School Development Team

The school development team is a group of dedicated individuals qualified to plan and operate a public charter school in Hawaii.

Dana Chisholm

Dana Chisholm is a founding development team member of the Classical Academy Charter Elementary School in Escondido, California (CA charter 199). She is a published author and owner and founder of Trail Media publishing and press. She holds two single subject secondary California credentials in English/ Language Arts and Social Sciences with an Authorization to teach English Language Learners.  She graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara (’89), an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Biola University (’02) and will complete her PhD in Intercultural Education from Biola University in 2014.  She has spent her career working with non-profits and education – and her dissertation work is on the interaction and cross-cultural experiences in East Asia.  She currently resides on Coronado Island in San Diego and travels to Asia throughout the year – and has a passion for the people of Hawaii.

Karen Cochrane

Karen Cochrane made a decision to devote her life to the betterment of children when, at age 11, she discovered and read the book Youth: The years from 10 to 16, by Gesell, Ilg, and Ames. Enthralled that there were people who cared enough to study the growth and development of children, she has since led an active, lifelong pursuit of that knowledge and its application through the fields of psychology, education, human development and brain science. Karen has worked with children of all ages and abilities in various capacities assisting them maximize their potential through health and education programs over the past 35 years. Karen has a Ph.D. in Behavioral Health (2010) from the International University for Graduate Studies, a Master’s degree from the University of Washington in Early Childhood Education and Child Development (1984), a second Master’s Degree in   for counseling and Mental Health, and has had the personal experience of alternative public education in taking her B.A. (1976) with emphasis in education and psychology from Washington State’s innovative The Evergreen State College. Before moving to Hawaii in 2012, she was in private practice in the state of Washington for twelve years.  Prior to opening her private practice here on the Big Island, Karen spent one year working with Child Welfare Services which provided an intensive introduction to the cultures of Hawaii.

Denise Mc Andrews

Denise has over fifteen years experience as a school developer, administrator, and teacher. She is a founding development team member of the Classical Academy Charter Elementary School in Escondido, California (CA charter 199) and co-developer and former administrator of the Valley Center Adult School and Regional Occupational Programs in Valley Center, California. Denise has spear-headed and administrated over a dozen career and technical pathways, including arts and media, as well as distance learning programs for high school students. She served as "administrator in charge" of a 500 seat school community theater; over-seeing high school students and staff in theater operations. Denise holds clear credentials in Supervision and Coordination, High School Basic Subjects, and Parent Education as well as a preliminary Administrative Services Credential in the state of California. She completed her Master's Degree in Sociological Practice with an emphasis on alternative education from California State University San Marcos and Doctoral-level coursework in Educational Leadership at the University of California, San Diego. Denise is an experienced school money manager; effectively getting a start-up school out of the red through resource-leveraging and careful spending. She is a fruitful grant writer, receiving and managing awards totaling in excess of 2,000,000. Denise currently works for the State Department of Human Services and lives in the Kona District of Hawaii. She has a passion for providing educational options to students and their families.

Laura Owens

Laura Owens brings to our team her strong organizational skills combined with her passion to help provide more educational choices for families in Hawaii. Laura earned a B.A in Applied Arts and Sciences, Radio-Television from San Diego State University (’86) with a minor in Journalism (advertising emphasis).  She worked in production management and account management in the advertising industry. She left the corporate industry; yet, continued to utilize her marketing skills in her husband’s business on a part-time basis while raising their two children and currently still works in this capacity with their business. Her natural leadership and organizational skills have benefited the families and students of the public, private and homeschool communities in which her children attended. Over the past 19 years of involvement in school programs,  Laura held a multitude of positions including PTA Vice-President and a variety of Committee Chair positions in which she lead fundraisers, social activities,  brought supplemental educational programs to the schools, and initiated small community learning opportunities. Due to her fervent interest in innovative approaches to education and diverse learning styles, Laura has attended educational conferences to learn about such topics.  Although her children are now beyond high school, Laura continues to provide encouragement to families seeking alternative school options, and continues to use her organizational skills to reach out to families. 

LaWana Richmond

LaWana Richmond has 8 years experience as a Senior Business Analyst at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). Her educational background includes: M.S. Information Systems; B.S. Business Administration; Information & Decision Systems and Operations Management. She is currently working on her doctorate of education in educational leadership. LaWana has worked in a variety of roles, industries, and environments with experience in marketing, project management, meeting and event planning, accounting, operations management, and non-profit organizations.

Christine Sommer

Christine Sommer served as a principal and teacher in the Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District for over twenty-three years.  She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from San Diego State University in 1986 and a Masters Degree in Education from the University of California, San Diego in 1994 where she presented her thesis: Making Waves: Innovative Investigations in Science.  She currently holds clear Administrative and K-12 teaching credentials from The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing with a supplemental authorization in General Science.  She has served as a site principal and taught in grades K-12; Director of the Advanced Learner Program; District Art and Technology Mentor; and District Inservice Trainer.  She has also written and received several grants for her school and district. Christine was recognized as Teacher of the Year in 1996 by the Valley Center Union School District and was honored by the Region 18 Association of California School Administrators as the Middle Grades Category Administrator of the Year for San Diego and Imperial Counties in 2009.  She has also presented at a National Science Foundation Conference in Kansas City and a California League of Middle Schools conference in Anaheim; served for several years on the California League of Middle Schools Region 9 Board; served as president for the Valley Center Elementary Teacher Parent Club; and served as president of the Escondido Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. 

Committee Members

Hunter Owens is a young technology entrepreneur from San Diego who is currently based in California, but has previously lived on Maui and is familiar with the islands and the culture. At age 15 he created My Tech Question, an independent business offering computer support and consulting, which grew to serve individuals and small businesses across the U.S. and Canada. In 2010 he co-founded Accelsor, a custom website creation platform. Hunter was privileged to be selected to bring Accelsor to the first UCLA incubator program, Startup UCLA, in the summer of 2012.  Hunter graduated from UCLA in 2013 with a B.A. in Communication Studies.