FACULTY & STAFF
Gabrielle Smith, M.ED.
Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Teaching Credential
Gabrielle Smith was born and raised in Santa Barbara County and attended San Diego State University where she earned her teaching credential. Prior to joining the Knox School, she had been teaching for 30 years in both San Diego and Riverside Counties in grades 2, 1, Kindergarten, and Transitional Kindergarten.
Elizabeth Hanson
Teacher and Upper School Language Arts Specialist
Elizabeth Hanson is an accomplished educator with a strong academic background, holding an MA in Elementary Education from Western Governors University, an MA in American Studies from George Washington University, and a BA in History and French from Earlham College. She is dedicated to cultivating a love of learning in the classroom, encouraging children to explore their world, fostering inquiry-based learning, and providing opportunities for exploration. Elizabeth has traveled extensively throughout Europe and spent two years living in both France and Germany. Beyond her teaching career, she enjoys painting, drawing, and riding horses.
Sabrina Driedger
Grade 1/2 Lead Teacher
B.A. Environmental Studies
Sabrina Driedger earned her bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she was also a Division 1 student-athlete in Cross Country and Track & Field. A formative experience for Ms. Driedger comes from her time in a selective program for student-athletes who traveled to Japan and spent time teaching English to children and coaching sports for them. Here is where she embraced her inner drive to become a teacher and go into education. Ms. Driedger’ educational philosophy is a strong match for Knox whereby she seeks to create a nurturing and positive environment that allows gifted students the opportunity to grow their skills and abilities inside the classroom, while also providing a space for them to explore and understand their own social and emotional needs. Of paramount importance to her is the cultivation of personal connections with each student so that they are provided with the tools to gain self-confidence to work collaboratively with those around them. For Ms. Driedger, the most significant learning happens when connections are authentic and the work inspires students to think creatively.
Jonathan Jones
Teacher
Originally from the Bay Area Jonathan Jones’ began his
educational studies at UCSB in the area of Sociology and has also dedicated time to obtaining early childhood education classes. Mr. Jones is passionate about working with both people and fitness and has been working as a personal trainer as well as in group training for many years. He is a NASM personal trainer, and a NASM corrective specialist and has completed an athletic training program to support his journey in the fitness world. As a personal coach and trainer, Mr. Jones utilizes his keen ability to identify individual needs and to support learning and growth in every session. After training kids from the Police Athletic League (PAL), and giving them a positive outlet and environment after school, he identified his love for working with youth and is thrilled to be back at the Knox School.
MICHAEL PLAYFORD
Grade 5/6 Lead Teacher
EDIE LANPHAR, M.A.
Grade 7/8 Lead Teacher
M.A. Education
DEZERICK REED
Teacher and SEL Coach
LIGGY CHIEN, M.A.T.
Advanced Math Instructor
B.A. Mathematical Science; M.A.T. Math Education
Edie Lanphar is a passionate and dedicated educator with a background in psychology and education. Throughout her extensive career, she has focused on improving the lives and educational experiences of all children while acutely aware of the needs of gifted and talented children. Specifically, she has been a teacher from PK through 12th grade, a lecturer at a University, an author, a researcher, a School Principal, and a Director of Curriculum.
In her role of over 10 years as Director of Curriculum, Ms. Lanphar created a K-8 Reggio Emilia (student-centered) program, focusing on social-emotional learning and inquiry-based curriculum. She went on to extend that program to include a full 4-year high school where she helped administer a constructivist and progressive project-based curriculum across the disciplines. She has also presented locally, nationally, and internationally for many years. She has a gifted and talented child of her own so intimately understands what helps them to thrive.
Michael Playford earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry, as well as his English-focused Bachelor of Secondary Education, at the University of Canberra in Australia. Mr. Playford has been teaching high school classes at Gungahlin College in a variety of subjects, including Chemistry, Biology and English. Teaching this variety of classes has allowed him to approach education with a strong interdisciplinary focus.
Before teaching, Mr. Playford worked on designing educational programs that linked modern-day astronomy research with the history behind scientifically-significant sites. This has shaped his approach to education to focus on helping learners engage with ideas and skills not just in isolation, but as pieces of a bigger picture that have real world applications. His educational philosophy focuses on letting students feel confident in asking their own questions. By placing students in contexts where they are surrounded by opportunities to explore, they are encouraged to make connections between what they have already learned and the new ideas they are exposed to.
Dezerick Reed graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. Mr. Reed began his career in education as a Transition Assistant, helping incoming freshmen get acclimated to high-school in Springfield, Oregon. His role varied from assisting with academics, to providing behavior guidance, and mental health and emotional support. Mr. Reed was also a co-facilitator for Black Student Union (BSU). His role at Springfield High School was expanded to include coaching varsity football, as a Defensive Coordinator and DB/WR coach.
