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Enrollment Information (541) 852-8237
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to
think critically. Intelligence plus character- That is the goal of true education."
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Meet Our Team
Dean of Students & co-Head of School
India John
India eagerly joined the Wellsprings community as Dean of Students in fall 2020. Born and raised in Nashville, TN, India traveled to Wisconsin to earn a BS in Environmental Geology and a minor in Journalism. Since college, her path has largely centered around Outdoor/Environmental Education of one sort or another, from leading summer camp trips and working as an Environmental Educator on both coasts, to teaching middle and high school math here in Eugene. During her free time India can be found hiking, reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy books, or playing Ultimate Frisbee. In addition to her role as Dean of Students, India is excited to offer additional individualized math support, as well as teach the occasional Cryptozoology elective.
Assistant to Dean of Students/Registrar
Kate Stover
Kate has been with the school as a Science teacher since 2020.
Special Education Coordinator
Joe Renaud
Joe was born in Detroit and grew up on Pardee Lake in Livingston County, Michigan. After a hitch in the Army as a German linguist in military intelligence, he attended the University of Oregon and earned a BA in history and German, followed by an MA in German.
Persuaded that explicating German poetry for a living was not going to work out long-term, he went on to earn a teaching license as a regular education teacher in language arts and social studies. Later he earned a license in special education and found his pedagogic passion in life.
Joe was a teacher and case manager at the John Serbu Youth Campus, working with adjudicated youth in a behavioral therapy program for six years and a teacher/case manager at Sheldon High School for twelve.
When not working at his current dream profession at Wellsprings, Joe can be found hanging out at home with the surliest cats in the world, writing, and reading good books
Operations Manager
Brad Goss
Brad has been with the school as a Language Arts teacher for over ten years.
Business Manager & co-Head of School
Heather Crippen
Heather has been counting beans at Wellsprings since 2013. Dedicated to and passionate about the school, she also helps out with grant writing, donor relations, social media and even some teaching. She has her own accounting business (Black Morgan Accounting) that keeps her busy when she is not enjoying her time at the school. When the beans are all counted, she enjoys hiking, spending time in her garden, fixing up her property, and hanging with her family.
Kitchen Coordinator
Anna Lankutis
Anna serves a vital and universally-appreciated role as our Kitchen Coordinator. Although Anna started in the fall, 2015, she is the parent of a 2003 graduate and has been somewhat associated with the school since 2001! Anna retired after 26 years of work in many phases of community social work and children’s programs. She loves working in the kitchen and serving students, and is delighted to be able to give back to the school in this special way.
Teacher
Bob Schlichting
Bob has a B.S. in Special Education K-12 and Secondary Psychology with a minor in Sociology/Anthropology. For four-plus years he worked at Aerie Academy as headmaster, counselor, and instructor. Prior to that, Bob worked in Lewiston, Idaho, at Northwest Children’s Home as a Special Education instructor dealing with socially and emotionally disturbed children. Bob has been teaching Math, Psychology, Human Sexuality, Music History, and other classes at Wellsprings since the fall of 2001.
Teacher
Sarah Rose de Villiers
Sarah is a bookworm with a love for art and adventure. She grew up in South Africa and holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, Bachelor of Fine Arts Honors from Prague College in the Czech Republic and Masters in English in Creative Writing from Stellenbosch University. While completing her Masters, she immigrated to Austin TX, where she worked for a non-profit arts organization and lectured in English Composition and Literary Studies with Austin Community College. In 2026 Sarah, her husband and her dog moved to Eugene to be closer to the forests. In addition to joining the Wellsprings team, she has connected with Lane Arts Council as a member of the board of directors and joined both Maude Kerns and New Zone art galleries. Sarah runs on curiosity, creativity and black coffee.
Teacher
Peter
Coming Soon
Teacher
Shane Rosenthal
Shane is new to Wellsprings.
Teacher
Dylan Gunther
Dylan was born in Florida where he spent much of his childhood enjoying the water. He studied history at Flagler College in North Florida focusing his thesis on the intersection between civil rights and aquatic history. After traveling to volunteer in rural Nicaragua and studying abroad in Vietnam, Dylan began working in schools in a variety of roles and locations. He earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Policy and Leadership at the University of Oregon and decided that Wellsprings was the perfect fit for his belief in community oriented learning spaces. When he’s not at school, you’ll find him on the coast at one of his favorite surf breaks, eating oysters at the Fisherman’s Market, or dancing poorly at a local music event.
Teacher
Dan Cordova
Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Dan loves big rocks and starry skies. Since earning his bachelors from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2011, Dan has been a technology educator and occasional poet, performer, writer, creator and community organizer.
Dan joined Wellsprings in 2025 as a science and technology teacher. In his free time, he enjoys crafting, cooking and collaborating on a good story with his partner and close friends.
Our Board of Trustees
Our current Board combines a mixture of long-serving Trustees with relatively new members
John Etter
John of Portland, Oregon is a very devoted member of the Eugene Friends Meeting. He attended Scattergood Friends School in Iowa, which he considers as having yielded experiences that continue to direct his life in positive ways. To help other high school students gain similar benefits, John has been an enthusiastic supporter of Wellsprings since its founding in 1994. His younger daughter, Angela, was in the first graduating class in 1996. John is a retired landscape architect, having spent many years with the city of Eugene planning and designing parks, planning bike paths, and consulting on urban beautification.
Lisette Ewing
Lisette has been a Special Education teacher since 1984. She has taught in Illinois, Idaho, S. Carolina and Oregon, headed a professional organization, and been part of state working groups in her field. Lisette has published articles and lectured internationally about art for blind and visually impaired students. A profile in the newsletter of the Eugene Friends Meeting, which she attends, noted that “those who know her can’t miss her passion and pizzazz!” The individualized curriculum for alternative learners at Wellsprings fits Lisette’s educational philosophy very well. She joined the Board in September 2011.
John Morse
John joined the Board in October 2017. A retired California public school educator of thirty-nine years, he has served as a teacher, school principal, director of instruction and assistant-superintendent for instructional services. John has had diverse experience developing and supporting high-quality alternative programs for students. He is very committed to the mission of Wellsprings and in helping all students reach their intended personal, graduation and/or post-secondary training goals. John is a team player and enjoys working positively and collaboratively with all members of this unique school community to ensure student success.
Elizabeth Bruno
Coming Soon
Jim Luzzi
Coming Soon
Bill Goldsmith
Bill is recently retired after over 50 years in various administrative roles, most recently twelve years as business manager and athletic director at Oak Hill School. His daughter Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith, a successful activist mural artist, found a welcoming and supportive educational home at Wellsprings and graduated in 2008. Currently Bill finds pleasure in playing pétanque, coaching girls basketball and growing tomatoes.