OUR LEADERSHIP
The members of our Board of Directors and Advisory Board are dedicated to supporting our gifted student population and knowledgable on what it takes to do gifted education well.
The experience and guidance of these leaders have made The Knox School of Santa Barbara
the gold standard in gifted education on California's Central Coast.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANGELA TANNER, PH.D.
Founder & Director
Angela Tanner is Founder and Executive Director of The Knox School of Santa Barbara. Born of the efforts of advocating for her own sons, she resolved to form a school that would incorporate both the intellectual, academic needs of gifted students, as well as the equally important, and often overlooked, social and emotional needs of this unique population.
Over the course of her career she was fortunate enough to work with and be exposed to some of the top minds in the world on how the human brain learns and remembers and the optimal conditions for learning to take place. Dr. Tanner earned her BA in Psychology and Business from UCLA where she graduated with College Honors, magna cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. Before graduate school, she worked at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii, participating in methods of behavioral research studying cognition and communication in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. She returned to UCLA to earn her doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience where she employed functional brain mapping techniques (specifically functional MRI) to examine the functional and structural topography of cognitive processes, primarily learning and memory, in healthy and diseased brains. Her work on learning and memory spanned the Psychology Department and the Human Brain Mapping Center, where in addition to her studies, she organized and led a cross-functional team of 20 neurologists, physicians, and researchers to investigate brain function in Alzheimer's patients with fMRI and PET during drug treatment. During her tenure, she taught 10 quarters of cognitive psychology courses, receiving the Shepherd Ivory Franz Distinguished Teaching Associate Award, awarded by students, colleagues, and faculty for outstanding service to the field of teaching. Dr. Tanner was awarded the PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience in 2000.
TATE KUBOSE, PH.D.
Tate Kubose earned his doctorate in Cognitive Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His graduate research included projects focused on understanding how previous knowledge is utilized to facilitate the learning of new topics and how technology can be used to enhance high school students' acquisition of math and science principles. While at UCLA, he was also awarded the opportunity to develop and teach an original undergraduate course through the Collegium of Teaching Fellows. Dr. Kubose has held postdoctoral positions at Columbia University and the University of Illinois, where his research examined the development of medical expertise, decision-making in young adults, and how cellphone use affects driving performance. Prior to developing his present career as a human factors consultant, Dr. Kubose worked with Koko, a lowland gorilla who communicates using sign language. Dr. Kubose is honored to be a part of The Knox School of Santa Barbara and is excited to be able to apply his education and experience to promote its mission.
CAROLINE PEREIRA, S.I.
Caroline Periera is a Santa Barbara native who attended both public and private schools in the area. When Ms. Periera, along with her husband, moved to Boise, ID in 1989, she was instrumental in forming Riverstone International School, whose motto is "Inspiring, Empowering, Achieving". As one of the three original founders of Riverstone International, Ms. Periera's passion for encouraging the love of learning was realized in developing a school whose educational philosophy centers on academic excellence, international understanding, community and service, leadership by example, and outdoor education. Ms. Periera and her husband, along with their children, returned to their native Santa Barbara several years ago; Ms. Periera continues with her passion for learning as a Life Strategist working with clients nationwide to help foster the continuation of the love of learning and living by assisting those who feel mired to develop a clear, decisive action plan to transform their quality of life.
JIM DELISLE, PH.D.
Dr. James (Jim) Delisle has taught gifted children and those who work on their behalf for more than 40 years. Jim retired from Kent State University in 2008 after 25 years of service as a Distinguished Professor of Special Education. Throughout his career, Jim has taken time away from college teaching to return to his “classroom roots”, volunteering as a 2nd, 4th, and 8th grade teacher in 1991, 1997 and 2006. Too, Jim taught gifted middle school students one day a week between 1998-2008 in the Twinsburg, Ohio Public Schools. For the past ten years, Jim has worked part-time with highly-gifted 9th and 10th graders at the Scholars' Academy in Conway, South Carolina.
The author of more than 275 articles and 26 books, Jim’s work has been translated into multiple languages and has been featured in both professional journals and in popular media, such as The New York Times, People Magazine, and on Oprah! Two of Jim's award-winning books, Doing poorly on purpose: Strategies to reverse underachievement and respect student dignity, and, Understanding gifted children from the inside-out: A guide to the social and emotional lives of gifted kids were both published in 2018. Creating strong kids through writing and Creating kind and compassionate kids were published in 2020, and. the 5th edition of his best-selling book, The Gifted Teen Survival Guide, will be published in 2022.
A frequent presenter throughout the U.S., Jim has also addressed audiences in nations as diverse as England, Greece, China, Oman, the Netherlands, Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
MARTIN TANNER, PH.D.
