Our Honey Tree Team

Julie has been the Honey Tree Director since 2020 and has been a valued member of our Honey Tree Team since 2008, after her youngest daughter was a student at the school. Previously Julie served as assistant director, preschool assistant and enjoyed being a teacher in the Kindergarten Program for 11 years. Her years of success teaching young children, working with teachers and families, as well as her B.A. degree in education, teaching credential and administrative coursework are reflected in the quality of Honey Tree’s early learning program and her commitment to it. In her spare time, Julie enjoys spending time with her husband and three wonderful daughters. She loves to be in nature when she gets the chance, hiking with her dogs, going to the beach, camping and skiing.

Michele keeps the business of our school up-to-date with bookkeeping, payroll, tuition and communication with families. She has been part of the administrative team since 2015. Previously she was a Honey Tree parent and served on the Honey Tree Board. Michele has a business background as well as education and experience in early childhood teaching. Michele typically knows every child and parent attending Honey Tree! She enjoys spending time with family hiking, reading, watching sports, and movies. Michele’s been married for over 30 years and her three wonderful children are all in their 20s.

Mrs. Susan Randolph has been in the teaching field for 36 years. She is proud to have worked at Honey Tree since 2001. She is also a mentor teacher for Moorpark College, which allows her to have wonderful student teachers in her classroom. She is an energetic person who is enthusiastic about life. She gets a great sense of achievement from seeing her students grow and develop as individuals. If she can have a positive impact for their future, she feels she is doing her job well.

Mrs. Wendy Axelrad (Miss Wendy as she is affectionately known) fell in love with Honey Tree when her neighbor first recommended the school for her then 3-year-old daughter. Wendy is still at Honey Tree and has been part of our valued staff since 1996. She became the lead teacher of the Parent/Two- Year-Old program in 2003. Wendy has a bachelors degree with special training in infant/toddler emphasis and parenthood. She loves helping families with their first exposure in a school setting and explains to each parent that little ones get messy. It is their job and evidence they are having fun. Wendy continues to stay informed on the latest developments regarding toddlers by attending online seminars and reading articles from National Association for the Education of Young Children, in order to keep the quality toddler program at Honey Tree fresh and current.

Mrs. Vickie Cass has 16 years’ experience in Early Childhood Education and has been teaching Kindergarten at Honey Tree since 2018. She believes learning should be fun, and emphasizes laughter and patience. She earned her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Development and her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. When she is not with her students, she enjoys time with her two children and husband, playing tennis, and reading a good book curled up with her dogs.

Mrs. Leah Hinman loves working with children. She received her bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University (Go Mountaineers!). After having her own children, she knew she wanted to have a career in Early Childhood Education. She started working in Special Education in 2016. Her son attended Honey Tree and it was such an amazing experience. She always wanted to come back and when the opportunity presented itself for her to teach, she was so excited! She joined our staff in 2019. Her goal is to build her student’s confidence and make them feel loved every day at school.

Miss Clarissa Arana has been in the education field for almost seven years now. She became a part of the Honey Tree team in 2020. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Studies from CSU Channel Islands and is pursuing her master’s degree at American College of Education. She has a true passion for working with our youngest learners. Helping each child progress in all areas of their development is something she is so grateful to be a part of.

Mrs. Ashley Rowe has been teaching in early childhood since 2008, and she joined the Honey Tree family in 2021. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from the University of La Verne. There she focused on Elementary Education, Educational Policy and Curriculum Design. Her work in education has led to multiple certifications, including Nature Explore Specialist for the Outdoor Classroom Project and NESTA Children’s Nutrition Specialist. Ashley loves the joy that the students bring into her classroom each day, and looks forward to watching them grow each year!

Mrs. Jen Padberg has been a part of our Honey Tree Family for over 50 years. Her mom, Karen Lindgren, became the director of Honey Tree when she had just turned 5 years old. Watching her and being raised with the Honey Tree Staff, made her realize she would eventually want to be a part of this wonderful environment. After completing her bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and starting her family, she got the opportunity to work at Honey Tree beginning in 1999. Jen enjoys being at Honey Tree because she loves to help children acquire knowledge and confidence while at school. She is a mom of beautiful twin daughters that are both married and a son who attends Georgetown University.

Mrs. Tammy Adams has been in the education field since 2006. She started at CVUSD for 6 years before joining the Honey Tree Family since 2012. She assists in developing a careful, creative program suitable for parents and their two-year-olds. She also has been a volunteer first responder for our community for 19 years. She enjoys camping and spending time with her four children and husband.

Mrs. Sue Stonehouse has been in the education field since 2016 and at Honey Tree since 2020. She earned her Bachelors from UCLA and continued her Early Childhood Education at Moorpark and Oxnard Colleges. Mrs. Stonehouse feels lucky everyday to be at Honey Tree, and enjoys helping children develop a love of learning, and introducing them to new experiences. In her free time she likes to spend time with her family, watch her four children play sports, travel and cook.

Miss Robin Conrad has been in the teaching field for about 5 years. She began working as an Assistant Teacher in our Kindergarten/Developmental Kindergarten class at Honey Tree in 2022, after earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development, and she absolutely loves it! Both her sons attended Honey Tree and she knew some day she wanted to work in such a wonderful environment. She is a creative and energetic person who has a passion for building a strong rapport with her fellow teachers, students and families. She is also dedicated to creating safe, nurturing, inclusive and engaging learning environments for children, in order to enhance individual development.

