Meet Our Leadership Team
Administrative Team

Josh Drake
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
About Josh
Throughout Josh’s career, he has worked to address issues of social justice to help our society more fully live up to its ideals of liberty and justice for all. Most recently, Josh was Vice-President at Rocketship Public Schools for six years with responsibility for its overall school program and, more specifically, helped build out its supports for the whole child and students with disabilities. Prior to that, he worked for seven years at Denver Public Schools where he served as Executive Director of Exceptional Students and was responsible for special education as well as gifted and talented. Earlier in Josh’s career, he worked to create jobs and wealth in minority communities through supporting the expansion of minority-owned companies.
Josh holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College, a master’s of business administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and a master’s in instructional leadership from RELAY’s graduate school of education.
Josh is fortunate to have been married for twenty plus years with one son who will be a freshman at UC Santa Cruz in the fall of 2023.

Mark Nielsen
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
About Mark

Hailey Barker
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
About Hailey

Sun Garcia
PROGRAM SPECIALIST / CONSULTANT
About Sun
When on site at Morgan Autism Center, Sun enjoys supporting teachers, staff and students with development of curriculum, instruction, administration, training and behavioral support. With a focus on a higher quality of life for students and clients, Sun continues to embrace the idea of lifelong education for all as she teaches the skills our students and clients need, in the most functional and practical form, with love and kindness.

Sally Hird
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
About Sally

Haley Sepulveda
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
About Haley
Haley joined MAC in January 2020 working as an Instructional Aide in the school program. She is a California State University, Monterey Bay graduate. There she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology.
She enjoys working for Morgan Autism Center because the students and staff are so kind and welcoming. It’s an overall loving environment that she’s blessed to be a part of. In her free time, she loves to coach volleyball, visit the beach, and enjoys a good nap.

Ching Young
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE
About Ching

Nicole Ferguson
ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST / ART THERAPIST
About Nicole
Nicole Ferguson is a BFA graduate of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She studied illustration, design, painting, and sculpture. During her last semester, Nicole visited an art studio for adults with special needs. At that point, her career completely changed.
Nicole met Morgan Autism Center’s Executive Director, Jennifer Sullivan. Immediately, Jennifer asked Nicole if she could teach students how to paint because they just lost their art therapist and would she be interested in a job in their Art Enrichment Program.
Ten years later, Nicole has had the privilege of teaching art to our clients and students. She is passionate about helping them cultivate their artistic skills as well as supporting their development through adaptive art curriculum. Nicole is also a part of the administration team, using her creative and administrative talents to further Morgan Autism Center’s mission. When she has free time, Nicole spends it with her family, outside gardening, and spoiling her Boston Terriers, Puka and Benny.

Eric Santiago
FACILITIES TECHNICIAN
About Eric
Eric is the newest addition to our admin team. He joined MAC in July 2021 working as our Facilities Technician. Eric is a San Jose native, and appreciates giving back to his community.
He enjoys working at Morgan Autism Center because he likes to help others, as well as make a change. In his free time, he likes to sing, create music, and be active.
Teaching Team

Rob McPhee
ROOM 1 TEACHER
About Rob
Rob has been with the Morgan Center for over 14 years! Originally a theatre geek with a B.A in Technical Theatre and Design from San Francisco State Universtiy, as well as 5+ years of professional stage management experience, Rob landed at the Morgan Center completely by chance! He fell in love with the students, the culture, the climate and the sense of family at MAC. Having worked as an Instructional Aide, Rob is excited to have taken on a lead teaching role while he pursues his credential in special education. In his free time, Rob loves cooking, being creative, and video/board gaming. He is also happily partnered to his wonderful husband who he has been with for over 16 years.

Claudine Pitpitan
ROOM 2 TEACHER
About Claudine

Ronald Manuel
ROOM 3 TEACHER
About Ron
Ron has been with Morgan Autism Centert for the past 4 years, working in Room 2 with the youngest students at our school. He is excited to start the next step in his teaching journey with parents and their children.
It has been a blast getting to know the students and Ron can’t wait to see what the year has in store for them!
Ron is an easy going Californian who has way too many hobbies. A couple of favorites are building/riding surfboards and creating music in his spare time.

Isela Lopez
ROOM 4 TEACHER
About Isela
Isela has been at Morgan Autism Center for the past 7 years. She worked with the youngest students in room 2 as well as the older students in rooms 5 and 3. Isela graduated with a BA in Communicative Disorders from SFSU as she originally wanted to be a speech therapist. However, after working at the Morgan Center, Isela realized that her passion lies more in teaching and is currently working on finishing up her teaching credential. Isela has been happily married for more than 11 years and has the most beautiful baby. In her spare time Isela likes to keep her hands and mind busy by running, singing, knitting, beading, and embroidery.

Heather McClimans
ROOM 5 TEACHER
About Heather

Jamilah Miller
ROOM 6 TEACHER
Coming Soon!

