The Board of Trustees establishes the vision and mission of the school.  In addition, they focus on finance, long-range planning, financial policies and procedures, development, marketing, support and evaluation of the Head of School, and the Board’s own performance and succession.

The Head of School is the chief executive officer of the School. The Head is charged with implementing the School’s long-range plan and overseeing the effective administration of all aspects of the School’s operation. 

The following individuals are on the Board of Directors:

Faith Burke earned a doctoral degree from Columbia University Teachers College and was trained by the Lilly Foundation in Trustee Leadership Development.  She was a professor in the School of Education at Medaille College for 30 years teaching Masters Degree level courses. She also taught a Curriculum and Planning course to doctoral students as a National Lecturer for Nova Southeastern University. In addition, she served on the Board of Trustees of the Park School of Buffalo.  Dr. Burke is currently teaching an online Masters Research Thesis course.

Jane Marchant, born, raised and certified as a physical therapist in Switzerland, moved to Nosara in 1995. She worked and studied at the Nosara Yoga Institute for 5 years. Since 2000 she owns and runs Nosara Wellness which offers physical therapy and rehabilitation, massage, Yoga and Pilates. She is the mother of Selina and Silvan, both enrolled at Del Mar Academy. She speaks fluent French, English, Spanish, German and Dutch.

Carlos Roberto Castro Bolaños:  Born and raised in San José, Costa Rica. Carlos moved to Nosara in 2003. He has a Bachelor´s degree in Pharmacy and a Master of Science in Commercial Management in Marketing from the University of  Barcelona, Spain. Carlos currently works as Project Manager for Nova Development Group, a successful development company in the area. Carlos is an avid surfer and can been seen most mornings enjoying the view of Guiones from the outside of the wave breaks.

Jessica Sheffield Zamora was born and raised in Costa Rica. She graduated as a Marine Biologist from the Universidad Nacional in Heredia, Costa Rica and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to complete her Masters degree in Environmental Resource Management at the Florida Institute of Technology. Mrs. Sheffield founded a non profit organization called CERENA H2O that focused on environmental education and preservation of water resources. She is one of the founders of Del Mar Academy and  lives in Nosara with her husband Bram. They have two children, Kai and Lucía.

Bram Shook was born and grew up in Westport, Connecticut. After graduating from San Diego State University with Bachelor Degree in English in 1995, he worked for an international Information Technology company in sales and management. He moved to Nosara in 2001 and is the owner of Century 21 La Costa Realty. Bram and his wife Jessica co-founded Del Mar Academy with their good friends Hayley Macmillan-Ord and Iain Ord in 2007.

Iain Ord  was born and raised in Northern England. He has a Masters in Plumbing Engineering and owned a successful plumbing construction business in the Cayman Islands for 25 years before moving to Nosara with his wife and their 3 children.  He is one of the co-founders of Del Mar Academy and works with NOVA Development Group in the capacity of Construction Manager.

Hayley Macmillan-Ord was born in England, raised in Canada, and lived and worked in the Cayman Islands for 20 years before moving to Nosara.  Hayley has a Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.  She is one of the founders of Del Mar Academy and has three children, Oceanna, Skye and Solace with her husband Iain.  Hayley is also a Yoga instructor with strong interests in health and nutrition.

Anna Rita Pergolizzi Wentworth is our Head of School. She holds a Master of Education (Ed.M.) in Educational Leadership Studies from Columbia University, Teachers College.  Anna Rita attended Middlebury College where she double-majored in Russian and Sociology/Anthropology.   After receiving her degree, she was accepted into Teach for America (“TFA”) and attained her teaching certificate at Seton Hall University.  She spent several years as an elementary teacher in Newark, New Jersey and Nosara, Costa Rica.  In addition to her teaching experience in Newark and Nosara, Anna Rita taught English to native Russian speakers in Siberia, Russia; mentored at-risk high school students from NYC; recruited for TFA throughout the New England, USA region; and helped teach a distance learning class on educational leadership to masters and doctoral students at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey.