Faculty & Staff Directory

Began at CAIS in 2016

Well known to students as “Coach Eddy,” he brings a great rapport and familiarity to his role as Middle School PE Teacher. Mr. Eddy’s extremely diverse background includes many years as a professional skier and his more recent work with Playworks San Francisco and Arizona. Well versed in the CAIS culture, Mr. Eddy brings his enthusiasm for good sportsmanship and focus on healthy bodies to support healthy minds.

Began at CAIS in 2020

Ms. Julie Farrell fell in love with China on her first trip as a high school student and enrolled in Mandarin classes immediately upon return. Her passion for Chinese language continued well into college and beyond, amplified by language intensives with Middlebury College and the US Department of State. Ms. Farrell holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from New York University and an M.Sc. in Agroecology from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. She spent several years working with NGOs across southwest China, supporting farmers in rebuilding robust sustainable food systems. She also served young learners as an experiential educator, developing school garden curriculums in Chinese public schools and designing courses in China and Taiwan for American high school, middle school, and college students. Ms. Farrell’s favorite place on earth is a rural kitchen. As a long time resident of Sichuan, she never turns down a spicy hot pot.

Began at CAIS in 2020

Ruiting was born and raised in China and has been in San Francisco for seven years. Her passion from early on has been for teaching, especially early childhood education and curriculum design. She studied Early Childhood Education at City College of San Francisco and then completed her BA in Child and Adolescent development with a focus on School Age Child and Family at San Francisco State University. Ruiting is honored to have graduated summa cumme laude in her class. Before joining the CAIS community, she taught at Bright Horizons, Presidio Knolls School, and Saint Anne Chinese School. She enjoys helping children learn to love learning, both in language acquisition and social emotional development. Ruiting’s hobbies include traveling, learning about others’ life stories, and discovering new cuisines. (Ruiting is also fluent in Cantonese.)

Began at CAIS 2022

BEGAN AT CAIS 2022

Ms. Foster joined CAIS in 2022 after working as a librarian at The San Francisco School, San Francisco University High School, and Commodore Sloat Elementary. She also had a long career in nonprofit administration with local organizations such as First 5 San Francisco and the Brava Theater Center. She holds a Master in Industrial Administration from Purdue University and a Master of Library and Information Science from San José State University. In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding, yoga, camping, and relaxing with a good book.

Began at CAIS in 2010

Fu Laoshi has been at CAIS since 2010 and has been a lead teacher in the Preschool for the past eight years. Fu Laoshi finds working with young children challenging and satisfying. She enjoys watching their abilities develop and grow. In particular she enjoys seeing children with no Chinese background first become comfortable with Chinese and then really start using it to communicate. As an English language learner herself, Fu Laoshi knows that learning a second language is challenging. She is always so proud of how well our students learn at CAIS. Fu Laoshi likes to add music and movement into her classes and she believes this is a fun and easy way to learn a second language, especially for young children. It is her hope that all children will be happy in her class and learn Chinese.

Began at CAIS in 2016

Now in her fourth year at our 888 Campus, Ms. Gerson is an especially valuable member of the Middle School faculty. After completing her master’s degree in education through the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI) program, Ms. Gerson moved up to teach sixth grade math and science. Her content and pedagogical knowledge dovetail perfectly with her ability to engage with the students and her classroom management style, which is ideally suited for students transitioning to the new environment of middle school.

BEGAN AT CAIS 2021

Now in her second year at CAIS, Ms. Gonzalez is from the Midwest originally (born in Michigan, raised in Illinois, college in Iowa). She guides budding Lower School scientists to “take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!” while experimenting with the world around them and their imagination. Ms. Gonzalez organized our first annual Earth Day celebration including Earth-centric games and activities, as well as a panel discussion with scientists and content experts. She lives in San Bruno with Ron, her husband of almost 4 years, and her dog, Hopper. She loves to hike, hang out at the beach, and go camping in her free time.

Began at CAIS in 2021

Jillian Gornick is thrilled to be joining the CAIS community and growing as an educator. She spontaneously moved to San Francisco in June 2021 for a summer job and decided she just had to stay! She received her Bachelor’s of Science from Grand Valley State University back in her home state of Michigan in 2019. She is passionate about environmental conservation efforts, human and animal welfare, and exploring plant-based eating. She enjoys traveling, hiking, befriending animals (she’s a huge fan of dogs), listening to podcasts and music, and connecting with nature.