Welcome New Faculty and Staff

Windward believes that great work comes from people who are inspired to do their best. The School is committed to building a nurturing, inclusive culture and welcomes teachers who bring skills, qualities, and experiences that demonstrate an understanding of and ability to support our work surrounding fostering a diverse school community. This year, we are excited to welcome the following new faculty and staff members to Windward!

Jennifer Dao

Assistant to the Head of School; Admissions Coordinator

Jennifer Dao joined Windward School as the Assistant to the Head of School; Admissions Coordinator in July 2022. Prior to coming to Windward, Jennifer graduated from California State University, Fullerton and received her B.A. in Business Administration. Following graduation, she worked at a local private school as the Assistant to the Principal and Admissions Director for five years.

Dr. Michael T. Day

Instrumental Music Lead

Possessing an extensive background in both performance and education, Dr. Day brings to Windward a culture and spirit of musical diversity and collaboration. Performing worldwide with luminary creatives such as Gospel pioneer Andrew Gouche, Jazz royal Natalie Cole, and Pop Punk originator Patrick Stump, to name a few—Dr. Day synthesizes a one-of-akind career into his nuanced classroom teaching philosophy. Dr. Day has a D.M.A. Musical Arts, Studio/ Jazz Guitar from University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, M.M. Musical Arts, Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and B.M. Musical Arts, from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Dr. Day is eager to encourage the extraordinary talents of the students at Windward. From theory, to songwriting, to performance, to recording techniques, Dr. Day seeks to integrate the classroom experience for the brilliance and ambitions of our student body.

Hatim Malek

History Teacher

Hatim earned his B.A. in Political Science and English from UCLA. An Honors and Stamps Scholar recipient, Hatim specializes in teaching Speech and Debate, English, and History. During his time at UCLA, Hatim served in a myriad of leadership roles: student reader and teacher assistant for UCLA’s Political Science department, peer learning facilitator in the undergraduate writing center, new student advisor for UCLA’s New Student and Transition Programs, and student facilitator for his very own class underneath the English Composition department.

An award-winning debater who served as Co-Captain and Research Director for the UCLA Debate Union, Hatim joined the Windward faculty in 2021 to help coach the Speech and Debate team. During his time with the program, the team took home close to 40 separate awards and qualified two students to the national tournament— accomplishments that he hopes to replicate and exceed during the next competitive season as he transitions to his new role as head coach. Hatim will also be joining Windward's History Department for the upcoming academic year, where he hopes to share his love for Politics and World History with the Windward community. When he's not teaching, Hatim enjoys reading, writing, photography, video and board games, rock climbing, swimming, and soccer.

Stephanie Osimiri

Dean of College Counseling

Stephanie joined Windward's College Counseling team in 2022 after several years working in both college admissions and college counseling. Stephanie is an Occidental College alumna, where she received a degree in Sociology and worked in the Office of Admission as a Senior Fellow. Stephanie's experience working in admissions at Occidental sparked her interest in higher education and led her to begin her professional career working at Oxy after graduation.

Stephanie worked as an Assistant Dean of Admission at Occidental, reading applications, recruiting students from around the United States, and coordinating events such as Admitted Student Days and the Multicultural Visit Program. After several years, Stephanie left Occidental to pursue a graduate degree by attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she received her Master's in Education and Student Affairs. Once she graduated, Stephanie crossed the street to work at Marymount High School as an Academic Advisor where she supported students socially, emotionally, and academically before settling in at Crossroads School as the Associate Dean of College Counseling. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys traveling the world, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with her friends and family.

Akiko Nimura

Multimedia Specialist

Akiko has more than 20 years of experience as a Graphic Designer, including six years experience as a Senior Graphic Designer and eight years experience as an Art Director. She is adept in concept design, project management, and final design implementations. She graduated from Japan Design College located in Tokyo with a degree in Fine Arts and from California International University with a degree in Business.

Akiko is originally from Yokohama, Japan, and she worked as a graphic designer for a design studio in Tokyo before moving to the United States. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and DIY projects.

Roxana Pianko

History Teacher

James Sainz

Physics Teacher

Roxana was born in the historical region of Transylvania in Romania and was raised in the Inland Empire. She has over a decade of teaching experience. For the past eight years, she has been teaching Modern World History, Genocide/ Holocaust Studies, and mentoring Seniors in the Near Mitra Scholar Program at The Harker School in San Jose, CA. Prior to Harker, Roxana taught AP US Government, AP Comparative Politics, and Holocaust Studies at Montverde Academy, an international boarding school in Montverde, FL.

She loves breakfast, reading, making music, travel, fashion, the great outdoors, and she really enjoys spending as much time as possible with family, friends, and her two cats, Tobi and Chloe. She loves history and working with young people and looks forward to joining the Windward community! James joined Windward's Science Department in 2022 to teach Physics, Honors Physics, and AP Physics. James earned his B.S. in Physics at The University of San Francisco where he also tutored peers in Physics and Calculus as well as led astronomy nights for the general public. From there, James earned his M.S. in Physics at The University of Massachusetts Amherst where he studied astrophysics and taught undergraduate labs. He began teaching high school at Loomis Chaffee in Connecticut where he taught Physics, AP Calculus and Precalculus as well as mentored the Debate and Robotics team. Most recently, James taught Physics and Engineering at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks and was a mentor for the Robotics team and Chess Club. James is passionate about making physics and math accessible to all students and conveying the importance of STEM for the future of our world. He is all about helping students apply physics concepts learned in the classroom to solve real-world problems.

In his free time, James loves playing chess, fishing, woodworking, hanging with his dog, designing and hand printing t-shirts, and making hip hop music.

Nick Winnie

History Teacher Nick joined Windward’s History Department in 2022 to teach AP European History and AP Comparative Government. A Los Angeles native, Nick has over a decade of experience teaching AP US Government, AP Comparative Government, and Honors Economics.

Nick came to teaching after brief-but-rich experiences in politics, journalism, and the nonprofit sector. While an undergrad at UC Santa Cruz, Nick was the politics editor of the university’s newspaper. This interest in politics and journalism led to a Communications position with Refugees International, an international NGO in Washington D.C. Nick’s work in DC developed his passion for international relations and global humanitarian issues. In 2008, Nick found himself working for a political campaign in the swing state of Colorado, where he managed a voter registration effort focused on increasing turnout among young and diverse populations. These experiences informed Nick’s decision to become an educator, having realized how essential History and Civics Education are to maintaining an informed citizenry and creating a more just society. Nick earned his B.A. in History and M.A. in Secondary Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction from UC Santa Cruz and has taught grades 7-12 in Northern and Southern California since 2011.

Aside from his academic interests, Nick is a devoted LA sports fan who joins Windward after having served as a Varsity Baseball coach for four years in West LA. He is an avid traveler and enjoys learning about diverse and rich cultures around the world. In his spare time, you can find him surfing at El Porto or spending time in nature with his family.