Martin O. Tanner is a co-founder and co-manager of Blue Sea Investments, a Santa Barbara-based investment fund. Prior to founding Blue Sea, Dr. Tanner led the Corporate Development Group for Micron Technology, Inc., a Fortune 500 semiconductor manufacturer. At Micron, Dr. Tanner was responsible for business modeling, mergers & acquisitions, venture investments, performance improvement projects, market research, and competitive intelligence. Formerly, Dr. Tanner was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he led strategy and operational improvement projects in the United States, Asia, and Latin America. Dr. Tanner attended UCLA, receiving B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering. He holds two US. Patents and has authored over 30 papers on semiconductor materials and device physics.
ADVISORY BOARD
JAY CARLANDER, PH.D.
Jay Carlander attended junior high, high school, college, and graduate school in Santa Barbara. He earned a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. at UCSB in U.S. History and has taught at UCSB, Santa Barbara City College, and Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland where he also served as the interim director of the University's honors program. Jay also has local nonprofit experience having served as the Development Director for Jodi House Brain Injury Support Center in Santa Barbara. Jay brings to the Knox School Advisory Board much experience in creating environments that promote excellence, high-achievement, and affective well-being for students of diverse backgrounds and abilities.
ERIN DABBS, J.D.
Erin Dabbs is a graduate of UCLA with a BA is psychology and of Harvard Law School where she obtained her J.D. in 2003. After a brief stint at the law firm Arnold & Porter LLP, Ms. Dabbs has dedicated her legal career to public service, as senior staff attorney at the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, and currently as a staff attorney at the Los Angeles Superior Court Self-Help Resource Center. Ms. Dabbs has also taught at Los Angeles Community College and volunteers with College Match, a non-profit that helps promising low-income students apply to prestigious colleges.
ELLEN HONECK, PH.D.
Dr. Honeck has spent her career in support of the gifted learner and is currently a Gifted Education Consultant. She earned her doctoral degree in the area of curriculum and instruction with a concentration in gifted education from the University of Denver, specifically focusing on the social-emotional aspects of curriculum and instruction. She has served as the Associate Director of the Institute for the Development of Gifted Education and an Administrator at the Ricks Center for Gifted Children, both located at the University of Denver. Dr. Honeck has presented at numerous gifted conferences at the state level, as well as nationally and internationally. Her presentations and publication topics include integrated curricula, identification of gifted students, instructional strategies for gifted learners, psychological aspects of gifted learners, and creative and critical thinking strategies. She is an active leader in many state and national gifted education organizations, and is currently the Chair of the National Association for Gifted Children’s Early Childhood Network. She is currently Dean of Gifted and Talented Academy at Laurel Springs School.
BARBARA KLEIN, PH.D.
Barbara Klein has worked with gifted children, their parents, and public and private schools in the greater Los Angeles area since 1986. Her private practice is dedicated to assisting the special educational needs of gifted and highly gifted children. Dr. Klein has written eight books in the field of developmental psychology and education, including Raising Gifted Kids: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Exceptional Child Thrive. Dr. Klein's most outstanding contribution to the field of education was her work developing the initial parent education component for Head Start, a program developed to enhance the school readiness of economically disadvantaged preschoolers. Dr. Klein earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, her Masters and Doctorate in Early Childhood Education from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California Graduate Institute in Los Angeles.
VICKI OLIVADATI
Victoria Olivadoti has specialized in gifted education for forty years. She understands the needs of twice exceptional students and has developed programs to meet the unique needs of gifted students. Victoria is a valued consultant to parent groups, teachers and school districts. She speaks nationally and is recognized as an expert in her field. Currently, she is teaching third grade at The Pegasus School for the gifted and talented students in Huntington Beach, while maintaining her private practice as an author, columnist, and educational consultant. Ms. Olivadati has been recognized most recently by the "Who's Who of Teachers," "Who's Who of Women in Business," and "Who's Who of Influential Educators."
ROBERT SATTERTHWAITE, J.D.
Robert E. Satterthwaite is a Managing Member of Blue Sea Research Advisors, LLC. Prior to joining Blue Sea Research Advisors LLC, Mr. Satterthwaite was a litigation partner in the law firm of Russ August & Kabat, where he specialized in intellectual property and commercial litigation. Prior to joining Russ August & Kabat, Mr. Satterthwaite was associated with the law firm of Munger Tolles & Olson, LLP, where he specialized in commercial litigation and internal investigations of Fortune 500 Companies. Prior to joining Munger Tolles & Olson, Mr. Satterthwaite served as a law clerk to two federal judges. Mr. Satterthwaite received his B.S. in Biology, and attended the USC School of Law, where he graduated first in his class, was elected to the Order of the Coif, and served as a member of the USC Law Review.
