Meet our team
KATE DAO
Parent & Founder
Kate is a lifelong learner. She believes children should have the freedom to explore their natural curiosity and creativity. When this happens, children are happy. They are self-motivated because learning becomes a joy. Kate founded Acton Academy East Bay to create a space for students to experience an education that encourages critical thinking, imagination, creativity, and exploration. Her mission is to allow all students to test their ideas to discover how and why things work and to find answers to their questions in a caring and nurturing environment.
For the past decade, Kate has worked as an educator developing individualized programs for K-12 students that emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving. Her work has helped countless students succeed academically and realize their full potential. Before her career in education, Kate worked at startups in the tech industry-leading teams in marketing, HR, and business development. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of California at Davis and a master's degree from the California State University of Sacramento.
KAYLEE HERRERA
Guide
Kaylee graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. She is currently working toward obtaining her Master's Degree in Instructional Design. Her continuous excitement for learning motivated her to focus her future on helping students discover the same passions in education. Kaylee is an advocate for the individual student; she understands that students may learn differently. She holds communication as a top priority when helping students achieve their goals.
In her free time, you can find Kaylee exploring local backpacking trails, completing DIY projects, and cooking in her kitchen. Kaylee often spends her weekends playing with her daughter and two dogs.
TAYLOR HOOTEN
Guide
Taylor graduated from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a specialization in Creative Writing. Her passion for inspiring others and lifelong journey for learning urged her to seek out opportunities involving teaching and working with children. Growing up with younger siblings who struggled with the traditional education system, Taylor understands the need for disruptive education and admires Acton's model and purpose. Taylor's younger sister struggled with Autism and physical disabilities, which gave her experience with and empathy for children who may have special needs or accommodations.
Previously contracting for Meta as an AI analyst, Taylor is a skilled communicator with an understanding of technology. Taylor has been a lover of writing and literature for her entire life and hopes to instill a similar affinity and appreciation for reading and writing in her students. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games, writing poetry, reading, and crocheting. A native Tennesseean, Taylor recently moved to Livermore with her husband and two cats.
SYLVIE SALIB
Guide
Sylvie graduated with a bachelor's degree in Accounting. Her love for children and passion for teaching motivated her to change careers and earn a Montessori credential to become a part of the American Montessori Society (AMS). Sylvie is a firm believer in children's potential. She believes that their healthy development is crucial to the future and well-being of any society. It is vital that children are offered meaningful opportunities to individually develop their potential, enabling them to step out into the world as responsible, engaged, and respectful citizens with the understanding and appreciation that learning is for life.
Guiding children, playing with them and getting into their world has always been a source of joy for Sylvie. Over her 8 years of teaching different ages, she has learned that children are great teachers and amazing problem solvers.
Sylvie also enjoys being with her family and friends, meeting new people, cooking, reading, traveling, learning something new, and enjoying all forms of arts.
PREZLEIGH COLBURN
Music Guide
Prezleigh Colburn has been a lover of music her entire life. Having been a professional musician for the past 10 years she views music as a language and hopes to instill a love and passion for music before anything else. She has studied at Berklee College of Music and obtained a B. M. in Commercial Music from Azusa Pacific University. There she focused heavily on classical guitar and audio engineering. She has gotten to mix and master large sound libraries, video game scores, and many live shows. Since moving back to the Bay Area she has been running her private studio with her husband called Good Vibes Music Academy where they both teach music lessons and record students of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. When she's not playing or writing she loves all of her animals (Guinea pigs, hamster, hedgehog, bearded dragon, dogs), beekeeping and mountain biking. Above all, she cherishes life with her incredible husband Joshua and two kids Jack (12) and Henry (10).
Our Advisors
LAURA SANDEFER
Advisor
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science.
After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City. Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious".
JEFF SANDEFER
Advisor
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide.
As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses.
As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff's students five times voted him the school's Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America. Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school's governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.