St. Margaret's Episcopal School | About SMES

Mr. Marcus Hurlbut is in his ninth year as Headmaster of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and follows in the footsteps of school founder The Reverend Canon Ernest Sillers and the second headmaster, Markham B. Campaigne.

Mr. Hurlbut is well known in the independent school world as an exemplary school leader. Prior to coming to St. Margaret’s, he successfully led two schools as Headmaster-The Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H. for 11 years, and Friends Academy in Locust Valley, New York for nine years. He is a member of the Headmasters Association of America and the Country Day Headmasters Association, he has chaired numerous school accreditation visiting committees in New England, New York and California, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Independent Schools. He also teaches an elective in Constitutional Law to St. Margaret’s seniors.

Mr. Hurlbut began his career as a teacher of history, a coach and a dorm parent. Prior to assuming leadership of The Derryfield School in 1982, he served for six years as Dean of Students at the Roxbury Latin School in Massachusetts. Mr. Hurlbut holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Union College in New York and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College.

He and his wife, Pat, reside in San Juan Capistrano and have five grown children, nine grandchildren and four dogs.

Mrs. Ingrid Andrews, Director of the Early Childhood Development Center and Wee Tartan Infant Center

Mrs. Ingrid Andrews is the Director of the Early Childhood Development Center and Wee Tartan Infant Center. She is responsible for all aspects of the Center, from daily operations to long- and short-term goal setting with faculty, and she provides parent education and support for families.

Mrs. Andrews taught preschool at St. Margaret’s for 24 years. She taught early childhood education at Saddleback College for 14 years, including courses on child guidance, creative activities: art and music and adult supervision. She served as a California Early Childhood Mentor Teacher, training and supervising college students for their practicum experience, for 20 years, and she has given workshops to teachers and parents locally, nationally and internationally.

At St. Margaret’s, Mrs. Andrews serves on the Community Service Committee and founded the Knitting Together group of parents who meet weekly for fellowship and knitting for charity. She has also served on the St. Margaret’s Publications Committee. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children as well as state and local chapters. She is a member of the Association for Childhood Education International, the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder and the Learning Disability Association.

A graduate of an Episcopal school, Mrs. Andrews went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia and a Master of Arts in Human Development with an Early Childhood Specialization from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, Calif. She holds a Child Development Program Director permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

She and her husband, Rick, have two sons who are both St. Margaret’s alumni.

Mrs. Jeannine Clarke, Lower and Middle School Principal

Mrs. Jeannine Clarke has been a professional member of the St. Margaret’s Episcopal Middle School for nineteen years. She has been a history teacher, student activities director, assistant principal and has served as Middle School principal since 2004.

Mrs. Clarke teaches a social skills class for students in grade 6 and is an advisor for a group of students in grade 7. She has coached volleyball in the Middle School and has participated on Western Association of Schools and Colleges and California Association of Independent Schools accreditation committees. She is a volunteer for the Wright Foundation for Pediatric Opthalmology and Strabismus.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Civilizations from Wellesley College and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Pepperdine University. She also holds a California State Teaching Credential.

Mrs. Clarke is a graduate of St. Margaret's Episcopal School, Class of 1987. She and her husband, Todd, have two children, Gavin and Avery, who are current St. Margaret's students.

Dr. Jeneen D. Graham, Academic Dean

Jeneen DiBenedetto Graham BA, Ed. D. is the Assistant Director of the Center for Research on Cognition and Learning in the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Her research projects include a large-scale analysis of Spatial Temporal Mathematics software developed by the MIND institute as well as a program designed to directly enhance intelligence. Her recent doctoral dissertation research is entitled, Elements of Human effectiveness: Intelligences, Abilities and Personality Traits that Predict Success and Fulfillment in Life and was published in August of 2011. Dr. Graham recently collaborated with UCI Professor Dr. Michael Martinez on a paper presented at the Mind, Brain and Education Society conference as well as the American Educational Research Association (AERA) entitled, Strategies for the Direct Enhancement of Intelligence. Dr. Graham received her BA from Dartmouth College in Anthropology and Spanish and her doctorate in Education was completed in a joint program between UCI and UCLA.

Prior to her pursuing her doctoral degree, Dr. Graham worked as an Admission Officer at Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, Florida. In addition to reviewing applications and meeting with families for day and boarding school admission, she was responsible for all Spanish speaking communication and travel. Before Saint Andrews, she was the Assistant Manager of Operations at Carney, Sandoe & Associates; a consulting firm that provides recruitment, executive search and strategic consulting to Independent Schools nationally.

