LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONS TEAMS
John Bachner, Assistant Principal
Mr. Bachner moved to Bremerton from the Bay Area of California. Before coming to Catalyst, Mr. Bachner served as an ESL certified 3rd grade teacher and 4th grade teacher at Match Community Day in Boston, MA. Mr. Bachner also worked as an assistant principal for three years at Rocketship Discovery Prep in east San Jose and 2 years at The Primary School in East Palo Alto, CA. During this time, he coached and supported teachers and students from Kinder to 5th grade.
Mr. Bachner is excited to share this perspective as Catalyst grows into new grades in the years ahead. As an undergrad at Lafayette College Mr. Bachner studied international affairs, traveled abroad in Ecuador, volunteered in education and wrote a thesis on environmental conservation and economic development. As such, he remains deeply passionate and committed to causes that improve learning outcomes, promote sustainability and build human capital both here and abroad.
​
Kyle Bobay, Manager of Special Projects
Mr. Bobay (he/him/his) is thrilled to be a member of the Catalyst team and is excited to continue watching Catalyst grow within the Kitsap community.
Mr. Bobay was born and raised in the Bay Area of California and came to Bremerton during the fall of 2017. He finished his undergraduate studies at the University of Washington where he received a B.A. in Comparative History of Ideas, with a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. Mr. Bobay also holds a MBA in Human Resource Management from Southern New Hampshire University.
When Mr. Bobay is not at school, he is most likely spending time riding his skateboard, planning his next vacation, or finding new restaurants to eat because he loves food! He dreams of growing a family, traveling all around the world.
Lauren Carpenter: Office Coordinator
Ms. Carpenter (she/her). I was born and raised in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I recently moved to Bremerton to be near family and I am looking forward to becoming part of the community.
Professionally my background has been in administration or working with children. She is excited to combine the two with a role at Catalyst. She studied Iyengar Yoga and continue my education with the pursuit of a degree in Early Childhood Education.
​​
She has a daughter who attends school at Catalyst and also has a cat who thinks he is a dog. Ms. Carpenter enjoys going on walks, camping and snowboarding. Passions are spending time with my family, cooking and traveling the world! She is a positive person– who believes in being kinder than necessary and leaving things nicer than how you found them.
Dustin Church, Director of Finance and Operations
Prior to starting at Catalyst, Mr. Church was the Director of Finance and Administration for Engineered Software in Lacey, WA. While at Engineered Software, Mr. Church focused on operational efficiency, policy and process improvement, business systems development, and financial analysis. In his time at Engineered Software, he implemented many new policies and practices to ensure compliance with state and federal laws as well as improve operational efficiency. Prior to Engineered Software, he was an executive team leader of logistics and operations at Target. He helped develop new operational procedures for the logistics team, to help improve guest experience as well as overall operations of the business.
Mr. Church graduated in June of 2019 with an MBA in Finance from Washington State University. He also obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from Saint Martin's University. In his free time, Mr. Church loves to spend time with his wife, 2 children, and 2 dogs, exploring the pacific northwest and traveling.
Mr. Church can be reached at dchurch@catalystpublicschools.org.
Tricia Delgado - Director of Transportation
Ms. Delgado is inspired and thrilled to join the team at Catalyst. To take in the full scope and vision that was put in motion and learn how together we can make the Transportation the best we can.
As a toddler her roots were planted on the Olympic Peninsula in the small city of Forks, Washington so Naturally, she loves the outdoors. Her favorite place to visit is back home on the Olympic Peninsula in La Push. She finds so much peace on the beach where reflection and dreams unite with every wave that crashes onto shore settling my being to the core. She also enjoys gardening, sports, and thrift shopping.
When her oldest son began kindergarten, she took a leap and jumped into the driver’s seat of the big yellow school bus. Mentors of her youth, though they may not have even realized, inspired me, and sparked a passion that still leads to my growth in Pupil Transportation. Since the beginning of her journey twenty-one years ago, she has been a School Bus Driver, Driver Trainer, Dispatcher, Transportation Specialist attended the Transportation Management Training Program at CWU and now has the amazing opportunity to work with a team that is driven to be change makers and be catalysts with our scholars.
Her family consists of their amazing, retired husband Michael, Danielle and Brycen, Four grown children who are thriving at life, Zach, Travis, Troy, Brittney, two Doggo’s, and four Meow’s. Her family also welcomed her father into their home back in October of 2022 to assist in his care. She looks forward to meeting all of you and starting on this journey with you and the Catalyst family!
Tatiana Epanchin, Co-Founder
Prior to launching Catalyst Ms. Epanchin was the Head of Program at School Leader Lab, a school leadership development program, she was the Bay Area Regional Superintendent for Aspire Public Schools. As principal, her school increased its academic performance index by 150 points, more than three times the state average increase. She was awarded the National Title I Distinguished School Award for closing the achievement gap, an honor bestowed upon only 1 out of over 9,600 schools in the state. She began her teaching career with Teach for America in New Orleans and has also served as a social worker in Contra Costa County working on intensive family preservation cases. She is driven by her passion for justice in our country and how we can make individual contributions to change in our local context. She believes we each have a critical role to play, and that anything is possible in Washington––a state full of innovation and creativity. In her free time, she loves exploring the Puget Sound region with her family.
Tatiana can be reached at tatiana@catalystpublicschools.org.
Chelnesha Fleming, Resilience Coach
Mrs. Fleming, a California native who spent her formative years divided between New York and Washington State, has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, where she has resided for many years.
