Announced July 11, 2025

Our team of Graham administrators is now complete with the addition of Dr. Naomi Ansaldo as a new Assistant Principal. She will be serving with Principal Sebastian Benavidez III and Assistant Principal Mrs. Jackee Keirns. Mr. Andrew Donati will be joining Castro and Crittenden next year as an Assistant Principal. 

Dr. Ansaldo began her English teaching career nearly twenty years ago at Santa Clara High School. Since then, she has worked at SCUSD most recently as Vice Principal of Secondary Summer School EL/ML Programs, and also as the English Learner Collaborative Team Lead, and English Language Development Site Coordinator. Her school and district leadership includes roles in a variety of committees, professional development, and accreditation efforts. She has a doctorate degree in Education from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s and a master's degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She brings a strong belief in improving the learning opportunities and outcomes for all students.

Additionally, I am pleased to announce a few staffing changes at the District Office. These changes reflect a thoughtful effort to align our administrators’ unique strengths with the evolving needs of our district and students.

Ms. Tara Vikjord Watan will be the new Director of Early Learning and Afterschool Programs.  She will join the Educational Services Department on July 14 to oversee MVWSD Plus+ / Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, Transitional Kindergarten, and the Special Education Preschool. These areas have grown recently due to student needs and state requirements. Ms. Watan is looking forward to returning to early childhood education, the place where her teaching journey first began.

While the Director of Early Learning and Afterschool Programs is a new position, it is not an additional administrative position. Ms. Watan will be taking on a portion of duties resulting from an administrative vacancy in the Special Education Department. We will not backfill the current assistant superintendent position that Ms. Watan is vacating. This reduces the total number of assistant/associate superintendents at MVWSD to two, which is a more appropriate number for a district of our size.

Ms. Watan has been MVWSD’s Assistant Superintendent/Chief Human Relations Officer since 2020, helping to lead MVWSD through the COVID pandemic.  She has been in the District since 2014 as an Educational Services Coordinator and as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Prior to joining the MVWSD team, she served as a principal and coordinator in South Monterey County and taught elementary and middle school students in the Central Valley.

Ms. Erin Green will oversee Human Resources as Director of Human Resources beginning July 14. She has been the Director of Student and Staff Services at Los Altos School District for the last nine years. Ms. Green was the Principal at Covington Elementary in Los Altos from 2009 - 2016. She also was the Principal of Willow Glen Middle (SJUSD) for two years. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a master’s degree from San Jose State University.

Some of her areas of focus include: Staffing, Credentials, Workers Compensation, Workplace Violence Prevention, Volunteers, and Mandated Training.

Announced May 2025:
We are pleased to announce several new principal placements for the 2025-26 school year. These experienced administrators are providing the best educational experience for each of our students and are committed to building relationships between staff, students, and families.

Vern Taylor is the principal of Castro Elementary. He has most recently been the principal at Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary for six years. Prior to Vargas Elementary, he was an Assistant Principal at Graham Middle School for two years. He has taught fourth grade at Castro Elementary and summer school. Mr. Taylor became an instructional coach in 2014-15, and served as a coach for teachers at Theuerkauf, as well as a new teacher support provider. 

Acantha Aragon Contreras is the  principal of Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary. This year, she has served as interim principal of Castro Elementary. Ms. Contreras brings a wealth of experience to Vargas. She served as a Special Education Coordinator for MVWSD for seven years and previously held the roles of Interim Director and Director of Special Education. She has also worked extensively on the district’s implementation of MTSS, our system for making sure all students get what they need. 

Megan Pohlman is the  principal of Stevenson Elementary. Dr. Pohlman, who was Stevenson’s Interim Principal in the spring, has also served as MVWSD’s Director of Equity. Dr. Pohlman also has worked as an interim administrator at Graham Middle School and Amy Imai Elementary, in addition to her experience as a classroom teacher. Dr. Pohlman has led district-wide strategic initiatives that have expanded educational opportunities for students.

Andrew Donati, recently an Assistant Principal Graham, is joining both Castro Elementary and Crittenden Middle as an Assistant Principal serving  students for several days each week at each campus. 

Before he came to Graham last year, Mr. Donati was Assistant Principal of Sylvandale Middle School in the Franklin McKinley School District. He served as Principal of Valle Vista Elementary School (Mt. Pleasant SD) for three years.

Please join us in welcoming them into their new roles.