Administration
The SIATech team is comprised of experienced educational professionals committed to reaching the needs of all students. Together, they represent many years of educational and managerial leadership.
Click on a name below to read more about that person:
Executive Leadership
Dr. Linda Dawson, Superintendent/Chief Education Officer
Diane Fairchild, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Mike Hadjiaghai, Assistant Superintendent, Administrative Services
Dave Meyer, Executive Director of Instructional Technology and Learning Support
Lin Miller, Executive Director of Personnel Support Services
Tom Renner, Chief Business Officer
Larrie J. Hall, Ed.D, Chief Personnel Officer
David Jenkins, Executive Operations Officer
Kris Mallory, Chief Instructional Officer
Senior Management
Ed Brown, Director of Operations
David Davis, Director of Network Operations
Joe Eldred, Director of Measurement and Accountability
Carole Fisher, Director of Specialized Student Services
Elizabeth Hessom, Director of Education Services, Region 2
Eileen Holmes,
Director of Conference and Travel
Linda Collins Leigh, Director of Communications
Marjorie Lopez, Director of Education Services, Region 3
Colin McCauley, Director of Application Systems
Laurie Pianka, Director of Education Services, Region 1
Ernie Silva, Director of External Affairs
Executive Leadership
Dr. Linda Dawson, Superintendent/Chief Education Officer
Linda began working at SIATech in 2000 and has served as its Superintendent and CEO since 2004. She brings a wealth of experience in educational leadership positions, including principal of Abraxas High School and assistant principal at Twin Peaks Middle School and Bernardo Heights Middle School, all in the Poway Unified School District. Linda has been recognized as the Outstanding Secondary Administrator by the Association of Poway School Managers and Teacher of the Year for her exemplary role at Bernardo Heights Middle School. Linda earned her Ed.D. in Educational Administration from United States International University in San Diego. Top >
Diane Fairchild, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Diane began working at SIATech in July 2001 and oversees the Special Education programs of SIATech's 15 campuses as well as the Learning Support Team. She is passionate about ALL students receiving maximum services in the "least restrictive environment." Since Diane's employment with SIATech, she co-authored and directed a $1,500,000 grant from the Department of Labor designed to enhance transition services for minority students with disabilities. Diane has partnered with regional and national organizations to increase access and support for students at Job Corps centers. As a high school special education teacher in the Poway Unified School District, Diane has nearly 10 years of experience teaching all subjects. She was honored by CA SELPA as Special Education Teacher of the Year in 2001. Diane
earned her undergraduate degree and teaching credentials from San Diego State University.Top >
Mike Hadjiaghai, Assistant Superintendent, Administrative Services
Mike has been with SIATech since 2000 and is primarily responsible for legal compliance, oversight of attendance accounting, and coordination of state-mandated assessments in California. Before joining SIATech, he served as both an assistant principal and teacher in the Poway and Los Angeles Unified School Districts for 10 years. Mike was recognized as the Poway Unified School District's Assistant Principal of the Year in 2000. He earned his master of education from UCLA. Top >
Dave Meyer, Executive Director of Instructional Technology and Learning Support
As Director of the SIATech Learning Support Team, Dave is responsible for curriculum planning, development, and implementation as well as ensuring curriculum meets district and state standards. Prior to July 1999, Dave had 15 years of teaching and curriculum development experience in the Poway and Vista Unified School Districts that has emphasized the effective use of technology in the classroom. Dave earned a MS in education technology. Top >
Lin Miller, Executive Director of Personnel Support Services
Lin joined SIATech in 1999 and has served in many different roles throughout the organization. She began as Principal of the San Diego site and then led the Education Services department as the Executive Director for many years before moving to the Personnel Support Services department in 2009. Lin has over 25 years of experience in education and started her career as a trainng specialist for the B.C. government. Since living in the US, Lin has been a classroom teacher, a curriculum developer, a teacher trainer, and a senior editor. Lin received her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Victoria and her Masters of Education in Curriculum & Instruction from National-Louis University. Top >
Tom Renner, Chief Business Officer
Tom is responsible for the oversight of the financial operations for the SIATech sites. Tom brings several years of experience in accounting and management. He joined SIATech in 1998 as the school finance technician and then as the purchasing/finance specialist. Tom's service was recognized by SIATech with the Business & Finance Award in 2001-2002. Tom earned a degree in accounting from Elon University. Top >
Larrie J. Hall, Ed.D, Chief Personnel Officer
