Our Staff
Nomad staff are vibrant, caring, and passionate. With a student:teacher ratio of 10:1, we develop close and trusting relationships with Nomad students—supporting every child’s whole self.
co-Founder; Head of SChool
Christie Seyfert
Christie founded Nomad in 2016 after helping to start three schools and teaching in a variety of educational settings: public, private, and microschools; traditional, progressive, and tech-based schools; nannying jobs, summer camps, and tutoring programs. Christie combined her favorite parts of many amazing educational models to create Nomad, aiming to strike a balance between experiential, project-based learning and direct academic instruction. Though primarily brought up in public school, Christie was homeschooled for a very formative year-long family road trip around the United States. That experience created the foundation for Christie’s pedagogical beliefs: nothing beats learning through experience, creation, excursion and play. As a superfan of Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus, Nomad is the manifestation of Christie’s longtime dream.
Director of Curriculum; Stem teacher
Lisa Bishop
Lisa believes that the best learning happens when it's driven by student interest and discovery. For over a decade she has been developing and teaching hands-on math courses for elementary and middle school students using math as a window into an interdisciplinary experience delving into biology, cooking, music, architecture, art, history, ocean conservation and more. Lisa herself has always looked for interdisciplinary experiences, studying both math and music in college, receiving a Ph.D. in Applied Math, and completing a post-doc building math models of HIV at UCSF. Lisa's goal is to bring out the unique mathematician and scientist inside every student by finding learning experiences where students actually get to do math and science in the world around them.
Director of Operations
Michele Redalen
Michele was a charter member of the Nomad community as a parent, with children attending from 2016-2023. Also an educator, Michele taught in traditional public and private schools before moving into an administrative role at a non-profit teacher training NGO. There, she oversaw the company’s operations and managed professional development programs for teachers and staff locally and internationally. Her own children’s twice-exceptional (2E) needs led her on an unexpected educational path to custom-schooling and to a local Independent Study Charter School that she ultimately joined as an Education Specialist. There, she advised and guided families in identifying, evaluating, and utilizing resources tailored to meet their students' unique interests and goals. Michele believes strongly in the importance of educational communities and paths that honor students' individuality and their desire for meaning and connection.
Humanities Teacher
Marin Kobb
Teaching is in Marin’s DNA. She comes from a family of educators and college athletic coaches, witnessing firsthand the power that education has in informing who we are, how we build relationships, and how we live in the world. Marin’s undergraduate and graduate school work around issues of race and social justice has informed who she is as an educator—someone who promotes racial literacy, explores how history and systems play a role in shaping our understanding of the world, and commits herself to empowering young people to critically examine those systems and become agents of change to make them more fair and equitable. As a three-sport athlete in high school, a D1 athlete in college, and a former coach of several varsity teams, athletics have been and continue to be a formative part of her life, teaching her the value of teamwork, mentorship, and the importance of knowing students outside of academics.
Co-Founder; Health & Wellness coordinator
Taylor Cuffaro
Taylor, a nurse practitioner and the long-time partner of a brilliant educator, knows that students (and people) are happiest and healthiest when they're pursuing their passions. Taylor is passionate about community health inside and outside of Nomad. They oversee the wellbeing of Nomad students and staff, organizing mental and physical health education. Taylor also assists with administrative and operational tasks to allow kids to roam the cities in which they live to discover what they love.