SDDS is looking for new board members!​

Leigh Moss
​Head of School

Leigh is thrilled and honored to join the St. David’s Episcopal Day School community as the newly selected Head of School. She migrated to Austin, TX in 1998, after graduating with a Masters in education and a focus in early childhood development. Because of her experiences in a more progressive school, she sought out play-based education models and took her first job teaching in preschools for this reason. As a preschool lead teacher, she was fortunate to be able to develop and implement a classroom with an emphasis on meaningful choices, exploration, story-telling and the arts.

The next 19 years of her career were dedicated to enriching opportunities for students and families in the public education realm of charter schools. In 2005, she and several of her colleagues co-founded a local K-8 charter school. She wore many hats at this school, from teacher to curriculum coach to most recently as Head of School.

Colette Dunlap
Assistant Head of School

THE TEAM

The teachers at St. David's Episcopal Day School are the foundation of our success. They are all NAEYC certified and always put your child's education, safety and well-being first

​Kate Terrell
Lead Ones Teacher


​​Kate Terrell has been teaching since 2007. She joined St. David’s in the winter of 2019 as a floater and is now the lead toddler teacher. Kate has a B.A. in history from the University of Texas at Austin and has spent her teaching career working exclusively with toddlers and twos. She loves reading, music, museums, traveling/exploring, baseball (GO CARDINALS!), and spending time with her nieces and nephews. Kate loves teaching toddlers and twos because of their joy and curiosity for discovery and the world around them – St. David’s provides a wonderful community for that.

Lauren Waters
Lead Younger Twos Teacher


​Lauren began teaching at St. David’s Episcopal Day School in August 1998. She left the Day school when her daughter Frances was born but eventually returned and continued to work in the St. David’s Childcare program. She has been the Lead teacher in 2's class since 2005 and is loved by both children and their parents. Prior to teaching our 2's Lauren was  the Lead teacher in our Toddler 1’s class for three years and received her CDA in 2012.

Daphne Dolder
Lead  Older Twos / Young Threes Teacher

Daphne graduated from St. Edwards University in 2018 and began working at SDDS as an assistant. In the Fall of 2020, she  moved into a Lead Teacher position. She excels at being a lead and coming up with unique activities to teach the children. When she's am not at work, Daphne is a dedicated Dog Mom to 3 furry babies who love to join me at the park for my daily runs. So happy to be part of SDDS!

Tasha Stewart
Lead Older Threes Pre K Teacher

Tasha has been teaching at St. David's since 2004. She started in the Toddler Class as an assistant and gradually transitioned to lead teacher. Along the way, she has earned her CDA in Early Childhood Education. Tasha is a native of Austin and is married with 3 children and one granddaughter. She is a “die hard” Texas Longhorns and Dallas Cowboys fan, and also enjoys baking, “Do It Yourself” projects, shopping and watching television.  

Julie Johnson-Carson
Lead Montessori Teacher ​

Julie received her B.A. from Austin College in 1974 and her certificate in Contemporary Montessori Education in 1987 from The Albanesi Educational Center in Dallas, Texas. She began teaching the Montessori Mother's Day Out program at SDDS in 1997. Miss Julie feels blessed each day through the children and their parents.  She believes it is a privilege to be with you at St. David's Episcopal Day School.

Vashti Thompson
​Lead Pre-K / Kinder Teacher 

Vashti Thompson was born and raised in Liberia,West Africa, came to the United States twenty three years ago when my husband received an academic scholarship to pursue a Master of Divinity degree at an Episcopal Church Seminary in Wisconsin.
Vashti  began to pursue my post-secondary education in Liberia, continuing in Wisconsin, the US Virgin Islands (Associate in Inclusive Early Childhood Education), New Orleans (Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies), and Concordia University, Nebraska (Master in Curriculum Instruction in progress).

Arielle Luftak
Assistant Teacher for Ones Classroom

​Tara Gidden
Assistant Teacher for Young Twos Classroom 

Kenndall Stone
Assistant Teacher for Older Twos / Young Threes Classroom 
Kenndall has been at St. David’s since 2019 and is the 1's class assistant teacher. She is a graduate from the University of Texas, and has years of experience working with young children. She is excited to begin her career at St. David’s and loves educating children at this age level. She hopes to eventually travel and teach other young children all over the world. Her favorite part of teaching at St. David’s is seeing the development of her students during their time in her class.
Jess Villasana
Assistant Teacher for Older Threes Classroom
Melissa Castillo
Assistant Teacher for Pre-K / Kindergarten 
Melissa has been working with children since 2016 and has been at St. Davids since January 2020. She is the pre-K/Kindergarten assistant teacher and is in her last semester at the University of Texas where she is studying Youth and Community Studies with a minor in Social Work. Outside of the classroom Melissa enjoys making blankets and earrings, and when she's not crafting, she's cuddling up with her cat Mateo or cleaning up after him. Melissa is excited to continue to learn and grow at St. Davids and feels lucky for the opportunity to get to know your children!