Dr. Graham serves on the Board of Trustees at St. Margaret's Episcopal School as well as the Board of Directors for Incourage Foundation, a charity benefitting children admitted to CHOC. She and her husband are raising two boys, Robbie and Reid (SMES 2019 and 2022).

Mr. Tony Jordan, Upper School Principal

Upper School Principal Mr. Tony Jordan joined St. Margaret’s in 2011 from All Saints’ Academy, an Episcopal day school in Winter Haven, Florida, where he served as Head of School for four years. Previously, he served as Upper School Principal for three years at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia and Dean of Students, teacher and coach at Westminster Schools from 1990-2004. Mr. Jordan brings to St. Margaret’s 27 years of teaching experience, primarily physics, 21 years of teaching and leading in Episcopal schools, an extensive background in curriculum development and technology, and years of coaching at the varsity and sub-varsity levels (primarily football and basketball). In addition to leading the Upper School, Mr. Jordan teaches conceptual physics.

Mr. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science in Science from Georgia Southwestern University and a Master of Science in Science from Emory University. He has also done two years of post- graduate studies in Educational Leadership at the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Kim, also a science teacher, live in San Juan Capistrano with their two children, Carly and Connor, who are St. Margaret’s students.

Mr. Roland Allen, Director of College Counseling

Mr. Roland Allen has been the Director of College Counseling at St. Margaret's Episcopal School since 2004. In addition, he teaches Philosophy and Ethics in the Upper School, is a faculty advisor and chairs the diversity steering committee.

Mr. Allen has over 20 years of previous college counseling and has built a national reputation in the field of College Counseling. He has admissions experience at a number of institutions, including Westmont College, Colby College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, The Branson School and Sidwell Friends School. He actively participates in professional organizations, including the College Board, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Western Association for College Admission Counseling and the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools.

Mr. Allen serves on the review committee for the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and volunteers with College Summit. A frequent panelist at national conferences, Mr. Allen is particularly concerned with college access and ethics in college admissions.

Mr. Allen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Loyola University and a Master of Science in Counselor Education from The University of Scranton.

Mrs. Lora Allison, All-School Community Service Coordinator

Mrs. Lora Allison has served the St. Margaret’s community for over 11 years. As the All School Director of Community Service, she works with the Community Service Directors in the four divisions to provide ample meaningful opportunities for student and family involvement. Their goal is to support and cultivate a student climate that focuses on the leadership and service portion of St. Margaret’s mission statement. Mrs. Allison has additional roles and responsibilities in the Upper School, including: overseeing the elected Associated Student Council and student clubs, managing the Independent Senior Projects each spring, collaborating with other leadership mentors to instruct the Upper School Joint Leadership class, and working closely with the advisory curriculum. She is a grade 10 advisor.

Her previous roles at St. Margaret’s include the Middle School Director of Activities and Service and coaching Track and Field. Mrs. Allison is a member of the National Association of Student Councils. Her publications include “Assessing Volunteer Motives: A Comparison of an Open-ended Probe and Likert Rating Scales” in the Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology (2002).

She has a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Management and Tourism from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Science in Youth and Human Service from Arizona State University’s College of Public Programs.

Mrs. Allison is grateful for the opportunity to focus on service in her work and enjoys finding local, national and international organizations and programs to support. She works closely with Father Serra’s Pantry in San Juan Capistrano, and with Bread for the Moment, a St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church outreach program in Capistrano Beach.

Lora and her husband, Mike, St. Margaret’s Middle School Assistant Principal, have three children, Molly, Mason and Mitchell, who are current St. Margaret’s students.

Mr. David J. Bush, Director of Finance and Operations

Mr. David Bush joined St. Margaret's Episcopal School in July 2004 as the Director of Finance and Operations, with over 30 years of business experience. His career has included management positions in manufacturing, engineering and finance. He has held the positions of Chief Financial Officer at MetPath Inc., Chief Operating Officer at McGaw, Inc., and Chief Executive Officer at MetWest Inc. and at Sechrist Industries, Inc.

He has broad responsibility for the business operations of the school including accounting, finance, insurance, legal, campus maintenance, security and custodial, building construction, student transportation and campus support services.

Mr. Bush holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bristol, a post-graduate Diploma in Management Studies from the University of Northumbria; he is a Chartered Management Accountant, and a Fellow and former Council Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Mr. Bush brings the added perspective of a long-time member of the school's community. He and his wife, Linda, are the parents of three St. Margaret's alumni.

