Administration and Staff Biographies
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- Abigayil Koss, Executive Director
- Josh Johnson, Facilities Manager and Extended Care coordinator
- Lisa Piccione, Admissions Director
- Darlene Richard, Office Manager
- Elizabeth Schneider, Finance Manager
- Rachel Siegel, Development & Marketing Director
- Nikki Truax, Communications Coordinator / Physical Education Specialist
Abigayil Koss, Executive Director
Abbie has over 20 years of experience in education, including staff development, curriculum development, coaching and teaching. Abbie began her career in education in 1990, while working at the Capital Children's museum in Washington, DC. She went on from there to earn her Masters Degree in Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City. She lived and taught in New York City for ten years before moving to the Bay area, where she taught in the Mill Valley public school district for three years. In 2003, Abbie moved over to the East Bay, where she worked as an educational consultant with several EBISA schools, including Aurora School. In 2007, she returned to Aurora as the school's Curriculum Coordinator and worked with staff to further the school's teaching and learning practices in keeping with Aurora's mission and core values. In 2008, Abbie was promoted to Assistant to the Executive Director and accepted her appointment to Executive Director in May 2009. When not working she can usually be found spending time with her family, dancing, hiking or reading.
Josh Johnson, Extended Care Coordinator and Facilities Manager
Josh worked within the St. Paul's after school program before coming to Aurora. Josh has also spent 6 years as the Assistant Camp Director at Adventure Day Camp, a traditional summer camp in Walnut Creek. All together, Josh has over 15 years of experience in the recreation field, both in school and camp settings. Josh grew up in San Francisco, and moved to the Alameda in 2004. When he is not as Aurora, Josh enjoys spending quality time with his wife and daughter and enjoys the many family attractions of the East Bay, from the Oakland Zoo to the Alameda Beach.
Lisa Piccione, Admissions Director
Lisa is responsible for managing the school's admissions process, financial aid, re-enrollment, school events and fifth grade outplacement. Lisa went to Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts and studied Midwifery. She is originally from New York, but has lived in Oakland for the last 29 years. She has been an active member of the Aurora parent body for 20 years, where her 3 children attended school. This is Lisa's eleventh year as the Admissions Director at Aurora. Lisa enjoys yoga, gardening, cooking, the beach and taking long walks with her partner Kate and little dog, Bella.
Darlene Richard, Office Manager
Darlene came to Aurora with 18 years of telecommunications experience in various department areas. This is the beginning of her sixth year at Aurora. Darlene has lived in the Bay Area for over 25 years, is married and has two sons. Her major interest is singing and songwriting and she has recorded a gospel CD. She is also intimately involved in the "Women of Vision and Virtue Network", an organization that provides empowerment training and support for women and girls of all ages, which she founded in February of 2000. Darlene also loves cooking and reading.
Elizabeth A. Schneider
Elizabeth Schneider, of Moss CPA, joined Aurora School in 2010. As our Financial Manager, Moss CPA is responsible for all our financial planning and accounting functions. Prior to joining Moss CPA, Elizabeth served as the Vice President of Finance at a California-based nonprofit for 7 years.
Elizabeth received BA in International Management & Finance and her JD from the UCLA School of Law. After working in corporate law for 3 years she returned to the Bay Area to complete her post-graduate Public Accounting education.
Elizabeth enjoys living in Oakland, traveling internationally and hiking with her dog, Maddie.
Rachel Siegel, Development & Marketing Director
Rachel comes to Aurora from her own professional organizing company. Before that, she was the Coordinator of Teacher Education at Mills College. She started her career in education as a middle and high school math teacher on the Peninsula where she was also involved in advising student government and yearbook. Rachel has a master's degree in Education from Stanford and studied mathematics as an undergraduate at Union College in Schenectady, New York. She lives in Albany where she tries (unsuccessfully) to sneak in sewing projects when her husband and preschool age son are sleeping.
Nikki Truax, Communications Coordinator / Physical Education Specialist
Nikki grew up as the youngest of five children in a family of sports enthusiasts. She brings to Aurora's playground nearly 16 years of experience as a youth coach in a variety of sports. Nikki received her B.S.B.A in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and Management from the University of West Florida. Before joining Aurora, she enjoyed multiple careers within a Commodity Trading Firm, the Ritz Carlton, as well as the University of California, Berkeley Women's Basketball team where she assisted with the teams' operations. But her love of children combined with her love of sports is what determined her career decision. Aside from teaching, Nikki enjoys traveling the world, last minute weekend getaways, catching live music shows throughout the Bay Area, and reading a book from the comfort of her own couch.