Board of Trustees

List of 8 members.

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  Stone James 

  Director of Economic Development

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  Dr. James brings more than 25 years of private and public sector leadership, management, and collaboration to the PVS Board. Dr. James currently serves the Cathedral City community as the Director of Economic Development. This position focuses on setting and implementing long-term economic strategies for the Cathedral City and Coachella Valley community. These strategies are focused on increasing community wealth and social-wellbeing through enhancing economic and educational opportunities. Having just completed University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy’s Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development program, Dr. James brings a passion for education and a socially-minded conscience to the Board.
  
  Despite a variety of roles and accomplishments, Dr. James is most proud of his role as a father and husband. As father of three, his youngest child, Sierra, is a proud PVS middle schooler and has attended PVS since Kindergarten. Even at this young age, Sierra is looking forward to graduating from PVS and leveraging the prestigious PVS brand and academic rigor to gain admittance to a top university. In addition to her passion for art, Sierra is interested in “becoming a research doctor to help find a cure for cancer”. Dr. James is grateful for the confidence, kindness, intellectual curiosity, poise, and moral compass PVS has helped develop and instill within Sierra. “Sierra has been surrounded by great students from great families the entire time she has been at Palm Valley. Sierra has received phenomenal care and support from PVS faculty and staff. PVS has been a safe, fun, and challenging environment to create memories, make friends, and develop her passions”.
• 

  Lauren Skiver 

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  Lauren Skiver has served the transit industry for almost 28 years. Starting as a Maintenance Clerk at HART in Tampa, Florida, she has progressed her career by serving as Director of Paratransit Services at HART, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at MTA Maryland, and CEO at Delaware Transit Corporation.
  
  In 2013, she became the CEO/General Manager of SunLine Transit Agency where she led the delivery of transit services to the Coachella Valley and continued the efforts of SunLine’s Zero Emission Bus program. SunLine has long been a pioneer of Hydrogen Fuel Cell and zero emission technology and continues to be a leader in innovative approaches to clean transit service delivery.
  
  She recently joined Transdev US as Chief Operating Officer where she supports over 200 transit operations nationwide.
  
  Additionally, Ms. Skiver served nine years in the U.S. Army specializing in Military Intelligence as an Imagery Analyst and served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She is the proud Grandma of a rising PVS 2nd grader, Avery.
• 

  Nate Otto 

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  Nate Otto, with deep-rooted ties to Palm Springs, moved to the desert with his wife Gina in 2000. Their daughter enrolled in Palm Valley during the 6th grade. Witnessing her remarkable progress beyond academics solidified Nate's faith in the school. She proudly graduated as the Valedictorian of the class of 2023. He believes Palm Valley School has a special ability to foster the best in children and actively contributes to the community it serves. Nate learned the craft of construction from his father, refining his carpentry skills and eventually becoming a General Contractor and Developer, overseeing his own projects. In 2009, Nate made a transition to the solar industry and now owns one of the Coachella Valley's premier solar companies.
  
  Besides his professional pursuits, Nate is dedicated to volunteer work and supports various community programs and events. He previously served on the Palm Springs Sustainability Commission from 2014 to 2017 and presently serves on the Board of Directors at Desert Arc.
• 

  Briana Jordan 

  Secretary

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  Briana Jordan is the Vice President and CFO at Brudvik Inc Electrical Contractor in Palm Springs. Briana attended Western Washington University and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 2003. She began working at Brudvik in 2004 and now is a Corporate Officer and Board Member for the company. Her day-to-day duties include managing receivables, managing payables, insurance policies, banking, contracts, advertising, financials, taxes, collections, directly supervising the Rental Department, managing the office staff and more. Briana has served on the Palm Valley Board of Trustees since 2020 in the capacity of General Member, Treasurer and now, Secretary. Briana also served as the President of the Palm Valley Parent Association from 2020 - 2022. Briana is married to Nate Jordan, who owns a vacation rental business here in the Coachella Valley. They have one daughter, Kenleigh (class of 2035), who has been enrolled at Palm Valley since she was 18 months old. Briana loves the school and hopes to make a difference by engaging families and working with her fellow board members to make Palm Valley the best school in the desert!
• 

