Our Team

 

Heather Posner

Executive Director, (She/Her)

Heather has worked in the field of education for over two decades as a teacher and leader. Her experience ranges from directing large and small early childhood education programs in San Francisco, Marin and the East Bay, to developing informal education programming at the Bay Area Discovery Museum and most recently the Oakland Museum of California.

She is currently pursuing a doctorate in education leadership and holds an MA in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University, as well as an MFA in Cinema also from SFSU. She lives in Crockett with her husband and son (who is CGS alumni) where they enjoy the beauty of life in a small neighborly community.

Briana Melendez

Assistant Director (She/Her)

Briana went to DVC for her Associates in Early Childhood Education. She is currently attending Pacific Oaks College for her BA in Early Childhood Education. Briana has been a Teacher for almost 10 years. Briana has worked at a couple different preschools, some highly structured and some play based. In her spare time she loves to read books and cuddle with her three cats. She has been at CGS since 2022.

Jackie Orellana

Lead Teacher (She/Her)

I became interested in learning about Early Childhood education when I would volunteer at my son's preschool classroom. At that time, I used to work a real estate job as a transaction coordinator. My involvement in helping out, made me realize that I wanted to pursue and work with children.

I recently graduated from Contra Costa College with an AS in Early Childhood education and an AA in Liberal & Arts: Social & Behavioral Science. I am also in the process of returning back to school to obtain a Certifi­cate of Achievement in Early Childhood Education for Violence Intervention and Counseling. Most recently, I worked as a student teacher in an Early Childhood Mental Health facility as a bilingual teacher therapist.