Julian Bradley
Assistant Teacher Pre K / Kinder

Julian was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, and moved to Texas with my family 16 years ago. He graduated from Vandegrift High School class of 2013 with a coursework in Leadership. He enjoys spending time with my family, playing video games, and reading Marvel comic books.  Julian  has over six years of experience working with children and have loved every minute of it. His passion for inspiring and impacting the lives of the children under my care allows him to see his profession as less of a "job" and more of a journey to become a better educator.

Interested in becoming a member of the Board?
​We are always in search of passionate, dedicated parents and community members to contribute to the amazing work being ​done at SDDS!

St. David's Day School Board of Directors

Audrey Ench, President: Audrey Ench is a member of St. David's Episcopal Church and Technical Recruiter at Google. Her oldest son, Lucca, attends SDDS and can be found bouncing through hallways on the way to Ms. Kate's Ones classroom. Her youngest son, Dylan, a very recent addition to the family, also keeps her quite busy. Audrey is deeply invested in SDDS and loves the sense of family the school offers by providing a play based education in a faith based setting. She brings an interesting perspective to the board as a member of the Austin Chamber of Commerce Talent Council and Austin Young Chamber. As President of the board, she is committed to SDDS's mission and core values. When she's not working, attending a board meeting or changing a diaper you can find Audrey helping her husband (who is a culinary instructor) in the kitchen and enjoying his delicious creations.

Jennifer Glass, Vice President: Jennifer Glass is a member of St. David's Episcopal Church and professor at the University of Texas, where she researches the impact of work-family policies, like affordable child care and telecommuting, on parents' and children's well-being. She has been a board member for the past three years, serving first as the Vestry designee to the Board. While her own children are grown now, Jennifer remembers her years searching for affordable high quality child care, and understands the range of needs that contemporary parents have. Her vision is to support St. David's as a family center for the greater Austin community, of which the Day School is an integral part.

Briana Shepard, Secretary: Briana Shepard is a mom to two daughters, ages 8 and 5, who started their education at St. David's Day School and now attend St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. She holds a Masters in Advertising from the University of Texas and a B.A. in PR from SMU and was previously an Account Manager at an advertising agency. She and her husband were married at St. David's in 2007 and in addition to being a Board Member is actively involved in both her girls' school as well as other philanthropic activities.

​Sarah Kapostasy, Treasurer: Sarah Kapostasy is a member of the Vestry, the governing body of St. David’s Episcopal Church. She was proud to serve as the chair of the search committee as we selected our new Head of School. As a former educator and a working parent, Sarah believes strongly in access to quality early childhood education. She is a licensed professional counselor and the clinical director of a local non-profit.
Kris Monson, Rector’s Designee: Kristofer Monson is a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church and recently served as a Vestry member. He earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 2002. He is currently the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the State of Texas. Kris has faithfully served on the Day School Board of Directors for several years, beginning when his children participated in the program.

​Marcus West: Marcus West is a member of St. David's Episcopal Church and a manager at the Texas Legislative Council, where he oversees the quality assurance review of draft legislation for members of the Texas Legislature, as well as performing many engrossing and enrolling duties for the Texas House of Representatives. In addition he oversees the agency's delivery assistants, many of whom are mentored through an internship program. He has been a board member for the past four years. He has two sons, the eldest is a graduate of St. David's Day School, and the youngest will begin attending in the coming fall.

Caitlin Maher: Caitlin Maher has been involved with the St. David’s Family for a year and a half. This relationship began with the enrollment of her daughter Grace and later, her son Adam at the St. David’s Day School. Caitlin, Travis, Grace and Adam began attending services at St. David’s this past year. On Thursdays, you can find Caitlin, a regular volunteer, at The Trinity Center. Caitlin holds a Master’s in Art Education. She was an elementary school art teacher for ten years before deciding to stay home with her children. Caitlin and her family have found a home at St David’s. She was honored to join the board in January and is excited to work with the community to continue to create a warm, safe, loving and educational environment for all.

Taylor McDowell: Taylor McDowell joined the Day School Board in May of 2019. He also serves on the Board of Directors for El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission, a Texas non-profit corporation that operates a primary care clinic for underserved populations in Austin. Taylor is a transactional attorney in the Corporate & Securities, Healthcare, and Investment Funds practice groups at Jackson Walker.