Administration

Ms. Akmenkalns, Credo’s Executive Director, joined Credo as an Assistant Director is 2015 and became the Executive Director in 2019. She is a founder of Live Oak Charter School and became a Waldorf teacher in 2004. She came to Credo from Woodland Star, where she taught first through fifth grades and also served as a board member, finance committee member and mentor. She earned her Waldorf teaching certificate from Rudolf Steiner College, her MA. Ed in Waldorf Education and teaching credential from Touro University, and her Administrative Services credential from Sonoma State. Prior to her career in education, Ms. Akmenkalns worked as a manager in the software industry. She is the mother of two K – 12 Waldorf graduates. 

Dr. Umphress has had an extensive and diverse career in education and human development. She earned her PhD from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, researching questions at the intersection of human development and learning/education. This led her to choose public Waldorf education for her own children’s schooling, and she has been involved in the local Waldorf charter school community for many years. Most recently she served as a board member and consultant for Live Oak Charter School. In addition to being engaged in Waldorf education, Dr. Umphress co-founded and led a wilderness scouting group for kids, ran a school gardening program, and is an active member of the UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County. Her two children are Credo students.

Jodi Boyle is Credo’s Enrollment Director. She earned her BA in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego, and her teaching credential from San Francisco State University. Jodi began her career in education as an instructional assistant at Archie Williams High School and went on to become a teacher at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael. As a young mother, Jodi was introduced to Waldorf education and was inspired to join in the founding of Live Oak Charter School, a Public Waldorf school in Petaluma, where she served on the Board for many years. She is now the mother of two young adults, both Credo graduates. Jodi has been working at Credo since 2012 and continues to find deep joy in welcoming students and families to Waldorf education at Credo High School.