior to Catalina, she was a business planning analyst for Levi Strauss. Later, she became a certified nutrition health educator, consulting for nonprofit organizations and executive coaching. She is a graduate of the Lower and Middle School and the Upper School, where she boarded in her junior and senior years. Mrs. Browne holds a B.A. in English from UC Santa Barbara. She enjoys getting outdoors—paddle boarding, skiing, hiking—and loves to sing and dance.

At Catalina, the girls are given permission to be themselves and pursue their dreams unencumbered. They are incredible human beings who develop into really capable leaders.

Ms. Harmon joined the communications team in 2022. She serves as the school’s videographer and social media manager. She holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno and an M.A. in digital media from National University of Ireland, Galway. A native of Reno, she enjoys reading, hiking, gardening, listening to music, and going to the beach.

Being able to share my knowledge of videography and visual storytelling is the best part of my job.

Ms. Harris returned to her alma mater in 2024 to serve as the school’s alumnae/i and parent liaison. She holds a B.F.A. from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and spent two decades in New York City and Los Angeles working in the independent film industry and other odd jobs. Some of her favorite projects never made it to the screen—like the TV show she developed with Lena Dunham and Karyn Kusama—but the feature film she wrote and produced, Other People’s Children, made the festival circuit in 2015, winning awards at Columbia Gorge and Venice Beach. Her all-time favorite project has been being mom to three sons, two of whom attend Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School.

I am excited to give back to the school that helped shape me, working with the large and vibrant Catalina community.

Mrs. Hinterman joined Santa Catalina in 2020. Previously, she worked for NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center. She holds a B.S. in marine biology from Humboldt State University, an M.Ed. from CSU Monterey Bay, and a Master of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. Her love of biology has led her to maintain three small greenhouses for growing orchids and carnivorous plants, and a variety of fish, frogs, and reptiles. She also enjoys scuba diving, reading, baking, and running. Mrs. Hinterman received the Rising Star in the Library Sciences Award from the California School Library Association.

I love seeing students seeking information on their own for fun or discussing a good book and making recommendations to each other.

Janet has worn many hats at Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School: parent volunteer, teacher, and director of PreK–8 admission and PreK–12 financial aid. Her son and daughter went all the way through the Lower and Middle School, from PreK–Grade 8, and her daughter went on to graduate from the Upper School. Janet loves to travel, snow ski, and spend time with family. She enjoys making the admission process as smooth as possible for visiting families and seeing their reactions as they discover what’s beyond the front gate.

Working to provide a Santa Catalina education for students who are motivated to learn, curious in nature, and compassionate citizens brings me great joy.

Mrs. Maximoff joined Catalina’s theatre department in 2017 having previously worked for local theatre and performing arts venues. At Catalina, Mrs. Maximoff works on the theatrical performances, concerts, and other events that take place in the Performing Arts Center throughout the year. She especially likes engaging with students who choose to take part in the backstage work for plays and musicals. She holds associate degrees in acting, directing, and technical theatre from Monterey Peninsula College. She likes to cuddle with her dogs, read scripts and nonfiction, and spend time with her husband and four children.

Since I was a small child, I have always felt there was magic in live performance, whether it was music, theatre, or dance. I feel very lucky to be in a theatre every day!

Ms. Milani gets to work with all students who are joining the Santa Catalina community. Born in France of Italian parents, she attended a bilingual school until third grade, when her family moved to the U.S. After living in Michigan and San Diego, they settled in Monterey, and Ala began her relationship with Catalina, starting in eighth grade and graduating in 1987. She returned to work at her alma mater in 2008, having previously worked in Seattle and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Not surprisingly, she loves being outdoors as much as possible. She holds a B.A. in communications, visual arts, and graphic arts from CSU Chico.

I love watching the girls grow into these amazing, balanced, well-adjusted, confident, happy young women who are self-aware and ready to make a difference in the world—whatever that may be. It makes me proud as if they were all my daughters.

Mrs. Mulgrew started teaching at Santa Catalina in 2016, but her ties to the school began as a boarding student from Livermore, CA. “I am still inspired by the teachers I had here," she says. "They showed me that I could do anything, and that support carried me through much of the rest of my education.” After graduating in 2002, she earned a B.A. in applied mathematics from UC Berkeley and an M.S. in applied mathematics from CSU Long Beach, where she also taught math. She enjoys crafts, swimming, and playing with her three children. Her husband is a pediatrician, and the family lives on campus. She is the Freshman Class Dean.

In computer science, I have loved exposing the girls to the world that they will forever be a part of. It is important that each student appreciate the logic and complexity behind the technology they are using. No matter what their interest, these skills will make them competitive in their academics and in their careers.

Ms. Ortiz joined Santa Catalina’s communications team in 2024. She holds a B.A. in graphic design from the University of San Francisco. She strives to use her creativity to lift organizations that want to do good and promote social and environmental justice. Outside of Catalina, the Monterey native celebrates the natural beauty of her hometown through her own arts and crafts business.

I highly value education and its ability to empower students to personally exceed and be the best versions of themselves.

Dr. Ostos is Santa Catalina’s fifth Head of School. She is an experienced educator who has spent more than 20 years as a teacher, grade-level leader, dean of students, divisional principal, and school-wide administrator. She holds a B.A. in government from Harvard University, an M.A. in nonprofit leadership and management from the University of San Diego, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from UC San Diego. Prior to joining Catalina in 2022, she was the Assistant Head of School at Catlin Gabel in Portland, Oregon, where she earlier served as Middle School head and as the senior administrative lead for diversity and inclusivity. She began her educational career at Francis Parker School in San Diego, where she taught Spanish, history, study skills, and more in the Middle and Upper Schools, and served as Middle School dean of students. Dr. Ostos was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and grew up in San Diego. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two children playing games, watching movies, baking, playing basketball, and bike riding.

Intentional school communities like Santa Catalina have a transformational power in the lives of students, families, and employees.

Coach Panes started as Catalina’s Middle School Athletic Director in 2021 after nearly 20 years in the same position at Junipero Serra School. He has also coached the Upper School track and field team since 2014, earning the CCS Honor Coach Award.

Ms. Stallworth joined Santa Catalina's admission team in 2024. Originally from Mississippi, she previously worked for Chadwick International School in South Korea. She holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in educational leadership and administration from Argosy University Orange County, and an M.S. in educational leadership and administration from Pepperdine University. She likes outdoor theatre and will travel to see Broadway shows and musicals. In addition to her admission duties, Ms. Stallworth is a member of the resident faculty.

Miss Westhoff joined Catalina in 2024. She previously worked at St. Bede the Venerable School in La Cañada as the vice principal and served as the Dean of Grades 5-8 and Director of Student Services. Miss Westhoff is excited to be part of Santa Catalina’s admissions team and is inspired by the culture of the school. “Santa Catalina’s vision of preparing students to lead lives of meaning and purpose and the motto of Veritas both align with my philosophy of schooling and the way I choose to live my life,” she says. In her spare time, she enjoys going for walks, baking and cooking, and exploring the Monterey area.

I want to help potential families discern the right path for their family as they seek to find a community where their children can flourish and find joy in school.

Mr. Ziegler joined the Middle School as a history and English teacher in 2019. A Bay Area native, he previously taught at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, where he served as English department chair. He earned a B.A. in English from UCLA and an A.L.M. from Harvard University. He and his wife, also a teacher, have two young daughters. Mr. Ziegler loves hiking, biking, cooking, reading, sports, and doing crossword puzzles.

Learning to understand the stories of others is the hallmark of the humanities as they confirm or clarify our own stories.