Administration & Staff
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Zoë Ana Nelsen - Head Learner
Raised in Santa Fe, NM and having spent the majority of her life in the American Southwest, Zoë has a positive connection to the region. In 2000 she received a B.A. in Sociology from Fort Lewis College, an M.A. in Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies from The University of New Mexico in 2006, and is a Ph.D. student at Prescott College, in Sustainability Education and Leadership. Her research explores what one specific interest group (mothers), deems as significant learning for youth today and examines how schools today can meet these needs. Zoë holds a New Mexico Level II Secondary Teacher’s License with endorsements in Social Studies, Physical Education, and TESOL. She completed her Educational Administration Internship at Monte del Sol during the 2017-2018 school year and earned her certification in March of 2018. Zoë enjoys walking her dogs, listening to audiobooks, preparing fresh foods, gardening, telemark skiing, bike riding, kayaking, swimming, and ceramics.
[email protected]
Will Rushing - Upper School Dean

Erika Penczer - Lower School Dean

Desirae Soriano - Office Manager

Lupe Cerquera - Registrar

Bio coming soon!
[email protected]
Pablo Cerquera - Information Technology Director
Elizabeth Franco - Business Manager

Vanessa Rivera - Assistant Business Manager

Daniel Rock - Special Services Co-coordinator
Daniel Rock has been involved with education, in various forms, for over ten years. He graduated from Unity College in Maine in 2001, with a Bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation Management, worked as a Backcountry Ranger at White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, a Trail Builder for the National Parks Service in Colorado and Maine, and for city and state parks in Oregon. The seasonal park jobs led to a career transition. He began teaching adaptive winter sports for the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Colorado, and spent six seasons with this organization, as a Special Olympics Coach, one-on-one Instructor and Coordinator for a weekly Saturday program. This experience sparked his passion for working with people with exceptionalities. He moved to New Mexico in 2013, where he spent a year teaching life and work skills to adjudicated youth at Youth Shelters and Family Services. He received his teaching certificates in Science and Special Education, from Santa Fe Community College and taught Science and Special Education for three years with Santa Fe Public Schools before coming to Monte del Sol in 2017.
Cate Moses - Homeless Education Liaison, Administrative Support

Cate came to Monte del Sol in 2015, after her youngest daughter completed Middle School at Monte. She taught American Literature at Penn State University, Texas Tech University, and the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, and was a visual and performing arts public relations consultant for many years.
In 2016, with the help of the Foundation for Monte del Sol, Cate founded the Monte del Sol Casa Program for students and their families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. She serves as the Head Learner's assistant and administers the Casa Program. Cate loves her job and is grateful to be able to serve Monte!
Cate received a BA in English and Creative Writing from UNM, and an MA and Ph.D. in English Literature from Penn State University. Her paintings and photographs have been exhibited in public art spaces and galleries for two decades. In 2018 she was a summer resident artist at Rud AIR in Laxarby, Sweden. Click on her photo to see her artwork. Cate likes to be out in the mountains and moonshadows, on foot, skis, or mountain bike. She has three fabulous daughters and three very bad cats.
Giselle Piburn - Mentorship Director
