Our Team
ELLEN BELLER 
Director of Finance and Human Resources
Ellen Beller is a consummate Business & Finance professional. Having worked in various businesses for over 30 years, she has spent the last 10 years making a positive impact in the success of non-profit and educational organizations. She loves working with others to refine processes and figuring out ways technology can assist us in building and maintaining thriving organizations.
LAUREN BENJAMIN
Northern California Director
Lauren Benjamin has cultivated a thriving career as a multidisciplinary artist and educator for over 20 years. Lauren earned her BFA in painting and photography and holds a Master’s in Education. She is an alum of dance epicenter Jacob’s Pillow and CATDC’s Leadership Fellows. She worked as a supervisor to student teachers at Mills College Graduate School of Education, where she was able to mentor and coach new teachers as well as experienced professionals new to the field of education. Lauren believes in sharing the power of identity development through the lens of the arts and has published her curriculum with Frameline Organization and presented at educational conferences, including conferences held by the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education (CASIE) and Project Zero of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. During Lauren's eight-year tenure at Sacred Heart Schools Atherton, she held multiple roles including Dance Program Director and Fine Arts Department Chair. Her most recent position was Assistant Principal of Mission & Culture, where she centered belonging in the school’s adult onboarding and school-wide student programs. In 2023, Lauren joined the CATDC team as the Northern California Director, bringing her extensive experience in education and leadership to facilitate professional growth and collaboration among teachers in the region. She identifies as a love practitioner who aims to build community through her teaching practice and leadership.
SHAUNA DAVIS
Southern California Director and Managing Director of Programs
Shauna Davis’ 20-year educational career is anchored in developing curricula and programs that expand perspectives and create meaningful change. She spent her formative years teaching in North Carolina, France, for the Los Angeles Unified School District, and at the Archer School for Girls. In 2012 Shauna joined the Marlborough School community as the Associate Director of Academic Technology, launching the Bring Your Own Laptop program and developing the hallmark Digital Education program. As the Director of Technology and Digital Education and member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team, Shauna led the transition to remote, then hybrid teaching and learning. Her longtime focus on professional growth and equity includes Social Venture Partners’ year-long antiracism cohort and the Museum of Tolerance’s Social Justice Standards Training in partnership with Learning for Justice. Shauna earned her B.A. in French from Davidson College and M.A. Ed. from Wake Forest University.
TRACY GALLAGHER
Director of Communications, Marketing, and Membership
Tracy Gallagher is passionate about K-12 education and the ongoing learning necessary for personal and professional transformation. She began her education career in 2012 at Anova Education working in special education classrooms. And for the past 15 years, she has supported professional development programs for teachers and administrators, beginning with K-12 book publishing (Jossey-Bass/Wiley) and continuing in her current role as Director of Communications, Marketing, Membership for CATDC. She also serves on the board for the Luna Dance Institute, a non-profit organization that aims to bring creativity, equity and community to every child’s life through the art of dance.
LISA HANEY
Executive Director
A lifelong educator of youth and adults, Lisa Haney believes deeply in the transformative power of education. She began her career focused on international and multicultural education, teaching in Japan, Mexico and Martinique before landing at the Athenian School in Danville, California. In her 25 years at Athenian she served in many roles, including international program director, literature teacher, and humanities department chair, before becoming dean of faculty development and a member of the leadership team. Beyond Athenian, Lisa has engaged in teacher education through UC Berkeley Extension, as well as the Berkeley and San Francisco Unified School Districts, and was selected for a year-long fellowship by the US State Department in 2006 to support teacher development in Tanzania. Lisa holds a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.A.T. from the School for International Training, Vermont. Lisa is incoming board chair at the Berkeley School and an enrolled student in a Masters/PhD program in community psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
AMANDA MCFADDEN
Program Manager
Amanda McFadden has been immersed in the field of education since 2011. She received her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Delaware and her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Single Subject Teaching Credential from San José State University. While at the University of Delaware, Amanda mentored the Junior Instructors: a group of undergraduate and graduate student teachers as they worked with music students teaching private lessons. She was also the director of Neuro Notes: a choir for people with Parkinson’s Disease. She has worked as both an instrumental and choral music teacher for students from 4th grade through high school at Woodside Priory School, Sonoma Academy, and Strawberry Elementary School. Amanda is passionate about fostering strong community spaces and has done so in her classrooms and community groups. She stepped into Educational Technology in 2021 as a Customer Success Manager for Imagine Learning, where she worked with over 70 school districts around the state of Oregon. Amanda is actively involved in musical performance and education space, currently as the Associate Director of Sonoma Bach, an early music choral organization. In 2023, she joined the CATDC team as Program Manager to support in-person programs in Northern California and statewide virtual workshops. Outside of her work, Amanda enjoys cooking, playing volleyball, reading, listening to podcasts, getting outside for a run, and spending time with loved ones.
JANNAH TATE
Director of Program Management and Southern California Associate
Jannah Tate knows first hand the impact confident, well-supported teachers can have on their students. As a product of, and teacher in, independent schools herself, she is dedicated to providing educators with meaningful and engaging professional development opportunities. In the past, she has worked as both a classroom teacher and a program coordinator to offer students a progressive, multicultural learning experience.