FACULTY & STAFF

Pam Clark

Senior Director of Schools

Pamela Clark, Senior Director of Schools, joined The Help Group in 1986 and played an integral role in the origination and continued development of the Village Glen Schools. In her position as Senior Director, Pamela is responsible for the oversight of all educational aspects of the Village Glens in both Culver City and Sherman Oaks. Together with the Heads of School and the Director of Learning, Pamela has ensured that Village Glen Schools are educational leaders in serving students who present with high-functioning autism. Educational excellence in Village Glen can be evidenced by many markers including twelve consecutive years of WASC Accreditation and of course, the heartwarming success stories of our very unique students.

“My work with Village Glen Schools is always an incredibly rewarding experience. It gives me much satisfaction to know that we are maximizing our students’ academic and social potential. I will never tire from overhearing our new students say that they finally found in Village Glen a place where they belong – a place where for the first time, they have a friend.”

Kalee Miller

Village Glen Sherman Oaks Head of School

Principal of Village Glen West since August 2017. Kalee is a Kent State University and Cleveland State University alumna. Kalee is from Cleveland, Ohio where she started as an Invention Specialist teaching middle school and high school students with disabilities. After completing her Master of Education degree and Education Administration coursework, Kalee left the classroom and role as district mentor teacher to become an Educational Consultant. During this time, she provided professional development trainings for educators (certified and classified) throughout NE Ohio in the areas of Autism, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Functional Behavioral Assessments, Classroom Management, Academic and Behavioral Data Collection, Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans, and much more. Kalee is a mother of three young adults and grandmother to one toddler. She is excited to be a part of the VGW family and believes in creating a positive school culture and climate where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Laurie Stephens

Village Glen School Psychologist

Dr. Laurie Stephens is a developmental psychologist who has been working with children, teens, and young adults on the autism spectrum for over 30 years. She currently serves as The Help Group’s Senior Director of Autism Programs. Previously, Dr. Stephens served as the Director of Clinical Services for Education Spectrum for 12 years. She provided diagnostic and psycho-educational evaluations, individual & family therapy, social skills training, educational consultation and professional, academic and parent training. Dr. Stephens has lectured around the world, focusing on social skills development and intervention strategies.

Dr. Stephens received her BA in Experimental Psychology from UC San Diego, and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook. Prior to working with Education Spectrum, Dr. Stephens served for 8 years as the Director of Autism Spectrum Disorders Programs at The Help Group. In her position then, Dr. Stephens created Young Learners Preschool for Autism and designed comprehensive education, behavioral and social skills programs for all the specialized day schools. She established an intensive social skills summer camp program for children with Asperger’s Disorder, which had an international reach with campers coming from the United Kingdom, El Salvador, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the UAE and other countries.

Dr. Stephens’ primary area of specialty is in designing social skills curriculum, with a new-found passion for the changing nature of social expectations in the digital age. She has designed, run and supervised social skill groups for children as young as two years of age up through young adults. Dr. Stephens has focused much of her work on the development of theory of mind and how it relates to all aspects of a person’s functioning.

Nicole Jorenson, MFT

Director of School Based Behavioral Services

Nicole Jorenson is the Director of Behavioral Services for The Help Group’s Sherman Oaks Schools. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She attended UC Santa Barbara where she received a BA in Psychology and then attended Pepperdine University for her MA in Clinical Psychology. She has worked with children with special needs for over 15 years, 13 of which have been in non-public school settings. She currently teaches a graduate level course for educators through UCLA Extension focused on building partnerships with learners and coaching de-escalation and conflict resolution.

Charlotte Bashner

Music Specialist

Charlotte Bashner has been a part of The Help Group teaching staff since 2018. She directs The Help Group Choir and teaches a wide variety of subjects, including high school Music Appreciation, Diversity in Arts and Cultures, AP Music Theory and Ethnomusicology as well as elementary and middle school Music and Spanish. Ms. Bashner graduated from Indiana University- Bloomington with a Bachelors of Music in Voice Performance. After earning her degree, she returned to Los Angeles, where she began her performance and teaching career.

Kamlin Borgwardt

High School Teacher

Kamlin Borgwardt has been teaching English in Village Glen High School for six years. She is dually certificated in both Special Education and English. Ms. Borgwardt has a Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Louisville and a Bachelor’s Degree in English from California State University Sacramento. During her twenty-two years of teaching, Ms. Borgwardt strives to help young men and women improve their reading and writing skills while learning to appreciate classic and contemporary literature.

Taylor Claiborne

Middle School Teacher, Village Glen West

Taylor Claiborne has spent close to a decade working in an array of educational settings across the United States and abroad. Her sole mission is to help students overcome behavioral challenges and achieve their academic goals. Ms. Claiborne has worked as an educator for over 6 years, teaching students in daycare and TK-12 grade classrooms. Before joining the Help Group in 2019, she worked as a Behavior Analyst, Interventionist, Tutor (contracted and volunteer), Volleyball Coach (volunteer), and Youth Counselor. Ms. Claiborne began her career at the Village Glen West campus as a High School teacher where she instructed various core and elective courses. She has since transitioned to her current role as a VGW Middle School teacher, where she currently instructs all core classes (History, English Language Arts, Math, and Science). Ms. Claiborne earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Child Development and a Master of Arts in Special Education from Kentucky State University–completing a graduate program in Applied Behavior Analysis at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2021.