Shaila Prabhu
ROOM 7 TEACHER
About Shaila

Kristin Schaefer
ROOM 8 TEACHER
About Kristin
Kristin grew up in Tucson Arizona and went to the University of Arizona for Elementary Education. She moved to San Jose in 2007 and has been working at the Morgan Autism Center ever since. Kristin received her masters in Special Education and enjoys cooking for her friends and family. She lives with her husband and 2 children.

Tyler Jakatis
P.E. COORDINATOR
About Tyler
In 2003, Tyler received a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University in Child and Family Development. Following graduation, he worked as a 1-to-1 aide at a public high school with a student who had high functioning autism. Tyler then moved to San Jose and worked in a couple of different special education programs before coming to Morgan Autism Center.
Adult Program Team

Aya Sasaki
ADULT PROGRAM DIRECTOR
About Aya

Sara Cedano
COMMUNITY INTEGRATION PROGRAM DIRECTOR
About Sara
Board of Directors

Tom Caulfield
BOARD CHAIR
About Tom
Tom has been associated with Morgan Autism Center since his son, Thomas, started attending in 2007. He has been a Board member since 2013 and has been the Board Chair since July 2021. Tom has been the Vice-Chair and is also a member of the Boards Recruitment Committee. His long-term goals for Morgan Autism Center are to support its distance learning efforts, and to ensure that we only return to campus when it is safe to do so. His longer term goals revolve around program expansion.
Tom works at Twitter in the Supply Engineering organization and he and his family enjoy boating, hiking, biking and all things outdoors.

Christopher Escher
BOARD SECRETARY
About Christopher
Christopher Escher is the father of Jonathan Escher, a Morgan Autism Center student since 2005. Sweet-tempered and non-verbal, Jonathan has blossomed under the caring professionalism of Morgan Autism Center staff. Of note, he has made special strides in self-help skills.
Christopher decided to join Morgan Autism Center’s Board of Directors in 2013 in an effort to assist with the marketing and communications functions at the school. As secretary of the board, Christopher is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of board documentation and reporting. He is also head of the Communications Committee.
Professionally, Christopher worked at Apple for 12 years in various communications roles. He completed his career there in 1996 as vice president of corporate communications. He also served in executive marketing roles at various high-tech start-ups, completing his business career at Google as Creative Director from 2000 to 2006. He attended Stanford University, where he received a BA in 1980 and master’s degree in English literature in 1981.

Jeffrey Eaton
BOARD MEMBER
About Jeffrey
Jeffrey Eaton has proudly served on the Morgan Autism Center Board of Directors since 2018. One of his favorite lifetime memories was touring the previous campus for the first time with Executive Director, Brad Boardman, and realizing that he had never been so close to so much selfless dedication and pure love in any environment. He knew immediately that Morgan Autism Center was a ‘lifetime’ connection for him.
As an Architect, Jeffrey brings his design, construction and project management experience to help assist with the organization’s campus and logistic needs and as a member of the Campus Facilities Committee. He aspires to help guide Morgan Autism Center in its vision for the future.
Jeffrey is a graduate of Architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and is the proud father of two teens, Kennedy (17) and Maverick (16) who both attend Branham High School.

Greg Finn
BOARD MEMBER
About Greg
Greg Finn has over 35 years of experience in the financial industry, including 14 years as a trust officer, focusing on Special Needs Trusts. He has extensive knowledge regarding estate planning, philanthropic gifts and investment management.
Greg has served as Director of Planned Giving for Mercy Foundation in Sacramento, and as a trust officer for both Union Bank of California, Bank of the West and now Fremont Bank. He is a member of the Estate Planning Councils of East Bay, Diablo Valley, Tri Valley, Peninsula, South Alameda and Santa Clara. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 Greg was a keynote speaker on “Investing for Court Supervised and Non-Supervised Trusts” at the annual PFAC (Professional Fiduciary Association of California) conference.
He has a BSC and MBA in Finance from Santa Clara University and an MS in Operations Research from University of Kent, Canterbury in England. He has three grown children and lives with his wife Karen in Sacramento.
As a result of his years of work experience with special needs trusts, Greg got to know Morgan Autism Center through its parents. The more he learned, the more he wanted to become involved and asked to join the board.

Stephanie Gray
BOARD MEMBER
About Stephanie
Stephanie Gray’s introduction to the Morgan Autism Center was through her attendance at the Starry Starry Night Fundraising Galas, which showcases the unique strengths of MAC and its powerful impact on families. The Galas provided an opportunity for Stephanie to reflect back on the challenges her younger brother experienced as a child and how he would have benefitted from such essential programs that MAC provides to Bay Area families. When the Morgan Autism Board invited her to join in January 2023, Stephanie was honored and excited to give back.
Currently Senior Manager of Business Assurance Services at SRI International, Stephanie brings over 15 years of experience in financial, operational, governance, risk management and compliance to the MAC organization.
Stephanie holds CPA, CISA and CIA certifications in accounting and auditing, a BBA from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and an MBA from Pepperdine University. In addition, she serves on the SRI Federal Credit Union Board of Directors.