After graduating from South Kitsap High School, Mrs. Fleming pursued her Bachelor of Arts degree at Central Washington University. Currently, she is furthering her academic pursuits by working towards a Master's degree in Special Education.
Before her tenure at Catalyst, Mrs. Fleming served as a business manager for a local family-owned enterprise. However, the birth of her child reignited her passion for early education, leading her to transition into the field.
Aligned with Catalyst's core value of Vulnerability, Mrs. Fleming finds resonance in the belief that vulnerability fosters compassion, strength, and unity. Her teaching philosophy centers around the notion that "there is always something to celebrate!"
In her leisure time, Mrs. Fleming delights in exploring various cuisines with her family, camping in the picturesque landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, embarking on adventures to new destinations, and tending to her numerous pets. Eagerly anticipating the start of an exciting new academic year, Mrs. Fleming is poised for the journey ahead.
Amanda Gardner, Co-Founder
Prior to launching Catalyst Ms. Gardner was the VP, Schools at Innovate Public Schools. In this role she founded Innovate's World-Class Schools Fellowship, a year-long school design program helping to redesign and launch new, equity driven schools. Ms. Gardner also designed and launched Innovate's Charter School Entrepreneur-in-Residence program. Before coming to Innovate, she was the founding Principal of UP Academy Charter School of Boston, a highly successful turnaround school committed to improving educational outcomes for all students. In the school’s founding year, students at UP had the highest student growth percentiles in middle school math in the entire state of Massachusetts and, in 2014, was named a Commendation School by the Massachusetts Department of Education, an accolade reserved for schools that are beating the odds with students.
Ms. Gardner was also the Founding Principal of Boston Preparatory Charter Public School (BPCPS) in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. 100% of the school’s founding class earned proficient or advanced on all state required high school tests and students in the middle school have consistently outperformed students across the state in virtually all grade levels and content areas. In 2009, BPCPS was named as an EPIC Gold Gain school, a honor bestowed to 5 schools across the country.
Ms. Gardner can be reached at amanda@catalystpublicschools.org.
Tiffany Hye, Coordinator: Family + Community Engagement
Tiffany Bianca Hye is a devoted wife to Curtis Hye and a proud mother to two sons, Zion and Zephan. Her professional journey began in the skies as a Flight Attendant with American West Airlines. After the airline downsized, Tiffany chose to return home and explore other educational opportunities.
As her first child began attending Head Start, Tiffany made the transition to being a stay-at-home mother, immersing herself in volunteer work at his school. Her involvement in programs like Motherread/Fatherread ignited a passion for community engagement, which eventually led her to a role at Teletech as a customer service agent. When Teletech relocated, Tiffany found her calling at Women, Infant, and Children (WIC), where she spent six years, first as a clerk and then as a certifier.
​
Tiffany’s current work is centered around community organizing, where she collaborates with Catalyst families and the broader community to teach organizing principles and advocate for meaningful change. Through her involvement with Emmanuel Church, Tiffany has furthered her commitment to service. She has served as a children's church teacher, Baby Dedication Coordinator, and is now a strategies and organizing leader. Her work has also included speaking engagements and coordinating outreach events.
With a strong passion for fostering connections, Tiffany is dedicated to making a lasting, positive impact in her community.
Ms. Singh was born and raised in Hawaii and remains an island girl at heart. She moved to California after high school to attend the University of California, Irvine where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior. She later earned her M.A. in Psychology from Humboldt State University, with an emphasis in School Psychology.
​
Ms. Singh worked as a School Psychologist in San Diego, CA for 13 years, and served as the Associate Director of Special Education at High Tech High Charter Schools for the last five years. She is excited to have found a new home at Catalyst Public Schools, that shares her values of equity, inclusion, diversity, and social justice.
Ms. Singh and her family are excited to be relocating to the Pacific Northwest over the summer, and can't wait to explore the area. While away from work, she enjoys dancing to live music, watching her husband perform stand-up comedy, singing along to musicals with her 8-year-old daughter, curling up with a good book (especially when it's raining outside!), road trips and visits to see family in Hawaii and Wisconsin, and spending quality time at home with the whole family.
Kristen Singh, Director of Special Education and School Psychologist
Arrielle Temple, Office Coordinator
​
Ms. Temple has lived in Kitsap for more than 20 years and in Bremerton for 13. They've worked as a doula to support birthing and postpartum needs. Ms. Temple also worked as a peer supporg group leader. They have 3 children who attend Catalyst. In their spare time they enjoy relaxing with family and caring for houseplants.
Stephanie Layson, 9 - 12 Principal
Ms. Layson has been a stellar middle and high school educator for the past 15+ years. She is originally from a small town outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in German language and Psychology. Ms. Layson also earned her Master’s degree from George Washington University in Special Education. Ms. Layson taught in Washington, DC for 10 years in both traditional public schools and public charter schools; teaching 4th through 8th grade and almost every subject. She was also the Director of High School Placement, supporting students and families with obtaining scholarships and acceptance into the top high schools in the city and country.
​
When she's not teaching, you can find Ms. Layson hiking or kayaking with her husband and her corgi mix, Bill. Ms. Layson loves to get outdoors and enjoy all that the best coast has to offer. She is also an avid reader. Ms. Layson tries to keep up with young adult fiction, but she always appreciates a good murder mystery or thriller novel.
Note: Some staff are not listed on the website based upon what they have told us they prefer.