Mia Williams

Administrative Team

Counseling Team

Teaching Team

Ron Howard

Jennifer Hodges

Scott Anstett

Jennifer Rinna

Tristan Nicholas

Sandy Johnson

Dori Guterson

Kenneth Geddes

Scott holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Art History, and Education. He pursued his interests in the arts at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and returned to the West Coast in 2001.

Scott is a creative and inspired teacher who truly loves his work and the daily interactions with young artists. He has been teaching and working with young artists since 1999 and began teaching in the Seattle Public Schools in 2001.

Ms. Williams earned a Master Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies as well as a Principal Certification at the University of Washington. She served as assistant principal at Denny Middle School for four years and assistant principal for three years at Salmon Bay School. She received the Distinguished Assistant Principal of the Year Award for 2002-2003. She taught within Seattle Public Schools for seven years and has been a part of the Rainier Valley community for nearly twenty years. She advocates the need for close partnerships with parents, guardians and families; and values the importance of community involvement and participation.

Mike Ayer

Deanna Barrett

Rachel BelCastro

Stephanie Berg

Carol Bradley-Williams

Nikki Bunnell

Jennifer Casto

Ramone Costales

Karen Patterson

Jay Gainer

Donna Gilligan-Miller

Administrative

Counseling

Teaching

Aki Staff Teams (scroll down)

Support

Chirstina Jameson

Don MacInnes

Tara O’Brien

Stefanie Richardson

Ms. Richardson grew up in California and attended the University of California at Santa Cruz. She studied International and Comparative Politics for her undergraduate degree. Her college experience inspired her to be a thoughtful and engaged global citizen and to ask deep questions about the world around her. She has since been interested in making positive changes in the communities she is a part of and around the world. After traveling and living in many places, Ms. Richardson moved to Seattle and attended the University of Washington, where she earned her Masters in Teaching. Her goal as a teacher is to share knowledge and create experiences that challenge her students to become critical thinkers and to find what they are passionate to learn more about.

Jerri Robinson

Bettye Turner

Todd Vandermeulen

Mark Watling

Gina Wickstead

Hannah Williams

Agripina Wilson

David Winfield

Support Team

Amy Anderson

Erlinda Bautista

Lynn Boerner

Elvira Canares

Elaine Bruce-Jones

Quang Hoang

Sandra Heneri

Bruce Jackson

Wendell Hutchings

Dean Napolitan

BeBe Ottinger

Jeanette Price

Grace Saturino

Mike Shafer

Mike Shafer is a graduate in General Studies from the University of Washington, and is Phi Beta Kappa.  He is a veteran of the US Air Force (Okinawa and Taiwan, 1967-1971), was a Peace Corps Volunteer (Philippines, 1980-82), and was Program Officer for Instructional Media with the US Refugee Program (PRPC-ICMC: Philippines, 1982-86). In the refugee program he worked in an ESL Program for Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Hmong  “boat-people.”

Mike has been at Aki since a year after it received its namesake, and has always worked with Special Education students.  He really enjoys the diversity of the neighborhood and Aki’s students and staff.  Mabuhay!

Nang Tran

Luckner Valcin

Mike Kaiser

Don Neal

Rosa Tavai

Mohamed Abdi

Nick Adams

Roderick Booker

Kristin Brewster

Robert Jeffcoat

Jami Johnson

Jan Lainoff

Lisa McDonald

Sarah Ashton

Robin Gannett

Na’Ceshia Holmes

Caine Lowery

Suzanne Mayer

Stacia Neal

Pam Boroughs

Farah Abdi

Alana Murphy

Kathryn Torres

After a successful academic and college basketball career at Seattle University, Ron Howard was drafted by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.  Howard spent two seasons with the Cowboys before moving back to Seattle for another three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Howard’s team record for receptions by a tight end in a season stood for nearly 30 years before being broken.

Ron Howard has coached football, basketball, and track at Rainier Beach High School before embarking on a career as a school administrator. He is currently the Assistant Principal at Aki Kurose Academy.

Ken Geddes has been a school counselor for nearly 20 years.  Mr. Geddes earned a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska and his counseling certificate from City University.  Prior to coming to Aki Kurose in 1999, Mr. Geddes worked at Whitman Middle School.  Mr. Geddes enjoys working with young people on their social and academic growth and potential.   In addition, Mr. Geddes is proud of his adult children- both of whom are educators.  Mr. Geddes is a BoysTown Alumnus an active member of Washington State School Counseling Association. In his spare time Mr. Geddes enjoys reading exercising.

Sarah Ashton has been a teacher for 13 years. She recently moved to Seattle from Vermont and is excited about teaching at Aki. Sarah graduated from Denison University and Portland State University. When she is not teaching she enjoys running, long bike rides, snowboarding and rock climbing.

Deanna Barrett has taught in Seattle Public Schools for 16 years, and for the last 10 years at Aki Kurose.  She teaches 7th and 8th grade Language Arts, encouraging students to become avid readers and voracious writers.

Jay Gainer has been a teacher for 31 years. This is his 24th year at Aki Kurose Middle School.  Mr. Gainer works with the English Language Learners at Aki Kurose. He received an undergraduate degree from Northern Colorado University and a graduate degree from Northern Arizona University. Mr. Gainer is an avid runner and loves reading books.

Ms. Rob has worked for the Seattle School District for three years and spent 6 years in the Kent School District. She is a proud graduate of the University of Colorado. She coaches high school basketball for Franklin.

Mark Watling has been a Technology Education teacher for 15 years with the Seattle Public Schools, all of which has been at Aki. He enjoys helping students experience Technolgy.

Gina Wickstead has been a teacher for seven years and this is her sixth at Aki. She received her undergraduate degree from The Evergreen State College and her Masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. Last year she received her National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certificate. She loves working at Aki and teaching reading and writing to the awesome seventh graders!

Hannah grew up in Bigfork, MT where she learned the "ins and outs" of professional from the Bigfork Summer Playhouse . She received her Bachelor of Education from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA and became a full-time performing arts teacher at Lakeridge Middle School in Sumner, WA where she created, developed and implemented successful middle-school performing arts curriculum. Before coming to Aki, she has directed, choreographed and music directed shows including Oliver, Fame (Rainier Beach High School), Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grease, Singin' In The Rain, High School Musical, Annie, Pippin, West Side Story and fundraising events at The Moore, The Paramount, and the Triple Door. She regularly performs, tours and records with her two bands Friday Mile and Youth Rescue Mission, which she is in with her three younger brothers.

Mohamed Abdi has worked in the CASASTART Program at AKI Kurose since Sept.2007.  CASASTART is a school-centered positive youth development program aimed at preventing substance abuse and violence among high-risk 11 to 14-year-olds and helping them to improve their school attendance, grades and behavior. Eligibility is based on the specific risk factor categories.

Nick Adams has worked for the Seattle School District for 14 years.  12 out of the last 14 years he has worked as a Family Support Worker.  He is a graduate of the University of Washington with a major in American Ethnic Studies.  He enjoys reading, Martial Arts and cooking.

Aki Staff

The Lovely Laura Evans

Michelle Peterson

AnneMarie Consentino

Jim Buchanan

May Ovalles