Why STEM Marin?
The United States has become a global leader, in large part, through the genius and hard work of its scientists, engineers and innovators. Yet today, that position is threatened as comparatively few American students pursue expertise in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)—and by an inadequate pipeline of teachers skilled in those subjects.
STEM education is a sequence of courses or program of study that prepares students, including underrepresented groups for:
Our Core Beliefs
At STEM Marin, we believe students should develop:
STEM Marin develops these skills through:
Staff
Teachers
Mr. Williams earned his bachelor of science in evolution and ecology, his teaching credential in science, and his masters of education from University of California, Davis. He was selected as the 2014 Bay Area Educator of the Year by the California League of High Schools. In 2015, Mr. Williams was named a Milken Educator for California which is described as the “Oscars of Teaching.”
Mr. Williams currently lives with his family, including his wife, three kids, and dog, in Novato. In his spare time, Nick enjoys playing with his kids, running, hiking, reading The New Yorker, playing ultimate frisbee, going to the beach, building things, and working in the yard.
Mrs. Carlomagno is a San Marin Alumni who received her bachelors degree in biological sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She earned her teaching credential in life sciences at Dominican University.
Mrs. Carlomagno currently lives in Petaluma with her husband and two girls. She enjoys being active; whether it is running, hiking, biking or skiing, she just loves being outdoors. Traveling and reading are also some of her passions.
Mrs. Katsulis received her undergraduate degree from Cal Poly Humboldt in Marine Fisheries Biology. She worked for the Department of Fish & Wildlife after graduating, and then went on to earn her teaching credential and Master’s Degree in Education from University of California, Santa Cruz.
Mrs. Katsulis lives in Petaluma with her husband, 2 kids, a dog, and 3 chickens. She enjoys reading, and any outdoor activity – especially gardening and swimming.
Mrs. Vogl earned her bachelor of science in biology from Sacramento State and her teaching credential in science from Sonoma State University. She was selected as the 2015 Bay Area Educator of the Year by the California League of High Schools, giving the San Marin science department and STEM Marin consecutive Bay Area Educators of the Year. She was selected as San Marin’s Golden Bell Teacher of the Year in 2017.
Mrs. Vogl is a Novato native who attended Novato High School. She lives in Novato with her family, including her husband and four children. In her spare time, Mrs. Vogl enjoys running and spending time with her kids.
Mr. Tronconi is originally from Italy and earned his bachelor of science in environmental science from the University of Florence, Italy. He earned his masters of science in environmental management from the University of San Francisco and his masters of arts in teaching and his teaching credential from the University of San Francisco.
Mr. Tronconi lives in Napa with his wife. In his spare time, he enjoys running or hiking. He loves snorkeling, tinkering with technology, programming, reading/researching non-fiction (science, nature, tech, history) and anything sci-fi. He’s also fascinated with archaeology and, like any good teacher, he loves coffee.
Mr. Blok received his associate degree from Butte College and Los Madanos College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Chemistry from University of California, Santa Barbara and his teaching credential from University of California, Berkeley.
Mr. Blok lives in Novato with his wife and two children. When he’s not teaching, he can be found outdoors swimming, surfing, and mountain biking.
Ms. Havel earned her Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolution at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She was employed in a variety of occupations, including studying steelhead salmon for Fish and Wildlife and working as a dive master in the Caribbean, before returning to school at Dominican University to obtain a teaching credential.
Melissa lives in Novato with her husband, Curtis and son Declan, who attends Sinaloa Middle School. In her free time she loves to be outside, whether sailing on San Francisco Bay or hiking the local trails.
After graduation, she partnered with the Institute for Wildlife Studies to work on a marine mammal extinction database as a research assistant, surveying elephant seals in Ano Nuevo.
She began her career in education as a paraprofessional in a K-8 Montessori School. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, creating art, hiking, scuba diving, playing softball, and travelling.
Over the course of his teaching career, Mr. Berkhout has taught Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Integrated Science, Physics, Honors Physics, AP Physics C:Mechanics, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra, Advanced Algebra, Precalculus, AP Calculus BC, and been the Activities Director & Leadership teacher. At Marin Catholic, Mr. Berkhout also served as chair of the science department for seven years, and won the 2017 Msgr. James T Tarantino Teacher of the Year award. Mr. B enjoys both the opportunity to re-teach a subject to improve his delivery, and the opportunity to teach something new and explore new topics and levels.
When Mr. Berkhout hasn’t been teaching, he has worked as a boat captain and mate, including for the San Francisco Bay Ferry, the Blue & Gold Fleet, the Angel Island – Tiburon Ferry, and various tall ship organizations. He has enjoyed learning the applied physics of sailing and of piloting twin-propellor ferry boats. Making connections between his classroom and wheelhouse is part of the fun for Mr. B.
A Mill Valley native, Mr. Berkhout graduated from Tamalpais High and went on to study Music and Physics at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He greatly enjoyed finding the connections between the two subjects, playing trumpet and pipe organ during college. After Lewis & Clark, Mr. Berkhout studied oceanography at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, with a six-week research voyage aboard their 134-ft brigantine SSV Corwith Cramer from Key West to Samana, Dominican Republic and Cienfuegos, Cuba, returning to Key West. Mr. Berkhout earned his teaching credential through Dominican University of California in San Rafael, and holds credentials in math, physics, and chemistry.
Mr. Berkhout loves being a dad to his three kids, ages 11, 9, and 7.
In 2011, Mrs. Boyd moved to Marin and followed her passion for fitness by working as a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Massage Therapist at CrossFit Novato for 10 years. Mrs. Boyd is passionate about Anatomy and Physiology and Human Health and is excited to bring this expertise into the science classroom. After the birth of her two children, Mrs. Boyd decided to make her way into the classroom and, in 2022, she earned her Teaching Credential in Science from Sonoma State University.
Mrs. Boyd lives in Novato with her husband, two kids (Hopper and Dottie), and two dogs. When she is not in the Classroom, Mrs. Boyd enjoys spending her time outside hiking, biking, paddle boarding, and playing Volleyball. She is passionate about weightlifting and hopes to qualify as a master’s athlete in Olympic Weightlifting in the next couple of years. She also enjoys quiet time reading, doing puzzles, or just relaxing with her family.
Staff
Administration
As the STEM Coordinator, Katie is responsible for many aspects of STEM Marin including marketing, community outreach and internal operations. She oversees many of the day to day operations that keep the program running at a top-notch pace.
Katie currently lives in Novato with her husband, 3 children and 1 very busy puppy. She loves watching sports, especially Notre Dame athletics (Go Irish) and spends as much of her free time as possible at her family’s lake house in Minnesota.