MCS Head of School Search Committee
Mark
Mark Nowlin
Mark Nowlin, Co-Chair - 3rd year MCS Board member
Mark is in his 3rd year serving on the MCS Board. He and his wife Angela have been married for 17 years and have three sons, Micah (MCS Class of 2017), Joshua (Class of 2019) and Caleb (Class of 2022). Mark grew up in Connecticut and his family currently attends St. Andrew's Church in Newport Beach. He feels very blessed to be a part of the Mariners Christian School community and is thankful for the Christ-centered education that is so important in these formative years for their children. Mark received his undergraduate degree from Fresno State, and his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Boston University. He has been practicing as a Physical Therapist since 1999 in Orange County. With God's prompting and leading, he opened his clinic Power Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Costa Mesa in 2011. His specialty is in the recovery from musculoskeletal injury, including post-surgical rehabilitation. In addition, Mark serves as Adjunct Professor for Vanguard University in the Kinesiology Department. Mark is honored and humbled to serve as a Board member for MCS. Soli Deo Gloria!
Ruth
Ruth Sanchez Kobayashi
Ruth Sanchez Kobayashi, Co-Chair - former MCS Board member, alumni parent
Ruth is a former MCS parent and board member. She has been married to Don Kobayashi for 33 years and is mother to Lauren, a senior at Southern Methodist University, and Kelly, a sophomore at Biola University. After graduating from Pepperdine University, Ruth spent 20 years in the tech industry in sales for Xerox, DEC, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard. Her post-MCS volunteerism has included co-chairing Moms in Prayer at Corona Del Mar High School, serving on the Human Relations Task Force for the Newport Mesa Unified School District, and advising local educational and political candidates. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Newport Beach Police Department Charitable Foundation. Ruth’s favorite way to serve the Lord is by advocating for young people and assisting civic and educational leaders achieve their full potential. The Kobayashi family attends Mariners Church in Irvine.
She looks forward to serving the MCS community through co-leading the Head of School Search Committee in finding the next leader for Mariners Christian School.
Marc
Marc Aneed
Marc Aneed, current MCS parent
Marc is in his 3rd year as an MCS dad, having transferred from Chicago with his family for work. He is a consumer goods veteran, currently looking after Amazing Grass, a plant-based nutrition company located in Newport. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Economics, and has his Masters from the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago. But most precious to him is the grace of Christ manifest in his wife Kim, and their four kids, Ava (8th grade), Phin (5th grade), Chloe (4th grade), and Christian (2nd grade). Marc has served in a variety of leadership roles in ministry from small group, to Awana, men’s ministry, and most recently being an elder at their church in Chicago. He and his family attend Rock Harbor Church, and they reside in Irvine.
Lewis
Lewis Brewster
Lewis Brewster, current Board of Trustees Chair, current parent, and alumni parent
Lewis and Stacie Brewster have been married for 19 years and have five children, Christina (graduated Baylor University in May 2016), Caroline (MCS Class of 2016), Samantha (MCS Class of 2017), William (MCS Class of 2020) and James (MCS Class of 2022). They are very grateful for the Christ-centered education at MCS and feel that it is the most valuable gift they can give their children. The Brewster family attends Mariners Church and they are actively involved in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and RTwelve. They have also supported Habitat for Humanity and mission work in Uganda and Egypt. They enjoy family dinners, road trip vacations, sports, and spending time with their two miniature dachshunds, Lucky and Lola. Lewis is Vice President of Marketing at Broadcom, a semiconductor company in Irvine, and has 30+ years of experience in the communications industry at various companies including Rockwell, Conexant, NXP and Broadcom in the Dallas and Orange County areas. He holds a Bachelor's degree in electrical and biomedical engineering from Duke University (1986) and an MBA from Stanford University (1991). Lewis is grateful and honored to serve on the MCS Search Committee and Board of Trustees.
