Our School

Alan brings strong experience as both an educational leader and DEI practitioner to the role of associate head of school. He was most recently the founding head of school at North London Collegiate School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Prior to that he served as middle school principal at several international schools, including Shanghai American School, American International School Chennai, American School of Barcelona, and ACS Hillingdon International School in London. He is an experienced DEI trainer who speaks multiple languages fluently, including English, Vietnamese and Spanish, as well as some French and Mandarin.

Michelle is a longtime experienced educator with a background as an instructional coach and curriculum designer, as well as over 25 years of teaching experience, primarily in the elementary grades. She has been at Evergreen for 16 years and has continually taken on new challenges, including serving as self-study co-coordinator for Evergreen's reaccreditation process by NWAIS, and most recently, as the chair of the Academic Task Force during the summer of 2020, responsible for leading the development of academic plans in preparation for the unprecedented 2020-2021 school year. As the parent of a recent Evergreen graduate, Michelle brings the first-hand perspective of a parent as well as an educator to this role.

An alumnus of Shorewood High School, John spent years in school leadership in the Los Angeles area before returning to the Pacific Northwest. Before joining Evergreen, he served most recently as principal of Animo Venice Charter High School, an arts and AP-focused college prep academy. Prior to that he spent 11 years at Aspire Public Schools, serving in several capacities including principal of Aspire Pacific Academy, a 6-12 college-focused school for underserved communities in southeast Los Angeles, and assistant and resident principal for Aspire Centennial Academy for students in 6th-8th grades. As an educator, John spent six years at a Los Angeles magnet school teaching 6th grade advanced studies in math and science, 7th grade humanities, and 8th grade English language development, as well as three years as a middle school-based family counselor before joining the administrative team. 

Kathy began working at Evergreen in 2010, serving in various roles, including director of communications, associate director of communications and executive assistant to the head of school. She also was an active parent volunteer for nine years while her daughter attended Evergreen, serving for two years as president of our Parent/Guardian Association. Kathy received her law degree from Seattle University and has done appellate for the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, the Washington State Court of Appeals and the Office of the King County Prosecuting Attorney.

Kate Gorrissen joined The Evergreen School in 2018 as the director of development.  She arrived with 13 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, including 10 at San Francisco University High School as the associate director of development in charge of their $2 million annual fund; she was also a leader of the school's capital campaign. Additionally, Kate has extensive experience in grant writing, volunteer management, and donor engagement strategies. Having grown up in Gig Harbor, Kate enjoys being back in the Northwest.

Prior to joining Evergreen, Johnpaul spent several years at Lakeside School, where he began as the assistant director of development and then served as the assistant director of admissions and outreach. Before moving to the Northwest, Johnpaul spent six years as an administrator at the Walden School, a K-12 independent school in Louisville, Kentucky, where he served as the director of marketing and communications and then as the director of enrollment management.

Rajeswari was most recently the assistant head of school for justice, equity and inclusion at Giddens School, where she worked on strategic initiatives including attracting and retaining lead teachers of color, and establishing a fellowship for aspiring BIPOC educators. Prior to that, she was the director of diversity and inclusion at Open Window School. Before transitioning to full-time DEI work, Rajeswari was a classroom teacher for 15 years, teaching K-4 technology at Open Window and 4th and 5th grades at Somerset Elementary in Bellevue.