Board of Trustees

Sam has been involved with Seven Peaks School in a variety of roles since 2013. First, as a parent of three students, then as the Assistant Head of School in 2018 and, since 2020, the Head of School. Sam's career in education began right out of college when he taught high school students in West Los Angeles at a private school. During this time, he spent his summers working for a wilderness-based experiential education program, ending his time there as a program director in 2000. From there, Sam pursued an academic career earning two masters degrees and a Ph.D. in Theology and Historical Method from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Sam was the Director of the Graduate Program and professor at Kilns College until taking the job as Assistant Head of School at SPS in 2018. 

Until Ellie’s recent move to stay-at-home mom-life, she was a Marketing Manager for 15 years with an automotive marketing leader, overseeing sales strategy, competitive intelligence, and product positioning.

Ellie holds a MBA from the University of Portland and a BS from Oregon State University, majoring in Business and minoring in English.

Ellie and her husband, Dave, moved from Portland to Bend in 2012 to enjoy a life of skiing, trail running, mountain biking, and camping. This is Dave and Ellie’s seventh year at the school and Ellie’s fourth year serving on the Board of Trustees. When Ellie is not volunteering for Seven Peaks, Girl Scouts, or their church, you can find her wrangling their three children (Nick, Emme, and Liam) and a new puppy (Arlo the Aussie) around the NW Crossing neighborhood. Dave and Ellie are incredibly grateful for the Seven Peaks teachers and staff who work tirelessly to provide the best educational experience in Bend.

Kristine moved to Bend in 2007.  She and her husband have two children who have attended Seven Peaks since 2018.   Kristine has been on the Seven Peaks board of trustees since September of 2019.

She grew up in Southern California where she enjoyed spending her free time at an equestrian center riding dressage and participating in Three Day Eventing competitions.  She went to Dartmouth College and was the team captain for the equestrian team.  In 1995, she graduated from Dartmouth College with a Biochemistry, Molecular biology major.

After college, she returned to her hometown to attend Loma Linda University Medical School, graduating Alpha Omega Alpha in 2001.  While she thoroughly enjoyed all surgical rotations, she decided to pursue a career in ophthalmology.  She spent the next seven years in San Diego, where she completed her internship, residency and training as a surgical retina specialist.  When she wasn't studying, she enjoyed mountain biking and beach volleyball.

In 2007, she joined her father's ophthalmology practice, which has grown from a father-daughter group to a multispecialty group with seven physicians and almost 50 employees.  While living in Bend, Kristine and Bill were fortuitously set up on a blind date; they live in Tumalo with their two children, Oli and Austa. Now, Kristine enjoys training for triathlons and recreating with her family in the outdoor paradise of central Oregon.

Tom and his wife Amy believe education is synonymous with childhood. For their three children, Seven Peaks is a place to explore ideas, delve deeper, challenge assumptions and engage in more involved discussions around complex concepts.

Tom’s professional work focuses on building strong communities, both in real estate development and senior housing. As a principal with Bahrman Law, he partners with select clients to create positive community impacts, most often in the form of intentional and creative real estate projects. Tom is also a principal with Tenfold Senior Living, which develops, owns and manages independent senior living communities where residents choose how they live and team members are seen and appreciated. He holds an MBA from the Atkinson Graduate School of Management and a JD from Willamette College of Law.

Like most central Oregonians, Tom enjoys skiing in the winter, paddling in the summer and MTB biking in the spring and fall. Board games, camping and reading with his kids occupy the remaining free moments of his time.

Michele Clements loves Seven Peaks! As the mother a Seven Peaks student, she has enthusiastically participated in a variety of Seven Peaks capacities, including Peaks Parents, the gala, organizing classroom events, coordinating multi-grade collaborations, starting an elementary book club, even teaching a few intensives. Though she and her husband initially selected the school for its small-class size and its pre-K program, she has been inspired by the many ways Seven Peaks strives to serve its students. 

Michele is a long-time Bend educator, teaching high school English for twenty years and being recognized as Teacher of the Year in 2012. Two years ago, she transitioned out of the classroom and into a leadership role coordinating 6-12 language arts for the Bend-La Pine district. Her daily life involves a great deal of strategic planning, curriculum design, and leading collaborative teams. As a licensed administrator, her professional passions focus on the design and implementation of progressive and inspiring educational systems.  

In addition to her two professional licenses, Michele has earned two master’s degrees: one in education and one in literature, rhetoric and communication. She is an avid reader and cook, but her very favorite pastime is spending time with her children and her husband, Joel. Picking Oscar up at the end of his Seven Peaks school-day - when he’s hard to get to the car because he’s calling out goodbyes to classmates and a staff member or two take a moment to connect with him – is one of the great joys of her life.

Brent and his wife Kerry moved to Central Oregon in 2017 and have two children attending Seven Peaks. Brent joined the school board in 2018 and has served as chair for the last 3 years. Brent grew up in Jackson, TN and while attending a local independent K-12 school, discovered his passion for software and technology. This led Brent to the Seattle area for college, where he attended the University of Puget Sound, graduating in 2003 with a B.S. in Computer Science. Brent went on to work for Microsoft following graduation and continues to work there today. Over the last 18+ years, Brent has held a various engineering and leadership roles and currently works on emerging technologies in the Azure cloud computing group. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his family and enjoying all that Central Oregon has to offer.
 

Clare Wagstaff-Brown is currently the Director of Middle School at Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma, Washington; one of a handful of IB Continuum schools in the USA. Originally from England, Clare started her career in education as the Assistant Head of Sixth Form in Birmingham, England, before moving to Buffalo, New York, where she was a Middle School teacher and administrator at Elmwood Franklin School. Clare has worked in independent schools since 2003 and has been in the Pacific Northwest for seven years.

As a passionate educator, Clare earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Keele University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Reading. She completed an EdM in Science Education at Plymouth State University and commenced an MS in Educational Leadership through Niagara University. She is also a graduate of the first inaugural class of the NWAIS Pathways to Leadership program for aspiring female Heads of School. A former board member of the Tacoma Humane Society, a lover of the Bend area, and a huge supporter of the Middle Years Program (MYP), being on the board of Seven Peaks is a wonderful opportunity she embraces with gusto!

Outside of the classroom, Clare is a scuba diver and avid mountaineer. With Rainier, Adams, St. Helens, and Baker under her belt, Hood is next on the list. In addition, her two step-sons, husband, and renovating their home, ensure there is never a dull moment and keep her constantly on her toes.

Matt Stenovec has worked in independent schools for his entire career. After teaching high school English at Punahou School in Honolulu and Environmental Education with Ecology Project International based out of Missoula, Matt settled in Seattle as a middle school Humanities teacher at Soundview School, an independent Early Childhood-8th Grade International Baccalaureate School. Over his time there Matt has held several positions including PYP and MYP Coordinator, Middle School Division Head, and is currently the Director of Enrollment Management.

Outside of his work at Soundview, Matt was also the recipient of a grant from the Northwest Association of Independent Schools to develop a leadership development program for aspiring leaders within the association. This Emerging Leaders Institute, or ELI, rose out of this work and is currently engaging its 3rd cohort of teacher-leaders. Additionally, Matt has served on several planning committees and accreditation teams through NWAIS. Matt has also presented at several IB, Independent School, and Admissions-focused conferences on topics as varied as differentiated instruction, matching school market and price, and running middle school debate teams.

Matt is a graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, and received his M.Ed. in Private School Leadership from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. He also serves as the vice president of the board at DiscNW, the largest regional ultimate frisbee organization in the country. He lives in Seattle with his wife, 3 daughters, and a very ill-behaved black lab.