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.

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.

Katie was born and raised in San Angelo, Texas, and went to Southwestern University for her undergraduate degree where she met her husband, Jason. After graduation, they moved to San Antonio where Katie earned a MA in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio and worked as a Student Affairs administrator at Trinity University.

In 2008, the Jundts moved to Portland, Oregon, and Katie worked in Student Affairs at the Art Institute of Portland and then at Portland State University as the Associate Director of Student Activities and Leadership Programs. Looking for a smaller town in which to raise their kids, they moved to Bend in 2014.

The family joined the Seven Peaks community in the fall of 2019 when their daughter, Addie, started Kindergarten and their son, Charlie, joined the inaugural Preschool class. Katie quickly became involved in the school by serving as a Room Parent for the Preschool class. Since then, Katie has served as a Room Parent every year and was on the leadership team for the Seven Peaks Community Organization in 2022-23 as the Head of PYP Room Parents. 

Katie believes wholeheartedly in the mission of Seven Peaks and is excited to give back to a community that has already given her family so much. In particular, Katie appreciates the IB program and the incredible faculty and staff who support and challenge her children to think differently about the world around them and to be lifelong learners who are compassionate, caring, and open-minded. 

When Katie isn't volunteering at Seven Peaks or as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, you can find her enjoying all that life in Central Oregon has to offer - hiking, camping, skiing, golfing, boxing, taking care of their two Brittany puppies, and more recently, learning how to play pickleball. She and Jason are also part-time ranchers at their home in Tumalo and raise Wagyu cattle, which you can bid on at the Seven Peaks Gala in the spring! 

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 held several positions including PYP and MYP Coordinator, Middle School Division Head, and finally Director of Enrollment Management. After eleven years at Soundview Matt transitioned to the role of Director of Admissions at Seattle Country Day School, a K-8 school for gifted children in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.

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 Matt now serves on its faculty. 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.

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.

Randy moved to Bend, Oregon, in 2017, with his wife and twin boys, who joined Seven Peaks School that same year. Randy just recently joined the school's board and looks forward to contributing to and serving the Seven Peaks community.

Randy met his wife, Debi, while attending school at the University of Alaska where he completed his BA. They love traveling, hiking, reading, and Seven Peaks School. Randy spends most of his working time running a small business in Bend.

For the past six years, their children have thrived at Seven Peaks. As they eagerly embark on their seventh year, Randy's family continues to be captivated by the school's IB philosophy, welcoming atmosphere, and the exceptional teachers and staff. Randy and Debi are deeply grateful for the profound impact of the staff on their children's lives.

Jij (pronounced "jay") de Jesus is an educator and school leader with two decades of experience in independent schools. As a former 4th grade teacher and in roles ranging from STEM director, Director of Community Building and Inclusion, Lower School Principal, Associate Head of School, and Director of Capital Giving, he relishes opportunities to advance the mission, vision, and values of a school, and, most importantly, serve and support the students, families, faculty, and staff in a school community. He currently serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rowland Hall, a preK-12 independent school in Salt Lake City with ~1000 students.

Jij holds a holds a Masters of Education in Private School Leadership from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife and two girls.

Maya grew up in a small logging town outside Missoula, MT. She attended Montana State University where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Health and Human Development. She dabbled in social work for a while before finding herself at Alaska Airlines where she enjoyed a 16-year career as a Flight Attendant with various leadership positions in training and operations.

While living in Seattle in 2013, Maya met her future husband, Adam. When their daughter was two years old, Maya retired from the airline industry to become a stay-at-home mom. Maya and Adam moved to Bend in 2020 seeking a slower pace of life and stronger community feel. They toured Seven Peaks and didn't look any further. They were impressed by the warm welcome and IB program, and enrolled Zella in Pre-K immediately.

After moving to Bend, Maya was offered a fun new job opportunity and she now works part-time as an Office Manager for an Interior Design firm. She appreciates the flexibility it affords, so she can hold the fort down when Adam has to commute to Seattle for work as an Alaska Airlines pilot.

You can find Maya trying to keep up with Adam and Zella, who is now a 3rd grader. They are two peas in a pod and seem to have endless energy and say yes to everything! Maya loves traveling, but also enjoys staycations and experiencing all that Bend has to offer here in our backyard. Her favorite things are really just the little things...great conversation, feeding birds, watching sunsets, and spending time with family.

Maya truly believes that Seven Peaks offers the best educational experience in the region and is honored to support the school's mission as a board member.