Carlos Espinel

High School Teacher

Carlos Espinel teaches Spanish 1, 2 and 3 to Village Glen’s high school students. Mr. Espinel has over 10 years’ experience working in various educational settings, including K-12 classrooms and after-school instruction. Mr. Espinel graduated with a B.A degree in Applied Developmental Science from California State University Northridge and is currently a graduate student at California State University Long Beach, working towards a master’s degree in Special Education. In his spare time, Mr. Espinel enjoys graphic design and creating digital art.

Hugo Hernandez

High School Teacher

A native to the Los Angeles area, Mr. Hernandez attended UC San Diego where he earned his Bachelor’s in Pure Mathematics and National University where he earned his teaching credential. He has been part of the Village Glen team since Fall of 2013. Mr. Hernandez began as a teaching assistant and transitioned into the STEM Instructor for Elementary and Middle School upon completion of his degree. He then transitioned into his current role as a teacher in the High School primarily teaching Mathematics (Algebra 1 & 2 and Geometry), Mr. Hernandez has also taught Computer Programming, and Physics in the past.

Binjuray Noro

High School Teacher

Binjuray Noro teaches U.S. History and Government to 11th and 12th graders of Village Glen High School. “Jay”, as he is better known to students and colleagues, has over 10 years of overseas experience both as a teacher of Social Sciences and head of the Social Studies Department. He has also worked as a volunteer teacher at the Developmental Center for Children with Special Needs of the Philippine Service of Mercy Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the Philippines. Mr. Noro earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Central Philippine University.

Chris Matsumoto

Art Teacher, Village Glen West

Chris has been honored to be the Art Teacher here at Village Glen West since 2019. He received his BA in Fine Art from California State University of Long Beach and continued his studies at the Academia Di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. As an art educator, Chris seeks to engage students using art-based self-discovery and creative storytelling projects. His goal is to offer his students a supportive and encouraging environment, above all aiming to inspire them to value the active process of learning through art.

Douglas Olivera

PE Teacher, Village Glen West

I started working at the HELP Group as a Modified PE instructor and moved into Special Ed Classroom Teacher in in 2018. I enjoy teaching a variety of classes. The curriculum classes taught have been Biology, Math (Geometry, Algebra and Consumer Math) as well as History. What brings me the most joy is seeing the development and maturity of students discovering their interests and choosing careers during West L.A. college program and Career Preparation classes. My hobbies consist of playing sports listening to music and practicing the guitar.

Jason Petro

PE Teacher & Athletic Director

After earning his Degree from UCSB and receiving his teaching credentials, Jason Petro taught SDC/ED classes for 5 years at a public school while also coaching Varsity Basketball. Mr. Petro has been the P.E. Coach and Athletic Director for Village Glen for 12 years after deciding to leave the classroom. He was instrumental in developing a very successful sports program for Village Glen High School in which the Knights won numerous championships while competing in Flag Football, Soccer, Basketball, Softball, Beach Volleyball, and Track and Field. He is responsible for teaching Specially Designed P.E. classes for all of Village Glen. He has a Master’s degree in Special Education and is passionate about helping his students in any way he can.

Brianna Plasencia

Middle School Teacher

Brianna Plasencia joined the Help Group’s Village Glen School in Sherman Oaks in 2015. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UCSB in 2014. She went on to pursue a career in special education and earned her teaching credential in 2018 and has worked in both the Beacon and Core elementary and middle school programs. Ms. Plasencia not only enjoys teaching but is a soccer alum; her love for the sport inspired her to start and head the soccer team for Village Glen Middle School. She strives to provide the best learning environment and atmosphere for her students, and believes in offering different learning modalities so that her students can learn to the best of their abilities.

Maria Ramirez

Middle School Teacher

Maria Ramirez has worked in education for the past 16 years. She began teaching general education and during that time also completed her Master’s degree in Computer Education and Technology Leadership. Ms. Ramirez decided to focus her career in Special Education, earned her Special Education credential and began her career with The Help Group 9 years ago. She serves as a mentor teacher with Village Glen and has also been the yearbook adviser for several years. Ms. Ramirez strives to build positive relationships with both students and families. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, visiting new places, and cooking new recipes.

Taylor Van Den Berg

High School Teacher

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ms. Van Den Berg attended Arizona State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Service and Public Policy. She joined The Help Group in Spring 2021 and has since transitioned from a TA to a teacher in the High School. Ms. Van Den Berg spent the majority of the last ten years working with students in some capacity before settling into teaching English at Village Glen. In her free time, you can find her buried in a good book, baking in her kitchen, or spending time with loved ones.

Jennifer Villa

High School Teacher

Ms. Villa graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice and a minor in Business Management. She has been working in the educational realm since 2017. She began as a paraprofessional and has since served as a behaviorist and as a special education teacher. Ms. Villa enjoys working with children of all ages! Ms. Villa is currently attending California State University Northridge to pursue her Master’s in Special Education. When she is not working with children, Ms. Villa loves to watch sports and attend sporting events while rooting for her favorite teams!

Ryan Willett

PE Teacher, Village Glen West

Ryan received his Master’s in Special Education from Cal State Dominguez Hills and his Master’s in Education specializing in Cross-Cultural Teaching from National University. Also, he has a Mild/Moderate specialist teaching credential from Cal State University Dominguez Hills and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education from the California State University of Chico as well as a Health teaching credential. Ryan’s philosophy is that education is the foundation to learn practical lifelong academic, social, and emotional life skills. He enjoys traveling and exercising in his free time.