WE PREPARE GLOBAL LEADERS

Rod Gilbert

Head of Schools

Rod Gilbert brings a fresh perspective as SFC’s new Head of Schools. As a strong leader with a shepherd’s heart, Rod encourages SFC’s faculty, coaches and staff to strive for excellence in all they do. At his core, Rod is an educator who wants children and their parents to see the world as something lovely, worth exploring and redeeming through Christ.

Prior to joining the SFC team, Rod led Regents School of Austin for fifteen years. While in Texas, he served on various boards and associations, wrote numerous journal articles and grant proposals, and conducted dozens of workshops on leadership and education. Rod holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, a Masters of Divinity from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, and is near completion of a doctoral thesis from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Rod and his wife of 27 years, Angie, have two adult children. Ryan, their son, is a senior at High Point University and Katie, their daughter, lives with her husband in New York City. When away from the office, Rod and Angie can be found soaking up the North County beach culture. In his free time, Rod also enjoys Cold War spy novels, and he is learning to surf and paddleboard.

Read Rod’s Latest Blog Post

Hannah Park

Lower School Principal

Living in Los Angeles, Principal Hannah Park was not looking for a new position. As a favor for her sister, Mrs. Park started researching schools in San Diego for her nephew. She became so impressed with Santa Fe Christian Schools, she decided to apply for the Lower School Principal opening. And the rest is history.

Mrs. Park is now in her ninth year as SFC’s Lower School Principal. With a MA in Education Administration and Curriculum Design, a BS in Public Administration plus California Administration and Multi-Subject Teaching credentials, Mrs. Park is well prepared to lead SFC’s Lower School. She was also an Assistant Principal at a prep school and has taught in all grades K–6 in both public and private schools. During her tenure, SFC’s Lower School was awarded the Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School by the US Department of Education for 2011, a five-year designation.

As a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) addict, Mrs. Park refinishes furniture, restores kitchen cabinets and has personally repainted her family room and kitchen three times. This creative streak spills over to work. She enjoys the challenges of creating a Lower School program that can meet the diverse needs of the students.

Educators run in the family. Mrs. Park’s husband of 21 years is also a school principal. They have two daughters and a dog who isn’t convinced she’s a dog. On the weekends you can find Mrs. Park digging in the garden, knitting, painting or researching more DIY ideas on Pinterest.

Dr. Todd Deveau

Middle School Principal

When Dr. Todd Deveau felt called to Santa Fe Christian Schools in 2013, his goal was to ensure God’s vision for the Middle School. Two years later, SFC’s Middle School was recognized as an Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School by the US Department of Education for 2015. SFC is the only Middle School in California to receive this designation.

As a K–8 Principal in Orlando and Head of School at a gifted school in Houston, Dr. Deveau was well prepared to lead SFC’s Middle School to receive this prestigious award. He also spent 14 years teaching Middle School Spanish and coordinating curriculum. Dr. Deveau has a Doctorate in Education and a M.A. in Spanish.

What excites Dr. Deveau is seeing students try new things and watching as they discover their passions. He feels privileged to come alongside an amazing faculty and administration, as they guide SFC’s Middle School students each day.

Married for 17 years, with one daughter and son, the Deveau family jumped head first into beach living, buying both paddle and surfboards. When he finds extra time, Dr. Deveau likes to play golf or spend quality time in God’s creation, fishing pole in hand.

Matt Hannan

Upper School Principal

Growing up in Big Bear, California, Principal Matt Hannan spent winters snow skiing and playing hockey, and the summers water skiing. Always looking towards the goal, Mr. Hannan’s role as SFC’s Upper School Principal is a perfect match. He still plays ice hockey twice a month with his two younger brothers.

With 17 years of educational experience, 10 years in high school administration and an MA in Education Administration, Mr. Hannan is well equipped to lead SFC’s Upper School. Before joining SFC eight years ago, Mr. Hannan was the Assistant Principal at a high school in one of San Diego’s top school districts.

