Lisa has held multiple leadership roles in corporate, state, and not-for-profit organizations. She’s worked as an entrepreneur, leading a global team of scientists, clinicians, and thought leaders to develop products, programs, and policies that continue to improve the quality of life for people worldwide through medical betterment and increased public safety. In her early career, Lisa held the role of Laboratory Director for the University of Oklahoma’s world-renowned DNA Sequencing laboratory. There she worked as part of a management team leading hundreds of scientists to become global contributors to the completion of the human genome project. In charitable work, she has devoted her efforts to provide practical help for people in need. This confluence of entrepreneurial skill and charity suits Trinity perfectly, providing a tremendous benefit to students, families, and coworkers.

When she’s not roaming the halls at Trinity School, you will find Lisa’s heart in action in several places. She’s deeply involved in political advocacy in Central Oklahoma on behalf of health and safety initiatives. She’s had the privilege to work alongside multiple activists and to create and expand several non-profit entities. She has served on numerous industry boards throughout her career, including Cleveland County’s Habitat for Humanity, Women Lead, DNA Saves, DNA-Prokids, and St. John’s Vestry and Outreach Center, all devoted to addressing health and safety issues and improving people’s lives.

Lisa and her husband Michael live on campus in Norman with their daughter Genevieve.

Mike Smith is our Head of School and Head of Operations and Administration. Mike also manages our student services team, creating meaningful enrichment programs for our students.

Mike joined Trinity with extensive experience. He began his career in education in 1996 as a high school social studies teacher and football coach. In addition, he served as a school administrator in Oklahoma, both as an Assistant High School Principal and a Middle School Principal.
Mike is a certified administrator, principal, and 7th-12th-grade teacher. He earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and his Master’s in Educational Administration from SWOSU.

Mike’s wife Ann is a State Farm agent in Edmond, and together they have two children, Samantha and Terry. In his free time, Mike enjoys taking trips to the mountains with family and spending time building hand-crafted wood furniture and decor in his shop.

Shelli has taught various subjects and grade levels. The majority of her teaching career has been devoted to helping students improve their reading skills. Teaching children to read has always been her passion! Shelli is always the first to jump in with field trips, activities, and just about anything that helps Trinity students grow. She is a mentor for new teachers at Trinity and a resource to organizations and families dealing with learning differences.

Shelli has three sons and four grandchildren. Her youngest son is a graduate of Trinity School and has a bachelor of fine arts from Oklahoma Christian University. She credits the teachers he had at Trinity for giving him the tools he needed to be successful. Shelli loves horses, sports, and Peanuts. Trinity students recently assembled a Snoopy puzzle for her that hangs in our reading therapy room.

Before joining the Trinity team, Zac worked as a Director and Chaplain at King’s Gate Christian School in Yukon. Also, he served as the Senior High Minister at the Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Tulsa. Zac has also served as a House Parent in a group home, a Camp Director at a Christian Summer Camp, and as Pastor at various other churches in Oklahoma and Texas.

After earning her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Cathy went on to serve students as a classroom teacher for thirteen years. She soon felt the need to broaden her knowledge and expertise to help the struggling readers she encountered each year. She earned her Master’s degree in Education, with a specialization in reading, from the University of Central Oklahoma and later earned her School Psychometrist certification through East Central University. Cathy has supported teachers and served struggling readers in a variety of roles as a reading specialist, Literacy Coach, and School Psychometrist for seventeen years.

In her free time, Cathy loves to cook, read about reading, and has recently discovered an interest in vegetable gardening. Cathy and her husband reside in Norman. They have 3 children and three adorable grandsons.

Cindy earned her bachelor’s degree in science and education from the University of Kansas. However, she quickly realized her passion for teaching lies in supporting those students who are often overlooked in conventional schools. As a result, Cindy returned for her master’s degree in science education, emphasizing orthopedic disabilities and different learning styles. After a few years as an educator in Kansas, she moved to Edmond, Oklahoma.

Early in her career, Cindy forged an inclusion program to help kids with unique needs remain in their classrooms with the support of specially trained teachers. Cindy worked in a conventional classroom, supporting the primary teacher, helping all the students present, and assisting students who learn differently. This led her to a career fully dedicated to differently-abled students. Her teaching philosophy centers around smaller class sizes and plenty of one-on-one time with students. After 23 years of teaching, she has worked with every grade and development level. Much of her time in the classroom has been spent helping students with physical disabilities or learning differences.

