Jill was born in Los Angeles and grew up surfing the waves of Malibu. Jill always had a passion for the ocean and the environment. She received her BS in Biology with an emphasis in Marine Ecology from the University of Puget Sound and also attended the University of Hawaii where she conducted research on coral reefs. Jill worked in Elkhorn Slough on a safari boat which led her to realize she loved teaching science. She then received her MS in Science Education along with her teaching credential from San Jose State. She worked in Hollister for 3 years at Maze Middle School then happily took a job at Mission Hill Middle School which brought her closer to the ocean. Jill has been working with 12-14 year olds since 1998. She landed at Santa Cruz Montessori in 2010 teaching science and running the farm program. Jill loves her job, adores her staff, and is an expert with working with adolescents.