Who We Are

This page contains the organizational and biographical information for the team at School Wise Press. We are very proud of our people and feel that we have assembled one of the best client oriented teams possible. Please take a moment to get acquainted with our staff. We are certain that once you have worked with our people, you will agree that they are some of the best in the business. Simply select any of the names listed below to obtain a detailed look at that person or scroll down the page and view all of our personnel.

STEVE REES, PRESIDENT, EDITOR, AND PUBLISHER. Before launching the company in 1995, Mr. Rees worked in magazine publishing management and consulting for more than 15 years. He developed expertise in strategic planning, acquisition reviews, and circulation direction. During this period, he edited and published a trade newsletter on mass customization and lectured at the Stanford Publishing Program. He is the father of two. Since 2001, he has written "The Owl" a newsletter about accountability policy for education leadership, and "SARC Bites," another newsletter on accountability practice.

JEFF ANGUS, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS. Jeff Angus has been a management coach and public lecturer. His book, "Management by Baseball," was published in 2006 by Harper Collins, and is evidence of his expertise in both disciplines. He is also a statistician and member of the Society for the Advancement of Baseball Research. He has popularized baseball statistics for the Seattle Times, and also covered baseball in Seattle as a reporter for the Associated Press. His experience as a reporter and columnist in the computer journalism world prepares him well to contribute to our publishing team here at School Wise Press.

ALISON NAKASHIMA, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING. Before joining School Wise Press in 2005, Ms. Nakashima worked with Educational Testing Service as a consultant to district staff on the California STAR testing program. Her additional work experience includes running a tutoring program for AmeriCorps and working in academic publishing. In her spare time, she is a board member and volunteer with a nonprofit mentoring program that pairs Asian American high school students with adult mentors. Ms. Nakashima has a BA in Mathematics from Oberlin University.

JORGE NAVARRO, DIRECTOR OF CLIENT RELATIONS. In addition to his can-do attitude and offbeat sense of humor, Jorge brings to School Wise Press more than 18 years experience in public education. He began as a high school English teacher in 1989 and was named Teacher of the Year at Lecanto High School (Citrus County, FL) in 1993. After two years conducting doctoral research in bilingual education at the University of Florida, Jorge became a teaching artist with the Creative Arts Team, a theatre company serving public schools across NYC. Most recently, he served as ELL Coordinator for Everett Middle School in San Francisco. Jorge Navarro holds a M.Ed. in Secondary English Education and a B.A. in English from the University of Florida.

Return to Top of Page

JOHANNA MEAD, SALES AND MARKETING SUPPORT. Upon graduation from San Francisco State University, Johanna chose to pursue a career in office administration, which satisfies her ongoing need to bring order out of chaos. For over a decade, Johanna has provided administrative support for businesses ranging from dot-com startups to film production to national banks. Her hobbies include writing, cooking, and activities that are far too silly to mention in a serious biography.

GREG SMITH, TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR. Greg Smith is a technology advisor, database developer, programmer, and systems analyst. He has worked in computer journalism and small business systems consulting for 15 years. He has contributed to a variety of publications, including InfoWorld and PC World, where he directed their testing and usability labs.

GARY JONES, IT OPERATIONS MANAGER. Gary began his career designing and installing production control systems in the oil fields and coal mines of Wyoming for companies such as Amoco, Amax, Union 76, Sun Oil, and ARCO. After moving to California in the early 1980's, he acquired more than 20 years experience in the information technology industry, primarily in network and systems management, and software and database development. Before joining School Wise Press, Gary held management and engineering positions with Bank of America, ProBusiness, and ADP.

LEE SEIDEN, MANAGER OF PRODUCTION AND EDITORIAL. Before joining School Wise Press in 2005, Ms. Seiden worked as a freelance proofreader, a computer programmer, and a substitute teacher. She has two children enrolled in the San Francisco Unified School District, where she has been an active parent volunteer. Ms. Seiden holds a BS degree in psychology and elementary education from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a certificate in computer programming from New York University.

Return to Top of Page

SUSAN GARRATT, PROJECT EDITOR. Ms. Garratt's editing experience includes illustrated book publishing and editing in the fields of engineering, ophthalmology, and education. She has combined her editing career with substantial volunteering in the classrooms of her two children and has been a member of the Mill Valley School District's PTA executive board for 12 years. In addition to working at School Wise Press, Ms. Garratt volunteers in the career planning office at her local high school. Ms. Garratt holds a BA in English from Wells College.

ROBERT ROSS, SENIOR DTP TECH. Mr. Ross is the senior staff person in our production department which produces accountability reports in print and online. His prior experience includes sales and customer service in two high-tech companies, where he gained expertise in helping people use new technologies.

LAUREN MAHAKIAN, PRODUCTION ASSISTANT. Ms. Mahakian is a San Francisco native who graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. She began her career with School Wise Press as a high school summer intern and has been with the company now for six years. Her organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to communicate clearly with her coworkers enable the production department to run efficiently. Ms. Mahakian currently attends California State University, Sacramento, and is working towards her B.A. in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Biology.

AMANDA ZEIER, PROJECT EDITOR. Before joining School Wise Press, Ms. Zeier worked as a Project Editor for Prima Games, a division of Random House and the industry leader in video-game strategy guides. A Bay Area native, she recently returned to Marin County after living in Davis for several years. Ms. Zeier holds a BA in both Political Science and English from University of California, Davis.

JENNY CHEN, STUDENT INTERN. This fall, Ms. Chen will be a freshman at San Francisco State. Jenny's office skills became immediately apparent last summer. Her tremendous work ethic, and a sharp eye for to detail have enhanced School Wise Press operations considerably. When she's not in school, or handling a variety of tasks here at the shop, Ms. Chen volunteers at the Chinese Hospital. In her spare time, she enjoys reading romance novels, shopping (calling it her "favorite sport!") and paddling for the Community Youth Center's Chinese Dragon Boat Racing Team.

Return to Top of Page