Cindy and her husband Steve have three children and five grandchildren, most of whom live in Colorado. In her time outside of the classroom, Cindy likes to spend time cooking meals from scratch, reading, and taking walks with her dog.

Kim began at Trinity School as an Administrative Assistant but was soon promoted to Executive Administrative Assistant. She received her BS in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. She received the Dean’s and President’s honor roll throughout her time in college.
Kim has always loved working with children, and Trinity has provided the ideal opportunity. She is so thankful for her Trinity family and their support over the years.

Kim has one brother and 4 nieces and nephews. They have been the greatest gift she has ever received. Kim has a pet cat, and she has always had a love for animals. Her hobbies include dance, reading, baking, and going to the movies. She has been dancing at the same studio since she was a child. Dance has taught her perseverance, time management, organization, dedication, discipline, and most of all life long friendships.

Jennifer homeschooled her three children, David, Caleb, and Brennyn, for over eight years before coming to Trinity and truly understands the value of individualized education. She enjoys spending time with her family, boating, hiking, and running with her giant labradoodle Charlie.

Monica Valles joined the Trinity Team in early Spring 2022 after serving three and a half years with Moore Public Schools as a Junior High Principal Secretary. Monica received her Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. She has served multiple volunteer hours with the Boys and Girls Club, Center for Children and Families in Norman, Habitat for Humanity, and Harvest Foster Kids Summer Camp. She enjoys being involved with youth and their education.

Monica’s hobbies include running, reading, drawing, and hanging out with her family and friends. She has a two-year-old daughter named Amelia, who keeps her busy when not at work. Together they love singing, walking to the park, and jumping on the trampoline! She loves her so much and absolutely enjoys teaching her new things and watching her grow! Monica is so thankful to be a part of the Trinity family. She looks forward to getting to know the staff, students, and families throughout the years!

Brett Hodges is the Head of Information Technology and also teaches Coding at Trinity. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and is proud to have worked as an IT Technician for many projects and companies around Oklahoma.

Brett is excited for the opportunity to work at Trinity School, keeping our students, teachers, and families connected.

In Brett’s free time, you can find him enjoying ESports, camping with his family and friends, and cheering for the Sooners on Saturdays!
We are so excited to have Brett on our Trinity team!

Norma’s teaching career began in 1981 on a reservation in Montana, where she worked with early elementary students. She has experience in public and private schools, teaching in a Minnesota private Christian school and Oklahoma City Public Schools. She has also helped kids with reading intervention who experienced trauma at a Houston drug and alcohol treatment center.

Seeing children whose needs were not met in conventional schools drew Norma to institutions focusing on learning differences. She has come to value the importance of individualized education, and Trinity School was a perfect fit.

Norma earned her associate’s degree from Golden Valley Lutheran College and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southwest State University in Minnesota. She grew up in the northern central US, living in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. She has been married to her husband for 37 years, and the two have three children and two grandsons together.

If she isn’t teaching, Norma is probably baking. Her favorite recipe is cherry turnovers, but she regularly scouts for new recipes and unique methods of baking her old favorites. She has several vegans in her life, and her vegan baked goods have become so good that you’d never know the difference. In her downtime, Norma loves spending time with her family, watching movies, and crafting.

Rachel’s career started at a YMCA in her hometown of Ponca City. She worked for ten years with elementary students as the director and assistant director of the after-school programs and summer day camps. It was there that Rachel met families who had children with learning differences, and her passion for working with them grew. For ten years, Rachel worked as a director of child care centers and Head Start programs.

Rachel’s passion for helping people and especially people with learning differences, started very young. She met her step-dad at age ten, who was a Polio survivor. She learned valuable lessons watching him go through life with many physical, intellectual, and emotional struggles. She felt that same passion from the administration and staff at Trinity and knew Trinity was where she wanted to be. Trinity School puts students’ educational needs first by taking the time to individualize learning for children to thrive.

Rachel is married with two children Roman and Hadley, and a step-daughter Skylar. She spends a lot of time with her family going to sporting events, and she lives for football. If you ask her what her favorite season is, it’s football season. “Boomer Sooner!” She loves the beach, a good cup of coffee, and traveling anywhere new.