Rickey Green
BOARD MEMBER
About Rickey
I have been a member of Morgan Autism Center’s Board of Directors since June 2002 and have served as chairman of the Finance Committee since November 2002. I was first introduced to Morgan Autism Center in 2001 while serving as legal counsel for a private foundation that provided financial support of the nonprofit organization’s relocation from Los Altos.
On my very first visit to Morgan Autism Center, I was sold. It was clear from my exposure to the kids, the faculty, the community, and the Morgan Center teachings, that Morgan Autism Center was an incredible place. Although I do not have a child in the program, it was readily evident to me how much the lives of the students were enriched by the individualized and compassionate teachings there.
At the time I first became associated with Morgan Autism Center, I was working as an attorney in private practice, having transitioned from a 5 year career in public accounting (CPA), then pursuing my educational studies in law (JD/LLM) and initially starting my legal career as an associate attorney for a mid-size law firm. Through the years that I have assisted Morgan Autism Center in navigating its growth, I also navigated a career in private law practice as well as an executive in health care. I am currently the CEO of Power Personnel, a healthcare staffing company that my wife, Cynthia Stewart, and I provide strategic leadership for and manage. Power Personnel is distinguished for its reputation for outstanding service delivery and was named as one of the top 100 fastest growing healthcare staffing companies by Staffing Industry Analyst.
As a member of Morgan Autism Center’s Finance Committee, I have had the pleasure of working with fellow committee members Barbara Wright (Board) and Doug Stevens (Business Manager) to assist the center in achieving its financial growth. We all believe the broad community impact that Morgan Autism Center has from its conferences, educational programs, and consulting services about autism to multiple school districts makes it one of the unsung heroes of Silicon Valley. We are all proud to support the charitable mission of the Morgan Autism Center.

Nena Montgomery
BOARD MEMBER
About Nena
Nena first came to Morgan Autism Center as the parent of a special needs daughter, who was in the school program for 10 years. She joined the Board in 2010 and served as the Board Chair from 2015-2021 and was part of the team that resulted in Morgan Autism Center’s purchasing a permanent site for their campus in San Jose. She has seen first hand the impact that Morgan Autism Center’s programs have on families and is proud to be a part of an organization that has made a difference in so many lives.
Retired now from a career as a professional fundraiser, Nena is involved in her community through volunteering and teaching Pilates. An avid reader and outdoor explorer, she enjoys hiking, swimming and boogie boarding. Nena holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from George Washington University and an MFA in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts.

Ted Moorhead
BOARD MEMBER
About Ted
Back in 2009 a fellow Rotarian approached Ted about Morgan Autism Center. At that time the organization was looking for additional board members, and Ted was looking to give back to the community. The special needs space quickly gots his attention as he has a daughter with special needs. She is not at Morgan Autism Center, but she receives help from many well intentioned and caring people, just like they deliver. After touring the program and doing his own due diligence, it was very clear that Morgan Autism Center was a leading organization in a growing space; that Ted thought he could help.
Ted’s position and purpose of being on the board is to help focus on the long-term viability of the organization. Ted uses his background at Merrill Lynch as a Senior Vice President of Wealth Management at the Santana Row branch to do so. He is proud to say that the diligent and persistent efforts by faculty in the past are evident in the service Morgan Autism Center provides now. With the forward thinking of fellow board members and the drive of the entire staff, Morgan Autism Center can continue to prosper and be on the leading edge of the continual changing face of Autism.
A special thanks goes out to all the people who give of their time and money, allowing Morgan Autism Center to be successful in what it does!

Joe Moriarty
BOARD MEMBER
About Joe
Joe Moriarty joined the Morgan Autism Center board in 2017 and is an Executive Vice President at CBRE co-leading the Northern California Capital Markets Team.
Joe has a BS in Business from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from the Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Joe has three children, two which have special needs and are former students of Morgan Autism Center.

Debbie Textor
BOARD MEMBER
About Debbie
Debbie has a passion for supporting students, teaching staff and families. She is a retired educator with 34 years of experience as an elementary teacher, school Principal, Director of Special Education and Executive Director of Student Services and Special Education. She is skilled at curriculum and program development, leadership development, as well as special education laws and is a fierce advocate for students with special needs. She is a compassionate and caring leader.
Debbie was honored to join the MAC Board in March of 2022. Her experience and knowledge added value as the Executive team and the Board navigated the ever changing landscape of the pandemic. Having placed students in the Morgan Center, she knows first-hand the positive impact it has on students and their families and is proud to serve on the Board.
Debbie is a certified bareboat sailor and loves to be on the ocean or sailing on Lake Tahoe. She also loves to travel, ski, tend to her garden and chickens, and play with her dogs and her partner, Ted. She enjoys spending time with her family and close friends. Debbie is an active member of the Cupertino Rotary.
Support Morgan Autism Center
In our continuing mission to provide high-quality programs, we're grateful for the invaluable donations from our sponsors and donors.
Morgan Autism Center
San Jose, CA 95126-3900
Phone: (408) 241-8161
Email: info@morgancenter.org
Website: https://www.morgancenter.org