Administration

Sandi Passalacqua - Head of School
Cristin Talley - Director of Admissions
Dennis Agnos - Director of Development 
Kathy Loftus - Financial Manager  

Head of School SANDI PASSALACQUA brings more than 40 years of experience in education to The Healdsburg School. Spanning her career, Ms. Passalacqua has been a teacher in public, private and parochial educational institutions. In addition to teaching, Ms. Passalacqua has held numerous positions within education, some of which include tutor, consultant, and principal. She worked in Special Education, and designed and implemented ESL and Title I programs, as well as foreign language curriculums. She has traveled extensively and sought to create unique travel opportunities for her own students. She holds a Masters of Education, and is an accomplished painter and pianist. She is married to Tom Passalacqua and has three children and six grandchildren. Return to top

CRISTIN TALLEY is the Director of Admissions at The Healdsburg School.  Having taught 4th grade for the past two years at THS, Cristin is excited to continue serving the THS community while expanding her professional growth in her new role.  Cristin is dedicated to creating positive connections with current and new families, and she is eager to share all about THS's unique education with our broader communities. 

Cristin received her formal education training at Tufts University in Boston and upon graduating entered the United States Peace Corps, serving in Haiti and Costa Rica.  Upon completion of her service, Cristin taught third grade at The European School in San Pablo, Costa Rica.  Maintaining her ties with the school over a decade, she returned in 2006 to be the first Principle for Grades 3-6.  From 1996-2006, Cristin taught fourth grade at Bryn Mawr School, a K-12 independent girl's school in Baltimore, Maryland.  Drawing upon her Peace Corps experience and resources, Cristin transformed the fourth grade curriculum into a year-long investigation of culture and countries.  She received national recognition in 2001, winning a Global Educator Award.  Cristin was drawn to THS in large part because of Mrs. Passalacqua's vision of implementing the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organization which holds developing students' global consciousness as one of its core values. 

Cristin brings a broad perspective to education having been a teacher, administrator, and parent.  She feels that it is paramount that school communities support the development of well-balanced, independent, and resilient students.  Cristin sees this happening daily at THS because it is an educational setting that provides strong academics as well as space for students to explore questions such as:  who am I, what do I enjoy, what frustrates me, and how do I share my voice.  
Return to top 

DENNIS AGNOS, Director of Development, joined THS in August 2011.  He is a seasoned development professional with more than 10 years of experience with social service, arts and education organizations.  He was an Associate Director of Development at the Anti-Defamation league and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and served as Director of Special Events and Volunteer Services for the San Francisco Symphony.  Prior to joining THS, Dennis was principal of his own development consultancy with clients in the Bay Area and New York.  Dennis and his partner live in Healdsburg with their dogs, Mya and Olive.  He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from Bradley University.  Return to top