Faculty & Staff

Rebecca Yacono’s career in education began in 1983 at Porter Junior High, when she taught an eighth-grade classmate how to do vibrato on the viola. When her classmate subsequently beat her out for first chair viola in the All-City Orchestra auditions, Rebecca knew she had found her calling, not as a violist, but as an educator.

As an undergraduate in the Plan II Honors program at the University of Texas at Austin, Rebecca researched community-based learning programs for her senior thesis. She went on to earn her Master of Arts in Teaching at Boston University. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate education and in the early years of her career, Rebecca spent ten summers working at Girl Scout Camps in New England and the Adirondacks. It was in those settings – as well as in her five summers as a Girl Scout Camper in Texas – that Rebecca saw how girls thrive, collaborate, grow, and lead in extraordinary ways in all-girl settings.

Rebecca’s first formal teaching position was teaching integrated Humanities at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, MA, which reinforced her belief in student-centered, project-based learning. She took that philosophy back to Texas with her, where she taught Humanities and U.S. History in the Austin Independent School District and at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Rebecca went on to establish the position of Director of Diversity and Multicultural Development at St. Andrew’s, which is also where she met her wife, Robyn Mabry. In 2011, Rebecca returned to New England to teach at The Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA,  and she became the Head of the Middle School at Worcester Academy in 2017.

In her time at Worcester Academy, Rebecca helped craft the strategic plan, instituted initiatives for social-emotional learning, elevated institutional commitments to equity and inclusion, and alongside the faculty, strengthened the culture of the middle school to address the unique needs of early adolescent learners.  In addition, she was an integral member of the team that shepherded the school through the COVID-19 pandemic by prioritizing health and safety while maintaining a robust academic program and strong sense of community.

Neely Michaelis joined The Girls’ School of Austin as the Director of Admissions in 2020. She received her BA in Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and began working in the private sector during the technology boom. A corporate trainer for several years working primarily with Fortune 500 companies, Neely eventually transitioned into Human Resources where she led internal training for a sales and marketing company. A GSA parent since 2016, Neely strengthened her passion for community building through parent volunteer opportunities and co-facilitated parent diversity workshops. Neely is excited to unite her love for the GSA, her passion for building community, and her commitment to diversity in her role as Director of Admissions.

Coming soon!

Coming soon!  

Robyn Burchfiel (she/her) is honored to join the Girls’ School of Austin community as Interim Director of Advancement. A familiar face to many, Robyn brings a deep connection to GSA, having been a proud GSA parent (Addie, Class of 2022), a dedicated member of the GSA Board, part of the Head of School search committee, and most recently, a co-chair of the Strategic Design committee. As a passionate advocate for empowering girls, fostering a sense of belonging, and educating the whole person, Robyn is excited to serve the school in this important role.

With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and community building, Robyn’s professional journey has shown her the power of mission-driven cultures. She believes that when a school’s culture aligns with its values, the result is stronger engagement, thoughtful decision-making, and a vibrant community that nurtures and inspires everyone involved. Robyn sees these qualities brought to life at GSA every day, which is why she is both excited and humbled to contribute to the school’s continued growth and success.

In this role, Robyn is committed to collaborating with faculty, staff, parents, students, and partners to ensure GSA reaches its full potential.  She is eager to help GSA strengthen its traditions while embracing its future.

Outside of work, Robyn enjoys exploring Austin’s trails with her husband, Steve, and their two lively dogs. She also loves experimenting with recipes discovered on Instagram and finding lighthearted ways to keep Addie—a junior at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School—on her toes (and occasionally rolling her eyes).

Robyn is excited to connect with the entire GSA community and looks forward to working together to support the mission and vision of this exceptional school.

 Lorna Torrado joined the GSA faculty in 2014.  Dr. Torrado completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Modern Spanish-American Literature at The University of Texas at Austin specializing in race, gender, and cultural discourses and theory.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and her Master of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in Romance Languages and Literature. She has experience in non-profit management and is involved in a number of projects with non-profits in Austin and she has more than 15  years of teaching experience in the United States and Latin America. Lorna is part of the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) National Staff and has been leading SEED seminars for GSA faculty, parents and students since 2017.  She has also participated in the Equity Design Lab offered by the National Association of Independent Schools.

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Jeremy Goheen has taught Upper School English at Kirby Hall, and taught rhetoric and composition at the University of Texas and has been a teaching assistant at the University of Texas where he has fostered meaningful discussions about race, class, gender, and disability in the context of English Literature. Mr. Goheen will support our students with the study of history, literature, and culture. He believes these have the powerful capacity for helping make sense of what it means to inhabit this world. He is dedicated and committed to his craft and is eager to share this at the GSA. Mr. Goheen holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Washington, a Masters in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin, and is expected to complete his Ph.D. in English Literature in May 2022.

Coming soon!

Gilles Bonneau studied music in France at the Rouen and Chatou Conservatories before moving to the United States.  He received a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught in the UT String Project. He was the String Orchestra Director at the Austin Waldorf School for four years before joining The Girls’ of Austin when it opened in 2002. Every summer, he teaches at the MSYM music camps in Maine.  As a violinist, he remains active on the Austin music scene.

Monica J. Santos is the Student Support Coordinator, a key player on GSA’s team that will work together with teachers to meet the individual needs of students. Monica prides herself on helping others and being a team player. With over 20 years of experience in public schools, Monica has supported students in and out of the classroom, learning the importance of building relationships with students and their surrounding network to foster positive outcomes. Monica holds a BA in Economics from UT Austin, a M.Ed. in Special Education with a Specialization in Dyslexia, and certifications of bilingual ED DIAG and CALT. This Laredo-an fell in love with Austin long ago, continuing to explore the fun and flavor of the city with her husband, Darrell.

 Terry Parks has been teaching since 1994 and for the past 17 years has taught first-grade. Prior to this, she taught second grade and prekindergarten classes. Ms. Parks loves getting to know her students and learning how to best engage and excite them about learning. One of her central goals for each new class is to guide her students in being supportive of one another and appreciative of the gifts and talents that everyone brings to the group.  Ms. Parks received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and has a Texas teaching certification for Early Childhood through sixth grade. 

Anne Seekatz joined The Girls’ School faculty in 2015 after her first year of teaching sixth and eighth grade science at Georgetown ISD.   She received her Bachelor of Science in Education with a minor in Biology from UT Austin and recently completed a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Sam Houston State University.  She is an avid volunteer.  Her volunteer experiences include nature interpretation as a Capital Area Master Naturalist and teaching girls the basics of riding and caring for horses in Girl Scouts equestrian program. She also received the Girl Scout’s Gold Award for creating a documentary film about a local nonprofit organization.  Anne has taught in various summer camps such as the Austin Nature and Science Center, Mathnasium of the Woodlands and the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  Anne teaches tae-kwon-do at Impact Martial Arts.  Anne recently completed SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) training and co-lead monthly seminars for GSA faculty.

Amy Heaton has had a passion for teaching math since high school. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Mathematics with Teacher Licensure from Elon University in North Carolina. She then taught middle school math in Maryland for three years before moving to Austin to pursue a master’s degree in STEM Education at UT, where she is currently in her second year. She started teaching at GSA in Spring 2020.

Coming soon!

Originally from the Gulf Coast, Will Krause moved to Austin to study at the University of Texas in 2003. He has been performing professionally on electric and upright bass, as well as tuba for the past 17 years, with countless different projects. He also teaches piano and guitar, and dabbles with composition and audio engineering. He emphasizes an appreciation of all styles of music, as well as an emphasis on music theory. Plus, he’s an all-round nice guy!

Coming soon!