Ms. Phoebe F. Larson, Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Ms. Phoebe F. Larson has over 20 years of experience in independent school admission and financial aid. Prior to joining St. Margaret’s Episcopal School she served as Director of Financial Aid and Admission Operations at The Thacher School in Ojai, Calif. She has extensive experience in managing highly successful admissions programs, and an impressive track record of increasing admission selectivity and developing outreach programs in diverse communities. Previously she served in the admission and financial aid offices at The Webb Schools in Claremont, Calif. and Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota.

Ms. Larson has been actively involved in a wide range of admission and student support organizations including Ivy League Readiness, The Teak Fellowship, Daniel Murphy Scholars, A Better Chance and The Alliance for Minority Affairs. She also served as Thacher’s Director of the Olympus Scholar Program similar to the St. Margaret’s Tartan Scholar Program.

She is a graduate of the Pomfret School in Connecticut and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from St. Lawrence University. She and her husband, Marc, have two children, Gordon and Audrey, who are St. Margaret’s Lower School students.

The Reverend Canon Robert D. Edwards, Head of Chaplains

The Reverend Canon Edwards was the first Chaplain of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. After three years, he left to become Rector of Christ Church in Redondo Beach, Calif. He returned to St. Margaret’s in 1999 and was made Rector in 2000. In 2004, Father Edwards was made an Honorary Canon to the Cathedral by The Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno, Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Father Edwards regularly leads Lower School and Preschool Chapels, teaches Upper School summer classes, and is an Upper School advisor. He has coached girls’ varsity basketball, Middle School softball, basketball, flag football, and was a coach for the first St. Margaret’s CIF Championship football team.

He has served on the St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees more than 10 years. He has served the Diocese of Los Angeles on the Commission on Ministry for six years and has mentored two separate classes of newly ordained deacons.

Father Edwards earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from California State University, Chico and a Masters of Divinity from The General Seminary, New York City.

He and his wife, Michele, have four children. Christina and Josiah are St. Margaret’s alumni, and Davis and Jameson currently attend St. Margaret’s.

Mrs. Lindsay Stump Eres, Program Coordinator of Student Initiatives & Director of Special Camp for Special Kids

As Program Coordinator of Student Initiatives, Mrs. Lindsay Stump Eres provides school-wide leadership and management of student initiatives that are outlined in St. Margaret Episcopal School's strategic plan. She is also the Executive Director of Special Camp for Special Kids.

Mrs. Eres serves the school community in a number of roles. She is an Advisor for students in grade 10, teaches a grade 8 enrichment course, Service and Social Action, collaboratively teaches the Upper School Joint Leadership Group, coaches Junior Varsity Girls Basketball and is the Head Coach for Varsity Boys and Girls Track and Field.

Previously, she worked for Best Buddies International as the Program Supervisor for Orange County where she directly managed Best Buddies chapters at two private high schools.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Southern California. Mrs. Eres was President of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority as well as New Member Educator. She was a member of Order of Omega, an honor society encouraging student leadership and a member of Lambda Pi Eta, a Communication honor society.

Mrs. Eres is a graduate of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, Class of 2000.

Ms. Lara Farhadi, Director of Advancement

Mrs. Lara Farhadi joined the St. Margaret’s community in August 2010. As Director of Advancement, she is responsible for the Annual Fund, manages the Advancement Office, oversees Alumni Relations and Special Events, and leads the Advancement team. She is the Advancement liaison to the Advancement Committee and the Parent Teacher Fellowship.

Mrs. Farhadi has 12 years of development experience. Prior to St. Margaret’s, Mrs. Farhadi spent eight years at the University of California, Irvine, as Associate Director of Development in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). In this role, Mrs. Farhadi developed ICS’ alumni relations program, worked closely with the dean of the school setting development strategy, managed the Dean’s Leadership Council, and was responsible for alumni-based major gifts fundraising. Ms. Farhadi also was responsible for building strong corporate ties with companies like Google and Yahoo!, establishing two endowed funds for student support, and securing the largest alumni gift in the history of the school.

Mrs. Farhadi served as Director of Individual Giving with the Pacific Symphony and was Associate Director of Annual Giving at Whittier College. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UC Irvine. She and her husband Jim have two daughters, Larissa and Katarina.

Mrs. Carol Keith, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.