Mr. Reed played football at Ventura Community College, before receiving a Scholarship to the University of Oregon. He played American football in Spain, Germany and Mexico. In his spare time he enjoys working out, taking his dog on long walks and coaching football. He moved to Santa Barbara after starting his graduate program in Psychology to become a marriage/family therapist.
Chien taught mathematics for ten years at New Trier High School near Chicago. She moved to Santa Barbara when her husband joined the faculty of UC Santa Barbara and has taught mathematics at Anacapa School.
SAGE KIMBALL
Fine and Performing Arts Teacher
Sage Kimball earned her BFA(hons) in Musical Theater from La Salle College of the Arts in Singapore. After graduating, she completed the two-year Meisner Acting program at William Esper Studio in New York City.
Ms. Kimball was born in Santa Barbara, but spent most of her teenage and young adult years in Southeast Asia and New York City. She has been training in The Arts for most of her life with the help of various teachers from both the US and Asia.Two years ago, Ms. Kimball followed through on a dream she’s had for years and started her own private vocal coaching business called Singing with Sage; through this business she helps children, teens, and adults become the best singers they can be while maintaining the integrity and uniqueness of their natural voices. In her spare time, she also loves writing and recording her own original songs.
ADMINISTRATION
ANGELA TANNER, PH.D.
Founder
Ph.D. Cognitive Neuroscience
Angela Tanner was born and raised in southern California, attending Montessori in the early years and then Viewpoint School in Calabasas, California from 3rd through 12th grade, graduating with full Honors as Valedictorian. She went on to UCLA to study Psychology and Business, again graduating with College Honors, magna cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. Before returning to graduate school, she interned at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawai'i, conducting behavioral research studying cognition and communication in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. She returned to UCLA for her doctorate to explore the use of functional brain mapping techniques (specifically functional MRI) to examine the functional and structural topography of the cognitive processes of learning & memory.
The journey that led her to the opening of this school began as a very personal one, born of the frustrations and heartbreak of advocating for her own children. Angela’s experiences have fueled in her an enduring passion for creating an educational environment that honors both the intellectual, academic needs of gifted students, as well as the equally important, and often overlooked, social and emotional needs of this unique population.
JANE GRAY, Ed.M.
Director of Admissions
Ed.M. School Counseling, Somatic Coach, Leadership Coach, EDD Cognitive Diversity (in progress)
Jane Gray is a somatic leadership coach who came to Santa Barbara in 2020 to weather the pandemic and stayed to keep her children at the Knox school, where they both thrived on Knox school’s mix of academic challenge, math acceleration as needed, social emotional learning, support for individual challenges, and especially their strengths-based approach to learning.
Her education background includes certification as a leadership coach through Georgetown university and somatic coach through the Strozzi Institute, a master’s in school counseling from Harvard Graduate School of Education, extensive doctoral coursework in adult and leadership development, training in the Safe and Sound protocol for nervous system regulation, DEI trainings, team coaching etc. She is currently pursuing an EDD in cognitive diversity from Bridges Graduate School. Her experience with schools includes making a feature length award-winning documentary, Playing House, about 6th and 7th grade girls at a boarding school, as well founding and running a playschool for toddlers and their parents in Cambridge MA, the Nest, that successfully served 30 families in the community for two years.
Jane is passionate about the Knox community and helping to ensure that it thrives for many years. She is thrilled to bring her skills and personal experience to bear as Knox’s Director of Admissions.
ZEE LIU
Director of Operations
Zee Liu is a dedicated and experienced operations management professional with a passion for education. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, earned in 2013, and a Master of Business Administration from Santa Barbara Business College, completed in 2016. With seven years of diverse experience in operations management, Zee has consistently demonstrated his ability to enhance efficiency and drive growth across various industries.
From a young age, Zee has been inspired to contribute to the education of younger generations. This lifelong aspiration has led him to join The Knox School, where he is enthusiastic about fostering a nurturing and stimulating learning environment for students.
Outside of his professional life, Zee enjoys trying new recipes and going on walks with his wife and son, appreciating the simple pleasures of family time.
KARI VAN BEBBER RAMIREZ, M.S., P.P.S, L.M.F.T.
Consultant
It is my pleasure and honor to be part of the Knox School family and a program where thinking outside of the box is celebrated! I am committed and dedicated to supporting the continued development of the children and further fostering a positive, engaging, and supportive learning environment. I moved to Santa Barbara from Hillsborough, CA, where, I worked as an elementary school counselor for 9 years. In addition to my 4 years of teaching elementary school, my decade of experience with gifted children as a school counselor solidified in me a deep commitment to the growth of these children. My desire is for children to find joy daily and know each day is a new opportunity for self-discovery. I want them to feel loved, supported, and a sense of belonging and purpose in their daily learning environment, regardless of the academic or social-emotional challenges they might be facing.Kids should be able to just be kids, and they need us to provide them with this opportunity. Education needs to be filled with heart and soul. My mission is always to fill the heart. I aim to support and guide our families, faculty, and staff in the tandem pursuit of inspiring and cherishing our students.