Melinda
Melinda Choi
Melinda Choi, 1st year MCS Board member, current parent
Danny and Melinda Choi have been married 22 years and have 5 children: Taegan (MCS Class of 2016), Zeke (MCS Class of 2019), Dylann (MCS Class of 2020), Bennett (MCS Class of 2022), and Nixon (MCS Class of 2025). They are deeply grateful their children attend MCS and consider it a gift to have them raised with a Christ-centered education. The Choi family enjoys spending time together, whether it be snuggling their Yorkies, Sugar and Spice, or exploring the amazing world God has created. Fiji has a special place in their hearts and they support the nation by working with Give Clean Water to provide sustainable clean water to rural villages. As a family, they attend the W church in Newport Beach. As a couple, they have served as high school and college leaders, as well as premarital counselors. Melinda has her BA in English from UCI and is passionate about mentoring young women and single mothers as they pursue Jesus with their whole hearts. She loves her family and considers it her dream “job” to be a wife and mom. Melinda is humbled and honored to serve on the MCS Board and the Head of School Search Committee.
David
David Giunta
David Giunta, Current Parent
David and Beth have been married for 18 years and have five children, including three at MCS: Kiana (MCS Class of 2020), Kamryn (MCS Class of 2022), and Micah (MCS Class of 2027). Their oldest daughter, Kayla, obtained her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from USC and their oldest son, Dylan, attends CDMHS where he receives special education for Down Syndrome. David earned a B.A. from Ohio University where he graduated cum laude in Accounting and Business Law. David commenced his career as a CPA auditing public companies with Arthur Andersen, the world’s largest accounting firm in the world at the time. David parlayed this experience in the private sector by transitioning to full balance sheet financial advisement for high net worth individuals.
Currently, David is the Managing Partner of BlackPlum Partners, a private wealth management and alternative investments company. Outside of his career, David enjoys spending time with his family and pursuing philanthropic initiatives. David serves on the Board of Directors for the Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County, a cause that is close to his heart. David and Beth have been ardent advocates for the integration and mainstreaming of children with special needs. David previously served on the MCS Finance Committee and Board. He hopes to use his testimony, his experience as a parent at MCS for the past eight years, and his financial and business acumen to serve the school with humility and in any way that God wants to use him to help maintain and strengthen the spiritual core and academic excellence that set MCS apart. The Giunta family regularly attend Watermark Church, a Mariners Church plant started by Pastor Bucky Dennis. They reside in Newport Beach.
Aaron
Aaron Hudy
Aaron Hudy, current MCS parent
Aaron Hudy is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Diagnostic Imaging business for GE Healthcare. Aaron is responsible for leading the commercial strategy and P&L execution for the multi-billion dollar business. He leads a team of nearly 1,000 commercial and clinical professionals dedicated to partnering with healthcare providers to deliver medical imaging solutions.
Prior to GE Healthcare, Aaron spent over 20 years in the healthcare industry in executive leadership roles at companies including Siemens Healthcare, Toshiba Medical Systems and Philips Healthcare.
Aaron currently serves on the MCS Finance Committee, in Junior High and Exceptional Families Ministries at church, as an Advocate for Compassion International and as a member in American Cancer Society's CEO’s Against Cancer.
Aaron holds a BSBA in Finance from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. He lives in Newport Beach with his wife, Cari, and his children. Their twin daughters, Ali and Ava, attend 6th grade at MCS and their son, Bo, recently graduated from Pepperdine University. They attend Mariners Church in Irvine and serve in various ministries through their church.
Susan
Susan Morehouse
Susan Morehouse, alumni parent
Susan is a Senior Principal Account Executive for Higher Education at Blackbaud. She has been achieving success in this and other roles at Blackbaud for the last 4 years. Throughout her tenure at Blackbaud and other financial software applications, she has worked in many roles to help clients succeed, which includes extensive experience with nonprofit customers and the unique challenges they face. In her 20 years in the financial software industry, Susan has done implementation project management, subject matter consulting, training, project demonstrations and overall responsibility for client implementation success.