Mrs. Carol Keith has been School Nurse at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for over a decade. Prior to her employment with St. Margaret’s, she had an extensive background in health care, including being a clinical case manager with Mission Hospital, a home care coordinator, Director of Liaison Services with Lifeline Homecare Enterprises and Patient Care Coordinator/Supervisor with Goldenwest Home Health Care.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Psychology and a Public Health Certificate from Mount Saint Mary’s College in Los Angeles. She is an active member of the National Charity League and is the nurse for Special Camp for Special Kids every summer. She is a member of the National Association of School Nurses and of the Orange County School Nurse Organization.

Mrs. Anne Dahlem, Director of Communications and Marketing

Mrs. Anne Dahlem has been with St. Margaret’s Episcopal School as Director of Communications and Marketing since 2007. In this role, Mrs. Dahlem oversees all school marketing, internal communications, including the school website and the Highlander and Tartan publications, media relations, community and government relations. She serves on the Strategic Planning Committee, oversees the St. Margaret’s Editorial Board and is a grade 10 advisor.

Mrs. Dahlem has over 15 years of marketing and communications experience. She worked for six years as Director of Communications and Marketing for The Art Institute of California—Orange County. At The Art Institute, she worked closely with the corporate communications office of Education Management Corporation, The Art Institutes’ parent company, to create and execute national initiatives across the 32-school system, manage and consult on crisis communications issues and direct regional communications for the State of California. She served on the EDMC Communications Leadership Council, was selected to lead the communications for EDMC’s participation at the launch of Apple’s OSX operating system with Quark at Apple’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., designed and produced The Art Institutes 2004 Best Teen Chef in America Finals held in Orange County, partnered with U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez to host her annual Congressional Art Show and was the first communicator in the company to be selected for the elite EDMC Presidential Leadership Institute training program.

Previously, Mrs. Dahlem served as Corporate Public Relations Manager for iGate Corporation where she traveled internationally for the company’s subsidiaries providing communications strategy, positioning and analyst and media relations consultation. She also served as company spokesperson and supported corporate quarterly and annual earnings report media relations. Mrs. Dahlem also worked as Account Manager for advertising and public relations agency Dymun+Company where she led the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and the National Science Foundation accounts. With the NSF, she handled national communications and media relations for its national, middle school science competition, The Bayer/NSF Award for Community Innovation.

She has secured national media placements with The New York Times, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The TODAY Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. Her work has received regional and national advertising, design and communications awards including ADDY Awards and Telly Awards. Mrs. Dahlem has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Duquesne University. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.

She has two children, Peter and Ella, who are St. Margaret's students.

Mr. Darcy Rice, Director of the Arts

Mr. Darcy Rice is the Director of the Arts at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. He teaches Middle School theater classes, oversees the Performing and Visual Arts and directs theater productions across all three divisions. He has directed over 26 theater productions at St. Margaret’s.

Mr. Rice is the author of several plays as well as more than 150 short stories and nonfiction articles. His work has appeared in regional, national and international publications, including Troika, Los Angeles Times Magazine and London’s Sun. He wrote the book for the musical Yearbook, published by Dramatic Publishing, which has received more than one hundred educational theatre productions across the United States and received its European premier at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival. Other works for the theatre include Trophies (Attic Theatre, Hollywood); Loving Fitzgerald (Ensemble Studio Theatre, Los Angeles & New York; Attic Theatre) and Not Me/Not You (California State Thespian Festival.)

He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Inc. His awards include being named 2009 Educator of the Year from the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce.

Darcy and his wife, Teri, have two children, Rowley, Class of 2009, and Emma, who is a student in the Upper School.

Mrs. Susie Maga, Director of Athletics

Mrs. Susie Maga has been at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for over 15 years as a head coach and educator. She served as Director of Student Activities for over five years. Prior to her employment with St. Margaret’s, she worked at Westmont College as an educator and assistant volleyball coach.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology from Westmont College and a Master of Arts in Education from Azusa Pacific University. She is a former class dean at St. Margaret’s and has served as director of CIF Summer Sports. She serves on the CIF Advisory Committee and has coached award-winning teams to repeated League Championships as well as CIF Championships.

Mrs. Maga has a wide range of coaching accomplishments including League Coach of the Year, CIF Coach of the Year, Orange County Register Coach of the Year, and has compiled an overall coaching record in girls’ athletics of 311-68.

Mrs. Darla Magaña, Director of Library / Media Center

Mrs. Darla Magaña has been the Director of Libraries at St. Margaret’s since 2006. Prior to joining the St. Margaret’s community, she was with Saddleback Valley Unified School District as the District Library Coordinator and a Library Media Teacher. Mrs. Magaña has also been an instructor at Santa Ana College as well as in the San Jose State University, Long Beach State University and El Monte school districts.