  Sarah Dunn 

  Vice-Chair

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  Dr. Sarah L. Dunn, is an Associate Professor at California State University, San Bernardino on the Palm Desert Campus in the Kinesiology Department. Her areas of scholarly expertise are in the early mechanisms for disease risk in young adults which include: inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, adiposity, and vagal insensitivity. More specifically, she is interested in how lifestyle interventions, incorporating healthy nutritional choices and physical activity prevent disease and the comorbidities associated. Dr. Dunn obtained her bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of New South Wales and University of Sydney, both in Australia, and recently joined the CSUSB community after a tenured professorship at the University of La Verne in La Verne, CA. She currently holds a Fellowship in Curriculum Assessment and is passionate about research and the idea of systematic inquiry and adding to the scientific body of literature. In 2020 she completed a 4 year grant, funded by the W.M. Keck Foundation, for Broadening Participation in Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in STEM. That grant was based on high impact research immersion experiences promoting key learning outcomes while increasing STEM retention and success for undergraduate students. Dr. Dunn sits on the Board of Directors for the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research and previously served a three-year term on the Southwest American College of Sports Medicine, Board of Trustees. She is the mother of Emerson, Class of 2030, and Harley, Class of 2035, and has volunteered over the years for the Parents Association and in the classroom.
• 

  Sara Rouche 

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  Sara Rouche is a communication professional with more than two decades of experience in corporate, executive, and development communications, media relations, and content creation. She currently serves as a member of the corporate communications team at a global nonprofit research organization, where she develops and executes integrated communication strategies to increase donor support for the organization. Rouche worked for a decade in the Office of Communications at a top-tier California law school, helping to raise the school’s profile, increase philanthropic funding, and enhance alumni involvement. She previously represented legal and professional service providers as a director of media relations at a boutique press relations firm.
  
  Rouche holds an M.S. degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a B.A. degree in communication from the University of Pennsylvania. She and her family moved to the Coachella Valley in 2021 to join the PVS community. As the proud parent of a current PVS middle school student, she is honored to serve on the Board and support Palm Valley School.
• 

  Garrett Falzone 

  Financial Analyst

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  Garrett Falzone and his family moved to Palm Springs in 2021. He has nearly three decades of experience in the analysis, investment, trading and sales of municipal fixed income securities. He will be retiring as Head of Municipal Bond Research at PGIM Fixed Income later in 2023. Prior to joining PGIM Fixed Income he was Head of Municipal Bond Strategy for the investment bank Jefferies. He additionally has held senior positions at Barclays and BlackRock. Garrett is committed to applying his knowledge and experience to help entities and organizations that align with his personal interests and where he can make a difference. In addition to serving on the PVS Board of Trustees, he currently is a member of the Klamath Tribes’ Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors and serves as its Treasurer. Garrett’s wife Donna is an Occupational Therapist and they are the proud parents of Sawyer, a senior at PVS.
• 

  Kevin Doran 

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  Kevin Doran is the co-owner and CFO of Byrd Books, LLC since 2015 where he is responsible for the business and financial management, intellectual property defense, and contracting, as well as assisting his wife, Kate, in marketing/advertising and publishing. The business allowed Kevin to leave his previous career as a small business and intellectual property attorney.
  
  Kevin attended a school much like Palm Valley (Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, WA) and is a firm believer in the value that a small, independent school can offer, as well as the challenges that it can face. He graduated from USC in 2004 with a degree in Classics and then the rigorous, 2-year SCALE program at Southwestern Law School. Kevin has served on the Board of Trustees since 2022. His son, Tristan, is in the class of 2036.