Coming Soon!

Hannah has always had a passion for working with students who have learning differences. She began working with special education students when she volunteered in the special education program at her high school.

Hannah lives in Mustang, Oklahoma, with her husband Barry and two sons Christian and Weston.

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

Over the past 35 years, Tracy taught elementary and middle school in Oklahoma and Texas schools. Much of that time was spent serving as a substitute teacher across several schools. During that time, she mastered the skill of quickly changing and adapting lesson plans as needed, on short notice.

Her son Colton brought Tracy to Trinity when he enrolled as a sophomore in the fall of 2010 to get the help he needed for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. It was then that Tracy began substituting and working with students in the after-care program. Tracy began teaching at Trinity full-time in 2015 while continuing to help with the after-care program and various other roles in the school.

Tracy has always loved reading and knows how important it is for children to learn the basics of reading. She loves showing students the history of authors and the timeline of when and why books were written. In addition, she believes in the importance of learning how to express oneself in writing. By understanding the fundamentals of the English language, students can become better writers as they go through school.

Because of the help her son Colton received at Trinity, he was able to continue his education. He graduated from college with a fine arts degree and, while in college, was able to advocate for himself. She loves to share his success story with all Trinity students!

Marcus is from Lawton, Oklahoma, and graduated from The University of Oklahoma in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. He was involved in the Beta Theta Pi chapter, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cleveland County, Earth Day Big Event Committee, PR Society of America, and the Animal Volunteer Alliance during college.

Following graduation, Marcus packed his bags and took off on the Oregon Trail, moving to Salem, Oregon! In Oregon, he worked as the Youth Sports Coordinator for the Stayton YMCA, organizing youth sports and managing memberships. As a direct contact for parents and, more importantly, an inspiration to kids, Marcus enjoyed working at the YMCA. However, he yearned to be back in Oklahoma and made the difficult decision to return home.

Marcus’s passion has always been helping the community. He did just that in his previous role as an Educational Support Specialist for the Department of Human Services. He helped clients by issuing benefits, organizing cases, and enrolling them into programs. Helping individuals from all over the state was rewarding. Still, Marcus felt he could influence others more locally, leading him to Trinity School.

In this spare time, Marcus enjoys running and playing video games. He loves his work with the Trinity School at Edgemere community and is proud to call himself a Tiger!

Tom Graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy with a Liberal Arts Associate Degree. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education, majoring in Biology, from Kent State University. Intent to pursue his passion for flying, he entered the Air Force as a First Lieutenant, completing flight training with his first assignment in B-52s.

With Vietnam escalating in the late 60s, Tom found himself in Danang, RVN, spotting targets for fighters. After returning to the states, he flew B-52s for two years out of Guam and out of Thailand for four consecutive 6-month tours. After returning to the States again, he was chosen for the Instructor cadre in the Air Force’s new aircraft, the E-3, of which 32 aircraft would be based at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. During this time, he completed his MBA in Finance from Auburn University.

Tom returned to Tinker for two more tours, the last of which he served as Commander of the E3 in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. He retired as Group Commander after 30 years and over 6,000 flying hours.

Tom started his educational journey with Troops for Teachers spending five years at Jefferson Middle School teaching Science in all three grades. After that, he taught three years of Middle School Science in the Edmond School District. Tom also taught for two years at Emerson South in Oklahoma City, a school for disadvantaged students. Most recently, he was a substitute teacher for three years at Christian Heritage Academy, where four of his grandchildren attend.

Tom found a passion for teaching children with learning difficulties when his twin grandsons received an Autism diagnosis. Tom feels very blessed to join the tremendous staff at Trinity. He has committed to ensuring his students receive the best possible education with love and kindness to make them successful.

Tom is married to his wonderful wife, Glenda. Together they have seven grandchildren. In his spare time, he loves gardening, spending time with his grandchildren, and taking care of his backyard pool.

Chad is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, but moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 2005 to attend Oklahoma Baptist University. He earned a B.S in Exercise Science and a minor in Bible. His dream was to coach big-time college football, and instead, he landed at the Middle-School level, and he feels lucky to have done so!

Chad’s career began teaching science, language arts, and elective courses in computer science at the middle-school level within the Mid-Del School District. In addition, he served as a head coach for the football, basketball, and baseball teams during his time there. These were some of the best school times outside the classroom!