Ms. Cheryl has always loved caring for children. She was a babysitter as a teen, a nanny through college and has worked as a Pediatric Respiratory Therapist at Children's Hospitals in Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, before having children of her own. She started working at Honey Tree as a substitute, and is so happy to be an assistant teacher at the school. She is currently taking Early Childhood Classes at Moorpark and Oxnard Colleges.

Miss Crystal Turley has had a passion for children ever since she was little, from taking care of her younger siblings to being a nanny of two children for the last 6 years. She started at Honey Tree as a student teacher and has been lucky enough to have the opportunity to be an assistant teacher beginning in 2020. Watching children learn, grow, and develop is what truly brings Crystal joy. She is playful, caring and dedicated to creating a fun and safe environment where children feel loved and accepted.

Mrs. Anna LeClair, or Miss Anna as she is known, has felt Honey Tree is a special place since she sent her two boys to the school starting in 2018. She is so excited to have joined as an assistant teacher in 2024 and is enjoying every minute helping to develop young minds! Anna began working at her boy’s elementary school in 2022 and quickly realized working with kids was her passion to further pursue. She currently holds a certificate of achievement in child development from Moorpark College and continues to take classes towards her child development degree. In her spare time Miss Anna spends time with her husband, two sons, fur baby Astro, and she loves to cook!

Miss Emma Kodimer Joined the Honey Tree Team in 2024 and is currently studying Early Childhood Development at CSUN. She previously worked as a recreational aid at a community center, so she has lots of experience working with children. She was introduced to Honey Tree in 2023 when doing her student mentorship with Mrs. Randolph! While she’s only been at the school for a short time, she can already feel the love that Honey Tree gives and the support that the staff provides. She looks forward to seeing the students every morning and making sure they are smiling every day. When she’s not working, She likes to crochet and read.

Mrs. Leahastar Schwanauer loves children and has 2 of her own (both teenagers now). Her children are Honey Tree Alumni and she has loved Honey Tree ever since! Mrs. Schwanauer has been in the teaching field since 2018. She started out as a PE teacher for grades TK-5th at a local elementary school and worked there as a PE coach for 2 years before joining our Honey Tree family in 2021. During her first year at Honey Tree, she was fortunate enough work as a substitute teacher in every one of our classrooms, allowing her to observe all of our wonderful teachers. She has a strong work ethic that embodies her passion for teaching children, helping them grow and shine, in a positive learning environment. Her nurturing and caring heart help each of her students feel welcome and comforted as they bravely start their first year of preschool independently. Mrs. Schwanauer has a Bachelor of Science degree from Cal Poly SLO and a Master of Science degree from George Washington University. She has recently completed early childhood education classes at Moorpark College.

Mrs. Melissa (Missy) Ricketts graduated from University of California Santa Barbara with a degree in Psychology. She has always had a passion for working with young children and volunteered at Honey Tree when her 3 children attended many years ago. She has been employed with Honey Tree since 2019. It is important to Mrs. Ricketts that every child feel confident and loved. She enjoys watching and encouraging each student as they grow and blossom throughout the year. The highlight of her days is hearing the children laugh and the silly things 3–4-year-olds say.

Mrs. Jackie Mason retired from Honey Tree in 2022. She taught 3- and 4- year-olds for 25 years. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and completed units in the Masters program. During her college years, she was an Infant Development Specialist, worked at the Blind Children’s Center, and she was a Child Life Specialist at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and UCLA Hospital in the Pediatrics ward. After college, she worked in the Head Start Program for 5 years. All of Jackie’s children attended Honey Tree, and after volunteering and subbing at Honey Tree, she had an opportunity to be a teacher. She feels it has been a pleasure and a dream to work at such a wonderful school. Since she has retired, Mrs. Mason has enjoyed subbing at Honey Tree on a regular basis. She has 3 beautiful children and has been married for 35 years.

Ms. Diane Weis (Auntie Di Di as she is known at Honey Tree) retired from a 41-year career in education and enjoys the opportunity to substitute at Honey Tree. She has experience teaching preschool through high school as well as being adjunct faculty in the Graduate Schools of Education for California Lutheran University, California State University Northridge and Pepperdine. She has held various administrative positions including Curriculum Resource Specialist, Coordinator of Categorical Projects, Coordinator of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Program Specialist, School Site Principal and Director of Special Education. She holds an M.A. in Special Education, a B.A. in Liberal Studies, a Ryan Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, an Autism Authorization and a California Administration Credential. She has been blessed to raise two biological children, a stepson and a young lady who entered her heart and home when she was in high school. Diane’s children are now grown and following their own passions in life which brings her much joy and happiness.

Mrs. Teri Wright has had a teaching career for 32 years and is so happy to have been at Honey Tree since 2004. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development as well as a Master’s Teacher Permit. She is the proud mom of two wonderful sons and an amazing daughter in law. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling with her husband and spending time with both of her granddaughters. She strives to make a difference in tomorrow’s decision makers and loves watching children learn and understand new things.