Mr. Hannan encourages Upper School students to take action to engage their passions, experience authentic learning and develop a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. And there’s a special place in his heart for SFC’s Upper School Missions Program. For the last three years, he has chaperoned SFC students as they ministered to 100 children at Grace Home, an orphanage and school in New Delhi, India.

Mr. Hannan’s been married 20 years, has two daughters and a Labrador-Retriever who keeps him company on early morning walks. He feels blessed to work alongside and lead the faculty and staff that make SFC exceptional.

Claudia Lewis

Preschool Director

Two years ago, Claudia Lewis was teaching fourth grade in Northern California, leading neighborhood Bible studies and enjoying Tuesday dinners with her dad when her husband announced a job transfer to San Diego. The Lewis’ left their home, friends, church and three of their four children to move to San Diego.

In San Diego, Mrs. Lewis worked as a part-time supervisor to new teachers at Point Loma Nazarene University while pursuing a Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. A lifelong learner, she is always taking classes and reading.

Mrs. Lewis was awarded “Teacher of the Year” in 2013 and has over eleven years experience teaching fourth and fifth grade in the public school system. While teaching fourth grade, she offered parenting classes in her school district. When the SFC Preschool Director position opened up at SFC, working with both teachers and parents, she knew it was a perfect fit.

In her spare time, Mrs. Lewis likes to spend weekends at the beach and eating fish tacos at Encinitas Fish Shop. She plays the piano, paints, gardens, reads and goes to concerts with her husband. Married for 34 years, she has four grown children and two grandchildren. What brings her joy is to sit around a table with all her children, spending time talking and laughing together.

Doug Miller

Athletic Director

Over thirty years ago, Doug Miller distinctly remembers God revealing his calling in life –– to mentor and serve young people. Since then, Doug has made it his personal mission to passionately demonstrate God’s love and power through one of the best platforms for mentoring, athletics. Doug began his journey with Santa Fe Christian Schools in 1996 when both he and his wife Cammie chose to have their two sons attend the school. For the past 12 years, he has invested in countless lives at SFC through coaching several sports, most recently Varsity Track & Field and Varsity Football. What’s more, he loves to win in sports.

Doug is known by the SFC community as a committed mentor of students – helping them attain their goals and athletic aspirations as they walk into adulthood. He delights in coming alongside others, building leadership skills, and challenging individuals to live a life of trust, truth, and transformation. Every conversation, every teachable moment, he views as an opportunity to show others that Jesus is real. 

As a professional, Doug co-founded REPu, a nationally successful athletics app used by schools and universities across the country. Prior to REPu, Doug worked for IBM and other IT consulting companies. He is an Ironman World Champion Athlete, a marathon racer, and a devoted husband and father of two boys Brock and Reed. Both boys, SFC lifers, went on to successfully play college football at Stanford and Southern Utah. Brock is still pursuing a career as an NFL punter.

Kurt de Pfyffer

Chief Financial and Operations Officer

Kurt de Pfyffer cultivated a love of adventure early in life starting with the decision to attend college on the East Coast as a Southern California native. It continued with his move to Japan to work for the Japanese government, and then to Hewlett Packard to tackle major mergers and acquisitions. His professional career, spanning 26 years, includes leadership roles in finance and operations at Hewlett Packard, Deloitte & Touche, and several San Diego technology companies. He earned an MBA from UC Irvine, a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and is a licensed CPA in California. 

Kurt and his wife, Sarah, met playing tennis on a blind date and have been married for 18 years. They have four active boys in grades four, six, eight, and ten along with a yellow lab named Daisy. He and his wife, Sarah, are actively involved in their church serving on the elder board, children’s ministry, and organizing annual fundraisers.

Both Kurt and Sarah love the outdoors. On a rare occasion, when they are not driving kids to soccer tournaments or tennis practice, you can find them camping and snowboarding, embracing their adventurous spirits.