Susan is based in Orange County, CA and enjoys the great outdoors that southern California provides. She is a wife and mother of two, who are both MCS alumni and have gone on to further their education at Pacifica Christian High School and Mater Dei High School. While her children were at MCS, Susan was a member of PTF, chaired the annual fundraiser for 2 years and enjoyed many years of participating in the classroom and as a room mom.
Chris
Chris Stratton
Rev. Chris Stratton, current MCS parent
Chris is the Academic Dean at Pacifica Christian High School in Newport Beach. His three children are enrolled at MCS (Evelyn - Kindergarten, Eliot - 3rd, Wendell - 5th). He is an ordained Presbyterian pastor, and an elder at Redeemer OC church in Newport Beach. He graduated from Westmont College in 1995 with a religious studies and philosophy degree. He then spent 12 years in business, and has an MBA from Pepperdine. He taught history and Bible at The Stony Brook School—a 7th-12th grade boarding school in New York—for five years, and was the founding faculty member at Pacifica Christian where he has taught and been an administrator for the last five years. He did his graduate work in Theology and Church History at Princeton Seminary. Chris is excited to bring his experience and passion for Christian schooling to the MCS search committee.
Search Advisory Committee :: non-voting advisors
Tim
Tim Bahadoor
Tim Bahadoor, current teacher and parent
Middle School Bible Teacher Born in Trinidad, Tim Bahadoor earned his B.A. with a teaching credential from Vanguard University, an M.A. in Educational Administration from National University, and an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Biola University. He is married to Lisa, his wonderful wife, and God has blessed them with three sons: Timothy Isaac, Noah James, and Isaiah Lincoln. He loves to play all sports, especially golf. Mr. Bahadoor began teaching in Christian schools in 1989 and joined the MCS staff in 1997.
Clifton
Clifton Chang
Clifton Chang, current board member
Clifton is currently the HR Director at Mariners Church in Irvine. Prior to joining Mariners, he grew his career at Johnson & Johnson and Allergan in human resources. He has lived and worked in New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Shanghai. He holds a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and an MBA from USC. Clifton and his wife Yuwen have two children CJ (Class of 2024) and Sydney (Class of 2026). They are blessed to be part of the MCS community.
Jenn
Jennifer Crowell
Jenn Crowell, current MCS staff, alumni parent
Jennifer Crowell, originally from East Texas, graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology. Before starting her family, Jennifer was the Managing Director at the headquarters of an International Internet Franchise company. Jennifer married her husband Scott, a Newport Beach native, in 2001 and they have two boys, James (MCS Class of ’17) and Robby (MCS Class of ’19).
After two years of being a parent in the MCS community, Jennifer obtained a position as a 1st grade Instructional Assistant at MCS. She has been a part of the staff for the past 10 years and has served as the Outdoor Director for the past 3 years. Jennifer also serves as a member of the MCS Safety Committee and is CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) certified.
The Crowell Family attends The W Church and loves to vacation, scuba, hike, play games and spend time together. Jennifer loves working with each and every age group at MCS and prays every day that the students feel loved. Jennifer joined the staff in 2010.
Jim
Jim Harmon
Jim Harmon, MCS Grandparent
Jim Co-Founded Management Resources (MR) in 1980 and the ProFun Management Group (PF) in 1999. MR is a consulting practice providing operational planning, marketing planning, and financial planning services to the leisure-time, commercial recreation industry. PF is an operating company providing management and operating expertise to the
leisure-time industry. The two companies were merged and re-branded in 2017 and now operate as a single entity (MRPF). Over the years, clients have included:
Commercial Attractions: Theme Parks, Entertainment Centers, Attractions
Cultural Experiences: Museums, Science Centers, Aquariums, Specialty Groups Brand Centers: Beverage, Educational, Automotive Expositions and Events: World’s Fairs, Olympiads, National/Regional Events.
