Paul Marble
Executive Director
Paul Marble has served his entire career as a teacher and administrator in three Massachusetts high schools, including a private boarding school, a large urban district school, and a charter public school. Paul taught IB English at Sturgis for six years; was Principal for six years; became Executive Director in July of 2016; has made numerous presentations about the IB Diploma Programme and its implementation; is an IB Site Visitor; and is an IB Workshop Leader, helping experienced IB teachers from across the nation support diverse learners in their classrooms. He also has developed and led teacher workshops for the IB Organization’s Bridging the Equity Gap project.
Jenn Kirk
Principal, Sturgis West Campus
Jenn Kirk is Principal of Sturgis West. She joined Sturgis as a Spanish teacher in 2007 and has served as Lead Teacher of the Spanish and French Department, Critical Friends Group Facilitator, World Challenge Leader of a Sturgis trip to Costa Rica as well as Administrative Intern and Coordinator of Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) at Sturgis West. Prior to joining Sturgis, Jenn taught for eight years in Latin America: Costa Rica (1998-2000) and Colombia (2001-2007).
Patrick O'Kane
Principal, Sturgis East Campus
Patrick O’Kane is Principal of Sturgis East. He joined Sturgis as a Spanish teacher in 2009 and has served as lead teacher in French and Spanish, assistant IB coordinator, administrative intern, critical friends group facilitator, crisis team leader and athletic director. Prior to Sturgis, he taught English in Bilbao (Spain), as well as Spanish in New York City, New Jersey, and Rotterdam (Holland). Patrick is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Lehigh University.
Polyanna Rocha
Director of Finance and Operations
Polyanna Rocha has served Sturgis in a variety of ways. She became Director of Finance and Operations in 2024, is the former Board of Trustees President, and was an active parent of three Sturgis students. Prior to joining Sturgis, Polyanna worked as a corporate tax accountant at BDO, LLC in Boston. She received her Masters of Science in Taxation from Bentley University. Polyanna is an immigrant from Brazil and is fluent in both English and Portuguese.
Karen Gauthier
Assistant Principal, Sturgis East Campus
Karen Gauthier joined Sturgis East as Lead School Counselor in 2017. Prior to joining Sturgis, Karen spent twenty-four years working for Barnstable Public Schools. She began her career as Guidance Director of the Barnstable Middle School prior to transitioning to a school counseling role at Barnstable High School eleven years later.
John Newcombe
Assistant Principal, Sturgis West Campus
John Newcombe began his teaching career in 2005. After serving in the U.S. Army and spending a number of years driving for UPS, John ventured back to college. After receiving his degree, he joined Sturgis East as a math and physics teacher. In 2011, when Sturgis West was opened, John moved from the East Campus and became the lead teacher for both the math and science departments at the new West campus. In addition to teaching, John has served as an assistant IB coordinator and an administrative intern. Most recently, he has taken on the roles of Assistant Athletic Director and Assistant Principal.
Susan Voigt
Special Education Coordinator, Sturgis East and West
Susan Voigt joined Sturgis in 2005, as the Special Education Coordinator for the East campus and as a key team member in constructing an “IB for All” climate. Susan taught IB Psychology for four years at Sturgis. She has led numerous IB weekend workshops on creating Inclusive Classrooms. She was part of an IB global workgroup in The Hague, Netherlands, that created inclusive resources for IB schools. Susan has consulted across the world about learning diversity in the IB program with educators, schools, and parents. Prior to joining Sturgis, she was the Principal at Latham Centers for six years, a residential school for children and adolescents with intensive Special Education needs in Brewster, Massachusetts.
Jessica Lynch
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Coordinator, Sturgis East and West
Jessica Lynch joined Sturgis West in 2011 as a Special Education Teacher after being an educational consultant and teaching in Cambridge. MA at both the high and middle school levels. In 2014, she became the Special Education Coordinator at West, and has served as the co-leader of the Equity Professional Learning Community. At the state level, Jessica has been a presenter on self-advocacy for special education students. She is thrilled to join Melissa on the DEIB team.
Christine McDowell
Multilingual Learner Department Coordinator, Sturgis East and West
Christine McDowell joined Sturgis during the 2012-2013 school year. Her previous roles at Sturgis include being an Instructional Coach, teaching Theory of Knowledge (T.O.K.), serving as the Creativity, Activity, and Service (C.A.S.) Coordinator, and being a Special Education inclusion teacher. Christine taught English abroad in South Korea and China, worked for the Peace Corps as a teacher trainer, and taught math and science in Brooklyn, NY before getting her M.A. in International Educational Development at Teachers College. She helped found the Equity Professional Learning Community at Sturgis, teaches the SEI course, and facilitates numerous professional development sessions each year. for Sturgis faculty and staff.
Meg Morris
Human Resources Coordinator, Sturgis East and West
Meg Morris joined Sturgis in 2017, and is responsible for providing Sturgis faculty, staff, and leadership with guidance, oversight and support on all HR-related functions. Prior to joining Sturgis, Meg served as a Human Resources director in various organizations on the Cape and in Boston, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is also the proud parent of three Sturgis East graduates.