Larrie was named Assistant Superintendent, Personnel Support Services in 2007. Previous to joining SIATech, he was principal at Rancho Minerva Middle School in the Vista Unified School District. Larrie is a former teacher of Industrial Education and History, a coordinator of alternative programs, a high school dean of students, and an assistant principal at the middle school level. He has served as an adjunct faculty member in educational administration at California State University, San Marcos and he was also Co-chair of the Advisory Board at The Principals’ Center at Harvard University. Presently, Larrie is the Chairman of the Board of Educators for Social Responsibility and he is an institute faculty member at The Principals’ Center at Harvard University. Larrie is a Golden Apple Award winner, Association of the California School Administrators’ Middle School Administrator of the Year, and he is also the recipient of the California Science Administrator of the Year Award, along with the NAACP Educator of the Year. He received his doctorate from Northern Arizona University, after completing his Master of Science and undergraduate degree at San Diego State University. Top >
David Jenkins, Executive Operations Officer
Dave serves as Deputy Superintendent, Business Services with the primary responsibility of financial oversight of SIATech's 14 public charter high school sites. Previous to working with SIATech, Dave served as the superintendent of Escondido Union High School District and nearly 23 years as a teacher, and later principal, at Escondido High School. Dave received his MS in Educational Administration and teaching credentials from Pepperdine University. Top >
Kris Mallory, Chief Instructional Officer
Kris joined SIATech in 2002 and is the Associate Superintendent, Learning Support. She is responsible for oversight in the areas of educational services, learning support, measurement and accountablility and student services.. Kris brings over 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach, advisor, and Teacher on Special Assignment at five urban high schools, as well as an assistant principal of a large suburban high school and principal of a continuation high school. Her passion and instructional area of focus has been with improving learning results for students at low performing urban high schools. Kris has been recognized as an Outstanding Secondary Administrator by the Poway Unified School District and as Site Teacher of the Year at Mission Bay High School. Kris received her MA and educational credentials from San Diego State University. Top >
Senior Management
Ed Brown, Director of Operations
Ed joined SIATech in August 2003 to oversee the construction of the permanent facility for Guajome Park Academy as well as general operations pertaining to asset management, contracted services, facilities, security, warehouse, custodial services, and safety. He currently manages remodeling and refurbishing projects at our nationwide SIATech schools as well. Previously, Ed led a successful career in biotech where he migrated from the lab to management and was responsible for oversight of the construction of new facilities and management of general laboratory operations. Ed has bachelor's degrees in biochemistry and cell biology from UCSD. Top >
David Davis,
Director of Network Operations
Dave has been with SIATech since November 2005 and oversees Enterprise Information Security and Local and Wide Area integrated voice, video, and data network design, implementation, and management. Prior to joining SIATech, Dave served as IT Infrastructure Manager for an organization that managed a global Wide Area Network in 16 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Dave has more than ten years of experience as a Systems and Network Administrator in Education, Government, and Corporate enterprises. Dave has numerous International Certifications including: Computer Information Systems Security Professional, Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Hacking Forensics Investigator, EC-Council Certified Security Analyst, and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer / Microsoft Certified Professional. Top >
Joe Eldred,
Director of Measurements and Accountability
Joe came to SIATech in October 2006 to disaggregate and disseminate student performance data to all stakeholders. As an educational professional, Joe has worked as a math, science, psychology, and vocational education teacher, as well as a school counselor and high school assistant principal. He serves as an adjunct professor for National University in Educational Administration. Joe received a master’s degree in counseling from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in educational administration from California State San Bernardino. Top >
Carole Fisher,
Director of Specialized Student Services
Carole has worked with SIATech since 2002 and worked with staff to create the Special Education program at the SIATech sites. As Director of Special Education for California and Arizona, Carole supports the sites in teacher training, data collection, and compliance with Special Education Law. Previous to her work with SIATech, Carole taught as a resource specialist and general education teacher. She holds a master’s degree in Special Education and credentials in multi-subject and special education teaching. Top >
Elizabeth Hessom,
Director of Education Services, Area 2
Liz has been with SIATech since January 1999. Liz has served as a teacher, assistant site leader, and site leader at the San Diego SIATech site. This breadth of experience with SIATech forms a solid foundation for her current position as Director of Education, Region 2. In this role, Liz’s primary responsibilities are to provide oversight and support to five sites: San Diego, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Albuquerque, including Albuquerque’s NEWCorp academic program. Liz was instrumental in establishing the El Centro Independent Study Program in 2009, and she continues to strengthen this innovative program focused on dropout recovery. Liz earned her master’s degree in Educational Administration from National University. Top >