Chad went on to teach cognitive behavior courses within correctional facilities. The experience was intense and incredibly eye-opening. Most recently, Chad coordinated a group home for young boys with emotional challenges.

In his spare time, Chad enjoys Razorback ANYTHING, sports (his TV permanently tuned to ESPN), as well as reading suspense and mysteries books, watching movies, fishing, and volunteering to coach his son’s sports teams. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two kids, Caitlyn and Seth.

Clarice Pink is very excited to join the Trinity School family and loves having the opportunity to share her love of education with students. Clarice was raised in Colorado Springs, CO, but has lived most of her life in Texas. She has been married for twenty-four years to her wonderful husband, Quentin. Together they have three amazing children, including twin girls Mia and Vanessa, who are currently in High School. Their son Gerard is in college at West Texas A&M. They also have a little dog named Atticus Finch.

Clarice majored in History and minored in English, graduating from Texas A&M Central Texas with her Bachelor’s. She went on to finish her Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies with a focus on History, her Capstone being Disability Studies. She has been teaching for six years and has taught all ages and levels, including college, as an Adjunct Professor.

Kathy joins Trinity after thirteen years of teaching special education students in the public school system. She began teaching students with learning disabilities for five years at a Putnam City elementary. She took a sixteen-year hiatus after adopting her oldest child, who is a person with autism. During that time, Kathy learned about autism and sensory issues to better help her son. She became an autism advocate in her community and her son’s school system. She also worked as a receptionist at Sensational Kids for a year. Kathy returned to the classroom as a special education middle school ELA teacher in Edmond and remained there for eight years.

Kathy is a lifelong Oklahoma resident. She graduated from Bishop McGuinness and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCO. Kathy resides in Edmond and has two adult sons and her morkie, Quinn. In her free time, Kathy likes to go to festivals and spend time with friends and family. She loves trying new restaurants, following OU football and softball, reading, gardening, and enjoying great music.

Originally from Roanoke, Virginia, Leilani Dade received her bachelor’s degree in music and French at Hollins University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a specialization in classical guitar and a certificate in arts management. She studied guitar and music theory at l’Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, France, as part of the Hollins Abroad Paris program (2011-12).

Leilani received her M.A. from the University of California Riverside in 2017 with a master’s thesis titled Alejandro Caturla and Alejo Carpentier’s La Manita en el Suelo: A Creative (Re)Staging. Her thesis examines nationalism, surrealism, and folklore in Caturla’s unpublished puppet opera, La Manita en el Suelo. She received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowship in 2014 and is a returning recipient of the GLUCK Fellowship of the Arts (2014-18), for which she developed two artist-in-residency programs: Cadence and Bolero: A Musical Journey through Space, and Drama and Drums: A Five-Week Music Program in Opera and Folklore based on her thesis research.

In 2018, she published an article on Turina’s works for guitar titled “Joaquín Turina: Spanish Nationalism and Guitar in The Early 20th Century” in Soundboard Scholar and received the Manolito Pinazo Memorial Award for advanced research in Spanish music. Her dissertation research focuses on French and Spanish nationalism in Spanish composer Joaquin Turina’s stage works.

Leilani’s connection to Oklahoma City began at the annual Celedonio Romero Guitar Institute at OCU. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching computer science and Minecraft classes online, collecting Legos, and making 3D art. Her newest hobbies include electronic music and stop-motion animation.

Coming Soon!

Andrew graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law. He has served in the military for thirteen years on active duty and in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. Andrew served four and a half years as a police officer.

Andrew is married with two teen-aged children that keep him and his wife extremely busy. Andrew enjoys spending time with his family, rock climbing, working out, and traveling.

Richard is originally from southeast Iowa, and his family roots there run deep. He moved to Oklahoma City for a job in 1987, and he’s lived here ever since. He worked for 7/11 for over two decades before coming to join the Trinity School staff.

Richard’s wife, Denise, spends most of her days babysitting their grandkids, and she works part-time as a cook in Western Heights School District. The couple has been married for 40 years, and they have three kids, Adam, Austin, and Erica. Between them all, Richard has four grandkids.

Richard is a big Nascar fan; outside of school, he spends a lot of time cheering on his favorite drivers.