She oversees the St. Margaret’s library that is home to the 21st Century Learning Lab, a collection of over 37,000 books and 21 database subscriptions providing access to millions of articles and information around the clock. She manages a staff responsible for supporting school-wide instructional programs across all divisions.

Mrs. Magaña is an integral member of the St. Margaret’s administrative team and the school’s Curriculum Steering Committee. Her professional affiliations include the California School Library Association, in which she has held varied leadership roles. She is also a member of the American Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration and the Young Adult Library Services Association.

Mrs. Magaña enjoys fun and collaborative activities with students and colleagues. She is a co-leader for the Battle of the Books club that encourages a love of literature and reading in students in grades 4, and 5. St. Margaret’s BOB teams are consecutive champions in the annual Jeopardy-style contest involving nine Orange County independent schools. She is also a member of the St. Margaret’s California School Library Association’s book cart drill team, a team that also has consecutive championships.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Library Science from San Jose State University. She holds a Professional Clear Teaching Credential in English and a Library Media Teacher Credential.

Darla and her husband, Andy, have a son, Marek, who attends St. Margaret’s.

Mrs. Mary Mortimer, Director of Human Resources

Mrs. Mary Mortimer has worked in operational and human resources administration for over 20 years. As the Director of Human Resources at St. Margaret’s, she defines, develops and implements the human resource function to support the school’s strategic plan. She manages a highly diverse range of areas, including: recruitment and staffing; employee relations, development and training; performance management; compliance and reporting; and compensation and benefits.

Mrs. Mortimer serves on the school’s Strategic Planning Committee, the Diversity Committee and the Insurance Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resource Management. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from Pepperdine University’s Grazadio School of Business and Management.

While preparing young people to meet the challenges of a global community inspires her in her work at St. Margaret’s, her commitment to service extends beyond the St. Margaret’s community. She is active in her church community and participates in an outreach program called Bread of Life, providing meals to the homeless. She and her husband, Dick, support a number of charities including the Alzheimer’s Association and the Salvation Army.

Mrs. Lynn Ozonian, Director of Academic and Information Technology

Mrs. Lynn Ozonian has provided strategic direction, leadership, and management for technology services as Director of Academic and Information Technology since 1993. She manages a staff responsible for developing and supporting the school-wide campus network of approximately 1200 computers. Mrs. Ozonian oversees development of the 21st century teaching and learning plan that includes the use of wireless technologies and smart classrooms.

As an instructional leader, Mrs. Ozonian established the Computer Science department at St. Margaret's Episcopal School and significantly expanded the course offerings. She has presented the St. Margaret’s technology vision to various groups, including the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and has hosted many schools interested in replicating the effective ways in which St. Margaret’s has brought technology into the classroom. She is a member of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

She is currently the Computer Science Department Chair, teaches Video Game Programming in the Middle School, teaches Introduction to Programming in the Upper School, and is the coach for the girls JV Golf team.

Mrs. Ozonian has more than 30 years of information technology experience. Prior to her career at St. Margaret's Episcopal School, Mrs. Ozonian was Vice President Information Systems and Operations Support for CPI Pension Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Continental Corporation. As a consultant in Chicago, she provided leadership and managed critical business system initiatives for many Fortune 500 companies such as McDonald’s, Allstate, Kemper Insurance, A. C. Nielsen, and Baxter Travenol.

Mrs. Ozonian earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from The University of Maryland.

Lynn and her husband Steve have two sons who are both St. Margaret’s alumni.

Mrs. Janice Avalone, All-School Counselor

Mrs. Janice Avalone serves the St. Margaret's Episcopal School community as All-School Counselor. In this role, she works with all four division principals, the Learning Center and individual teachers and advisors serving the emotional and psychological needs of students.

Mrs. Avalone has been a member of the St. Margaret's Episcopal School community for 13 years. She has filled a number of leadership positions and has continually taken on additional responsibilities, including leadership of Lower School after school clubs and extended day programs, as well as summer sports programs for the Lower and Middle Schools and teaching Christian Life Skills in the Lower School.

She has also served as a leader on various committees within the Lower School as well as with the school’s nurses, the Upper School Counselor and the Learning Center Psychologists working in support of our students’ overall health.

Mrs. Avalone has a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Southern California a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy from Pepperdine University.