Since semi-retiring in 2007, Jim serves as an advisor and provides consulting services as needed.
Prior to co-founding Management Resources, Jim was with the Walt Disney Company for nine years. Joining the Disney organization in 1970 in Denver, Colorado, Jim was a Merchandise Manager and later became Employee Relations Manager before transferring to Disneyland in 1973. In Anaheim, Jim worked throughout the Park in various operational and staff training positions before being appointed to head up the Disney University at Disneyland for the last two years of his career at Disney.
Jim lives in Cowan Heights with his wife of 51 years, Marilynn. They have two daughters, Brenda and Wendy, who have blessed them with five grandchildren, two of whom are MCS alumni and one currently enrolled. Jim’s community involvement includes serving on the Board of Trustees at St. Joseph Hospital, Orange, for six years (two as Chair); chairing the search committee for the St. Joseph Hospital President/CEO position; scholarship sponsor and job candidate interviewer at Taller San Jose Hope Builders, an organization providing vocational and life skills training to disadvantaged youth.
In his personal time, Jim enjoys golf, gardening, woodworking, various men’s groups, and, of course, his grandchildren.
Keven
Keven Kroehler
Keven Kroehler, MCS's Chief Operating Officer
Keven joined MCS as the Director of Operations in 2017. Now, as the COO, he oversees every aspect of our school's operations, finances and HR.
Prior to MCS, Keven lived and worked as a finance and development consultant to schools in Minnesota.
Sharee
Sharee Pfaff
Sharee Pfaff, Maker Education Facilitator
Mrs. Pfaff, an Orange County native, holds a B.A. from the University of California San Diego and a teaching credential from Chapman University. She received her M.S. in Education with an emphasis in Reading from California State University Fullerton. She has many years of experience teaching grades K-2 in both private and public school settings. She has two children ages 14 and 10, and both children attend MCS. Sharee and her husband, Sean, attend Mariners Church Irvine. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, doing calligraphy, decorating creative cakes, and flying on the trapeze. Mrs. Pfaff joined the MCS staff in 2009.
Eleanor
Eleanor Tang
Eleanor Tang, current parent
Eleanor is currently an advisor and investor at Tee Hub. She is also a board member of Kay Family Foundation with
responsibility in leading the foundation’s initiatives on advancing Christian education in Orange County, working with Orangewood Foundation on foster youth issues, and partnering with the UCI Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute to bring integrative medicine into community health centers in Santa Ana.
Eleanor and her husband, Timothy, have been married for sixteen years and their son, Dylan, started kindergarten at Mariners Christian School in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys running, spending time with family, and actively participating at Saddleback Church.
Mitch
Mitch Vance
Mitch Vance, MCS Alumni parent, former Board Chair
Mitch Vance has spent 30 years in private equity and is a founding partner of TGV Partners, a private equity investment firm with investments in a portfolio of branded companies including the B. Manischewitz Company, Childtime Learning Centers, Empire Kosher Poultry, Raging Waters Amusement Park, and Thompson/Center Arms.
Previously, he was a general partner of Pacific Mezzanine Investors, an associate with the private equity investment firm of Levine, Tessler, Leichtman & Co., and began his career as an investment manager at First Westinghouse Capital Corporation. He graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Oregon.
Mitch has significant profit and non-profit board experience, including chairing the audit committee of two public companies, and currently serves as a board director of Astro Pak Corporation, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Utah and Armstrong Plumbing Inc. He also serves on the non-profit boards of the Orangewood Transitional Housing Corporation focused on youth post-foster care, the Westmont College Board of Trustees, and the Measure F Citizens Oversight Committee for the Newport Mesa Unified School District. Mitch is a past chairman of the board of MCS.
Mr. Vance and his spouse Leslie have been married 28 years and reside in Newport Beach, California. They have attended Grace Fellowship Church for almost 20 years and have three adult children, ages 27, 25 and 21, all of whom attended MCS.