Eileen Holmes, Director of Conference and Travel/RAPSA
Eileen has worked for SIATech since 2000, serving as a Project Development Manager and more recently as the Director of Conference & Travel. She oversees the annual RAPSA conference for all SIATech staff and outside attendees. Under her leadership, the Conference has grown on the international stage and has disseminated quality practices for working with students who traditionally have been underserved. With over 14 years in the education field, she spearheaded the Reaching At-Promise Students Association, to engage SIATech teachers and other educators and bring them valuable resources and support. Prior to joining SIATech, Eileen worked in the counseling office at a large suburban high school and has experience in educational and business settings, as well as marketing and managing several home-based businesses.Top >
Linda Collins Leigh, Director of Communications
Linda leads the overall marketing and communications efforts for SIATech. Linda is the primary administrator for SIATech websites and newsletters, and she is responsible for the school network's community and media outreach. Linda manages the creation of various publications, video, and photography for SIATech's 14 school sites. She leads numerous special projects including the school's alumni outreach effort. Linda also plays an integral role in SIATech's advocacy efforts for dropout recovery and expanding educational options for at-risk youth. Prior to joining SIATech in 2004, Linda spent several years in client relations and project management for marketing and public relations firms. Linda earned her bachelor's in history from the University of Utah, and master's degrees in Latin American Studies and business administration (MBA) from San Diego State University. Top >
Marjorie Lopez, Director of Education Services, Area 3
Marjorie Lopez joined SIATech as the founding principal for both the Miami and Homestead campuses in 2004. In 2009 she was promoted to Director of Education, Region 3, and provides oversight and support to four school sites: Gainesville, Homestead, Jacksonville, and Miami. Prior to becoming a school administrator, Marjorie worked for eight years as an elementary teacher during which time she also taught for four years as an adjunct English professor at Miami-Dade College. While teaching at the elementary school level she was named Teacher of the Year by the staff at Broadmoor Elementary School, awarded Mainstreaming Teacher of the Year at Kendale Lakes Elementary, and earned National Board Certification. She has held administrative positions as a school-site curriculum leader, district curriculum support specialist, and assistant principal. In 2007, Marjorie was appointed to the City of Homestead’s Education Committee by Mayor Lynda Bell and was recently recommended for the SACS Chairperson training program by Dr. George Koonce, past President of the SACS CASI organization in Florida. Marjorie received her bachelor's in Elementary Education from Florida International University and master's in Secondary English Education and Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Top >
Colin McCauley, Director of Application Systems
Colin joined SIATech in August 2005 and coordinates the support and development of the applications infrastructure for both academic and administrative sides of the organization. He is an information technology professional with more than 18 years of progressive experience including enterprise-level systems design, development, and support in both the public and private sector. Colin earned his bachelor's in business from Northern Arizona University. Top >
Laurie Pianka, Director of Education Services, Area 1
Prior to becoming a science educator Laurie worked for 12 years as a clinical Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian for Lucille Salter Packard Childrens' Hospital at Stanford University and also as a Health Educator for Kaiser Hospitals. She obtained her teaching credential from Santa Clara University and taught High School Physics, Biology and Integrated science before moving to Middle School education where she taught Physical and Earth Sciences. While teaching at the middle school level she was recognized as teacher of the year by Evergreen Elementary School District PTSA and was also recognized as a finalist in Intel's Innovation in Teaching Award Program. She has held administrative positions since 1999 and holds a Clear Administrative Credential earned at Santa Clara University. Laurie Pianka received her BS in Biochemistry and MS in Nutritional Sciences from San Jose State University. Top >
Ernie Silva, Director of External Affairs
Ernie works with governmental, business and community organizations to build support for SIATech’s mission and results. Ernie is the administrator responsible for implementing strategies to strengthen external relationships with public officials and others interested in the education of at promise youth by focusing on the success of SIATech students and staff. Ernie began working with SIATech as a consultant in 2002. Ernie has worked with charter school and district school administrators on accountability, budget, alternative education, English Language Learners, career technical education and related issues since 1997. He has been a registered lobbyist with the Secretary of State’s Office beginning in 1990 and earned his Juris Doctor from King Hall, the U.C. Davis School of Law in 1983. Top >
